diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 751f914..65cfa3e 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,5 +1,16 @@
 News (mainly features/major bug fixes)
 
+portage-2.3.80
+--------------
+* The emerge --quickpkg-direct option enables use of installed packages
+  directly as binary packages. It can be used to create minimal runtime
+  container images (which need not include a package manager), or to
+  enable a live image to act as a binary installer that uses packages
+  installed in the live image as a source of binary packages. This
+  option is especially useful in combination with --usepkgonly and
+  --ignore-soname-deps=n options, allowing implicit system dependencies
+  such as libc to be automatically accounted for.
+
 portage-2.3.77
 --------------
 * The emerge --autounmask option is now disabled by default, except for
diff --git a/RELEASE-NOTES b/RELEASE-NOTES
index a3b077d..e4df13d 100644
--- a/RELEASE-NOTES
+++ b/RELEASE-NOTES
@@ -1,6 +1,14 @@
 Release Notes; upgrade information mainly.
 Features/major bugfixes are listed in NEWS
 
+portage-2.3.81
+==================================
+* Bug Fixes:
+    - Bug 681312 add emerge --implicit-system-deps <y|n> option
+    - Bug 701996 fix virtual/wine handling to avoid pulling in multiple
+      wine implementations in some cases
+
+
 portage-2.3.80
 ==================================
 * Bug Fixes:
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 964bfb0..6ab0db2 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -662,7 +662,7 @@
 
 setup(
 	name = 'portage',
-	version = '2.3.80',
+	version = '2.3.81',
 	url = 'https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:Portage',
 	author = 'Gentoo Portage Development Team',
 	author_email = 'dev-portage@gentoo.org',