Apple Has Snubbed The UK On Black Friday | ||
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After days of speculation, Apple has completely ignored the UK on Black Friday. Many thought the company was just being evasive — tantalisingly silent — in the build up to the big day, but would eventually release deals as they had done in previous years. In 2013 products such as iPads, MacBook Airs, and iPods were all discounted, Macworld points out. But as the sales event broke on Friday, Apple didn't update its site with the expected discounts. Instead, it's left its World Aids Day charity scheme as its UK homepage. 9to5mac says: "Looks like no black Friday deals in European Apple Stores — just (RED) donations on Cyber Monday". PC Advisor adds the company has "thrown a curveball by not offering UK consumers any special deals". In the US, Apple is offering gift cards with purchases, but British customers have not even been given the incentive. The only prices that look to be reduced are album purchases through iTunes. Like scores of other retailers' websites today, there are connection issues; probably due to high traffic.
Apple has previously given deals to UK shoppers on Black Friday. Not this year. It's a snub to UK shoppers, who were expecting at least something from Apple as Black Friday becomes a huge event in the retail calendar. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Steve Jobs Has Won 141 Patents Since His Death (AAPL) | ||
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Steve Jobs has continued to win patents since his death in 2o11, with a third of his 458 inventions credited to him posthumously. MIT Technology Review has taken a look at the patents owned by Jobs, including the 141 awarded to him following his death from pancreatic cancer in 2011. Jobs' first patent comes from 1983, and is titled "Personal Computer." He also owns patents for the Apple III and Macintosh computer. Here are the diagrams:
Jobs got a lot of patents for designs and styles, as opposed to tech. One of the most recent patents won by Jobs was the design of Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue Store. Jobs played a role in creating the distinctive glass cube that sits above the store:
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Pope arrives in Ankara to begin three-day Turkey visit | ||
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Ankara (AFP) - Pope Francis on Friday arrived in Ankara to begin his first visit to Turkey, in a challenging three-day trip aimed at building bridges with Islam and supporting the embattled Christian minorities of the Middle East, state television pictures showed. The pope is spending his first day in the Turkish capital, notably holding a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at his newly-constructed and hugely controversial presidential palace. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Apple Has Snubbed The UK On Black Friday | ||
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After days of speculation, Apple has completely ignored the UK on Black Friday. Many thought the company was just being evasive — tantalisingly silent — in the build up to the big day, but would eventually release deals as they had done in previous years. In 2013 products such as iPads, MacBook Airs, and iPods were all discounted, Macworld points out. But as the sales event broke on Friday, Apple didn't update its site with the expected discounts. Instead, it's left its World Aids Day charity scheme as its UK homepage. 9to5mac says: "Looks like no black Friday deals in European Apple Stores — just (RED) donations on Cyber Monday". PC Advisor adds the company has "thrown a curveball by not offering UK consumers any special deals". In the US, Apple is offering gift cards with purchases, but British customers have not even been given the incentive. The only prices that look to be reduced are album purchases through iTunes. Like scores of other retailers' websites today, there are connection issues; probably due to high traffic.
Apple has previously given deals to UK shoppers on Black Friday. Not this year. It's a snub to UK shoppers, who were expecting at least something from Apple as Black Friday becomes a huge event in the retail calendar. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Steve Jobs Has Won 141 Patents Since His Death (AAPL) | ||
| | ||
Steve Jobs has continued to win patents since his death in 2o11, with a third of his 458 inventions credited to him posthumously. MIT Technology Review has taken a look at the patents owned by Jobs, including the 141 awarded to him following his death from pancreatic cancer in 2011. Jobs' first patent comes from 1983, and is titled "Personal Computer." He also owns patents for the Apple III and Macintosh computer. Here are the diagrams:
Jobs got a lot of patents for designs and styles, as opposed to tech. One of the most recent patents won by Jobs was the design of Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue Store. Jobs played a role in creating the distinctive glass cube that sits above the store:
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Syria Denies Targeting Civilians As Crude Barrel Bombs Fall On Cities | ||
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BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria rejected as "fabricated" U.S. accusations that its forces are targeting civilians with air strikes and said Washington would do better to criticize hardline Islamic State militants who have killed American citizens. The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday it was "horrified" by Syrian government bombings in Raqqa province which it said had killed "dozens of civilians and demolished residential areas". "The Syrian Arab Army does not target civilians and will not do so," the state news agency SANA quoted Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi as saying late on Thursday. He said Washington was getting its information from "terrorist organizations" operating in Syria such as Islamic State and al Qaeda's Nusra Front. Throughout 2014, Syrian military helicopters have been dropping steel barrels packed with explosives and shrapnel out of the back of helicopters on rebel-held areas of Syria. Tuesday's government strikes on the northern Raqqa province killed 95 civilians, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Raqqa province is the stronghold of Islamic State, a hardline al Qaeda offshoot which has seized land in Syria and neighboring Iraq. Both the Syrian air force and U.S.-led forces are bombing Syria in separate air campaigns and both say they are targeting militant groups. "The U.S. State Department should rather have shown respect for the souls of American victims at the hands of terrorists from the Daesh (Islamic State) organization and not directed fabricated accusations towards the Syrian state which has been facing terrorism for years," Zoubi was quoted by SANA as saying. Three U.S. civilians - two journalists and an aid worker - have been beheaded by Islamic State. Zoubi said the U.S. statement on Wednesday had ignored crimes committed by Islamic State, adding that Syria was more committed to its people than countries which send money and weapons to "terrorists" and train them.
The United States has backed anti-government rebels and wants to train and equip some to counter Islamic State. Qatar has been running a camp for rebels, sources say. The government of President Bashar al-Assad has characterized all opponents of his rule as extremists. "Everyone has to choose between two options - either you are with terrorism, Daesh, Nusra Front and others or you are countering terrorism," Zoubi said. The United Nations estimates that some 200,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war since 2011, though activists say the real figure is much higher. (Reporting by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Gareth Jones) Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Eurozone inflation falls to 0.3 percent, unemployment steady | ||
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Brussels (AFP) - Inflation in the eurozone slowed to 0.3 percent in November from 0.4 percent the previous month, while unemployment remained steady, official EU data showed on Friday, fuelling fears of deflation. The European Union's data agency Eurostat reported that unemployment remained steady at 11.5 percent in October, unchanged from September despite a stagnating economy. Growing concerns about exceptionally low price rises in the 18-country eurozone, which could augur a long period of low growth and falling prosperity, have prompted the European Central Bank to take unprecedented action in recent months. Bu the new decrease in inflation put pressure on ECB chairman Mario Draghi to take even further steps to revive the economy. The ECB is due to hold its monthly meeting next week when it could announce measures of quantitive easing, resulting in a large-scale sovereign bond purchase scheme, a step that has not been taken until now. "The recovery is still fragile," Valdis Dombrovkis, the European Commission's vice president for the euro and social dialogue, told a press conference. "Unemployment is still persistently high," he said. The eurozone unemployment rate was still lower than the 11.9 percent registered in October last year, according to Eurostat. Eurozone member Germany registered among the lowest unemployment rates at 4.9 percent in October, with Spain among the highest at 24 percent. In the 28 European Union member states, unemployment stood at 10 percent in October this year, unchanged from September. Eurostat estimated that in October 2014, 24.413 million people were unemployed in the 28 member states, including 18.395 million in the eurozone. That marks an increase of 42,000 in the EU 28, and 60,000 in the eurozone over September 2014. Compared to October 2013, unemployment fell by 1.549 million people in the EU 28 and by 547,000 in the eurozone. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Here's How The Oil Crash Is Affecting Asian Countries | ||
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A renewed plunge in oil prices is a worrying sign of weakness in the global economy that could shake governments dependent on oil revenues. It is also a panacea as pump prices fall, giving individuals more disposable income and lowering costs for many businesses. Partly because of the shale oil boom in the U.S., the world is awash in oil but demand from major economies is weak so prices are falling. The latest slide was triggered by OPEC's decision Thursday to leave its production target at 30 million barrels a day. Member nations of the cartel are worried they'll lose market share if they lower production. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, was at $72.50 a barrel on Friday, down nearly 30 percent in the past three months and at its lowest in four years. U.S. crude oil slid 7.5 percent to near $68 a barrel on Friday and is down 27 percent over three months. OPEC countries and other major oil exporters will feel the biggest negative impact. In Asia, lower oil prices are unambiguously positive for trade balances and government finances as the region is a major oil importer and some nations subsidize the price of fuels. But there are also some possible negatives. JAPANAt the Esso filling station in Shimbashi, near the glittering Ginza shopping strip in Tokyo, prices remain relatively high. Japan is reliant on foreign oil, but due to import contracts there is a lag in cheaper crude filtering down to consumers. Also, a recent drop in the yen's value will reduce the savings Japan can reap from lower oil prices. In June, regular gasoline cost $1.40 a liter ($5.29 a gallon) at Shimbashi. The price rose to $1.46 a liter ($5.53 a gallon) in July and was $1.44 a liter ($5.44 a gallon) on Friday morning. Prices are expected to fall but this welcome relief for households and businesses will complicate the government's efforts to end Japan's deflation. CHINABeijing has cut prices repeatedly this year in line with declining crude prices. The Cabinet adjusts retail prices when crude changes by at least $1.15 a barrel over a 10-day period. On Friday in Beijing, highest grade gasoline cost $1.20 a liter ($4.54 a gallon). In June, the price in the Chinese capital was $1.35 a liter ($5.11 a gallon). Cheaper fuel would ease financial pressure on manufacturers and small businesses at a time when economic growth has declined steadily over the past two years due to weak demand for exports and government efforts to cool a construction boom. INDONESIAFuel prices have risen because the government has cut its expensive subsidies, more than offsetting the decline in global oil prices. Gasoline is currently 70 cents a liter ($2.64 a gallon), up from 53 cents a liter ($2 a gallon) in June. The higher prices triggered street protests, with some questioning why fuel prices were rising in Indonesia at a time when they were dropping elsewhere. The latest fall in crude prices may help ease tensions once it flows through to pump prices. New president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo says the money saved on subsidies will be spent on infrastructure, education and social welfare programs. MALAYSIAEarlier this month, Malaysia took advantage of lower oil prices to end fuel subsidies. Starting Dec. 1, prices will be set at the end of each month based on a monthly average price. Currently, gasoline is fixed at 68 cents a liter ($2.57 a gallon) and diesel at 65 cents a liter ($2.46 a gallon). While saving on subsidies that were nearly $7 billion last year, economists said the sharp fall in oil prices is negative for Malaysia, an oil-exporting nation. Opposition lawmakers have vowed to hold street protests if the government doesn't reduce the price of gasoline to 58 cents a liter ($2.19 a gallon) next month. PHILIPPINESFuel prices have been steadily declining with the latest cut on Tuesday, but Energy Undersecretary Zenaida Monsada said if the price of oil continues to fall, it could mean job cuts for Filipino workers overseas. The Philippines is among the world's top labor exporters, with about a tenth of its 100 million people working abroad, many in oil-producing Middle East countries. They send home billions of dollars that support their families and the country's economy.
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EUROPE'S PLUNGE INTO DEFLATION IS COMING | ||
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Eurozone inflation figures just released put the rate at 0.3% in November, down from October's 0.4% and in line with estimates. With the recent impact of oil prices, that means deflation isn't just a possibility for the eurozone: markets are now suggesting it's the most likely outcome in a few months' time. Analysts had forecast that that the rate would come in at 0.3% again, though some suggested it could fall as low as 02% The ECB currently targets 2% inflation, but that target was last reached in the summer of 2012. These numbers increase the chance that the ECB will have to ease policy: that might mean buying sovereign bonds (QE). Economists at Credit Suisse and BNP Paribas believe this announcement could come as early as December, while others think it will come at the beginning of next year. With oil prices falling, this is likely not the lowest inflation we're going to see: Frederik Ducrozet at Credit Agricole notes that markets are now pricing in mild deflation for the beginning of next year. Jonathan Loynes at Capital Economics agreed in a note: "We now expect the headline inflation rate to drop below zero at least briefly over the next six months and there is a clear danger of a more prolonged bout of falling prices." Several European countries are already seeing deflation: Spain, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece all had negative rates of inflation in October. When looking at inflation by each sector, it's easy to see how incredibly heavy the pressure on prices from energy has been.
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