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Turkish President Erdogan speaks during a meeting of the AK Party in Rize.

Domestic politics are at the heart of the current poor state of relations between Turkey and some European countries, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

Ties between Turkey and Germany have soured in recent months, reaching a nadir last month when German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Berlin would no longer encourage or guarantee investment in Turkey.

"We know that the most of the criticism of European countries for our country is related to their domestic politics," Erdogan said at the opening of a factory in Isparta, southwest Turkey.

Referring to the Netherlands' block on Turkish ministerial speeches in the run-up to April's constitutional referendum in Turkey, the president said: "Now we see that Germany is using the same tactics. I believe that they will return to normal after the elections."

Germany will hold a federal election of Bundestag lawmakers on Sept. 24.

A series of diplomatic incidents has included German complaints about the arrest of its nationals on terrorism charges, the lack of access for lawmakers to German troops at Incirlik air base in southern Turkey and claims that Turkey has carried out espionage in Germany.

Ankara has accused Germany of harbouring terrorists and criticised the government for barring Turkish politicians from addressing crowds ahead of the referendum.

On Tuesday, Turkey allowed German lawmakers to visit their troops based at an air base near Konya, central Turkey, under a deal brokered by NATO.

It followed the withdrawal of German jets from Incirlik, where they had been tasked to conduct surveillance missions against Daesh in Syria, after lawmakers were denied permission to visit.

Party change

Turning to the governing Justice and Development Party or AK Party, which he heads, Erdogan said: "We are committed to achieve a fundamental change in our party."

He has previously warned "tired" AK Party lawmakers to step aside ahead of the 2019 general election and he made a similar warning when he told the crowd that change was needed for those who had "moved away from the values of the AK Party".

Erdogan added: "We need companions who are energy-driven, enthusiastic and have equipment and projects for the future of our country, our nation and our cities."

Syria, Iraq borders

On the issues of the security threats at Turkey's borders, Erdogan said a "terror state, which is trying to establish itself along the Syrian and Iraqi borders" was aimed as damaging Turkey's independence and future.

In Syria, the YPG, which Ankara views as an extension of the PKK terrorist organisation but is backed by the US, has established territory along stretches of the Turkish border while in Iraq, the Kurdish Regional Government has pledged to hold a referendum on independence from Baghdad.

The PKK, also designated a terrorist organisation by the US and EU, resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015 and since then has been responsible for the deaths of close of 1,200 people including security personnel and civilians.

Erdogan said the "insignificant and unfounded accusations" of European politicians against Turkey were borne from the same desire to hurt Turkey.

Source: AA

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Erdogan says relations with Berlin will improve after German election - TRT World

Alleged footage from an emulated version of Tokyo 41.

As manufactured controversies go, this one leaves a lot to be skeptical of. As clever marketing plans go, though, it's an interesting public performance that touches on some real issues in modern gaming.

The first mention of a game called Tokyo 41 anywhere on the Internet seems to have come from a Twitter account belonging to alleged developer Mark Followill. On the same day the account was created, Followill replied to Tokyo 42 publisher Mode 7 Games with a couple of CGA-style screenshots of Tokyo 41. Those shots heavily resemble Tokyo 42's isometric shooter gameplay despite Tokyo 41 allegedly being originally published in 1987. "It is clear that this game is strongly similar to my game Tokyo 41 which you are clearly aware of," Followill tweeted.

Over the weekend, Followill started up a WordPress blog and posted more details about Tokyo 41's alleged history, including a video of an alleged updated and emulated version of the game. Followill writes of his frustration trying to get Mode 7 to acknowledge its debt to his earlier game:

Despite many efforts to contact the publishers and developers I have received no meaningful reply. The press has been silent on this matter, as 1980s British game development has been forgotten amongst the corporatisation of computer games, a trend which drove me out of this vibrant creative area at the time.

The legal protections for computer games are very poor, and my partner at Omen Barn Michael Hernandez has told me he is not interested in pursuing any claim against the perpetrators of this. Personally I would welcome any legal advice on this matter I know there are many on the internet with far greater expertise than I.

Mode 7 Games' Paul Kilduff-Taylor is publicly calling Tokyo 41 "blatantly fake" on Twitter,speculating that it could be "some kind of elaborate trademark troll." This morning, he wrote that he's "not commenting on THE THING currently due to ADVICE but am enjoying all of your viewpoints."

How can Tokyo 41 have existed for 30 years without any mention by the hordes of classic PC gaming fans on the Internet (or contemporary attention from the late '80s gaming press)? "We sold games in local shops only and so they are not well recorded, with little information available on the internet," Followill said in response to an e-mail from Ars Technica."As I have said, I am looking to promote the work of such developers as ourselves if people will only listen to what I am actually saying instead of misquoting me etc."

Followill tells Ars he formed the Kent-based developer omen Barn (yes, that's company styling) in the late '80s with partner Michael Hernandez. The company was "named after a barn near our houses which we found to be particularly ominous in nature," he says. "Barn is capitalised there as it was a big barn, also this was the fashion at the time." Tokyo 41 was "inspired by my love of Tokyo and Japan which I established as a young boy, visiting the blossom season and having adventures with police," Followill says.

The alleged title screen tweeted out by Mark Followill.

This is indeed what Tokyo 42 might look like in CGA colors.

We're skeptical that this level of isometric clarity would be possible on a 1987-era computer.

Nice tree work.

While the ZX Spectrum version is lost forever, Followill says, the footage he posted "is based on an emulated version OF THE PC VERSION with MODERN SOUND And some changes. I am using basic hardware emulation techniques in a C++ wrapper I have written myself in order to run the DOS CGA version of the game, then on top of this I have added elements to present the game to a modern audience."

That supposedly explains why the video footage runs with better graphics and sound than would seemingly be possible on a 1987-era PC. But Followill says he can't share the emulated ROM publicly "for obvious reasons - who knows what could happen to it as soon as it was released. After this controversy I do not want more exposure for the game."

While the parties involved are doing a great job of staying in character, it should hopefully be clear by now that the story surrounding Tokyo 41 is an elaborate marketing hoax. The lack of any sort of contemporary paper trail or Internet memory of the game seems utterly implausible for a game that a Mode 7 developer would know enough about to steal. The "emulated" footage also seems much too sophisticated for a late '80s PC release in a number of ways ("some changes" notwithstanding).

Followill's relatively recent Internet presence and the timing of his accusations are suspicious enough, but if there's still any doubt, the end of Followill's e-mail to Ars reads like thinly veiled marketing copy for the "copycat" game he's attacking. "There is a lot of focus on me now and I will say that I only want recognition for my work, not to intefere [sic] with the forthcoming PlayStation 4 release of Tokyo 42 tomorrow, which as a fan of games I am looking forward to even though it will be bittersweet for me." While some in the indie game scene are playing along with the story on Twitter, many seem to be in on the joke.

So if this "controversy" is obviously fake, why even bother writing about it? For one, it's a fun twist on the trend of "demaking" a modern game by capturing its look or feel in a decidedly retro style. Recently, the demake trend led to a surprisingly playable 2D version of Breath of the Wild, but the concept can trace its roots back much further than that.

In many ways, though, the manufactured controversy resembles an alternate reality game, adding a layer of "real world" fiction that placeslayers on top of the self-contained in-game world. When a marketing plan is put together with such cleverness and care, it's hard not to be charmed.

Listing image by Mark Followill

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Blatant clone or marketing hoax? The curious case of Tokyo 41 and Tokyo 42 - Ars Technica

Glossybox, a BirchBox clone launched by the Samwer brothers back in 2011 to deliver willing consumers a monthly subscription of beauty products, has been acquired by UK online retailer and ecommerce platform operator,The Hut Group (THG). Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Glossybox had raised $72 million from four investors over its six-year or so run, according to Crunchbase. Its majority shareholders were Rocket Internet and Kinnevik Online.

The number of beauty subscription boxes has grown in recent years, as more companies jumped on the product subscription bandwagon.

THG has several subscription box products of its own, such as its lookfantastic brand Beauty Box, although it also offers subscription box offerings beyond the beauty space, such as its MyGeekBox and PopInABox brands.

The company couches the Glossybox buy as a strategic move to further extend its international reach with the latter active in 10 markets: the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway and Sweden.

Glossybox has not disclosed subscription numbers recently, but THG reckons theres room to grow the brand by plugging it into its proprietary ecommerce platform-plus-marketing infrastructure.

THG, which operates more than 140 websitesretailing premium, non-perishable FMCG products direct to consumers, claims hundreds of millions of users globally across its market footprint, shipping some 37 million items annually.

It also said it intends to invest in Glossyboxs Berlin base evolving it into a tech-hub for the Group.

Commenting on the acquisition in a statement,Matthew Moulding, founder and CEO of THG, said: This is another significant investment for The Hut Group. In Glossybox, we have acquired a great brand, with a solid and engaged customer base that, once powered through our platform and marketing infrastructure, should be capable of further significant growth.

While Caren Genthner-Kappesz, CEO of Glossybox, described THG as the right strategic partner to drive our business forward.

The press release doesnt mention the word brexit but a UK-based ecommerce player planning to invest in and beef up a tech hub that will be remaining within the European Union also looks like a nice hedge against potential skills shortages domestically. Hence THG lauding Berlin as home to a highly tech-savvy community.

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Rocket Internet's Glossybox acquired by UK ecommerce platform player, THG - TechCrunch

1. How to attract marketing talent of the future

Businesses will need to offer greater flexibility to secure top talent as the industry demands more out of hours work. Currently, 15% of businesses offer flexible working and 18% flexitime.

But 55% of workers want flexible working and 47% want flexitime. A further 32% want time off in lieu and additional benefits to compensate for out of hours work.

Source: Reed

Google and Facebook account for almost a third of the time Britons spend on the internet. British adults accumulate 42.7 million days a month across Google properties, the equivalent of 17% of UK internet time.

Facebook properties, including Whatsapp and Instagram, account for 28.4 million days, or 11% of time. The top 10 most dominant companies account for half of internet time.

Source: Verto Analytics

Retired households have seen their incomes triple over the past 40 years, substantially narrowing the gap in earnings with working-age households and revealed a lucrative market for marketers.

In 1977, the average pensioner households income was 10,500, just 52% of the 20,200 earned by non-retired households.

But by the end of 2016 pensioners income had risen to 29,500, equal to 70% of the figure for working households, which was 41,900.

Source: Office for National Statistics

The global licensing industry grew by 4.4% last year to be worth a record 201.6bn, with the US and Canada the largest market with a 58% share.

Character and entertainment is the top property type, accounting for 45% of sales. And clothes are the biggest product category, with 30.1bn in revenue, ahead of toys on 26.9bn and fashion on 22.7bn.

Source: Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association

Thursday is the best time to send marketing emails, with emails shared on that day having an open rate of 23.13% and click-through rate of 3.52%.

The best time to send is at 4pm, when open rates hit 25.13% and click-through rates 3.82%.

Source: GetResponse

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5 killer stats to start your week - Marketing Week

Jacksonville Daily Record

The Basch Report: New Media created to control bankrupt GateHouse Jacksonville Daily Record That's because New Media was created just four years ago to take control of the newspapers owned by GateHouse Media Inc. in a prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring. New Media was formed by a real estate investment trust called Newcastle ... and more »

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The Basch Report: New Media created to control bankrupt GateHouse - Jacksonville Daily Record