1 Japan’s growth fastest in two years (BBC) Japan's
economy grew at the fastest pace in nearly three years in the first quarter due
to increased spending ahead of a sales tax increase on 1 April. Official data
showed GDP rose 1.5% in the January-to-March period, against a revised 0.1% in
the prior quarter. The figure beat forecasts for 1% growth, and was led by
consumer spending which rose by 2.1%. Private consumption accounts for about
60% of Japan's economy. However, economists warned that spending may taper off
now that the April tax hike has been introduced.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been trying
to revive growth in the world's third-largest economy. His policy of
"Abenomics" has helped Japan's economy grow faster, but concerns
remain about whether the recovery is durable. Analysts warn that Japan's huge
trade deficit could pose a risk to growth.
Exports grew 6% quarter-on-quarter as a weaker yen
made Japanese goods cheaper to overseas buyers. However, the weaker currency
has also made imports more expensive for Japan, which has continued to buy vast
quantities of foreign fuel to compensate for its lack of nuclear power.
2 Sony annual loss triples (The Guardian) Sony has
posted a £808m quarterly loss – owing to costs from exiting its personal
computer business – and has forecast more red ink as it struggles to execute a
long-promised turnaround. The Tokyo-based electronics firm also reported on
Wednesday a loss of ¥128.4bn for the fiscal year to end of March, more than
three times the ¥41.5bn loss in the previous year. Sony forecasts a ¥50bn loss
for the year ending March 2015.
Earlier this month, the firm said it would report a
bigger annual loss than earlier forecast because of costs related to selling
its Vaio PC business. It was also hit by a drop in the value of its overseas
disc manufacturing business and its battery business.
The Playstation 4 maker has lost much of the cachet
that stemmed from once being at the cutting edge of consumer electronics. In
recent years it has fallen behind in digital recorders and flat-panel TVs while
also facing competition from a host of new rivals that can make appliances at
lower costs. In gadgetry, it is Apple and Samsung that have dazzled with their
innovations, not Sony.
3 A mini Boko Haram in every Muslim society (Murtaza
Haider in Dawn) We know them as al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and the Taliban. Their
branding may differ, but their misogynist ideologies do not. These so-called
Islamists have promoted discrimination against women for centuries. Now, they
abduct young women and threaten to kill them. Permitting these militants to
pursue their misguided agendas will destroy whatever goodwill is left for
Muslims.
Last month, the Nigeria-based Islamic militants,
Boko Haram, raided a school in Chibok, a small town in the north-eastern Borno
state, and kidnapped more than 200 teen-aged girls. Boko Haram has taken forced
conversions to another level. They have kidnapped young women, held them
hostage, threatened to kill them, and offered conversion and forced marriage to
Boko Haram fighters as the only way out.
Muslim societies across the globe have been
notorious for the poor welfare of women, especially the girl child. In several
Muslim countries, determinants of physical and social well-being are much worse
for girls than they are for boys. Boko Haram and its ilk hurt all Muslims, but
more so young women. Muslims must confront those who harm women in the name of
Islam.
Boko Haram may seem like a remote African tribe that
abducts girls, threatens to kill them, and marries them off against their will.
Some introspection should reveal that the same tendencies are alive and
instrumental in all Muslim societies. Muslim fathers in the West have abducted
their daughters and transported them back home to prevent their daughters from
marrying for love. In the name of honour, Muslim fathers and brothers are known
to have killed their daughters and sisters who married against family's wishes.
In some Muslim societies the situation has worsened
to the extent that young Muslim women have to abandon their homelands and find
refuge elsewhere. Ever wondered why Pakistan's most recognised young woman,
Malala Yousafzai, is unsafe in Pakistan, but is safe in Birmingham?
4 Mark Zuckerberg v/s Bill Gates at 30 (Julie Balise
in San Francisco Chronicle) Mark Zuckerberg turns 30 today. To mark his
birthday, we looked at how the Facebook CEO’s life and achievements compare to
those of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates when he was 30. Both entrepreneurs
left a major mark on their industries by the beginning of their third decade.
Gates turned 30 on October 28, 1985, a much different time for personal
computing and social media.
Gates co-founded Microsoft at age 20. Zuckerberg
co-founded Facebook at age 19. Both held the title of chief executive officer
on their 30th birthday. Both lacked college degrees, having dropped out of
Harvard University.
Zuckerberg became a billionaire at age 23. His
current net worth is $26.3 billion. Gates had not yet become a billionaire at
age 30. He reached that status at age 31 and would top the Forbes magazine’s
richest person in the world list from 1995 to 2007. He was No. 1 again in 2014.
Gates’ current net worth is $77.5 billion. Gates was 30 when Microsoft made its
initial public offering. Zuckerberg was 28 when Facebook went public.
Zuckerberg was named Time Person of the Year in
2010, at age 26. Gates did not achieve that distinction until he was 50 years
old in 2005. And what about social media? Zuckerberg has more Facebook
followers, while Gates leads on Twitter as of today. (Neither network was
around when Gates was 30.)
Zuckerberg’s Facebook page currently has 21.6
million followers, while Gates’ page has 9.9 million likes. Gates has a
verified Twitter account with 15.9 million followers. Zuckerberg’s public
Twitter account has not been used since 2012. It has about 307,000 followers.
http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/05/14/zuckerberg-vs-gates-at-30/?cmpid=hp-hc-bustech#23367101=0
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