Category: News Desk

Infographic: Does It ‘Ad’ Up?


Despite the weak global economic climate and decline in consumer spending, global ad spending rose to more than $500 billion in 2012, with most of that increase coming from digital media advertising. But do advertisements actually generate greater brand awareness and translate to greater sales?

Do consumers simply believe and accept advertising, or do they take it with a grain of salt? And, more importantly, do they care? For example, when you go to McDonald’s for a Big Mac, do you expect the advertised masterpiece or a flattened down version of it?

Russia Calls on Iran and World Powers to Stop Bickering “Like Children”


Global powers and Iran should “stop behaving like little children” and set a date for new negotiations over Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme, said Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, after the both sides failed to agree on a location for the talks which had been due to take place this month.

Chinese Businessman Sells ‘Canned Air’, As Pollution Returns To “Hazardous” Levels


A Chinese entrepreneur has begun selling fresh air compressed in soft drink cans to fellow residents in Northern China, reported Fairfax Media on Tuesday, claiming that he wanted to make a point on China’s worsening air pollution, which rose to “hazardous” levels again this week – according to the latest readings.

IMF Approves $18.4 Million Emergency Loan For Mali


The IMF on Monday agreed to provide an emergency $18.4 million loan to Mali to help stabilise its economy over the next 12 months, reported AFP, whilst calling on other international donors to quickly follow suit – in spite of the nation’s current conflict.

Shale Gas Flaring Rises Globally, Now Visible From Space


North America’s shale gas boom is now so big that that it is now visible from space. According to a report by the Financial Times, the volume of unwanted excess gas being burnt off is increasing so quickly that shale fields can now be easily identified in night-time satellite photography, leading to concerns about wastage and environmental pollution.

According to data from the World Bank, global gas flaring rose by around 2 billion cubic meters to 140 billion cubic meters in 2011, mostly due to the rise in shale oil exploration in the United States.

Key Economic News to Watch This Week: January 28


Markets have rallied strongly since the start of the new year, encouraged by small improvements in the global economic outlook and a fading of risks threatening the eurozone, US and China. But will the good times last?

Monday, January 28

German Officials To Visit Greece For Austerity Advice


In a stroke of irony unlikely to be lost in Greece, some 35 city-state Parliamentarians and other officials from Germany’s capital of Berlin are set to visit Athens this April to study the effects of austerity, reported Der Speigel, in the hopes of addressing the capital’s own massive budget deficit, which is one of the highest in the country.

Myanmar Clears Overdue Debt With World Bank, ADB


Myanmar on Monday will clear up to $952 million of decades-old debts owed to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank with the aid of a bridge loan from Japan, reported the Wall Street Journal, moving the once-isolated state closer to full inclusion in the global economic community and opening the path towards new development lending.

Ukraine Signs $10bn Shale Gas Deal with Shell


Ukraine has signed a major shale gas deal with global oil giant Royal Dutch Shell, a significant step towards weaning itself off Russian gas imports.

Due to be signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the 50-year production sharing agreement, reportedly worth $10 billion, will mark the biggest contract yet to tap shale gas in Europe and the largest single foreign investment in the former Soviet republic.

Infographic: How Apple Can Become The World’s First $1 Trillion Company


In August last year, Apple Inc, the world’s most valuable company, set a new world record with a market capitalisation of $624 billion. Although this value has since dropped dramatically to around $423 billion today, many analysts still predict that the company will eventually reach the $1 trillion mark in the near future. 

Check out this infographic, which tracks the growth of Apple Inc since its humble beginnings in 1976; and find out what the company needs to do to in order to become the world’s first $1 trillion company.