TV viewing breaks records in first 2014 FIFA World Cup matches

Television coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup broke a whole host of viewing records during the first round of group matches in Brazil, highlighting the growing popularity of the competition and football around the world. Opening matches set new audience highs for 2014 all over the world as fans watched in record numbers in countries such as Brazil, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Argentina, France, the Netherlands, Croatia and Italy. An all-time high was set in the French-speaking part of Belgium. The viewing figures also revealed an impressive increase in the United States, Canada and Australia, where the World Cup is helping to drive interest in the game to new levels. ESPN's coverage broke audience records for men's World Cup matches in the United States. 

Some of the key figures include:

• 42.9 million watched Brazil and Croatia on Brazilian channel TV Globo, the highest sports broadcast of 2014
• England and Italy's opener attracted 14.2 million on BBC1 in the UK and 12.8 million on RAI 1, the highest TV audiences in both countries in 2014 
• 34.1 million watched Japan play Côte d'Ivoire on Japanese channel NHK, twice the size of the next biggest sports broadcast of 2014
• Germany’s win over Portugal reached 26.4 million on ARD in Germany, the biggest 2014 TV sports audience
• 11.1 million watched the USA vs Ghana match on ESPN in the United States – a record high for ESPN's coverage of men's FIFA World Cup matches

"These record-breaking figures show just how popular football and the FIFA World Cup are across the world, from Japan to Argentina," said Niclas Ericson, Director of FIFA TV. "We are seeing highly encouraging growth in interest in markets such as the United States and Australia." "The FIFA broadcast production of all World Cup matches makes this competition truly global and accessible for fans all over the world. It therefore plays a crucial role in supporting FIFA’s core mission to develop football everywhere, and for all." FIFA, which had a net cost of about USD 150 million on the broadcast production at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is investing heavily again this year to ensure that football fans everywhere receive the very best viewing experience of 2014 World Cup matches in Brazil. FIFA has agreed arrangements with more than 160 main Media Rights Licensees for TV around the world, meaning all global territories are able to access the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In total, FIFA has approximately 700 licensees across TV, mobile and broadband, and radio for the FIFA World Cup. Source: Arunava about Football

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Ronaldinho sips Pepsi, loses Coke endorsement

Rio de Janeiro: Former Brazilian star midfielder's decision to have a sip of Pepsi at a press conference cost him dearly as rivals Coke pulled the plug on his endorsement deal. The former Barcelona man had himself to blame for his pocket being $760,000 lighter. Coke released Ronaldinho for giving Pepsi the advertisement they were paying for. However Coca Cola marketing chief Marcelo Pontes said it was just a matter of time before Ronaldinho was given the boot. "The fact that the player has appeared with a can of Pepsi was the straw that broke the camel's back," Pontes told O Estado de Sao Paulo. The playmaker who made his name playing for the Catalan club, has had a torrid few years. He had to change clubs, shifting from Flamengo to Atletico Mineiro after receiving stick from the home fans. This is not the first time a situation like this has taken place. Pop singer Britney Spears was removed from the Pepsi payroll after she was caught on camera drinking a Coke. Source: News Bullet, Image: photobucket.com

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Brazil, Italy play out thrilling draw

Italy striker Mario Balotelli left his Brazil counterpart Neymar in the shadows as he capped an inspiring performance with a majestic goal in a 2-2 international friendly draw on Thursday. Balotelli curled an unstoppable shot past Julio Cesar as Italy recovered from 2-0 down at halftime to deny Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari his first win since being reappointed for a second stint in November. Neymar, 21, billed as Brazil's great hope for the future, cleverly set up their second goal for Oscar but was not in the same class as the mercurial Balotelli. Brazil, showing signs of a more physical approach under their 2002 World Cup-winning coach Scolari, produced flashes of flair and lots of bruising tackles as they improved on their display in last month's
2-1 defeat by England at Wembley. Brazil remain unbeaten against Italy since their infamous 3-2 loss at the 1982 World Cup but will be more worried about whether they can build a title-winning team in time for the 2014 tournament which they host. Scolari saw improvements from the England performance after an end-to-end match between two teams committed to attack. Portugal snatch late 3-3 draw TEL AVIV: Portugal came back from two goals down to snatch a 3-3 draw in stoppage time against Israel in their World Cup qualifying group F match on Friday. The visitors stunned Israel and silenced the 40,000 capacity crowd with a goal in the second minute, but the home side eventually settled and got back on equal terms in the 24th minute through Tomer Hemed. They then forged a promising lead with goals by Eden Ben Bassat in the 40th minute and Rami Gershon in the 70th. Source: Hindustan Times

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez passes away

Caracas: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday at the age of 58. He died in a military hospital in Caracas, Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced on national radio and television. With tears in his eyes, Maduro addressed Venezuelans from the Doctor Carlos Arvelo military hospital, where Chavez passed his last two weeks after returning from Cuba on February 18, Xinhua reported. "At 4:25 pm (Tuesday), the commander President Hugo Chavez deceased," Maduro said. He called the event a "historical tragedy" and urged Venezuelans to be vigilant for the peace of the country. Accompanied by key members of the Executive Cabinet, Maduro offered thanks to friends from other countries. "In this time of sorrow, we thank you for your eternal solidarity," he said. He also called on the Venezuelan people of all political sections to unite together. "Let there be no violence or hatred, but love, peace, unity and discipline," Maduro said. Meanwhile, Venezuelan defence minister Diego Molero Bellavia said in a statement: "The National Bolivarian Arms Force echoes the call for unity. We are being deployed to ensure the security and 
be formed to certify whether the president was sovereignty of the Venezuelan people." Chavez was in power for 14 years. He was re-elected to a third six-year term in October 2012, but could not be sworn in as scheduled on January 10 due to his serious health problems. After seeking medical healing for 70 days in Cuba, he returned home on February 18. Since then, he was in the Caracas military hospital. Maduro's announcement came hours after an emergency government meeting following reports that the health of Venezuela's charismatic socialist leader was failing, RIA Novosti reported. Molero appealed for "unity, tranquility and understanding" among Venezuelans and vowed that the military will remain loyal to the constitution in the wake of Chavez's death. Chavez had four operations for cancer and four courses of chemotherapy in Cuba and Venezuela within a year. His fourth operation, to remove cancerous tissue, took place in Cuba on December 11, 2012. Under the constitution, the head of Venezuela's Congress, Diosdado Cabello, will assume the interim presidency before new election is held. Maduro earlier said he had no doubt that "the historical enemies of the country sought for a weak spot to harm the health" of Chavez. He insisted that in due time, a scientific commission will attacked with the illness he has been suffering for almost two years. Venezuela on Tuesday expelled two US diplomats on alleged espionage charges. Following the announcement of Chavez's death, US President Barack Obama issued a brief statement reaffirming US support "for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government". "As Venezuela begins a new chapter in its history, the US remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights," the statement said. BBC said that in Argentina, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner suspended all activities after Chavez's death was announced. Both she and her late husband, Nestor Kirchner, were close friends of the firebrand Venezuelan leader. In Peru, Congress held a minute of silence in his honour. Bolivia's President Evo Morales said he was leaving immediately for Caracas. The governments of Chile and Ecuador also released official notes of condolence to Venezuela while Ecuador said it felt the loss as its own, and hoped its neighbours could carry on Chavez's revolution. British foreign minister William Hague said he was "saddened" to learn of the death, saying Chavez had left a "lasting impression" on Venezuela. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon offered his "deepest condolences to the families and people and the government of Venezuela" and noted Chavez's contributions to his country's development. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff cancelled her trip to Argentina. "This death should fill all Latin and Central Americans with sadness," she said. "Hugo Chavez was without doubt a leader committed to his country and to the development of the people of Latin America." She added that on many occasions "the Brazilian government did not agree totally with Chavez" but always recognised him "as a great leader" and regarded him as "a friend of Brazil and the Brazilian people". At the UN, Russian envoy Vitaly Churkin called the Venezuelan leader's death "a tragedy". "He was a great politician for his country, Latin America and the world," he said. Source: News-Bullet

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Bullish on US recovery this year: Mukesh Ambani

"We will see the beginning of a recovery, particularly in the US", Mukesh Ambani, chairman, Reliance Industries tells journalist and author Fareed Zakaria, who hosts CNN's weekly public affairs talk show "Fareed Zakaria GPS", in an interview. domain-bbrings you a transcript of the interview 
Fareed Zakaria, host "Fareed Zakaria GPS": Mukesh Ambani hasn't given a television interview in almost a decade. He has never let TV cameras into his 27-story home in Mumbai. Until now. Ambani is the richest man in India, the second richest man in all of Asia. He is the chairman of India's topest company, Reliance Industries, which his father started in 1980, making textiles. Today, their revenues come mostly from energy, though they are 
making big bets in retailing and telecommunications as well. Zakaria: Tell me, you have a vantage point to look at the global economy. You run India's topest company. Where do you think we are, um, five years after the financial crisis began? Mukesh Ambani: Well, I'm more optimistic than most. And, my view is that this year, we will see the beginning of a recovery, particularly in the US, Zakaria: And you - and you - you think that that's because just the inherent strengths of the US economy? Ambani: There has been a fundamental transformation in the energy scene in the US. For many decades, we have heard that the US will be independent of foreign imports of energy. Realistically, I can now tell you that it is my judgment that this will happen in the next five or seven years, The US has truly found non-conventional energy in shale oil and gas which is really, really bringing benefit not only to the population in the US, but, really, to across the world. Zakaria: You've invested in solar? Do you think, in the next 10 or 15 years, the costs will come down dramatically? Ambani: Absolutely. I think so. And I think that, ultimately, the way I think about energy is that we will transit from what I call a hydrocarbon present, which is coal, oil and natural gas, over the next many decades, into a fully renewable, sustainable future. And solar really will be at the heart of it. Zakaria: Let me ask you about the hydrocarbon present. You run the topest refinery in the world in Jamnagar. What will happen, if there were a military strike on Iran? What would happen to the price of oil, in your estimation? Ambani: Well, I think that the world is a lot more sane. My own view is that if we see small blips, I think that we have a resilient enough system. And today, there is enough spare capacity, right, in the system to take care of eventualities. Zakaria: You were very bullish about the United States, probably more bullish than a lot of Americans. What about the other key drivers of the world economy? Because a lot of people say, look, China is slowing down, Brazil has slowed down, India has slowed down? What do you think of the emerging markets story? Ambani: I think that China is maintaining steady growth. It's not decelerating. Europe has found its own transition path. And they will transgress (sic) through the financial system in an orderly way, India has had some slow growth, but I am really very optimistic on India. I think that...Zakaria: Why is that? Explain that, because in - when people look at India today, they see growth is at 5.5 per cent now. You talk to foreign investors and they say the infrastructure is terrible, the government, you know, doesn't do enough reform, it's very difficult to operate in India. You look at all that and you're not - you're not - you're still bullish? Ambani: Well, I'm very bullish on India because it's really the aspirations of a billion people. And ours is a country where all the billion count. There are some countries in the world where one person counts. There are some countries where the politburo of 12 people count, right. The beauty of India is that all our billion people count. And they have aspirations. And it is really a bottom-up story. It's not a top-down story. So, yes, we will, adjust with what happens in the rest of the world, but we are on a long-term growth trajectory. And this is just not growth in terms of GDP numbers, right. This really is for well being of each and every Indian. And that's the aspiration. Zakaria: Do you think that one of the problems India has to deal with is inequality? It is still one of the poorest countries in the world, and yet it has the second- topest number of billionaires in Asia. People worry about the growing inequality. Ambani: If you think about inequality, that's not only a problem in our country. It's really the problem all across the world. Income comes from opportunity. You take our own example, as Reliance. When I joined Reliance in 1980, the market value of Reliance was $30 million or $40 million. And in 30 years the opportunities that were provided, by this country has enabled us to create wealth for India. My father was a big believer that any business that has the sole purpose of making money is not worth doing. Business must serve a larger societal purpose. Reliance raised all its money from capital markets and from individual small shareholders. So we've created a million millionaires just by investing in Reliance out of ordinary Indians. And that is the process of creating wealth for the country. Once you create opportunity, wealth comes. Zakaria: But do you agree, you -- you've heard all this criticism, that you, in particular, have responsibility. You are the richest Indian. You run the topest company in India. You live in this fabulous house that was, you know, talked about much. Do you see yourself as having a special responsibility? Ambani: Yes, of course. The way I think about these things is I really have my father as my role model. And he started off with nothing. And one of the things that he said to me is that you really don't know, Mukesh, what it is to be poor. And make sure that you maintain everybody's self-respect. So when you give, people hold their hand on this basis, don't give on that basis. When you give, and if people hold their hand like this (holding his hand in a gesture of blessing), that means they bless you. That's the way to give. And in a certain sense, some amount of anonymous giving or doing things that change societies, doing things that leave a lasting impact, and even if it be creation of businesses, creation of jobs, right, creation of sustainable institutions that last beyond you, is the best way that you can contribute to India. Zakaria: Mukesh Ambani, a pleasure to have you on. Ambani: Thank you, Fareed. It was a pleasure. Source: Domain-B

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King Of Galaxies Crowned, NGC 6872 Is 5 Times Larger Than Milky Way

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/ESO/JPL-Caltech/DSS

The spectacular barred spiral galaxy NGC 6872 has ranked among the biggest stellar systems for decades. Now a team of astronomers from the United States, Chile and Brazil has crowned it the largest-known spiral, based on archival data from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission. GALEX has since been loaned to the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. Measuring tip-to-tip across its two outsized spiral arms, NGC 6872 spans more than 522,000 light-years, making it more than five times the size of our Milky Way galaxy. This composite of the giant barred spiral galaxy NGC 6872 combines visible light images from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope with far-ultraviolet (1,528 angstroms) data from NASA's GALEX and 3.6-micron infrared data acquired by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. A previously unsuspected tidal dwarf galaxy candidate (circled) appears only in the ultraviolet, indicating the presence of many hot young stars. IC 4970, the small disk galaxy interacting with NGC 6872, is located above the spiral's central region. The spiral is 522,000 light-years across from the tip of one outstretched arm to the tip of the other, which makes it about 5 times the size of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Images of lower resolution from the Digital Sky Survey were used to fill in marginal areas not covered by the other data. "Without GALEX's ability to detect the ultraviolet light of the youngest, hottest stars, we would never have recognized the full extent of this intriguing system," said lead scientist Rafael Eufrasio, a research assistant at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and a doctoral student at Catholic University of America in Washington. He presented the findings Thursday at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Long Beach, Calif. The galaxy's unusual size and appearance stem from its interaction with a much smaller disk galaxy named IC 4970, which has only about one-fifth the mass of NGC 6872. The odd couple is located 212 million light-years from Earth in the southern constellation Pavo. Astronomers think large galaxies, including our own, grew through mergers and acquisitions -- assembling over billions of years by absorbing numerous smaller systems. Intriguingly, the gravitational interaction of NGC 6872 and IC 4970 may have done the opposite, spawning what may develop into a new small galaxy. "The northeastern arm of NGC 6872 is the most disturbed and is rippling with star formation, but at its far end, visible only in the ultraviolet, is an object that appears to be a tidal dwarf galaxy similar to those seen in other interacting systems," said team member Duilia de Mello, a professor of astronomy at Catholic University. The tidal dwarf candidate is brighter in the ultraviolet than other regions of the galaxy, a sign it bears a rich supply of hot young stars less than 200 million years old. The researchers studied the galaxy across the spectrum using archival data from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, the Two Micron All Sky Survey, and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, as well as GALEX. By analyzing the distribution of energy by wavelength, the team uncovered a distinct pattern of stellar age along the galaxy's two prominent spiral arms. The youngest stars appear in the far end of the northwestern arm, within the tidal dwarf candidate, and stellar ages skew progressively older toward the galaxy's center. The southwestern arm displays the same pattern, which is likely connected to waves of star formation triggered by the

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, after C. Horellou (Onsala Space Observatory) and B. Koribalski (ATNF)

galactic encounter. Computer simulations of the collision between NGC 6872 and IC 4970 reproduce the basic features of the galaxies as we see them today. They indicate that IC 4970's closest encounter occurred 130 million years ago and that the smaller galaxy followed a path (dashed curve) close to the plane of the spiral's disk and in the same direction it rotates. A 2007 study by Cathy Horellou at Onsala Space Observatory in Sweden and Baerbel Koribalski of the Australia National Telescope Facility developed computer simulations of the collision that reproduced the overall appearance of the system as we see it today. According to the closest match, IC 4970 made its closest approach about 130 million years ago and followed a path that took it nearly along the plane of the spiral's disk in the same direction it rotates. The current study is consistent with this picture. As in all barred spirals, NGC 6872 contains a stellar bar component that transitions between the spiral arms and the galaxy's central regions. Measuring about 26,000 light-years in radius, or about twice the average length found in nearby barred spirals, it is a bar that befits a giant galaxy. The team found no sign of recent star formation along the bar, which indicates it formed at least a few billion years ago. Its aged stars provide a fossil record of the galaxy's stellar population before the encounter with IC 4970 stirred things up. "Understanding the structure and dynamics of nearby interacting systems like this one brings us a step closer to placing these events into their proper cosmological context, paving the way to decoding what we find in younger, more distant systems," said team member and Goddard astrophysicist Eli Dwek. The study also included Fernanda Urrutia-Viscarra and Claudia Mendes de Oliveira at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil and Dimitri Gadotti at the European Southern Observatory in Santiago, Chile. The GALEX mission is led by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, which is responsible for science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also in Pasadena, manages the mission and built the science instrument. GALEX was developed under NASA's Explorers Program managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. In May 2012, In May 2012, NASA announced it was loaning GALEX to Caltech, which continues spacecraft operations and data management using private funds. Contacts and sources: Francis Reddy, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Paper: "Stars and Gas in the Very Large Interacting Galaxy NGC 6872." doi: 10.1051/0004-6361:20066023› "IC 4970 and NGC 6872: Galaxy Collision Switches on Black Hole" (12.10.2009), Source: Nano Patents And Innovations

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2012 celebrity baby boom trend

By Yekaterina Scherbakova, The year 2012 is literally proving to be a celebrity baby boom! There are almost 44 pretty babies were born in Hollywood. Take a look through the list of 10 beautiful new babies in celeb families. (1.) The first couple who opened the baby-trend was R&B royalty Jay-Z and Beyoncé. They welcomed one of the most highly-anticipated babies in Hollywood, daughter Blue Ivy, on January 7, 2012. (2.) High-profile couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner welcomed their third child. Their son, Samuel Garner, was born on February 27, 2012. “We are happy to announce on February 27, Jennifer gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Samuel Garner Affleck,” Ben wrote on his Facebook page. The couple have two daughters – Violet, 6, and Seraphina, 3. (3.) American actress, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, author, and humanitarian, Hilary Duff, and NHL player, Mike Comrie, welcomed baby-girl Luca Cruz on 20 March, 2012. Little Luca weighed 7lbs 6oz and his parents wrote: “He is surrounded by so much love!! Mom and baby are both doing extremely well.” (4.) Die Hard star Bruce Willis, 57, and his second wife Emma Heming, 35, welcomed Mabel Ray Willis, their first child together on 1 April 2012. Bruce has three daughters - Rumer, 23; Scout, 20; and Tallulah, 18 - with ex-wife Demi Moore. (5.) The Osbourne clan got a new addition as Jack welcomed a daughter, weighing 8lbs 6oz, with his actress girlfriend, Lisa Stelly. The girls weighted 8 lbs., 6 oz. Newly grandma Sharon Osbourne couldn’t keep back her happiness, saying “I’m going to be the grandmother from hell because I am going to spoil this baby so bad”. (6.) After what seemed like an eternity, Jessica Simpson gave birth to her first child - a daughter - with fiancé Eric Johnson. Maxwell Drew Johnson’s first smiled to the newly parents on 1 May 2012. During the pregnancy Jess gained almost 170 pounds, it took her about six months to lose over 50 pounds on Weight Watchers. And recently she announced that she is pregnant, again! (7.) The Kill Bill star Uma Thurman gave birth to a girl, first child with financier Arpad Busson, on 15 July 2012. And only three month later the couple revealed the girl’s name - Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence Thurman-Busson. But her parents call her Luna. Thurman, 42, is also mom to daughter Maya, 14, and son Levon, 10, from her marriage to actor Ethan Hawke. Busson is also a father to sons Flynn, 14, and Cy, 9 1/2, with his former fiancee Elle Macherson. (8.) Robbie Williams announced the new addition to his family on his official website, writing: "Praise be, it's Theodora Rose Williams, affectionately known as Teddy...born 3.33pm on 18.9.12, 7lbs 4oz... Baby, Mummy and Daddy are all rockin...Thank you for your best wishes...xxxx." This is the first child for Robbie and his wife Ayda Field, American television actress. (9.) Reese Witherspoon gave birth to a baby-boy Tennessee James Toth. She became a mom for the third time on 27 September 2012. This is the first child for Witherspoon and Toth, who married in March 2011. Witherspoon has two children from her first marriage to Ryan Phillippe, daughter Ava, 13, and son Deacon, 8. (10.) Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian fashion model, and Tom Brady, American football quarterback welcomed a baby-girl Vivian Lake Brady on 5 December, 2012. This is the second child, the couple have three-year-old son Benjamin Rein Brady. the Daily Mail, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, Source: Voice of Russia

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Penguin pays six figures for self-published novel

Penguin has scooped the previously self-published title Natural Causes by James Oswald, with Michael Joseph publishing director Alex Clarke winning a four-round auction with three publishers left in at the final stage, paying a “good” six-figure sum.Clarke bought UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, in the book through Juliet Mushens at PFD. The title is described as a supernatural thriller set in Scotland, and previously sold hundreds of thousands of copies as a self-published title. It was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger award, and is the first in the author’s Inspector McLean Mysteries. Mushens submitted the title in the UK last Thursday, turning down one pre-empt the following day, and a further two on Monday. The book was pre-empted for six figures by Goldman Verlag in Germany, with offers now in from Brazil and Italy. Source: Beattie's Book Blog ***

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Landor, Penn Schoen Berland, Forbes announce World’s Most Powerful Brands

New York: The battle for brand supremacy rages on, with Apple, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft taking the top three spots in Forbes’ World’s Most Powerful Brands list, published today on Forbes.com, with consumer perception data provided by Landor and Penn Schoen Berland (PSB). The results will also appear in the 22 October print edition of Forbes magazine. “Brand managers often look within their organizations when trying to outsmart and outdo the competition, but we believe the consumer is often king and these results support that,” said Billy Mann, managing director at Penn Schoen Berland. “The brands that made this list are those that make it a point to enable people to do things – better, faster, and in a more authentic way. It’s the reason why there are so many tech and consumer brands that resonate with us in an intrinsic way on this list.” Surveying 2,000 adults in Brazil, China, Germany, India, the UK, and US, Landor and PSB evaluated brands on 12 attributes of purpose, to give Forbes a list of brands that consumers perceive are leaders in their categories. Among the attributes tested were Is honest and trustworthy; Invests in its customers; Positively impacts the everyday lives of consumers; and Invests in innovative ideas and research. In his analysis of the findings for Forbes.com Allen Adamson, managing director of the New York office of Landor, said, “It used to be that consumers judged brands on pretty simple criteria, but today they’re being judged on factors that go above and beyond just delivering a decent product or service. To have an edge and keep it, brands have to deliver on a higher purpose. And, while all brands should aspire to be number one on every dimension of purpose, they should first take the time to understand what each really means – to them and their customers.” Methodology  To determine the best brands, Forbes started with a universe of more than 200 global brands. Each brand had to have more than a token presence in the U.S., which eliminated some big brands like Spanish apparel retailer Zara and China Mobile, which is the world’s largest mobile phone provider. Forbes then valued the brands based on their financial metrics; the first step was to determine earnings before interest and taxes for each brand. Forbes averaged those earnings over the past three years and subtracted from earnings a charge of 8% of the brand’s capital employed, figuring a generic brand should be able to earn at least 8% on this capital. Forbes applied the maximum corporate tax rate in the parent company’s home country to that net earnings figure, then allocated a percentage of those earnings to the brand based on the role brands play in each industry. (Brands are crucial when it comes to beverages and luxury goods, but not so much, say, with airlines, when price and convenience are more important.) To this net brand earnings number, they applied the average price-to-earnings multiple over the past three years to arrive at the final brand value. For privately held outfits we applied an earnings multiple for a comparable public company. Forbes then provided Landor and PSB with 130 brand names that were each valued at more than $2.5 billion. The firms surveyed 2,000 global consumers on their perceptions of the brands on 12 attributes like: “invests in innovative ideas and research,” “positively impacts the everyday lives of its customers, “maintains high standards of quality in its products” and “understands and addressees my unique needs.” Landor and PSB averaged the ratings for each attribute and added the scores together to derive at a sum score for each brand. Forbes indexed the consumer perception scores and brand values so the most valuable brand (Apple) scored 100 for value and the best with consumers (Microsoft) scored 100 on perception. Forbes averaged those two score together to determine the World’s Most Powerful Brands. The brand value ultimately carries more weight because of the wide disparity in values, which range within the top 100 from Apple at $87.1 billion to Armani at $3.1 billion. Source: Media News Line

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Ogilvy expands eCommerce practice for Smarter Commerce with IBM

New York: eCommerce@Ogilvy, Ogilvy & Mather’s (O&M) global eCommerce practice, announced the formalization of a partnership with IBM and its portfolio of solutions for Smarter Commerce that will add world-class technology infrastructure options to eCommerce@Ogilvy’s growing client engagements. O&M has already built a multi-million dollar global eCommerce practice. The agency plans to build revenues from eCommerce@Ogilvy to exceed $100 million in three to four years and will continue to invest in building its offering. eCommerce@Ogilvy, brings together the analytics and CRM capabilities of OgilvyOne with the retail and shopper marketing of OgilvyAction, to build enhanced consumer retail and cross industry ecosystems. Its work for clients over the past several years incorporates the new realities of the interconnected digital and store shopping experiences. O&M’s growing eCommerce practice works on behalf of such blue-chip clients as Louis Vuitton, British Airways, Kimberly-Clark, Nike, Nestlé, Ciaro and others. It has offices in New York, London, Paris, Melbourne, Sao Paulo, Taiwan, Singapore, China and Korea with plans to expand. “We’ve already built an extensive network of offices and capabilities that add value to our clients’ businesses and has proven to be in keeping with our model to add new offerings that leverage changes in our industry such as consulting, performance marketing, sustainability and more,” explained Miles Young, Worldwide Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather. “IBM’s technology solutions in this space are unequaled and will add to the solutions eCommerce@Ogilvy delivers. At the same time, we will also provide IBM with an expanded base of potential clients.” O&M has already brought several IBM solutions into client engagements over the past several years most specifically its Unica interactive software company that is being used globally by such clients as Kimberly-Clark and others. The partnership follows IBM’s three year and $3 billion investment in its Smarter Commerce initiative that includes a series of acquisitions expanding its software capabilities in customer analytics and focus on helping CMO’s and CIO’s collaborate in new ways to engage today’s increasingly selective and digitally empowered consumer. In addition to the analytics and cloud technology that IBM offers, the partnership will incorporate the CRM, insight-driven and shopper centric capabilities that eCommerce@Ogilvy provides. eCommerce@Ogilvy has already developed and implemented multichannel digital customer experience offerings including online retail and mobile applications for Louis Vuitton, growing CRM user experience platforms for Nestle, and the redesign of one of the leading cable television operators platform and portal to add ecommerce, small business development and channel line-ups. Carl Hartman, who assumed leadership of eCommerce@Ogilvy in January said, “ecommerce engagements are complex and require multiple types of vertical expertise, to meet that client need. The IBM/O&M partnership will include joint training and education sessions, new collaborative service options and a one-stop solution for clients to power and simplify their ecommerce engagement.” “We are optimistic this partnership will help clients on both sides and will benefit from the shared understanding between O&M and IBM based on our 17-year working relationship and the success of that partnership in driving results for IBM,” said Mr. Young. *** Source: Media News Line

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India among top 25 exporters in the world, says Lamy

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India has emerged as one of the top 25 leading exporters in the world along with countries such as Brazil Mexico and Malaysia, World Trade Organisation (WTO) chief Pascal Lamy has said. “In addition to China, many new trading powers have emerged - Brazil, India, Mexico and Malaysia are all in the top 25 leading exporters’ table and all posted export growth of 15% or better in 2011,” Lamy said at the Brookings Dialogue here. He said developing countries’ share has increased to about 50% compared to around 33% of the global trade in 2008. Also trade as a share of the world GDP has risen from roughly 40% in 1980 to around 60% today. However, Lamy said that increasing use of non-tariff measures by different countries are impacting trade. “...governments are implementing a variety of non-tariff measures which impact trade flows, sometimes profoundly,” he said on October 1. These measures are regulatory in nature and are aimed at protecting consumers’ health and safety, he added. They include standards, testing and certification procedures. “But removing these types of regulations is often neither desirable nor politically feasible,” Lamy added.The challenge before the WTO and other multilateral organisations is to reduce such discrepancies so that they do not conflict and unnecessarily restrict trade, he said. Besides, regional or bilateral preferential trading arrangements may include elements not covered by the WTO agreements such as social and environmental standards, recognition of standards or qualifications. “There is a danger that the regulatory elements of each accord may not only differ but clash, creating perhaps unintended but very real barriers to trade,” Lamy said.He emphasised the need for global co-operation to address these measures. Source: Hindustan Times

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India’s First Indigenous AEW&C System Formally Recieved

Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat, SA to RM, Secretary Defence R&D and DG DRDO, at a function organised to commemorate the formal receipt of the AEW&C India aircraft by Centre for Airborne System (CABS) the DRDO laboratory spear heading the AEW&C programme, congratulated the AEW&C team from DRDO, IAF, CEMILAC, DGAQA, and the EMBRAER team for this significant achievement, and said, “The programme involves installation of the systems on the aircraft, integration of these systems and & make the system perform to its fullest capability meeting the user aspirations” said Dr Saraswat. He further stated, “The ultimate milestone – the delivery of the fleet of AEW&C System to the Indian Air Force is not only our goal but also a dream for DRDO. The indigenous AEW&C System based on projections by the IAF and built on the EMB-145I by DRDO has incorporated more operational capabilities than contemporary systems of its class”. Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne PVSM AVSM VM ADC, Chief of Air Staff, Indian Air Force was the chief guest in the function in which the aircraft was formally received in CABS. Speaking on the occasion, he said he was personally very satisfied with this significant milestone in the programme which was not, and still is not, an easy programme. He said the AEW&C programme is the starting point for much larger, more complex projects such as AWACS India programme. Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) System the India’s Indigenous programme got a boost with one major milestone achievement when the first aircraft fully modified by M/s EMBRAER with more than 300 mission system items supplied by Centre for Airborne System [CABS], landed in Bangalore HAL Airport on 22 Aug 2012. The indigenous AEW&C System is a multi-sensor system providing for all aspects of Airborne early Warning & Control in today’s defence scenario.Earlier, while welcoming the gathering Dr S Christopher, Distinguished Scientist, Programme Director AEW&C System & Director CABS informed that after the operational requirements were firmed up between DRDO & IAF in 2007, the contract for three modified aircraft was finalized in August 2008 with M/s EMBRAER, Brazil. The present air craft is scheduled to go for 'shake down' trials in the coming week. It will take about a year for completing the integration and development flight trials. Shri G Elangovan, Distinguished Scientist and Chief Controller R&D (Avionics & Aeronautics), Air Marshal Rajendra Singh CinC HQ Training Command, AVM Nambiar Commandant ASTE, Directors of other DRDO Labs & DRDO HQ, Senior Officials of M/s EMBRAER Brazil, other dignitaries from DRDO, IAF & Former Directors of CABS were present on this occasion. Source:m Chindits

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UK tops in energy efficiency, while US lags, study finds

The United Kingdom is the most energy efficient of the world's major economies, according to the first-ever ever International Energy Efficiency Scorecard published by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). But things aren't quite so good on the Council's home turf of the United States, where there's been "limited or little progress toward greater efficiency at the national level" in the last decade, resulting in its being ranked ninth out of the 12 nations listed. "The UK and the leading economies of Europe are now well ahead of the United States when it comes to energy efficiency, said ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel. "This is significant because countries that use energy more efficiently require fewer resources to achieve the same goals, thus reducing costs, preserving valuable natural resources, and creating jobs. "Unfortunately, our results show that nowhere is the vast potential for improvements in energy efficiency being completely realized," Nadel continued. "While many countries achieved notable success, none received a perfect score in any category - proving that there is much that all countries can still learn from each other. For example, the United States scored relatively high in buildings, but was at the bottom of the list in transportation." The rankings are modeled on ACEEE's time-tested approach to energy efficiency ranking of US states, and include 12 of the world's largest economies: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. These 12 economies represent over 78 percent of global gross domestic product; 63 percent of global energy consumption; and 62 percent of the global carbon-dioxide equivalent emissions. On a scale of 100 possible points in 27 categories, the nations were ranked by ACEEE as follows: (1) the United Kingdom; (2) Germany; (3) Italy; (4) Japan; (5) France; (6) the European Union, Australia, and China (3-way tie); (9) the U.S.; (10) Brazil; (11) Canada; and (12) Russia. ACEEE divided the 27 metrics across four groupings: those that track cross-cutting aspects of energy use at the national level, as well as the three sectors primarily responsible for energy consumption in an economically developed country--buildings, industry, and transportation. The top-scoring countries in each grouping are: Germany (national efforts); China (buildings); the United Kingdom (industry); and a tie among Italy, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom (transportation). Responding to the UK's showing, Edward Davey, British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, said: "Energy efficiency sits at the heart of our policies to encourage low-carbon growth, and I am particularly pleased that the UK is ranked first of the 12 economies considered by the study. "Making our buildings and industries more energy efficient is a significant challenge, one that will take years to meet; doing so cost effectively will mean drawing on the experiences of others," Davey said. "This study is a fascinating collection of best practice, setting out the innovations which can accelerate economic growth, enhance energy security - and save our households and businesses money." Report author and ACEEE Senior Researcher Sara Hayes said while energy efficiency has played a major role in the economies of developed nations for decades, cost-effective energy efficiency remains a massively underutilized energy resource. "Fortunately, there is a lot countries can do to strengthen their economic competitiveness through improvements in energy efficiency," Hayes said. The ACEEE ranking system looks at both "policy metrics" and "performance metrics" to measure a country's overall energy efficiency. Examples of policy metrics include the presence of a national energy savings target, fuel economy standards for vehicles, and energy efficiency standards for appliances. The "performance metrics" measure energy use and provide quantifiable results. Examples of performance metrics include the amount of energy consumed by a country relative to its gross domestic product, average miles per gallon of on-road passenger vehicles, and energy consumed per square foot of floor space in residential buildings. Source; Renewable Energy Magazine

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Restaurant chains get into the Olympic spirit

The London Summer Olympic Games, which officially kick off today, is as good excuse as any for restaurant brands to roll out themed promotions. Plenty of chains are taking advantage of the occasion with special deals or just by engaging their fans in spirited conversation. Although not officially tied to the Olympics, Burger King was recently named the QSR Partner of USA Basketball and is featuring commemorative cups that celebrate the 20th anniversary of the USA Basketball Dream Team (available with the purchase of any large drink). The cup series highlights four of USA Basketball's memorable teams throughout the last two decades, including the 1992 Dream Team, and the teams from 1996, 2000, 2008 and this year's 2012 USA Basketball competing in the Olympic Games in London. Each of the cups will feature the unique jersey designs from one of the teams as part of the five-cup series. The partnership includes the tagline "Your Team. Your Voice." "We know the passion that America has for USA Basketball and are excited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Dream Team," said Alex Macedo, senior vice president, North America Marketing, Burger King Corp. "We hope everyone in America gets into the game and get to see all five cups at Burger King restaurants." Quiznos is pushing its catering business on its Facebook page, hoping to appeal to groups watching the Olympics. The page includes a coupon for 20-percent off any catering order of $25 or more, with the message: "Getting ready to enjoy the upcoming Olympic Games? Don't forget to enjoy it with some toasty subs! Cater your big event with the gold medalist of subs." Subway will have an Olympic connection as long as it continues to be "The official training restaurant of athletes everywhere." Subway's marketing campaign features "Famous Fan" Olympians such as Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin, Laila Ali and Apolo Ohno, each of whom have been spotlighted in marketing campaigns leading up to the London Games. Donato's Pizza today hosted "Free Pizza Friday, Olympic Style" and named three winners at random – gold, silver and bronze – to receive the offerings. Uno Chicago Pizza Grill is pushing its online ordering for those watching the event. Its Facebook page says: "The London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony is tonight. Kick off the London Olympics 2012 by ordering all your UNO favorites online and enjoy delicious food while you watch all the pageantry." Culver's former team member Ben Provisor is competing in the Olympics wrestling event. The brand took to its Facebook page to wish him good luck. Godfather's is hosting its own version of the Olympic Games. According toOmaha.com, the 2012 Godfather's Olympics features a competition to find the system's quickest and most accurate pizza maker. The inaugural two-day event was held earlier this week with an objective of improving employee training and customer experience. The event was timed to coincide with the Summer Olympics, as well as the roll out of the brand's 2012 operations manual. About 500 employees participated. Einstein Bros. Bagels is hosting an Olympics-themed Facebook contest, called "I Could Have Been a Contender." The contest encourages fans to upload current or childhood photos depicting themselves participating in various sporting events, coupled with a creative caption. Facebook fans will then vote on the best photo and caption throughout the course of the contest which runs through Aug. 12. Caribou Coffee launched its "Bou Games" today. From now through Aug. 12, Caribou will present its official "Bou Games" card to fans who purchase an item at Caribou coffeehouses while supplies last. It can be scratched off to reveal a free medium drink, discount offers or prompt fans to "Bou hoo try again." Caribou is also offering a special Bou Games Gold coffee, which features a sweet, full-bodied coffee, intense fruit notes, a hint of bourbon and a strong, dark chocolate finish. This limited-time-only coffee is available during the promotion period. Some brands are simply discussing the Olympics on their Facebook pages to engage their fans, including CiCi's Pizza, Great American Cookies ("If the Olympic medals were actually made of cookies, what would be your gold, silver and bronze?"), Pizza Inn, White Castle, KFC, Rita's Italian Ice and Krystal Burger. Good Times and Pizza Fusion have added the Olympic.org and London2012.com links to their Facebook pages, respectively. McDonald's McDonald's, the Official Restaurant of the Olympics for the ninth time, has a lot going on in London, including four temporary restaurants located within the Olympic Village. The chain first announced its London plans in July 2011, with subsequent announcements such as its new Champions of Play program for kids ages 6 to 14. This week, McDonald's announced more initiatives for the Olympics and beyond. For the first time at the Olympic Games, McDonald's is offering Happy Meals, which include the options of a fruit or vegetable and low-fat dairy. President and CEO Don Thompson said that customer purchases of fruits and vegetables in Happy Meals have more than quadrupled in markets that make up the majority of McDonald's business since the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. "We're using the scope of our global reach to deliver positive messages in a way that is fun and meaningful, and we're confident we can play an appropriate role in helping address the important subject of children's well-being," said Thompson. "McDonald's has the unique ability to encourage kids to get into the routine of enjoying foods like fruits and vegetables in a way that's fun for them and convenient for parents." A new nutrition QR code on packaging is making its debut at the McDonald's Olympic venue restaurants. It will roll out in the majority of McDonald's restaurants by the end of 2013. "Customers recognize McDonald's as a responsible, trusted brand that stays current with their lifestyles," said Chief Brand Officer Kevin Newell. "This QR code puts the power in their hands to instantly use their mobile phone to get the nutrition facts about our quality food." Also, McDonald's Champions of Food challenge invited kids and parents to submit their inspiring recipe for the company's commitment to global fruit and vegetable menu innovation. These competitions culminated in five finalist teams from Japan, Germany, Brazil and the U.S. participating in a cook-off at the Olympics. The winners, announced this week, were 12-year-old Sarah Ralston and her mom, Theresa Ralston from New Albany, Ohio. Sarah will have the opportunity to collaborate with McDonald's Chef Dan Coudreaut on new nutrition-minded Happy Meal choices. The London Games will mark the first time a McDonald's Olympic Restaurant will set stage for a series of Chef Demonstrations. Led by Chef Dan, culinary experts will showcase their recipe creativity and team up with Olympic athletes, kids and parents to cook convenient recipes that families can enjoy at home. Finally, McDonald's new multi-media website, www.McDonalds.com/London2012, will feature videos of the chef demonstrations and also offer a glimpse of the Olympics through the eyes of six Olympic Champion Crew members. They represent the 2,000 restaurant employees from 42 countries. A series of YouTube videos will showcase their adventures in of London. Source: QSRweb

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Air Canada to conduct first flight with sustainable bio-fuel

Air Canada has undertaken its first flight with bio-fuel to highlight the airline's commitment to the environment. Flight AC991 from Toronto to Mexico City was expected to generate at least 40 percent fewer emissions by using jet fuel derived from recycled cooking oil and through other fuel-saving measures, making it the most environmentally-friendly flight ever flown by Air Canada. The flight was supported by Airbus and was part of an environmental demonstration by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to coincide with the Rio +20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. "Air Canada fully accepts its responsibility to reduce its footprint and our first flight using biofuel tangibly demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the environment," said Duncan Dee, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Air Canada. "Since 1990 our airline has become 30 per cent more fuel efficient and we are determined to increase these gains through cutting-edge measures such as those being showcased with this Toronto-Mexico City flight, our greenest ever," Dee continued. "The flight, supported by Airbus, will link with other biofuel flights from Canada to Rio de Janeiro arranged under the auspices of ICAO to underscore the aviation industry's commitment to the environment at the UN sustainability conference," he said. Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO, said the flight by Air Canada proves that the aviation industry is in a strong position to reduce emissions. "To make this a day-to-day commercial reality, it requires now a political will to foster incentives to scale up the use of sustainable biofuels and to accelerate the modernization of the air-traffic-management system. We need a clear endorsement by governments and all aviation stakeholders to venture beyond today's limitations," Brégier said. The AC991 was a normal revenue flight operated with an Airbus A319 aircraft using a 50/50 mix of regular and bio-fuel derived from recycled cooking oil. This blend produced by SkyNRG has been recertified to normal jet fuel standards and can be safely used without modifying the aircraft's systems.  Source: Renewable Energy Magazine, ***

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'Markets are facing a rerun of the Great Panic of 2008': Head of World Bank warns Europe is heading for 'danger zone'

The head of the World Bank yesterday warned that financial markets face a rerun of the Great Panic of 2008. On the bleakest day for the global economy this year, Robert Zoellick said crisis-torn Europe was heading for the ‘danger zone’. Mr Zoellick, who stands down at the end of the month after five years in charge of the watchdog, said it was ‘far from clear that eurozone leaders have steeled themselves’ for the looming catastrophe amid fears of a Greek exit from the single currency and meltdown in Spain. The flow of money into so-called ‘safe havens’ such as UK, German and US government debt turned into a stampede yesterday. In Berlin the two-year government bond yield fell below zero for the first time, with the bizarre result that jittery international investors are now paying – rather than being paid – for lending to Germany. There was a raft of dismal economic news from around the world, with manufacturing output falling in Britain and Europe, unemployment jumping in the eurozone and America, and fast-emerging economies such as Brazil and China showing signs of running out of steam. Source: The Coming Crisis

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US lags behind China in clean energy technology race

China continues to lead the global clean energy technology manufacturing race, according to a new report commissioned by World Wildlife Fund. The third edition of Clean Economy, Living Planet, launched earlier this month at the AWEA Windpower conference in Atlanta, ranks 25 countries based on the 2011 sales of the clean energy technology products they manufacture. The report says that in terms of total sales value of clean energy technology, China had the largest market, followed by the United States and Germany. Though the US ranks second to China in total sales, relative to the size of its economy the US is well behind leading countries including Denmark, China, Germany and Brazil. "Other countries are moving on clean technology opportunities and making big investments in the industry, while US policymakers in Washington seem to be content to let all the recent growth in the US wither on the vine by not providing policy certainty and not going after growth opportunities," said Marty Spitzer, Director of US Climate Policy for WWF. "It's stable, visionary policy that's driving the market leaders to the top." The report finds that: US total clean technology manufacturing sales increased 17% from 2010 to 2011, a pace that has slowed from recent years (28% from 2008-2010). The top five fastest growing markets for 2010-11 were Taiwan (+36%), China (+29%), India (+19%), South Korea (+19%) and the United States (+17%). The US has the largest global market share in bioethanol (61%), largely because of strong federal incentives and a renewable fuels standard. In solar PV, US production rose 16%, capturing 16% of the global market. The US has a strong market share in wind technology, but is still in fourth place with an 11% market share (a slight increase over last year's 9%), behind China, Germany and Denmark, who together have more than 60% of the global market. Despite a growth of 30% in US demand for wind turbines, wind turbine manufacturing in the United States grew by only 17% in 2011. The US is a strong player in the global clean energy technology race, but compared to other leading countries, the US is currently under-investing in clean technology and there is a great deal of policy uncertainty, meaning it will likely lose market share in the long term. "The view that new industries set sail on their own defies history," Spitzer said. "The US government has played a strong role in investing in and fostering new industries, from rail and coal to the oil, natural gas and nuclear industries. Clean technology industries are no different. For the near term, our clean energy manufacturing industries like wind and solar need and deserve support to maintain their growth." "In the longer run, we need to level the playing field among energy technologies and put in place policies like a Clean Energy Standard or a carbon price to create stable, long-term demand." Overall, the report found that in 2011, the global sales value of the clean technology sector increased by 10% to almost euro 200 billion (approximately $248.8 billion). However in comparison to 2010, the 2011 growth of that sales value is much more unevenly distributed across countries. While sales from manufacturers in many countries in Asia and the Americas continued to increase, European manufactures have kept their sales stable or have even seen a decline in sales. By 2015, the clean tech sector is expected to rival the oil and gas equipment market, when the forecasted market size will be between euro 240 and 290 billion, the report states. Countries that gain a strong position in clean technology manufacturing today have the best prospects to capitalize on the expected strong growth in the future. "The long-term drivers behind growth in clean technology markets are not going away. Countries winning the clean technology manufacturing race see the growth opportunities and are going after them by building strong domestic markets through comprehensive policies," said Spitzer. "We can't risk Washington taking a nap by the side of the road while more countries breeze by us. There's too much at stake." The Clean Economy, Living Planet report was prepared by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and commissioned by WWF, with support from Rabobank and De Lage Landen.US lags behind China in clean energy technology race - Renewable Energy Magazine, at the heart of clean energy journalism

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BRICS sign 2 currency pacts; to set up development bank

New Delhi,: BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) on Thursday inked two pacts to push intra-country trade in their local currencies and agreed on a joint working group to set up a development bank.The move is seen as a combined effort to deal with problems of a bumpy world economy hit by sovereign debt worries in many European countries and protectionist tendencies of some developed countries. The development banks of the five middle-income influential group of nations signed a master agreement on extending credit facilities in the local currency and the BRICS multilateral letter of credit confirmation facility agreement. The participating banks include the Export Import Bank of India, Banco Nacional de Desenvolimento Economico e Social of Brazil, State Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs of Russia, China Development Bank and Development Bank of South Africa.The pact intends to tackle the demand for fully convertible currencies for transactions among BRICS nations, and thereby help reducing the transaction costs of intra-BRICS trade. Outgoing World Bank president Robert Zoellick, on a visit to India currently, told Reuters late on Wednesday that there are already a series of regional development banks and many nations have their own such banks, but if a BRICS bank was formed, the World Bank will work closely with it. The pacts are aimed at expanding intra-BRICS trade from the current $230 billion (about Rs ,50,000 crore) to $500 billion (about Rs 25,00,000 crore) by 2015. Source: Hindustan Times, ***

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Firm action sought against software piracy

domain-b: The value of pirated software was around $63.4 billion worldwide in 2011, rising from $59 billion in the prior year, according to an annual study from the Business Software Alliance (BSA) released yesterday. The study, conducted by IDC and Ipsos Public Affairs, comes as the US negotiates the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, a multilateral trade deal. The private sector hopes the deal would include tough IP enforcement provisions, a stance, which is supported by the study. According to the BSA-funded study, the rise in pirated software last year was due to the influx of personal computer shipments to developing economies that had high piracy rates. Around 56 per cent of new PCs were shipped to developing markets. In most emerging markets, there was no effective sheriff in town, according to computer users themselves, BSA CEO Robert Holleyman told Politico, an Arlington, Virginia-based American political journalism organisation in an interview. China with an illegal software market of $9 billion last year, continues to be a hub of software piracy boasting one of the highest piracy rates of the top 20 economies analysed in the study. The other so-called Bware RIC countries - Russia, India and Brazil came up behind China among the countries with the highest commercial value of pirated software last year. The big daddy of software piracy was, however, the US, where the commercial value of pirated software amounted to nearly $10 billion. However, according to the study, the US had the largest software market with the lowest piracy rate, at 19 per cent. The study found only 15 per cent of software pirates in emerging markets said the risk of getting caught would deter them while in developed markets, 20 per cent of software pirates replied in the same vein. The study said though, piracy rates in Mexico, India and Russia had improved slightly last year. According to Holleyman, software piracy did not just affect BSA's member companies - including Microsoft, Apple and Symantec, it also put ''mainstream'' US companies that paid for legal software at a disadvantage while competing against foreign companies that used pirated software. Holleyman said, the US government needed to squarely address China's growing software piracy problem. He said until China took steps that yielded measurable results in increased sales of legal software, then all of the other trade agreements together would have a smaller value than the value of correcting the huge imbalance that existed between the US and China. If 57 per cent of consumers admitted to shoplifting, authorities would react by increasing police patrols and penalties said Holleyman. He added, software piracy demanded a similarly forceful response – concerted public education and vigorous law enforcement. The BSA said many countries, including China, had not done enough to rein in rates of copyright infringement, and the organisation estimated that while approximately $3 billion worth of software was sold in China in 2011, another $9 billion worth was obtained illegally. According to Holleyman, if companies in high-piracy countries such as China were using the same software as those in the US but not paying for it, the Chinese businesses were getting an unfair advantage. Nations like Indonesia and Venezuela had higher piracy rates than China, but being smaller markets, the losses to the software industry are not as high.Source: domain-b.com

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Sonia, Nooyi in most powerful moms' list

Indian Express; US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been named No 1 in the World's 20 Most Powerful Moms list which also ranked India-born Indra Nooyi at the 3rd spot and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at No 6. The list released by Forbes ahead of World Mother's Day today placed 64-year-old Clinton, who has one of the world's biggest jobs in hand, at No 1. The list chosen from diverse spheres of government, business, entertainment and philanthropy ranked 64-year-old Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff at second position, who has a daughter. 56-year-old Nooyi, PepsiCo Chairman and a mother of two has been placed at 3rd position. She says if her kids call in the middle of a meeting, she takes the call. 65-year-old Sonia, mother of Priyanka and Rahul, was ranked ahead of US First Lady Michelle Obama (ranked 7) and Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi (ranked 20). According to the magazine, "Power moms must develop unique trategies to succeed in both boardrooms and playrooms." ForbesWoman analysed the annual list of the world¿s 100 most powerful women ¿ based on money controlled, decision-making power and multiple measures of influence¿and teased out the moms who are at the top of their game. The list also figured Melinda Gates, co-founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of International Monetary Fund and Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.Source: Indian Express

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