January 26, 2012
Global Real Estate Investment Report by Jones Lang LaSalle
The “A New World of Cities” report by Jones Lang LaSalle reveals that more than half of all global real estate investment resides in 30 cities. A quarter of the total investment is in five top-tier cities: London, Tokyo, New York, Hong Kong and Paris. This is set to change by the turn of the decade, however, when newer destinations such as Beijing, Shanghai, Moscow and Sao Paulo will become serious contenders for real estate dollars.
Jones Lang LaSalle is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. With 2010 global revenue of more than $2.9 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 70 countries from more than 1,000 locations worldwide.
“We are already seeing a shift in where real estate investors are sending their capital,” said Peter Roberts, CEO, Americas, Jones Lang LaSalle. “The top 30 cities for real estate investment will become the top 50 as investors diversify their portfolios and corporate occupiers expand their geographic footprints to include emerging cities. Advances in digital communications contribute to this expansion because companies will no longer have to physically cluster in some of the world’s largest cities.”
According to LaSalle, cities in China are being transformed by an unprecedented programme of development and modernization.
While much global attention has been paid to the growth of Asian cities, U.S. cities provide a strong counter-balance. Nearly half of the world’s office stock is located in the U.S., and more than one third of all commercial real estate investment takes place in U.S. cities. Eleven of those cities are expected to feature among the world’s top 30 largest cities by GDP by 2020. Six of the top 30 fastest growing cities in terms of absolute GDP will be in the U.S., including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Dallas and Houston, says the report.
Despite European economic turmoil, London has remained the top real estate investment pick with more than $43 billion invested in 2010 and the first three quarters of 2011, a third higher than the world’s second most popular destination, Tokyo.
We believe that this will be the ‘decade of change’ as investors widen their horizons across a much broader range of 300+ cities, not only in new emerging markets but also in secondary and tertiary cities in mature economies. Deepening real estate transparency, faster economic growth rates and the improving quality of the real estate stock in emerging and middle-weight cities will act as compelling pull factors; so too will investors’ active pursuit of major corporate occupiers, who are extending deeper into new geographies. Conversely, the potential decline in the global economic weight of high-order cities - as the digital world erodes the need for physical clustering and their business cycles become increasingly synchronized - could act as a critical push factor and reduce the relative attraction of high-order cities for real estate investors over the longer term. By 2020, the ‘top 30’ is more likely to be the ‘top 50’ as cities such as Mexico City, Delhi and Istanbul join the top echelons of investible cities, the report concludes.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
“What is the city but the people?”
— WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Coriolanus.
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January 22, 2012
Mercedes-Benz & VOGUE Fashion Night in Berlin
Photo: Alex Prager. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin Autumn/Winter 2012. Press Talk in the Mercedes-Benz Lounge. January 19, 2012. Foto: Brauer for Mercedes-Benz.
Photos: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Berlin, Autumn/Winter 2012. RUNWAY FASHION. © DAN & CORINA LECCA.
The Mercedes-Benz & VOGUE Fashion Night in the Restaurant Borchardt is a popular industry get-together during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin.
On Wednesday evening, the movers and shakers in the fashion industry and numerous VIPs accepted the invitation of Christiane Arp, Editor-in-Chief of German VOGUE, and Anders Sundt Jensen, Vice President Brand Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars. Around 350 guests celebrated and chatted until well into the night.
In addition to the first day’s shows in the event venue, the global economic situation and its effects on the industry was a topic on everyone’s lips. The fashion industry and VIPs exchanged views in a relaxed ambience. Those present included the mayor of Berlin, film makers, celebrities, top models and fashion designers.
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January 13, 2012
World Travel Awards 2011: The Oberoi, Gurgaon, India, is World's Leading Luxury Hotel
Photo: Mr Kapil Chopra, Executive Vice President, The Oberoi Gurgaon and Trident Gurgaon, accepts the award from host Ms. Ece Vahapo.
The Oberoi, Gurgaon, India, has been voted World’s Leading Luxury Hotel, 2011, by the World Travel Awards. This was announced at the Grand Final Gala Ceremony held in Doha, Qatar.
“This is indeed a very proud moment for us. To win this accolade is an affirmation of The Oberoi Group’s unwavering commitment to offering guests world class facilities and unsurpassed service standards. I accept this award on behalf of my entire team who work passionately to give our guests warm, personalised and caring service.” said Kapil Chopra, Executive Vice President, The Oberoi, Gurgaon and Trident, Gurgaon.
The Oberoi, Gurgaon is located in the prime business and shopping district of Gurgaon in the New Delhi National Capital Region. Spread over nine acres, the hotel features serene water bodies, a forested driveway and landscaped greens.
The Oberoi Group, founded in 1934, operates 32 hotels and cruisers under the luxury ‘Oberoi’ and five star ‘Trident’ brands in India, Egypt, Mauritius, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. The Group is also engaged in flight catering, managing airport restaurants, travel and tour services, car rentals, project management and corporate air charters.
World Travel Awards are recognized globally by the travel, tourism and hospitality industry as the foremost acknowledgement of excellence in product and service.
• Meanwhile, Ms. Akanksha Banerji, Communications Manager at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, has provided GlobalGiants.Com with the following pictures of the hotel:
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January 5, 2012
Detroit Auto Show Prepares for Exciting Opening
Photo: NAIAS Detroit 2012. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, at the NAIAS 2012 in Detroit.
Photo: NAIAS Detroit 2012. World Premier of the new Audi Q3 Vail at the NAIAS 2012 in Detroit.
The North American International Auto Show 2012 (NAIAS) in Detroit prepares to open for Press Preview, Jan. 9-10, 2012; Industry Preview, Jan. 11-12, 2012; Charity Preview, Jan. 13, 2012; and Public Show, Jan. 14-22, 2012.
Entering its 24th year as an international event, the NAIAS is among the most prestigious auto shows in the world, providing unparalleled access to the automotive products, people and ideas that matter most - up close and in one place.
“This show will educate, entertain and astonish,” said Bill Perkins, chairman, NAIAS 2012.
NAIAS exhibiting manufacturers include: Acura, AMG, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, CODA Automotive, Dodge, Falcon Motor Sports, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, Lincoln, Maserati, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Ram, Scion, Shelby American, Smart, SRT, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Vehicle Production Group, Volkswagen, and Volvo.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
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January 1, 2012
Romanticism by Carrera y Carrera
Carrera y Carrera, Madrid, Spain, has invited GlobalGiants.Com to discover the most romantic jewelry pieces ever created by it and to “uncover the true spirit of femininity and affection”.
According to Carrera y Carrera, the spirit of love has been converted into jewelry, where sentiment and passion, emotions and experiences, are entwined within each of the jewelry pieces … perfect for a gift of love that endures … the gift desired by every woman.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
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December 22, 2011
IBM Working with Universities Worldwide
• IBM Teams with 500 Universities in India in First-of-a-Kind Faculty Development Program.
• Students in China, India, Northern Ireland and Scotland Studying How Analytics Applies to Industries.
Photo: On Nov. 2, 2011 at Columbia University in New York City, IBM Chairman and CEO Samuel J. Palmisano discusses the lessons IBM learned over its past 100 years, in a speech commemorating the company’s Centennial.
Photo: In collaboration with DePaul University, Deepak Advani, right, VP of Predictive Analytics at IBM, unveils the Center for Data Mining and Predictive Analytics, with graduate students Mary Jo Zefeldt, left, and Jonathan Gemmel, in Chicago.
• To address a growing market demand for analytics savvy graduates, IBM is working with universities around the world to bring advanced analytics training directly into the classroom. The company is expanding its academic initiatives for business analytics with new programs in China, India, Ireland and Scotland, helping students keep pace with today’s competitive job market by gaining skills in this fast-growing field of technology.
Everyday people create the equivalent of 2.5 quintillion bytes of data from sensors, mobile devices, online transactions, and social networks; so much that 90 percent of the world’s data has been generated in the past two years. This amounts to more data than organizations can effectively use without applying analytics. The new programs are providing students and faculty members, regardless of their course of study, with access to the latest software capabilities and thinking on how advanced analytics can be applied to tackle complex business and societal challenges.
Photo: Members of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering gain hands-on experience with IBM’s most popular systems engineering software as they prepare for careers creating the smart cities, healthcare systems and advanced products and systems of the future.
Photo: TOP: In 1986, IBM scientists Heinrich Rohrer (left) and Gerd Binnig (right) of IBM’s Zurich Research Laboratory were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their invention of the scanning tunneling microscope. (Image courtesy of IBM Research) BOTTOM: In its centennial year, IBM is looking to the future at the opening of a new nanotechnology research center in Zurich, Switzerland on May 17, 2011. IBM Fellows and Nobel Laureates Drs. Gerd Binnig (left) and Heinrich Rohrer (right), whose pioneering work paved the way for the study of nanoscience, join IBM Research Senior Vice President Dr. John Kelly III to inaugurate the center, a joint collaboration with university partner — ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich) — an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the city of Zurich, Switzerland.
According to the 2010 IBM Institute for Business Value and MIT Sloan Management Review study of nearly 3,000 executives worldwide, the biggest challenge is the lack of understanding in how to use analytics to gain insights that can improve business outcomes. In response to market demand, universities are incorporating analytics curricula and courseware into a variety of degree programs to educate college students in this growing field.
• In India, IBM is working with faculty members from 500 universities to help more than 30,000 students develop skills in predictive analytics. As part of the program, IBM will conduct a series of training programs with business school faculty concentrating on predictive and business analytics, in 15 major cities throughout the country of India. The faculty members will complete a certification process in analytics at the end of the program.
Once certified they will begin to teach students about how analytics can be applied to their topic of study. The learning will involve access to predictive analytics technology and will focus on how to act on the results the analytics technology uncovers.
“I have been using IBM predictive analytics technology in a number of programs at Indian Institute of Management Calcutta,” said Sahadeb Sarkar, Professor, Operations Management Group, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM). “I hope this initiative will help teachers in universities to learn and include analytics in existing courses and design new curriculum that will help students gain a top-notch education to meet the demands of today’s businesses and government organizations.”
These universities join schools around the world including Northwestern University, Yale School of Management, Fordham University, DePaul University, University of Southern California and University of Ottawa Telfer School of Management, that are working with IBM to develop and implement undergraduate and graduate curriculum and training on business analytics.
“Through IBM’s Academic Initiative, universities are adding analytics to their course offerings, establishing new degree programs and now we are seeing an acceleration in global demand for training in analytics,” said Jim Corgel, general manager of IBM’s Academic Initiative.
According to IBM, through its Academic Initiative, it is making its software, courseware and curricula available to nearly 6,000 universities and more than 30,000 faculty to advance technology skills.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
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December 20, 2011
Smarter Cities Exploration Center — Created by IBM and the University of Guadalajara, Mexico
Photo: IBM Chairman and CEO, Samuel J. Palmisano, addresses Chile’s most forward-thinking leaders - governors, mayors, urban experts from academia and community leaders - at the Smarter Cities forum in Santiago, Chile, November 23, 2010. Palmisano underscored the passion and momentum that exists across cities in Chile in support of urban transformation. (Graham Carlow/Feature Photo Service)
Photo: In New York City, Michael Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York, spoke to 700 leaders from world government, business, academia and science at IBM’s THINK Forum held at Lincoln Center, Tuesday, September 20, 2011. As part of IBM’s 100-year anniversary, the forum examined the implications of leadership on organizations and societies and the deep structural changes required to drive progress. (Feature Photo Service)
Photo: Global Parking Survey — To better understand consumer attitudes around the daily struggles that drivers face in finding a parking spot and traffic congestion, IBM conducted the 2011 global parking survey. The IBM Parking Index looks at issues such as longest amount of time spent looking for a parking spot, inability to find parking, arguments with fellow motorists over parking and more to rank parking difficulty in 20 international cities. From left to right, cities are plotted from the most difficult parking issues (New Delhi) to the least difficult (Chicago). (Feature Photo Service)
Photo: Global Commuter Pain Survey — Drivers in Mexico City have the most painful commute of the 20 cities in IBM’s 2011 Global Commuter Pain survey. Studying the emotional toll associated with driving, the annual survey reveals that, overall, commuters have gotten a lot more stressed out and angry in the past year. On the positive side, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles have less painful commutes when compared to most other cities. And Montreal has the least painful of all. (Foto IBM/Dennis Champlain)
In order to respond intelligently to the needs of their growing populations, city infrastructures that deliver vital services such as transportation, healthcare, education, public safety, energy and water, must rely on a wealth of new information and technologies.
IBM today announced that it has created a Smarter Cities Exploration Center in collaboration with the University of Guadalajara, Mexico.
The Center will design solutions to tackle infrastructure challenges faced by Guadalajara and other cities around the world.
Guadalajara is Mexico’s second largest city and the University of Guadalajara is an educational community with more than two hundred years of history.
According to IBM, the center has already started the development of a transportation pilot that could reduce commuting time in the city by 15%, representing approximately US$ 90 million in savings per year by enabling citizens to use their time more productively and decrease carbon emissions.
The company and the University will share knowledge through the exchange of intellectual property among doctoral students and researchers. The use of IBM’s data analytics, supercomputing and cloud computing capabilities would drive the development of new pilots and solutions, IBM said.
• Meanwhile, Meredith Hannon, IBM’s spokesperson at its headquarters in Armonk, New York, has explained to the GlobalGiants.Com Publisher that IBM does business with and works on a number of efforts with universities and diverse other academic institutions all around the globe. But the establishment of this Smarter Cities Exploration Center in Mexico is its first such collaboration with any university in the world.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
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December 19, 2011
Barcelona win FIFA Club World Cup
Photo: YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - DECEMBER 18: Carles Puyol of Barcelona competes for an aerial ball with Neymar of Santos during the FIFA Club World Cup Final match between Santos and Barcelona at the Yokohama International Stadium on December 18, 2011 in Yokohama, Japan (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images. © 2011 Getty Images.)
Photo: YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - DECEMBER 18: Fans watch the game during the FIFA Club World Cup Final match between Santos and Barcelona at the Yokohama International Stadium on December 18, 2011 in Yokohama, Japan (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images. © 2011 Getty Images.)
Photo: YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - DECEMBER 18: Lionel Messi of Barcelona controls the ball during the FIFA Club World Cup Final match between Santos and Barcelona at the Yokohama International Stadium on December 18, 2011 in Yokohama, Japan (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images. © 2011 Getty Images.)
Photo: YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - DECEMBER 18: Neymar of Santos takes a shot during the FIFA Club World Cup 2011 Final match between Santos and Barcelona at International Stadium Yokohama on December 18, 2011 in Yokohama, Japan. (Photo by Getty Images for Sony. © 2011 Getty Images.)
Photo: YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - DECEMBER 18: The FIFA Club World Cup Final between Santos and Barcelona at International Stadium Yokohama on December 18, 2011 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Lintao Zhang. © 2011 Getty Images.)
Barcelona were crowned FIFA Club World Cup winners when they thrashed Brazilian side Santos, 4-0, in Japan.
• The win confirms Barcelona’s standing as the best club team in the world.
“We played a complete game,” captain Carles Puyol said. “It was a good game, an intense game and we’re very happy with the result.”
The match between the European and South American champions in Yokohama had been billed as a showdown between Messi, widely acknowledged as the best player in the world, and Brazilian star Neymar. But it was no contest - with Messi the star of match - and named the tournament’s most valuable player - as Barcelona won the competition.
“Barcelona deserved to win. They are the best team in the world and we learned an important lesson,” said Neymar of Santos, Brazil.
• Futbol Club Barcelona (English: Football Club Barcelona), also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barca is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. While Santos Futebol Clube also known as Santos is a Brazilian professional football club based in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
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December 17, 2011
Airbus delivers its 7,000th Aircraft
Airbus delivered today its 7,000th aircraft, an A321, to US Airways, from the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany.
The 1,000th Airbus delivery was an A340-300 that went to Air France in 1993. Airbus’s 5,000th aircraft, an A330-200, was delivered to Qantas in December 2007. The 6,000th Airbus was an A380 which was delivered to Emirates in January 2010.
“It’s particularly fitting that our 7,000th aircraft is an A321 going to US Airways. The airline not only operates the largest fleet of Airbus aircraft in the world; with over 220 A320 Family aircraft flying in US Airways colors today, they also operate the largest fleet of our best-selling, eco-efficient A320 Family,” said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO.
Aircraft belonging to Airbus’s A320 family are in use by more than 340 airlines and operators worldwide.
Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is owned by EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. This group - which is comprised of Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter, in addition to Airbus - has a presence on every continent, and employs a total workforce of more than 119,000.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
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December 15, 2011
G20 Postal Services Report
A review of the performance of universal postal service providers (USPs) in the world’s G20 group of nations, published today by Oxford Strategic Consulting (OSC), has found that the United States Postal Service (USPS) achieved the best overall ranking among operators.
The benchmark examines performance over three years against three key metrics - access to vital services, resource efficiency, and performance and public trust. Universal providers are seeing strong competition from private companies and a continual slide in mail volumes, with the move towards digital communications. Volumes have fallen in many countries - as much as 17% in the US since 2006.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) came top due to its high operating efficiency and public faith in its performance. The government agency handles over five times more letters per full-time delivery employee than Germany’s privatized provider, Deutsche Post (5th).
Report author William Scott-Jackson, director of Oxford Strategic Consulting, and Associate Research Fellow, SKOPE, University of Oxford, said: “People tend to think the internet has made the postman redundant but postal services still provide the backbone for e-commerce deliveries.”
For many remote customers, especially in emerging markets, the post office is the only viable means of receiving or sending goods.
Japan Post (2nd) and Korea Post (4th) performed well on all counts, while Australia Post (3rd) was strong on both efficiency and access. The UK’s cost-cutting Royal Mail (6th) edged out France’s La Poste (7th) with double the efficiency in letter delivery.
Italy’s Poste Italiane (11th) saw declines in performance and efficiency, causing it to fall behind Russia Post (10th) - which improved its performance faster than any developed country operator. India’s India Post made slight improvement while Turkey’s PTT was the most improved.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Posted by Editors at 11:39 AM | Link to this Post
December 11, 2011
Origin of the Brand — Mercedes-Benz
Photo: Mercedes Jellinek aged 11, daughter of Emil Jellinek.
Emil Jellinek was a wealthy European entrepreneur who sat on the board of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) between 1900 and 1909. Initially, he chose the first name of his daughter as a pseudonym for his own involvement in vehicle racing. Later, Jellinek specified an engine designed by Wilhelm Maybach and Gottlieb Daimler for the first ‘modern’ car and required naming it after the first name of his daughter, Mercedes Jellinek. That Mercedes 35hp model contributed to the brand name Mercedes-Benz, developed in 1926, which is now one of the most distinguished car brands in the world.
Photo: Mercedes-Benz’s small car — 2011 smart fortwo Passion Cabriolet.
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December 10, 2011
Social Watch Report 2012 - THE RIGHT TO A FUTURE
Photo: Roberto Bissio, Coordinator of Social Watch, briefs on “Civil Society and Global Financial Regulation - The Role of the United Nations”, and his organization’s publication, “Social Watch Report 2012 - THE RIGHT TO A FUTURE”. December 9, 2011. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine.
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December 5, 2011
Mission:Impossible - Ghost Protocol — India Premiere
Photo: MUMBAI, INDIA - DECEMBER 04: Tom Cruise, Hollywood Actor at the red carpet of the special screening of his film Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol at IMAX Theatre on December 04, 2011 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images. © Getty Images for Paramount Pictures International).
Photo: MUMBAI, INDIA - DECEMBER 04: Tom Cruise, Hollywood Actor at the red carpet of the special screening of his film Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol at IMAX Theatre on December 04, 2011 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images. © Getty Images for Paramount Pictures International).
Photo: MUMBAI, INDIA - DECEMBER 04: Paula Patton, Hollywood Actor at the red carpet of the special screening of her film with Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol at IMAX Theatre on December 04, 2011 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images. © Getty Images for Paramount Pictures International).
Photo: MUMBAI, INDIA - DECEMBER 04: Paula Patton, Hollywood Actor at the red carpet of the special screening of her film with Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol at IMAX Theatre on December 04, 2011 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images. © Getty Images for Paramount Pictures International).
Photo: MUMBAI, INDIA - DECEMBER 04: Tom Cruise, Hollywood Actor at the red carpet of the special screening of his film Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol at IMAX Theatre on December 04, 2011 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images. © Getty Images for Paramount Pictures International).
Photo: MUMBAI, INDIA - DECEMBER 04: Anil Kapoor, Bollywood Actor with Paula Patton, Hollywood Actor at the red carpet of the special screening of their film with Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol at IMAX Theatre on December 04, 2011 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images. © Getty Images for Paramount Pictures International).
Photo: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 07: Actor Anil Kapoor, director Brad Bird and actors Tom Cruise, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg attend the “Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol” Premiere during day one of the 8th Annual Dubai International Film Festival held at the Madinat Jumeriah Complex on December 7, 2011 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for DIFF. © 2011 Getty Images.)
• In the action-packed spy adventure Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Tom Cruise returns in the starring role as Ethan Hunt and is joined by an international cast that includes Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor and Lea Seydoux. Mission:Impossible - Ghost Protocol is directed by Brad Bird and is written by Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
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December 4, 2011
Round the World Volvo Ocean Race: CAMPER Clinches Second Place in Leg One
Photos: CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand finish leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race in Cape Town, South Africa, second behind TELEFONICA. Photographer: Chris Cameron. © Chris Cameron 2011.
CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson nursed his boat through heinous sea conditions overnight into Table Bay to clinch second place in Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday after 21 days at sea.
CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, throttled back overnight in winds gusting 35 knots and mountainous seas, but once daylight broke, they were up to speed and screamed across the finish to take 25 points to add to their four points earned for a third-place finish in the Iberdrola In-Port Race in Alicante, Spain, on October 29.
They are now in second place overall on the Volvo Ocean Race leaderboard with 29 points - two behind Team TELEFONICA who finished first on Saturday evening.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Posted by Editors at 10:57 AM | Link to this Post
November 30, 2011
MasterCard and Western Union Partner to Fuel Growth of Electronic Payments
Photos: MasterCard and the Western Union Company enter an agreement to offer consumers more choice and access to safe and convenient global financial services. Ajay Banga, President and Chief Executive Officer of MasterCard, left and Hikmet Ersek, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western Union meet at Western Union’s headquarters in New York City, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011. (Feature Photo Service).
• MasterCard and The Western Union Company today announced a global agreement that will make electronic payments, including prepaid cards and money transfers, more efficient and convenient for consumers around the world.
Today, an estimated 2.5 billion adults worldwide are financially underserved, and within the United States, more than a quarter of the adult population is excluded from the financial mainstream. Prepaid cards and money transfers are helping build bridges to provide consumers with reliable, convenient and affordable forms of financial services.
MasterCard and Western Union have been working together to provide prepaid card services for the past year. The expanded global relationship makes MasterCard the preferred brand for Western Union-sponsored prepaid programs around the world and makes Western Union the preferred money transfer service for MasterCard. Consumers will have access to a global network to transfer and load funds onto prepaid cards. Western Union and MasterCard prepaid cardholders will be able to reload their prepaid cards at MasterCard rePower locations as well as at participating Western Union(R) Agent locations.
Western Union and MasterCard are simplifying the transfer of money for consumers by making their electronic payment networks interoperable. Consumers using Western Union for money transfer services will be able to arrange for a money transfer to go directly to an eligible MasterCard. Senders will be able to pay for money transfers using a card or account backed by the MasterCard brand and move funds through a participating Western Union Agent location.
Hikmet Ersek, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western Union said, “This agreement sets the stage to globalize prepaid services. We’re opening up more options for consumers around the world by combining Western Union’s global network of money movement solutions with MasterCard’s world class global electronic payments network.”
“The primary focus of our global partnership is to enable greater financial inclusion for consumers and provide additional electronic payment options that create efficiencies in their daily lives,” said MasterCard President and Chief Executive Officer Ajay Banga. “We look forward to all of the benefits that our partnership will bring to consumers around the world.”
MasterCard is a global payments and technology company. While The Western Union Company is a leader in global payment services.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
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November 27, 2011
Infiniti 2013 IPL G Convertible — Seductive Open-Air Style
Photos: Infiniti presents IPL G Convertible — Seductive Open-Air Style.
Infiniti has inroduced 2013 IPL G Convertible at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Infiniti is the luxury division of automaker Nissan.
IPL G Convertible combines seductive style with a highly engaging driving experience, the company said. IPL G Convertible is available with an electronically controlled 7-speed automatic transmission.
Other standard IPL G Convertible interior features include a 13-speaker Bose Open Air sound system, Climate-controlled front seats, Infiniti Hard Drive Navigation System, Infiniti Voice Recognition for audio navigation, memory system for driver’s seat, steering wheel and outside mirrors, RearView Monitor and Rear Sonar System, the company elaborated.
Infiniti also introduced its innovative Backup Collision Intervention system at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The system has the ability to detect vehicular cross traffic and other rearward objects while backing up. If necessary, the system will automatically apply the brakes to help prevent a collision.
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November 18, 2011
Sheep in the Ariana Park, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Photos: Sheep graze on the lawn of the Palais des Nations, the United Nations Regional Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of an environmentally-friendly tradition held every year in October and November. The sheep’s grazing allows for the lawn to be naturally cut and for other organic maintenance work to be done. UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferre.
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Posted by Editors at 12:21 PM | Link to this Post
November 15, 2011
Coca-Cola to make $2 Billion long term Investment in India
Investment includes new infrastructure, partnerships, brand building and sustainability programs
Photo: The Coca-Cola Company hosted a 125th Anniversary Celebration Concert at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, GA, USA, on May 7, 2011. The concert was streamed online as a live ‘thank you’ to people around the world.
Coca-Cola will invest US$2 billion in India over the next five years, beginning in 2012, to further capture the opportunity in the Indian nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverage market, the company announced.
• Coca-Cola informed GlobalGiants.Com that India is a strategic growth country for The Coca-Cola Company, ranking among its top 10 markets in volume globally and as the largest market in the Eurasia and Africa Group.
The Coca-Cola Company’s portfolio in India includes Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Thums Up, Sprite, Fanta, Limca, Maaza, Maaza Milky Delite, Minute Maid Pulpy Orange, Minute Maid Nimbu Fresh, Burn, Kinley Water, Kinley Soda, Nestea, Schweppes, and GEORGIA Gold.
The Coca-Cola system has already invested over US$2 billion in India since it re-entered the country in 1993, and currently it directly employs more than 25,000 people. The system is estimated to have created indirect employment for more than 150,000 people in related industries through its vast procurement, supply chain and distribution system. The investments announced today by Coca-Cola will further catalyze economic growth and create new opportunities for the local community, the company said.
Ahmet C. Bozer, Coca-Cola’s President, Eurasia and Africa Group, said, “India is one of our most important growth markets as we work toward our 2020 Vision of doubling system revenues and servings this decade. The opportunity in the packaged beverage segment is immense, and our efforts in India are focused on being the beverage of choice all day, every day. If we continue to do the right things each day and at all times, it would not surprise me if India becomes one of the top five markets for the Company globally by the end of this decade.”
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Posted by Editors at 12:12 PM | Link to this Post
November 13, 2011
General Motors introduces 2013 Chevrolet Spark at the Los Angeles International Auto Show
• General Motors today introduced 2013 Chevrolet Spark ‘Mini Car’ (known as Chevrolet Beat in India) at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. According to GM, it is the only car in its segment to offer a seven-inch color touch screen radio capable of displaying smart phone-based navigation, media and contacts for hands-free calling.
The original version of the Spark [Beat] is already on sale in Europe, Asia, Australia, Mexico and South America.
“A sporty four-passenger, five-door hatch updated for United States and Canadian consumers, Spark is designed to excite first-time buyers and city dwellers with its bold styling and colors, affordability, the safety of 10 standard air bags, fuel efficiency and maneuverability,” the company announced.
Spark [Beat] is equipped with a 1.2L four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission.
“Spark is for buyers who want much more than a ‘cute’ small car - they want a car that can be personalized, is dynamic and fashionable, and delivers a lot of value for the money,” said Chris Perry, vice president, global Chevrolet marketing and strategy. “Spark’s vibrant exterior and interior colors make a fashion statement, but it is also affordable, safe, maneuverable and very fuel-efficient.”
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Posted by Editors at 1:49 PM | Link to this Post
November 9, 2011
Nokia World 2011, London: Nokia Showcases New Phones, Services and Accessories at its Annual Event
Photo: Nokia World 2011, London. Credits: Nokia.
Photo: Nokia World 2011, London. Credits: Nokia.
Photo: Nokia Asha 200. Credits: Nokia.
Photo: Nokia Asha 303 and Nokia Lumia 800. Credits: Nokia.
Photo: Nokia Lumia 710 with Nokia Purity HD Stereo Headset by Monster. Credits: Nokia.
Photo: Nokia Lumia 710 with lead for Nokia Purity HD Stereo Headset by Monster. Credits: Nokia.
Nokia unveiled a bold portfolio of innovative phones, services and accessories at Nokia World 2011 in London. Nokia World is the company’s annual event for customers, partners and developers.
Nokia showcased its Lumia models — Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 710.
“The stunningly social Nokia Lumia 800 features head-turning design, vivid colors (cyan, magenta and black) and the best social and Internet performance, with one-touch social network access, easy grouping of contacts, integrated communication threads and Internet Explorer 9,” the company announcement said. “The purposely built, no-nonsense Nokia Lumia 710 can be personalized with exchangeable back covers and thousands of apps to bring the Lumia experience to more people around the world. The Nokia Lumia 710 is designed for instant social & image sharing, and the best browsing experience with IE9. It is available in black and white with black, white, cyan, fuchsia and yellow back covers.”
Nokia’s four new mobile phones feature stylish design, a rich social experience and location-aware technology. “The Nokia Asha 300, Nokia Asha 303, Nokia Asha 200 and Nokia Asha 201 blur the line between smartphones and feature phones, offering QWERTY and touch screen experiences, combined with fast and easy access to the Internet, integrated social networking, and messaging,” the company explained.
• Nokia told GlobalGiants.Com that these devices comprise the new Asha family of Nokia mobile phones. “Derived from Hindi - meaning ‘Hope’ - Asha signifies Nokia’s focus on positive user experiences and connecting millions of people to new opportunities that help them reach their aspirations,” the company elucidated.
Nokia also showcased the latest versions of Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive for Windows Phone. These and other map-related applications introduced at Nokia World aim to make Nokia Maps relevant for commuters and to find interesting places in the city where people live. In addition to its world-class, free walk-and-drive navigation for more than 100 countries worldwide, the Nokia Public Transport application tracks public transportation directly on a mobile device in more than 430 cities worldwide, including up-to-the-minute updates on bus and train routes for 45 cities.
“Eight months ago, we shared our new strategy and today we are demonstrating clear progress of this strategy in action. We’re driving innovation throughout our entire portfolio, from new smartphone experiences to ever smarter mobile phones,” said Stephen Elop, Nokia President and CEO. “From the Nokia Lumia 800 to the Nokia Asha 201, we are bringing compelling new products to the market faster than ever before. I’m incredibly proud of these new devices - and the people of Nokia who have made this happen.”
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Posted by Editors at 12:39 AM | Link to this Post
