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August 12, 2015 TECH (MSM)

Tencent second quarter revenue up lower-than-expected 19 percent as gaming growth slows

Tencent Holdings Ltd , China’s biggest social network and online entertainment firm, said second-quarter revenue rose 19 percent, slightly below estimates, as growth at its core gaming business slowed. Revenue for the quarter ending June rose to 23.43 billion yuan ($3.67 billion), Tencent said in it earnings statement on Wednesday, compared to the 24.12 billion yuan forecast made in a Thomson Reuters Smartestimate poll of 11 analysts. Revenue at the

August 12, 2015 MONEY (MSM)

Alibaba shares hit record low after earnings miss

Alibaba’s shares skidded to a record low in New York on Wednesday after China’s biggest e-commerce company posted its slowest revenue growth in over three years. As well as missing revenue forecasts, Alibaba announced a $4 billion share repurchase program over two years, which it said was primarily aimed at offsetting the impact of the company’s share-based compensation programs and other factors that could dilute the share price. China’s economy

August 12, 2015 TRAVEL (MSM)

Why We Souvenir

What do you think of when you hear “souvenirs”? How does that word make you feel? If you’re anything like me, it elicits a cringe or a grimace, perhaps a not-quite-whispered “ew.” I think immediately of garish gift shops lined with mass-produced items invariably made in China: statuettes of landmarks, snow globes, T-shirts plastered with eyeroll-inducing slogans and designs, chintzy toys to keep ill-behaved children occupied. In short, I envision