The lower oil price for about 19 months is benefiting the consumers, but creating a lot of problems for the global governments and business firms. Many banks and the US government forecast oil price above $40 a barrel this year. The oil price fell to below $30 during the past 19 months from $107 a barrel.
People
Google’s Parent Company Alphabet Wins The Title For ‘World’s Most Valuable Company’ Leaving Behind Apple in Net Asset Value
Google, for the first time, has disclosed financials on earnings, expenditure, asset value and future business planning. From the financials, analysts have found lot of scopes for Google and its parent company, Alphabet to expand. Google’s ad earnings have been witnessed to rise significantly during the year 2015. Meanwhile, it has spent only $3.6 billion in its ambitious technology projects during the same period. The net earning of Alphabet has been reached to $4.9 billion. Adding this earning to the net asset value, Alphabet has been recognized as the worlds most worthy enterprise.
France Based Pharmaceutical Company Sanofi Pasteur Committed To Develop Zika Virus Vaccination
The France-based pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur has committed to develop Zika virus vaccination in three to five years. The vaccine will be administered mainly in adolescent girls that is yet to involve sexual relationship.
Takata's restructuring plan unveils in May for car makers
Takata Corp, a manufacturer of airbags used in vehicles for consumer safety, will announce its restructuring plan to automakers in May. The restructuring plan is expected to include the sharing of recall costs. The defective airbags are forcing automobile majors to recall millions of cars.
Theme Park: Shanghai Disneyland Announced Ticket Prices as The Lowest Among All Other Disney Parks
The Shanghai Disneyland's ticket prices would be 20 percent cheaper than Hong Kong Disneyland at 539 yuan, even though the Shanghai's area would be much larger. After being constructed for more than six years, the park would be ready to open for public this summer with possible further expansion.
Latest News
The case had been investigated since 2013, and the practices are believed to have been going on since 2011. U.S federal regulators claimed that African-American, as well as Asian/Pacific Islander borrowers, were charged more for auto loans. Toyota voluntarily agreed to pay the amount of compensation, but the company refuses to admit that the practice is a form of racial discrimination.
Malala Yousafzai will be speaking at the "Supporting Syria and the region" conference in London on Thursday, February 4 to ask the world leaders attending to donate $1.4 billion in support of education for Syrian refugees. Muzoon Almellehan, a student and Syrian refugee will also speak at the conference in support of her cause.
The US federal contracts are somehow still not won by the women-owned small companies in this day and age. Senator Jeanne Shaheen has openly expressed her disappointment regarding this sobering fact. But she is still optimistic that the changing laws would rectify the situation and empower women with the experience to bid for larger and more competitive federal contracts in the future.
Citigroup holds view that it's too early to come to a conclusion about the state of the world's largest economy. It advises investors not to offload stocks over China. Citigroup in its latest research reports terms the present uncertainty and sluggishness in the Chinese economy and markets as a 'correction.'
The latest forecast indicates 50 percent rebound in oil prices by the end of 2016. The oil price could be higher by $15 per barrel this year taking the New York crude to $46 a barrel by fourth quarter and Brent to $48 during the same period. The drop in US shale output is likely to drive oil price up in the second half of 2016.
Xerox Corporation will be split into two separate business entities for hardware and services businesses. It's learnt that activist investor Carl Icahn will get multiple positions on the boards of the two companies including three on the board of services company. Xerox's fourth quarter numbers are expected to be released on Friday and an official statement about division may also be announced simultaneously.
The lawsuit is cast out by more than 40 customers, led by Chris Howe. The lawsuit stated that McDonald's aired unfair advertisements with the claim that its new menu item contains 100 percent pure mozzarella cheese, while according to Howe they contain filler. The lawsuit tests support the claim, but McDonald's has refuted the claim.
Employment Rates: German Job Rate Increase Near EU Record Due to Participation from Female Workforce
Reports show that 73 percent women were joining the workforce in 2014, compared to 63 percent in 2005. The rise has also pulled the overall employment rates up for Germany at 78 percent. German's employment rate is growing faster than any other EU country, although the record remains to be held by Sweden.
The Five app was first released in 2015 as a playful app to communicate with custom hand signs. Mach, an 18-year-old high school student, didn't realize that the app could be very useful to facilitate communications between people with loss of hearing until they contacted them to thank him. Then he reached out to raise money to improve the app for a better use.
