Greece returns to growth; Air pollution killing 4,000 a day in China; Why Samsung is betting on curves

1 Greece returns to growth (BBC) The Greek economy grew by 0.8% in the second quarter of the year, confounding expectations of a steep contraction. The official figures, based on a flash estimate, also revised a reading of 0.2% negative growth in the first quarter to a flat reading, showing no change in economic activity. The figures from the country's Elstat agency come as the Greek parliament prepares to vote on new bailout plans.

The Greek government has defended the controversial new programme as tough, but essential if the country is to avoid financial collapse. The credit crisis sparked six years of recession in Greece, from which it emerged in 2014 before shrinking again. Until these latest figures were released, the economy had been forecast to shrink again this year by between 2.1% and 2.3%. 

Nikos Magginas at National Bank said it was now possible that the contraction would be less than 2%.  He said there were a number of sectors likely to have helped boost activity: "Some economic activity indicators in the second quarter, including consumption, industrial production and tourism, had shown particular resilience."

Greece must repay some €3.4bn ($3.8bn) to the ECB by next Thursday. If the deal is not finalised by then, Athens may need more emergency funding. Eurozone finance ministers are expected to meet at the weekend to endorse the draft deal. Greece Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, said the deal would end the country's economic uncertainty.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-33908034

2 Air pollution killing 4,000 a day in China (The Guardian) Air pollution is killing about 4,000 people in China a day, accounting for one in six premature deaths in the world’s most populous country, a new study finds. Physicists at the University of California, Berkeley, calculated about 1.6 million people in China die each year from heart, lung and stroke problems because of incredibly polluted air, especially small particles of haze. Earlier studies put the annual Chinese air pollution death toll at one to two million but this is the first to use newly released air monitoring figures.

The study blames emissions from the burning of coal, both for electricity and heating homes. It uses real air measurements and then computer model calculations that estimate heart, lung and stroke deaths for different types of pollutants. Study lead author Robert Rohde said 38% of the Chinese population lived in an area with a long-term air quality average the US Environmental Protection Agency called “unhealthy.”

To put Chinese air pollution in perspective, the most recent American Lung Association data shows that Madera, California, has the highest annual average for small particles in the US. But 99.9% of the eastern half of China has a higher annual average for small particle haze than Madera, Rohde said. “In other words nearly everyone in China experiences air that is worse for particulates than the worst air in the US,” Rohde said.

In a 2010 document the EPA estimated between 63,000 and 88,000 people died in the US from air pollution. Other estimates ranged from 35,000 to 200,000. Unlike the US air pollution in China is worst in the winter because of burning of coal to heat homes and weather conditions that keeps dirty air closer to the ground, Rohde said. Allen Robinson at Carnegie Mellon University said that parts of the US, such as Pittsburgh, used to have almost as bad air but have become much cleaner “through tough regulations combined with large collapse of heavy industry”.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/14/air-pollution-in-china-is-killing-4000-people-every-day-a-new-study-finds

3 Why Samsung is betting on curves (San Francisco Chronicle) Samsung's new smartphones are the best large-screened phones the company has made so far. The new Note 5, for example, is thinner and more powerful than last year's model. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ is super light and comes with a large high-resolution screen that curves on both sides.

When creating the phones, there was one core idea Samsung kept in mind: make bigger phones that are easier to hold. "There's quite a bit of physics involved," Denison said. "There are only so many ways you can fit components into a package. But...if you take a 5.7-inch screen and curve it, it actually makes the device a little bit slimmer. It's natural geometry."

But there's much more competition than there was four years ago when Samsung first launched the Note in the US. Apple's iPhone 6 Plus, which is nearly the same size as the Note 5, has proven popular, and Apple is said to be working on its next large-screened iPhone model. Google launched its giant Nexus 6 earlier this year, which brings a smooth and clean version of Android to a massive 5.9-inch screen.

 Samsung reportedly sod 4.5 million Galaxy Note 4 units in its first month on the market. Apple sold 10 million new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in its opening weekend, but it's unclear how many of those models were the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. So Samsung is betting big on its curved screen technology to compete with Apple, Google, and others.

"In any industry there's always competition," Shoneel Kolhatkar, Samsung's senior director of product marketing, said to Business Insider. "And that's what's happening. So we always have to stay ahead of the curve... We believe [the dual edge design] is a game changer."

Samsung made a curved version of its Note phone last year called the Galaxy Note Edge, which was rounded on one side. It was a more exaggerated curve that functioned as a second display for the phone, so you'd be able to read ticker-style alerts while the main display was turned off. It didn't really catch on the same way the Galaxy S6 Edge did.

http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/Samsung-Has-Two-New-Galaxy-Smartphones-Coming-Soon-5659915.php