1 First time since 2009, Europe is best place to
invest (Straits Times) Europe gets the nod as the best place to invest for the
first time since at least 2009 in a Bloomberg survey of financial
professionals, unseating the US. Thirty-five per cent of those surveyed said
the euro zone would be among the one or two markets offering investors the best
opportunities over the next 12 months.
It was the first time that Europe came out on top
since the survey of traders, analysts, money managers and executives who are
Bloomberg customers began asking that question in October 2009. The US, with a
33 per cent share, fell to second, the first time it's not been number one
since November 2010. China, which was respondents' top choice back then, now is
viewed as one of the worst markets to invest in.
2 Maths until 18 seen as best protection against
unemployment (Richard Adams in The Guardian) The UK Labour party’s plans to
ensure all pupils in England continue to study maths past the age of 16 have
been endorsed by leading mathematicians and policymakers, who argued that
improved numeracy skills were the “best protection” against unemployment for
young people.
Tristram Hunt, the shadow education secretary, said
all pupils at school would have to continue to study maths as part of Labour’s
proposals, including an estimated 250,000 each year who pass GCSE maths with a
C grade or higher but did not go on study maths at A-level.
Currently, only those who failed maths at GCSE or
equivalent levels have to continue studying the subject after the age of 16 in
order to resit the examinations, which Hunt criticised as “a staggering degree
of complacency”. Recent research by the OECD found that a quarter of adults in
England have the maths skills of a 10-year-old.
“It is vital that we all become numerate;
international research from the OECD has shown that good numeracy is the best
protection against unemployment, low wages and poor health,” Mike Ellicock,
chief executive of National Numeracy said. Only about 20% of young people in
England continue to study maths after taking GCSEs, compared with 90% of pupils
in Germany and Hong Kong who continue after the age of 16.
3 Venezuela cuts hours to save energy (BBC) Venezuela
says it will cut the working day for public sector workers to five-and-a-half
hours to conserve energy, down from eight to nine hours. The initiative is part
of a nationwide electricity rationing plan.
Vice-President Jorge Arreaza said private companies
would be asked to use their own generators to reduce pressure on the national
grid. Last week the government claimed that energy problems were due to
maintenance issues, but the opposition criticised the government for not
investing enough in the energy sector.
Power outages are common in Venezuela, which is a
big oil producer but depends heavily on hydro-electric power. Venezuela is also
struggling with an economy in recession that has been hard hit by the fall in
the price of oil. Some 96% of its export revenues are reported to come from
oil. Inflation is also high, and stood at more than 60% in 2014.
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