The Greek government will finalize a fresh package of deficit cutting measures for the country once it has completed talks – scheduled for today – with lenders from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Sunday evening.
The publishing industry has gone through rapid changes in the past few years. From newspapers to magazines to comic books to even the long bulky novels that we used to read, publishers are now turning towards the digital frontier as a means for publishing the written word.
Educational publishing is no different. The sale of digital textbooks is expected to rise from just 1 percent in 2010 to 18.8 percent of all textbooks by 2015. Not only are digital textbooks cheaper than regular printed textbook, but they are more convenient as well.
The United States Justice Department is investigating three of Israel’s largest banks over suspicions that their branches in Switzerland may have helped US clients evade taxes, reported Reuters, citing unnamed sources.
Google has once again acquired more than 1,000 patents from IBM, in a continuous effort to strengthen its patent portfolio against impending legal attacks on its Android mobile operating system and its partner manufacturers.
Danish luxury retailer Aesir has unveiled a limited-edition 18-carat gold mobile phone, which it aims to market to the ultra-wealthy and fashion-forward members of the Russian elite.
The phone, valued at 42,000 euros (US$57,400), will have little to it in terms of features when compared to modern smart phones. Called the AE+Y, the phone is unable to surf the internet, access email, or even take photographs. In fact, the only task it appears to be able to do is to make, and receive, phone calls.
46 million Americans (15.1 percent of the population) are living below the federal poverty line – the highest in percentage since 1993 and the most in absolute numbers since 1959 – according to a report by the US Census Bureau on Tuesday.
In 2010, 2.6 million Americans joined the ranks of individuals living below the poverty line – set at US$22,113 for a family of four and US$11,139 for an individual – raising the percentage of poor Americans from 14.3 to 15.1 percent.
Facebook will postpone its highly anticipated initial public offering until the end of next year, “in order to keep employees focused on product developments rather than a pay-out,” according to a Financial Times report on Wednesday.
The IPO, expected to be among the largest in the world, had been previously rumoured to be forthcoming by April 2012, though there was also intense speculation that it may have even come by the end of this year.
The Chinese and American education systems have notable differences in terms of style, syllabus, structure, and emphasis. Although American schools have long had a history of producing highly capable graduates, Chinese schools have also been adapting its style to make it more “american-ised”.
General Electric Co. has announced its intention to repurchase Berkshire Hathaway Inc’s US$3.3 billion stake in the multi-conglomerate, which was bought during the heights of the 2008 financial crisis.
GE said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that it had mailed its offer to Berkshire, which is based in Omaha, Nebraska. The $3.3 billion price for the shares includes a 10 percent premium, after Berkshire had invested US$3 billion in GE in October 2008.
The Japanese government is considering adding a fourth extra budget of ¥1-2 trillion (US$13-26 billion) for the current fiscal year as a means to fund additional economic steps without issuing new bonds, said the Yomiuri newspaper, as cited by Reuters, on Wednesday.
According to Yomiuri, the Japanese government will commence work on the budget in November, with the budget expected to last till the end of the fiscal year in March 2012.
