August, 2016

• 10 August

  Disney reshapes TV with $1bn streaming deal, ESPN online

  

    Bloomberg Walt Disney Co. reported third-quarter results that reflected tough times for its TV business and said it’s taking big steps in online video to adapt to changing consumer viewing habits. The world’s largest entertainment company said it will pay $1 billion for a one-third take in BAMTech, a technology and streaming business formed by Major League Baseball, and ...

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• 10 August

  Pokemon craze sparks search for pirate maps

  

    Bloomberg Mapbox Inc., the provider of maps for customers including Evernote and the Washington Post, felt Pokemon Go’s impact the very day the monster-hunting game launched in the U.S. last month. Inquiries from game developers poured in even though Mapbox wasn’t behind the smash hit. One asked for a dark theme for night-time fighting, another for a pirate map ...

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• 10 August

  Intel buys AI startup Nervana to bolster data center unit

    Bloomberg Intel Corp., which makes chips that run more than 90 percent of the world’s servers, said it’s buying startup Nervana Systems to add software, a cloud service and future hardware in an attempt to better tune its products for artificial intelligence work. While Intel’s Xeon processors dominate in data centers, they’re not built for the unique workloads of ...

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• 10 August

  Facebook blocks ad blockers to allow ‘useful’ ads

  

    Bloomberg Facebook is blocking ad blockers on the desktop version of its service, saying well-made, relevant ads can be “useful.” At the same time, the world’s biggest social media company says it is giving users easier ways to decide what types of ads they want to see — unless, of course, the answer is “none.” Ad blockers filter out ...

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• 10 August

  The ‘virtual’ future of education

  

    Bloomberg Deep within a building shaped like the Starship Enterprise, a little-known Chinese company is working on the future of education. Vast banks of servers record children at work and play, tracking touchscreen swipes, shrugs and head swivels — amassing a database that will be used to build intimate profiles of millions of kids. This is the Fuzhou hive ...

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• 10 August

  Vegan junk food is all the rage

  

    Los Angeles / AFP Vegan diets are considered by most as healthy and environmentally responsible, with celebrity poster children touting benefits like weight loss, clear skin and increased energy. But even vegans — who eschew all animal products like meat, eggs and dairy — crave junk food. As the movement becomes more and more popular, temptations including donuts, pizza ...

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• 9 August

  Nakheel awards 252-room hotel contract

    DUBAI / WAM Dubai’s master developer Nakheel on Tuesday announced that it has awarded an AED1.5 billion construction contract for its Al Khail Avenue mall, and said it plans to add a 252-room hotel to the retail hub. The contract to build the billion retail, dining and entertainment complex in Dubai’s Jumeirah Village district was awarded to the UAE-based ...

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• 9 August

  DED for Consumer Protection counters in car showrooms

    DUBAI / WAM Officials from the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai have held a meeting with seven major vehicle dealers in Dubai to discuss the establishment of Consumer Protection counters in car showrooms. The dealers were briefed on guidelines regarding the counters and the need for establishing them by the beginning of 2017. The Consumer Protection counter ...

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• 9 August

  Trump’s sinking fantasy

  

    Like shipwrecked mariners clinging to a floating mast, many Republicans rationalize supporting Donald Trump because of “the court.” This two-word incantation means: Because we care so much for the Constitution, it is supremely important to entrust to Trump the making of Supreme Court nominations. Well. In a Republican candidates debate, Trump complained that Ted Cruz had criticized Trump’s sister, ...

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• 9 August

  Citigroup stockpiles ‘weapons of mass destruction’

  

    Citigroup has carved out an an improbable niche, given its history of receiving the most federal aid among banks in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The bank, which already has the most derivatives of any of its U.S. rivals, has been buying credit-default swaps from its European rivals, which are under growing pressure to quickly cut holdings ...

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