Apple announced a recall of wall plug adapters warning the risk of electric shock. The recall applied to those adaptors used in Australia, New Zealand, Continental Europe, Korea, Argentina and Brazil.
Sectors
Surface Sales Goes Up Increasing Microsoft Earnings, But Not The Windows Phone
Microsoft incomes have increased thanks to the rising Surface sales, as well as the cloud and server growth. They are the main contributors to the higher overall revenue. However, Microsoft Windows and phones are not in the same luck as their performances are still declining.
Microsoft Q2 profit beats analysts' view on Cloud Product Power
Microsoft Corp said its quarterly profit beat analysts' view, propelled by mounting demand for its cloud products. Quarterly net income, on an adjusted basis, amounted to $6.3 billion, up from $5.8 billion in the same period last year.
California sets new LED standards; promises huge long-term benefits
California becomes the pioneer state with new LED standards in place. The new regulation replaces the old traditional directional bulbs with the more expensive but energy-efficient LED ones. While more expensive, California Energy Commission promises huge benefits in terms of a bulb's longevity and, more importantly, electric bills.
Data portray poor Japanese economy
The economy of Japan struggled last month according to a wave of data released by the Bank of Japan. The industrial production was down 1.4% over the prior month.
Latest News
South American nation Venezuela is suffering from gasoline smuggling to neighboring nations. Gasoline is heavily subsidized in Venezuela. The cheaper gasoline smuggling has become a major revenue source in the crisis-hit Venezuelan economy. Venezuela's President has deployed soldiers in large number to keep constant vigil on its borders. Venezuela is losing foreign exchange revenue in US dollars because of smuggling of gasoline.
Global investors are withdrawing from Russian stock markets as volatility is high in equities and currency Ruble. The continuous drop in oil price is impacting the Russian economy much as it's the main revenue source for the country. The gap between onshore and offshore traded equities is narrowing down as foreign investors are selling off.
South African largest iron ore producer Kumba cuts as many as 3900 miners after prices plunged. Kumba decided to restructure the Sishen mines to become a low cost pit configuration and as a result, about 2,633 employees of Kumba and 1,300 contractors will be affected.
The Republican Debate is going to be held in Iowa State on Thursday. The fast food workers under the banner of ‘$15 per hour minimum wage movement’ have called strike on the very day apparently due to gain media attraction. The strike has been called demanding immediate implementation of the said minimum wage rate across the country and union rights. However, the demands have already been supported by many Democratic candidates and furnished in their election manifesto.
The British Pound strengthened against major global currencies after a report on UK's GDP growth. The report said that UK's economy speeded up during the fourth quarter of 2015. The rise in consumer demand helped the economy expansion. The British Pound recovered from the two-week low of 1.4338 against the US dollar to at $1.4314.
Anglo American's copper production and from retained operations rose 23 percent for the fourth quarter of 2015. The overall copper equivalent basis production for 2015 rose five percent when compared with 2014. Majority of metals including copper, coal, nickel and iron ore tumbled during the second half of 2015. The copper inventory of Anglo American was at 197,631 tons as on 2015.
Global Innovation: China, India, and Thailand Are Among Countries With Lesser Support for Innovation
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) concluded the study based on 27 factors that bring both positive and negative impact towards global innovation. The study involved 56 countries, whereas China stood at the 44th rank, Thailand the 53rd, followed by India. ITIF also noted that supporting global innovation is crucial for countries' economic growth.
China's tech startup may find 2016 as a tough year as venture capital will face a slowdown this year. Analyst predicted venture capital in China will decline this year, and government try hard to boost the development.
A number of Air Force drones crashed in major accidents, even involving the Reaper, the Air Force newest and most advanced drone. Pentagon is keeping quiet on the cause behind the drone crashes.
