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 Original article here  , posted on Tue 20 Feb 2007 ANALYSIS Two weeks ago, business leaders at Davos gave their blessing to Linden Lab's Second Life. They hailed the spectacular growth of its virtual economy while politicians spoke of democracy itself moving into its online world. But little of this coverage questioned its true popularity, or how sustainable its "virtual economy" might be. Second Life went live in 2003, burning through $8m of venture capital investment over the next three years. And it remained invisible until recently - with a few mentions on enthusiast weblogs. But in March 2006, Linden Lab used some of an $11m additional investment from VC firms, and from Amazon's Jeff Bezos, eBay's Pierre Omidyar, and the Open Source Foundation's Mitch Kapor, to hire a professional agency, Flashpoint PR. It was now business journalists who began to spread the word. The Wharton School, Business 2.0, the Harvard Business Review - all wrote approvingly of Se

HSBC Holdings has stated that India's recent economic gains are unlikely to surpass China as the main growth engine of the world economy in the near future. HSBC expects the gap between the two economies to widen, reaching $17.5 trillion by 2028. The bank highlights the difference in consumption and investment trends between the two countries. Although India is expected to contribute significantly to global demand for commodities, consumption, and capital goods, it will take another 18 years for India's investment spending to catch up to China's. India’s impressive recent economic gains are unlikely to displace China as the world economy’s main growth engine anytime soon, according to HSBC Holdings Plc. “The numbers don’t exactly add up,” economists Frederic Neumann and Justin Feng wrote in a report Friday. India, at the moment, “runs on too few cylinders,” while China is “simply too large to have its importance for the world economy readily eclipsed,” they said. HSBC expec

Published: 2 Oct 2023 | 05:15 GMT Russia’s state debt rose by almost 10% in the first half of the year, as the government needed the funds to support the economy, Izvestia newspaper wrote on Friday, citing Russia’s Accounts Chamber’s report on budget implementation. Government borrowing between January and June soared by 9.8% and is projected to reach 25.1 trillion rubles ($256 billion) by the end of the year, accounting for 16.7% of Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP). The domestic debt increased by $14 billion (+7.4%) in the first six months and has now reached $206 billion, closely approaching the upper limit of $211 billion set by the Finance Ministry for this year. At the same time, the share of internal borrowing in the total debt structure decreased from 82.3% to 80.5%, the report noted. The amount of domestic debt in securities as of July had risen by $14 billion since the beginning of the year and now amounts to $198.9 billion. ‘External pressure’ strengthening Russian econo

This resource is a step-by-step guide on how to leave an abusive relationship. Whether you're ready to leave now or just trying to figure out exactly what to do when the moment arrives, what matters most is that you're considering taking even a small step in a new direction⁠—a direction that is leading you away from your abusive relationship and into a safe space. Even if your next step seems terrifying and your mind is overwhelmed, remind yourself that you've already begun your journey to freedom. Even considering leaving your abusive relationship is a sign of power, a sign of your desire to move forward and start a new life.  This guide was created with the help of Kayla Katz, MSW, RCSWI, a domestic abuse education and action advocate at Ruth and Norman Rales Jewish Family Services, and Gabrielle Powell, a victim services coordinator for a New York City–based victim services program. 1. Get some clarity and remind yourself that you're doing the right thing. sleep supp

Ever interacted with someone who seemed to be expressing interest in you...by making fun of you? This confusing behavior is known as negging, and oddly, it's often used as a form of flirting. We all desire and deserve healthy, mutually supportive relationships, but sometimes we can find ourselves entangled with people who manipulate and harm us. Why do some people get a rise out of putting others down? Here, we'll be doing a deep dive into the psychology behind this form of emotional control and how to deal with it. What is negging? Negging is a form of emotional manipulation that is carried out through "backhanded compliments and insults disguised as constructive criticism," says licensed mental health counselor Amanda Levison, M.S., LMHC, LPC, CCBT. Negging is deployed by people who wish to undermine, belittle, and control the people around them, with the intention to make the person begin to overly desire and depend on the negger's approval for self-esteem. Ove

Recently, EU members have agreed to implement a minimum tax rate of 15% on big businesses in accordance with Pillar 2 of the global tax agreement framed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2021. In 2021, 136 countries including India had agreed on a plan to redistribute tax rights across jurisdictions and enforce a minimum tax rate of 15% on large multinational corporations. What is Global Minimum Tax? A Global Minimum Tax (GMT) applies a standard minimum tax rate to a defined corporate income base worldwide. The OECD developed a proposal featuring a corporate minimum tax of 15% on foreign profits of large multinationals, which would give countries new annual tax revenues of USD 150 billion. The framework of GMT aims to discourage nations from tax competition through lower tax rates that result in corporate profit shifting and tax base erosion. What are the Key Points of the Plan? Two Pillar Plan: Pillar 1: 25% of profits of the  largest and most prof

10 Sep, 2023 11:07 Foreign firms flock to Russian offshore havens – media The country’s special administrative regions offer firms protection from the sanctions war between Moscow and the West A growing number of foreign companies and Russian firms registered overseas are moving their operations to special administrative regions (SARs) in Russia, Izvestia news outlet reported on Tuesday, citing data provided by the Ministry of Economic Development. According to the report, a total of 87 companies moved to SARs on the Russky and Oktyabrsky islands in the first half of 2023 – up from 34 companies in the same period last year and more than during the whole of 2022. Some 62 international companies are now registered in the Russky Island SAR alone, with total assets of about 5 trillion rubles ($51 billion). During the first eight months of the year, some 45 companies finalized their redomiciling procedures – a process by which a Russian company previously registered abroad moves its offices

Israel clears nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia Riyadh wants a civilian atomic program but would also consider a military path, should Iran choose to take that route, the newspaper reports Israel has agreed to the idea of the US building a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia as part of a deal that would see Riyadh establish diplomatic ties with West Jerusalem, according to the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed senior nuclear and security officials to cooperate with Washington on the issue. Progress came after Netanyahu met US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session on Wednesday, the WSJ said on Thursday, citing Israeli and American sources. Israel is widely believed to be the sole nation with a nuclear capability in the Middle East, but has never confirmed its status as such. According to officials cited by the WSJ, the country would accept Riyadh hosting a US-controlled uranium

 Online Courses (English) What is Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)? About: A genetically modified organism (GMO) refers to an entity, whether it's an animal, plant, or microorganism, that has undergone modifications to its DNA using genetic engineering methods. Across generations, specific traits have been cultivated in crops like corn, animals like cattle, and even domestic companions like dogs through selective breeding. Yet, in recent decades, the progress of biotechnology has enabled researchers to directly manipulate the genetic makeup of microorganisms, plants, and animals. Genetic Modification: It involves altering the DNA of an organism to introduce specific traits or characteristics. There are several techniques used in genetic modification, each with its own advantages and applications. What is the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)? The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) functions in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&

Unity, the cross-platform game engine that powers games like Rust, Hollow Knight, and Pokémon Go, has introduced a new, controversial fee for developers, set to take effect next year. Indie developers quickly responded to the announcement, with many suggesting the costs of this policy would kill smaller games, while confusion spread as devs wondered how it would affect their bottom line. Unity’s attempts to provide clarity have only fueled devs’ frustration and spawned more questions from those with both currently active and in-development games using the engine. The new Runtime Fee, announced in a September 12 Unity blog, is based on the number of installations a game built with the Unity engine receives, as well as the revenue it generates. Though it won’t start until January 1, 2024, the Runtime Fee will apply to any game that has reached both a previously established annual revenue threshold and a lifetime install count. Games developed with the lower-cost Unity Personal and Unity