Saturday, January 26, 2013

Global mobile phone shipments breached 1.6 billion units in 2012, Samsung, Apple and Nokia still on top

Global mobile phone shipments breached 16 billion units in 2012, Samsung, Apple and Nokia still on top

A charger on every nightstand and a phone in every pocket -- it could be a presidential slogan, but it's really just reality. According to research from Strategy Analytics, a staggering 1.6 billion mobile phones were shipped (not sold) globally in 2012, and 700 million of them were smartphones. Samsung, Nokia and Apple, in that order, were the biggest movers of handsets, though the latter two change places when it comes to smartphones -- Espoo only shipped 35 million to Cupertino's 135, while Samsung topped the trio at 213 million devices shipped.

Surprising? Hardly -- smartphone sales climbed throughout 2012, and the aforementioned manufacturers have been kings of the category since last February. The numbers are telling though -- according to ABI Research, Apple saw less growth in 2012 than the previous year, and may hit a plateau in market share in 2013. Samsung, on the other hand, may have some room to grow -- capturing 34 percent of total smartphone shipments in Q4 with over 60 million smartphones moved. Apple nabbed 24.5% of the market with 47.8 million shipped iPhones, while Nokia and RIM took up the tail of the quarter with 86.3 and 6.9 million shipped devices, respectively. Statistic lover? You'll find full numbers (plus a little analyst speculation) in a tiro of press releases after the break.

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Strategy Analytics: Global Mobile Phone Shipments Reach 1.6 Billion Units in 2012

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global mobile phone shipments grew a modest 2 percent annually to reach 1.6 billion units in 2012. Samsung was the star performer, accounting for 1 in 4 of all mobile phones shipped worldwide last year.

Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, "Ongoing macroeconomic challenges in mature markets like North America and Western Europe, tighter operator upgrade policies, and shifting consumer tastes were among the key reasons why global mobile phone shipments grew just 2 percent annually to reach 1.6 billion units in 2012. Fuelled by robust demand for its popular Galaxy models, Samsung was the star performer, shipping a record 396.5 million mobile phones worldwide and capturing 25 percent marketshare to solidify its first-place lead. However, Samsung's total volumes for the year fell just short of the 400-million threshold."

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Nokia's global mobile phone shipments fell 20 percent from 417.1 million units in 2011 to 335.6 million in 2012. Nokia faced tough competition from Samsung in developing markets like China, while Apple and others ramped up the pressure in developed regions such as Western Europe. Nokia's dual-SIM feature phones, Asha touchphones and Lumia handsets have been performing well, but this was not enough to offset a slump in demand for the company's aging Symbian smartphone platform last year."

Linda Sui, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, "Apple shipped a record 135.8 million mobile phones worldwide in 2012. Apple delivered 46 percent annual growth last year, which was bolstered by solid demand in North America and Asia. Apple's launch of the iPhone 5 in Q4 2012 was a success as volumes ramped up in dozens of countries worldwide, but negative media coverage of the model's new integrated maps service and supply chain challenges cast a slight shadow over the launch."

Other findings from the research include:
o. ZTE captured 5 percent share of the global mobile phone market in 2012, as its shipments fell minus 8 percent from 2011, partly because of heightened competition in core markets like China and Western Europe from rivals such as Coolpad and Samsung.

Exhibit 1: Global Mobile Phone Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2012 1

Global Mobile Phone Shipments (Millions of Units) Q4 '11 2011 Q4 '12 2012
Samsung 95.0 327.4 108.0 396.5
Nokia 113.5 417.1 86.3 335.6
Apple 37.0 93.0 47.8 135.8
ZTE 24.4 78.1 19.5 71.7
Others 169.7 630.4 189.3 635.4
Total 439.6 1546.0 450.9 1575.0
Global Mobile Phone Vendor Marketshare % Q4 '11 2011 Q4 '12 2012
Samsung 21.6% 21.2% 24.0% 25.2%
Nokia 25.8% 27.0% 19.1% 21.3%
Apple 8.4% 6.0% 10.6% 8.6%
ZTE 5.6% 5.1% 4.3% 4.6%
Others 38.6% 40.8% 42.0% 40.3%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Total Growth Year-over-Year % 9.9% 13.7% 2.6% 1.9%

_____________________________

1 Numbers are rounded. Total in the data-table does not include grey phone shipments.



Strategy Analytics: Global Smartphone Shipments Reach a Record 700 Million Units in 2012

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew 43 percent annually to reach a record 700 million units in 2012. Samsung was the star performer, capturing 30 percent marketshare worldwide and extending its lead over Apple and Nokia.

Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, "Global smartphone shipments grew 38 percent annually from 157.0 million units in Q4 2011 to 217.0 million in Q4 2012. Global smartphone shipments for the full year reached a record 700.1 million units in 2012, increasing robustly from 490.5 million units in 2011. Global shipment growth slowed from 64 percent in 2011 to 43 percent in 2012 as penetration of smartphones began to mature in developed regions such as North America and Western Europe."

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Samsung shipped a record 213.0 million smartphones worldwide and captured 30 percent marketshare in 2012. This was the largest number of units ever shipped by a smartphone vendor in a single year, beating Nokia's previous all-time record when it shipped 100.1 million units during 2010. Despite tough competition in stores and courtrooms, Samsung continued to deliver numerous hit models, from the high-end Galaxy Note2 phablet to the mass-market Galaxy Y. Apple grew a healthy 46 percent annually and shipped 135.8 million smartphones worldwide for 19 percent marketshare in 2012, broadly flat from the 19 percent level recorded in 2011. Apple had a strong year in developed regions like North America, but this was offset partly by its limited presence in high-growth emerging markets such as Africa."

Linda Sui, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, "Samsung and Apple together accounted for half of all smartphones shipped worldwide in 2012. Large marketing budgets, extensive distribution channels and attractive product portfolios have enabled Samsung and Apple to tighten their grip on the smartphone industry. The growth of Samsung and Apple has continued to impact Nokia. Nokia retained its position as the world's third largest smartphone vendor for full-year 2012, but its global marketshare has dropped sharply from 16 percent to five percent during the past year. Nokia's Windows Phone portfolio has improved significantly in recent months, with new models like the Lumia 920, but we believe the vendor still lacks a true hero model in its range that can be considered an Apple iPhone or Samsung S3 killer."

Exhibit 1: Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2012 1

Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units) Q4 '11 2011 Q4 '12 2012
Samsung 36.5 97.4 63.0 213.0
Apple 37.0 93.0 47.8 135.8
Nokia 19.6 77.3 6.6 35.0
Others 63.9 222.8 99.6 316.3

Total

157.0 490.5 217.0 700.1
Global Smartphone Vendor Marketshare % Q4 '11 2011 Q4 '12 2012
Samsung 23.2% 19.9% 29.0% 30.4%
Apple 23.6% 19.0% 22.0% 19.4%
Nokia 12.5% 15.8% 3.0% 5.0%
Others 40.7% 45.4% 45.9% 45.2%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Total Growth Year-over-Year % 55.9% 63.8% 38.2% 42.7%


Smartphone Pressure Mounts for Samsung and Apple Exiting a Strong Q4 2012, According to ABI Research

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly 196 million smartphones and 451 million handsets were shipped during Q4 2012, according to the latest estimates from marketing intelligence firm ABI Research. This brings 2012 annual totals to 653 million smartphone and 1.6 billion handset shipments, representing a 36% and 2% YoY growth rate respectively. Smartphones accounted for 43% of all handset shipments in Q4, which pushed smartphones to 41% of all shipments in 2012.

Samsung retained its lead position overall by shipping 106 million handsets of which 60 million were smartphones in Q4 and capturing 31% of total smartphone shipments. In 2012 Samsung grew its handset shipments by 21.6% and its smartphone shipments by 123.8%. Despite missing most analyst estimates in Q4, Apple grew its smartphone shipment share to 24.5%, up from 16.4% in Q3. Apple shipped 47.8 million iPhones in Q4 bringing its 2012 annual total to 135.8 million. Apple's 2012 annual shipment growth declined from 96% in 2011 to 46% in 2012.

"It is clear that the iPhone's hyper-growth has ended, and ABI Research believes that Apple's market share will peak in 2013 at 22%," says mobile devices senior analyst Michael Morgan. "Unless Apple is willing to trade iPhone margins for low cost iPhone shipments, Apple's handset market share will become dependent on customer loyalty."

Looking at the rest of the pack, Nokia shipped 86.3 million handsets and 6.6 million smartphones in Q4 while RIM's shipments of smartphones declined to 6.9 million. ZTE had an excellent Q4 with 20.7 million handset shipments and 11.2 million smartphone shipments.

"Samsung and Apple are both under pressure to maintain their market lead as less costly smartphones gain momentum entering 2013," notes senior practice director Jeff Orr. "Technology optimization choices and a diverse handset portfolio are critical decisions over the next 6 to 9 months to come out ahead."

These findings are part of ABI Research's Mobile Handset Markets Database, which includes files detailing smartphone and mobile handset shipments, forecasts, and market share.

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Source: Strategy Analytics, ABI Research

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/25/global-mobile-phone-shipments-2012/

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World Class Data Recovery Processes from Platinum Data Recovery

January 26, 2013 ? The process through which data is retrieved and restored from storage media when the data is not accessible in a normal way is known as data recovery. There are different types of storages devices namely hard disk drives, storage tapes, solid state drives, stick drives, CD?s, DVD?s and many more. Data loss resulting in hard drive recovery is not an uncommon occurrence these days. However, majority of people fail to take the necessary steps so as to retrieve the maximum amount of data from such an occurrence. Platinum Data Recovery is a company that offers proficient engineers for the retrieval and restoration of lost data.

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Source: http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/world-class-data-recovery-processes-from-platinum-data-recovery

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3 Ways Yoga Supports a Healthy Lifestyle - Health ... - Diets in Review

Nearly everyone has aspirations to be healthy. Following diets and new and improved workout plans are popular behaviors at the beginning of each New Year, as many will vow to eat better and get more exercise.

A few months of eating fresh, high quality cuisine and hitting the gym makes a big difference in the way we feel. A slimmer waistline, clearer skin, and an overall feeling of health is worth it, so why is it so hard to stay the course?

Your lifestyle plays a huge role in whether or not your good intentions are going to stick. If you think your lifestyle might not be supporting your desire to be healthy, keep reading.

The following are three ways yoga can support a healthy lifestyle and make it easier to stick with your healthy diet and exercise plan.

Yoga Reduces Stress

Of course yoga reduces stress, big deal right? But did you know being under stress releases a hormone called cortisol in the blood and cortisol promotes weight gain? Binge eating is a result of stress. Poor diet choices are the result of stress. Couple these behaviors with elevated levels of the weight-gain hormone and we can all take a guess at what?s going to happen.

Yoga Enhances Body Awareness

Wearing baggy clothes can keep you in denial about your body, but your yoga practice will always bring it to your attention. The more you practice, the more aware you will be, and this awareness will spark an intrinsic interest to do something about it. It is not about how you look to the outside world; that type of motivation isn?t healthy. It is about how you feel, and yoga will give you a clear indication of those feelings.

Yoga Creates a Support Network

Ever tried to change your habits but are unsuccessful because the people around you are just not offering any support? Perhaps it?s time to join a yoga class and be in the company of people who value their health. We are social creatures and the behaviors of those around us greatly influence the decisions we make for ourselves. In yoga, you?ll meet people who will inspire you to stick to a healthy lifestyle.

Also Read:

Mind Over Matter Needed to Achieve Health Goals in the New Year

Yoga Hurts: 4 Ways to Avoid Yoga-Induced Injuries

20 Celebrity Men and Women Who Practice Meditation?

January 25th, 2013

Source: http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/01/3-ways-yoga-supports-a-healthy-lifestyle/

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The Big Orange Press ? Should You FSBO Your Farragut Home?


for-sale-by-owner-signWhen it comes time to selling your Farragut home, you?re faced with the decision to hire a REALTOR? or ?sell your home yourself. For many sellers, for sale by owner (FSBO) ?can be very appealing. After all, you can save money by not paying a commission to a REALTOR?. So when it comes down to it, should you FSBO your Farragut home?

One important thing to consider is that statistically FSBO have lower success rates and prices compared to those that use a REALTOR?. According to recent surveys conducted by the National Association of REALTORS? (NAR), only 10% of all real estate transactions are FSBOs. The typical FSBO sold for $150,000, while homes that used a REALTOR? sold for $215,000. While you might have to pay a commission, you would be making more money in the long run even including the commission

Another thing to consider is that selling your Farragut home is more than just putting a sign in the yard. Selling a home requires a bit of work. An essential part of selling your home is making sure that it is effectively marketed to the widest possible audience. The more potential buyers that see your home, the better. Just putting an ad up on Craigslist or a FSBO website may not be the trick. Your home needs to be where the buyers are and a majority of buyers use the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) to find homes. In order to have your home listed on the MLS, you need to use a REALTOR? to sell your home. In addition to taking care of the marketing, you will have to field through phone calls from potential buyers, take care of setting up showings, and be present during showings.

Finally, selling your home isn?t always easy and requires some knowledge of the real estate industry, in order to protect your best interest. A REALTOR? can help assist you in pricing your home competitively, marketing your home, negotiating a contract, and answering any questions throughout the process. When it comes to selling your home, its ultimately your choice if you sell it yourself or use a REALTOR?. But, when you use a REALTOR?, you increase your odds of getting a better price and taking the work and stress off your shoulders.

Are you thinking about your home on the market? If so, please let us know if there is anyway the Knoxville Home Team can assist you. You can contact Rick at 865-696-9002 or by email at [email?protected]. Kati can be reached at 865-392-5880 or by email at [email?protected]. Give us a call today for your free West Knoxville Home Valuation.

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Source: http://thebigorangepress.com/2013/01/24/should-you-fsbo-your-farragut-home/

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Friday, January 25, 2013

Dung Beetles Use Milky Way To Guide Movement (Heh)

60-Second Science

On moonless nights, dung beetles apparently use the Milky Way's band of light as a navigation guide. Christopher Intagliata reports.

More 60-Second Science

Sailors don't need to read the stars anymore?they've got GPS. But dung beetles do not have GPS. And it now appears that they use the Milky Way as a compass.

Dung beetles need a keen sense of direction so they can roll their dung patties away from the communal dung pile, and feast in peace. Ten years ago, Marie Dacke at Lund University in Sweden and her colleagues discovered that some dung beetles use polarized moonlight to keep a straight course. But what?s their plan on moonless nights?

Dacke tracked the beetles as they successfully rolled dung away from the center of a circular sandbox. Then she blocked the beetles' starry view with tiny cardboard hats, and set 'em loose again. Without stars to guide them, the beetles traveling twisted, circular paths. Those findings appear in the journal Current Biology. [Marie Dacke et al, Dung Beetles Use the Milky Way for Orientation]

The beetles' tiny compound eyes probably aren't sharp enough to make out individual stars. In a planetarium, for example, when only 18 bright stars were illuminated, the beetles got lost. But the faint streak of the Milky Way seems to be just enough light to point them to a dung dining hole?no reservations required.

?Christopher Intagliata

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast]

Also see Dung Beetles Follow the Stars

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Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=afa5a0d9d8e7301da8cbb5c4dec70bf4

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Plane carrying 3 Canadians missing in Antarctica

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ? Bad weather has forced rescue crews in Antarctica to delay until Friday an attempt to reach a small plane that was carrying three Canadians when it disappeared over a mountain range.

The plane was flying from a U.S. station near the South Pole to an Italian research base in Terra Nova Bay. Its emergency locator started transmitting about 10 p.m. Wednesday in the Queen Alexandra mountain range about 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of the pole, halfway to its intended destination. Authorities presume it crashed.

The locator continued to transmit Thursday and rescue crews spent some five hours circling above the site in a DC3 plane. However, heavy cloud and hurricane-force winds prevented rescuers from seeing the plane or attempting a helicopter landing.

Authorities from New Zealand, Canada, the U.S. and Italy will try again Friday to find the propeller-driven de Havilland Twin Otter plane. It was carrying survival equipment including tents and food, according to New Zealand Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator John Ashby.

"Weather conditions are extremely challenging," Ashby said in a statement Thursday.

He said winds had reached 90 knots (104 miles per hour) and heavy snow was predicted. Several planes and helicopters were standing by in Antarctica, waiting until conditions improved so they could travel to the site.

Ashby said similarly bad weather is predicted for the next 12 hours but that rescue teams will be ready to leave at short notice if there is any break in the conditions. He said the DC3 has returned for the night.

The missing plane is owned and operated by Kenn Borek Air Ltd., a Canadian firm based in Calgary that charters aircraft to the U.S. Antarctic program. In a release, the National Science Foundation said the plane was flying in support of the Italian Antarctic program.

More information was not immediately available about the three Canadian men on the flight.

Antarctica has no permanent residents, but several thousand people live there in the Southern Hemisphere summer as a number of countries send scientists and other staff to research stations. The U.S. runs the largest program, with about 850 staff at its McMurdo Station and another 200 at its Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, where the Canadians' flight originated.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/plane-carrying-3-canadians-missing-antarctica-051045938.html

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Red flags revealed in filings of firm linked to Caterpillar fraud

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Chinese mining equipment company at the centre of an alleged accounting fraud was also involved in a web of insider loans and asset transfers prior to its purchase by Caterpillar Inc., public filings show.

The transactions, while not illegal, should have sounded warnings about the company's finances when the U.S. firm came calling last year, corporate governance experts said.

The world's largest maker of tractors and excavators said last week it was writing off most of the $654 million value of its purchase of ERA Mining Machinery Ltd after uncovering "deliberate, multi-year, coordinated accounting misconduct" at its subsidiary Zhengzhou Siwei.

Caterpillar said an internal investigation had uncovered improper accounting of inventories, revenue recognition and cost allocation at Siwei, designed to overstate the profitability of the business in the years before it bought it.

Corporate disclosures from ERA filed prior to the takeover show some unusual transactions, including directors lending the company cash at relatively high interest rates and asset-shuffling between Siwei and related parties.

Investors and corporate governance experts say these were potential red flags that should have prompted Caterpillar and its team of lawyers, accountants and bankers to ask some searching questions before pulling the trigger on the deal.

"Every time there's a horror story like this, it acts as a damn good wake-up call that you need to look carefully before you do a deal," said David Holloway, senior managing director at FTI consulting and an expert in investigation of business fraud.

Caterpillar declined to comment on the ERA directors' loans and did not respond to a request for comment on Siwei's operations. ERA directors could not be reached for comment.

A source directly involved with the Caterpillar deal said RSM Nelson Wheeler was ERA's auditor, while Deloitte and Ernst & Young acted on Caterpillar's side. RSM did not respond to calls and emails and Deloitte and E&Y declined to comment.

One of the directors who lent the company money was Beijing-based U.S. businessman Emory Williams Jr, a former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and son of a former Sears Bank and Trust Co. chairman and chief executive.

A second was Li Rubo, a graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines and former Chinese government official. There are no allegations of illegality against any of ERA's directors.

A security guard at Siwei's six-storey, glass-fronted headquarters on the outskirts of Zhengzhou, eastern China, stopped a Reuters reporter from entering the campus, saying senior managers were all in Beijing for meetings.

Reuters' efforts to contact ERA chairman Williams, Li and other directors and major shareholders at listed addresses in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Zhengzhou and by telephone and email were also unsuccessful.

RED FLAGS

One concern about ERA should have been why the Hong Kong-listed company needed to borrow more than $9.5 million from four directors -- who earned nearly $500,000 in interest -- at loan rates that were among the most expensive on its balance sheet.

"It wouldn't necessarily mean there are cash flow problems but it would be a massive red flag", because it would call into question whether the financing was in the company's best interests, a U.S. lawyer experienced with China transactions, commenting on condition of anonymity, wrote in an email.

The personal loans are detailed in regulatory filings made to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission prior to ERA's takeover by Caterpillar in June last year.

"While company loans to directors are a governance no-no, the opposite is more of a grey area," said Jamie Allen, secretary general of the Asian Corporate Governance Association, in an emailed response to a Reuters' question.

"Is the interest rate fair and at arm's length? Why didn't the company go to a bank?" Allen said he had not studied the ERA deal in detail, but these would have been important questions to ask.

David Webb, a shareholder activist and member of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission's Takeover and Mergers Panel, said local listing rules allowed directors to lend money to companies at normal commercial terms, provided the loan was not securitized, although it was not a common practice.

"Presumably the board would have looked at alternative sources of funding," he said.

In one example, in April 2010, Williams and Li lent $6.4 million to pay down loans of nearly $20 million, mostly funded by a U.S. private equity firm, that were used to acquire Siwei, and for working capital, according to the filings.

Williams and Li made the loan at an interest rate of 8 percent per year, compounded annually. In a letter from the board at the time of ERA's reverse merger, the directors, who did not yet include Williams and Li, called the loans "fair and reasonable" and "justifiable".

ERA's loans with commercial banks at the time were at interest rates ranging from 4.9 percent to 7.4 percent.

REVERSE TAKEOVER

At the time of the Caterpillar takeover, ERA was listed in the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) of the Hong Kong stock exchange, which is designed to accommodate companies with a higher risk profile.

ERA had absorbed Siwei through a reverse takeover in 2010, a corporate maneuver that has become controversial in the United States following a series of accounting scandals involving small Chinese companies listed there.

Caterpillar said it found discrepancies in November between the inventory on the books of Siwei, which makes hydraulic supports for coal mines, and its actual physical inventory, triggering the probe.

The company blamed "several senior managers" whose misconduct it said began some years before it acquired Siwei. Caterpillar did not identify the senior managers.

Corporate filings show that the amount of money Siwei was owed by its customers had grown 58 percent a year since 2008, overtaking total sales in 2011, and that some 90 percent of those debts were overdue when Caterpillar launched its bid.

John Hempton, a prominent hedge fund manager with Sydney-based Bronte Capital, said 20 minutes research into ERA was enough to convince him to short Caterpillar's shares after he heard it was buying the Chinese company.

Hempton found what he considered a problem with ERA's receivables -- it often took 180 days to collect payment, twice the industry average. "This was something that should have been spotted in only a few minutes," he said.

Caterpillar declined to comment further on whether its examination of ERA's accounts had been sufficiently thorough, although last week it said it believed its due diligence process was "rigorous and robust".

ASSET SHUFFLING

Williams and Li also helped finance the 2007 purchase of Zhengzhou Siwei with a $2.95 million interest-free loan, according to ERA's reverse takeover prospectus. Li helped fund his part of the loan by borrowing $2.565 million from another company where both he and Williams were directors.

Records from around that time show some unusual transfers of company assets at Zhengzhou Siwei.

In one instance, Siwei disposed of an industrial tank-making business valued at nearly $5 million at "nil consideration" to a company in which a Siwei director and former substantial shareholder had taken a majority stake four months earlier.

The company said the assets were loss-making, but continued to purchase millions of dollars worth of equipment and services from the same firm between 2007 and 2009, paying an average of 2 percent to 4 percent above the market rate for the "better quality services provided", according to regulatory filings.

Efforts to contact those involved were unsuccessful.

In another case, Siwei transferred a 7.5 percent stake in a mining equipment firm to one of its partners -- a company linked to one of China's biggest weapons manufacturers -- to offset "trade payables", an accounting term that usually refers to liabilities owed to suppliers and could suggest Siwei was having trouble paying its bills.

A director surnamed Wang reached by telephone at the head office of the former partner, Shaanxi Dynamic, said her company had severed ties with Siwei a few years ago.

David Smith, head of corporate governance for Asia at fund manger Aberdeen, said shuffling of assets between related entities was not uncommon in China and could be legitimate.

"It's not necessarily a red flag, but it's a catalyst that would have us look into the matter in quite a lot of detail to understand why it is happening," he said. "Our concern would be value leaving the company as a result of the swapping."

(Additional reporting by John Ruwitch in Zhengzhou, China, Michael Flaherty, Denny Thomas, Stephen Aldred and Lawrence White in Hong Kong, Lucy Hornby and Michael Martina in Beijing and Ernest Scheyder and Jennifer Ablan in New York; Writing by Alex Richardson; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/red-flags-revealed-filings-firm-linked-caterpillar-fraud-111453199--finance.html

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Justin Timberlake Sets Radio Airplay Records With 'Suit & Tie'

Comeback single reaches #1 on iTunes charts in 31 countries, hits #14 on Billboard Top 40 Airplay chart.
By Gil Kaufman


Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie"
Photo: Jive

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700599/justin-timberlake-suit-and-tie-radio-records.jhtml

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Kroger Coupon: $3 off $10 Health & Beauty Purchase :: Southern ...

There is another great Kroger eCoupon to load to your card for your next trip.? Get $3 off your next Health & Beauty purchase of $10 or more.

Because this is a general coupon you should be able to pair it with other deals and coupons.? There are lots of products on sale in the mega event this week, that would be perfect for this!

Source: http://www.southernsavers.com/2013/01/kroger-coupon-3-off-10-health-beauty-purchase/

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Syrian pro-regime gunmen kill more than 100

BEIRUT (AP) ? Gunmen loyal to President Bashar Assad swept through a mainly Sunni farming village in central Syria this week, torching houses and killing more than 100 people, including women and children, opposition activists said Thursday.

The reported slayings fueled accusations that pro-government militiamen are trying to drive majority Sunnis out of areas near main routes to the coast to ensure control of an Alawite enclave as the country's civil war increasingly takes on sectarian overtones.

Activists said the attackers were from nearby areas dominated by Shiite Muslims and allied Alawites. Assad and most of the top officials in his regime belong to the minority Alawite sect, a Shiite offshoot.

The events in Haswiyeh, an impoverished farming area on the edge of Homs, unfolded on Tuesday and Wednesday, but only came to light Thursday as the reported scale of the killings became apparent.

An amateur video posted online showed veiled women sitting on the floor surrounded by children as they described a horrific scene of gunmen killing people and burning bodies.

"They slaughtered members of the same families then turned the diesel heaters on them," one of the women said, adding that some homes were robbed of money and jewelry as well. "We did not fight and we had no gunmen. We are all workers trying to make a living."

Another video showed a charred room with what appeared to be two blackened bodies on the floor. A man could be heard weeping in the background. The caption said the video is from Haswiyeh.

The videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other Associated Press reporting on the events depicted, although exact details of what happened were unclear and could not be independently verified because of restrictions on independent media.

A government official in Damascus denied the reports, saying no such killings took place in the area and accusing rebels of using civilians as "human shields." He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

However, the pro-government daily newspaper Al-Watan reported Thursday that Syrian troops advanced in the countryside of Homs "cleansing the villages of Haswiyeh and Dweir as well as their fields" from gunmen. It did not elaborate.

The assault, as described by several activists to The Associated Press, bore a resemblance to the attack last May on the nearby area of Houla that killed 108 people and drew international condemnation of the Assad regime.

The opposition believes the mass killings that have occurred mostly in overwhelmingly Sunni villages that lie near main routes into the Alawite sect's coastal strip are meant to lay the groundwork for a breakaway enclave.

"Time and again, the regime has used the Alawite community in Homs to implement its sectarian projects," local opposition activist Mohammad Raad said.

Sunnis compromise the majority of Syria's 23 million people but have long complained of discrimination at the hands of the Alawite Assad dynasty.

The uprising against Assad erupted in March 2011 as the so-called wave of Arab Spring revolutions was sweeping the Middle East. It quickly evolved into a civil war as the opposition took up arms against a regime crackdown. The U.N. says at least 60,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Haswiyeh is controlled by government forces, but activists said many of its residents have sons in the Free Syrian Army, the main rebel group fighting to topple Assad's forces.

"This is a purely sectarian attack meant to punish the rebels by targeting their families," said Abu Yazan, an opposition activist speaking via Skype from Houla. Rebels and government troops are known to have clashed in the area around Haswiyeh earlier this week.

There were conflicting reports on the death toll, as is often the case in Syria where information is limited, although all the activists agreed the victims appeared to all be Sunnis.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said 106 people were killed in the two-day rampage, with some "burnt inside their homes and others killed with knives" and other weapons. It also cited reports that "whole families were executed, one of them made up of 32 members."

Homs-based activist Youssef al-Homsi said at least 100 people were killed in Haswiyeh. He sent via Skype a list of 100 names of those killed, including entire families and the individual names of 15 women and 10 children. Al-Homsi also said locals reported that many of the attackers came from the nearby village of Mazraa, which he said is predominantly Shiite.

A third opposition activist in Homs said he had collected the names of 50 people killed, but added others were still missing. It was not possible to confirm the activist reports or reconcile their figures.

Elsewhere in Syria Thursday, activists reported air raids in the suburbs of the capital and clashes in the town of Beit Saham near the international airport outside Damascus. They also said an air raid killed at least 15 people in the town of Kfar Nabouedeh in the central province of Hama.

State-run news agency SANA, meanwhile, said gunmen killed Walid al-Abboud, the brother of lawmaker Khaled al-Abboud. The 49-year-old engineer was gunned down in front of his house in the Damascus suburb of Qatana as he was leaving for work, it said.

Syrian TV also said troops repelled an attack on the main airport in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour near the border with Iraq.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-pro-regime-gunmen-kill-more-100-210042938.html

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Cycling panel considers amnesty for witnesses

This Monday, Jan. 14, 2013 photo provided by Harpo Studios Inc., shows talk-show host Oprah Winfrey interviewing cyclist Lance Armstrong during taping for the show "Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive" in Austin, Texas. The two-part episode of "Oprah's Next Chapter" will air nationally Thursday and Friday, Jan. 17-18, 2013. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Harpo Studios, Inc., George Burns)

This Monday, Jan. 14, 2013 photo provided by Harpo Studios Inc., shows talk-show host Oprah Winfrey interviewing cyclist Lance Armstrong during taping for the show "Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive" in Austin, Texas. The two-part episode of "Oprah's Next Chapter" will air nationally Thursday and Friday, Jan. 17-18, 2013. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Harpo Studios, Inc., George Burns)

(AP) ? An independent panel preparing to investigate the International Cycling Union's links to Lance Armstrong is fighting back against the governing body's resistance to offer amnesty to potential witnesses.

The three-member panel says it will soon hold a public hearing in London to examine if "truth and reconciliation" should be offered to riders and officials who testify in April.

The panel believes amnesties are "desirable" and "in the interests ... of professional cycling."

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency submitted a truth and reconciliation proposal after the release of its report last October into doping by Armstrong and his teams.

However, the UCI described USADA's proposal as "unacceptable" to the commission.

USADA and the World Anti-Doping Agency have withdrawn from the process until the panel's terms of reference are widened.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-16-CYC-UCI-Doping-Amnesty/id-7841878102a4413888826fae20f9f143

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Melbourne's First Artisan Tea Bar | Onya Magazine

Located on Smith Street, Collingwood, Melbourne, Storm in a Teacup is a bijou tea-shop and bar bursting with knowledge, flavour and passion. Forget delicate china cups and chintzy floral plates; this is not your average, usual teahouse. It?s a world of tea both young and old, where steeped tradition is met by a kicking couture tea scene.

Storm in a Teacup is a retail space that invites everyone to make specialty tea part of their daily ritual, while revealing the secret to brewing the perfect cup of tea.?Offering a delicious lunch menu, house-baked cakes and a variety of tea ephemera during the day, by evening Storm in a Teacup transitions into a fully licensed bar encompassing tea cocktails, tasty morsels and an organic wine list.

Storm in a Teacup is a delicious mix of home away from home and adventurous escape for tea lovers and the tea curious.

Commenting on the art of tea, Hannah Dupree, Storm in a Teacup?s knowledgeable owner, said, ?Leaf tea, when brewed to a calculated time at the perfect temperature, emulates the experience and approach of drinking fine wine. Each tea, within its varietal, has an individual experience of aroma, mouth feel, tannins and lingering subtleties.?We ensure that every tea purchase comes with an insight into the best brewing methods for that particular tea and, for the truly dedicated, we even hold education classes.?

Storm in a Teacup is about tea: black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong and a riot of single origin and herbaceous flavours from all corners of the globe.

Hannah?s tight knit tea community, which includes Storm in a Teacup?s tea sommelier Sarah Cowell (formally of Vue de Monde) amongst others, have ? in their quest for tea knowledge ? travelled to Sri Lanka, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, South Africa and Northern Victoria to experience tea at the front line and endeavour to travel to all the tea producing countries who?s teas they represent. Over 40 quality teas have been sourced to date,? primarily through direct trade with boutique farmers and larger producers? micro lots, from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Hawaii, Kenya, India and Sri Lanka. Hannah believes in developing relationships with her tea producers as well as her tea drinkers, thus opening the channels of communication. The result is a crafted tea menu, designed to offer a broad cross section of the almost infinite world of tea.

Taking home a big bag of Storm in a Teacup?s exquisite range of teas is as tempting as sitting and watching the world go by. Both honouring and complementing the quality of the tea, the shop offers irresistible hand selected, and sometimes cheeky, tea wares from local and international artists.

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Source: http://www.onyamagazine.com/lifestyle/food-drink/drink/melbournes-first-artisan-tea-bar/

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Extensive BlackBerry Z10 demo video posted by German website [video]

(Adds details, background) NEW YORK, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong finally has confronted his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career, though he "did not come clean in the manner that I expected," talk show host Oprah Winfrey said a day after interviewing the disgraced athlete. Armstrong, 41, has always vehemently denied using the drugs and had never tested positive in a doping test. But the evidence against him has been overwhelming and pressure has been building on him to admit that he cheated. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/extensive-blackberry-z10-demo-video-posted-german-website-152520165.html

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Monday, January 14, 2013

International Business Mentor and Speaker Marsha Wright 01/15 by ...

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    On his show, Comedian Rodney Perry covers arts and entertainment, everything from comedy and politics to music and acting, with his signature comedic slant.

  • MashUp Radio is a 30-minute podcast that discusses the fusion of technology, life, culture and science. Host Peter Biddle, engineer and executive for Intel?s Atom Software, dishes up a thought-provoking discussion.

  • Joy Keys provides her listeners with insight to improve their lives mentally, physically, monetarily and emotionally. Past guests on the show have included Meshell Nedegeocello, Blair Underwood, in addition to an impressive list of CEOs, humanitarians and authors.

  • Host Barry Moltz gets small businesses unstuck. He has founded and run small businesses with a great deal of success and failure for more than 15 years. This is a business radio show where he shares all the craziness of small business. It?s that craziness that actually makes it exciting, interesting and totally unpredictable.

  • The Bottom Line Sports Show is hosted by former NBA stars Penny Hardaway, Charles Oakley, Mateen Cleaves. Tune in to get the inside scoop on what's happening in sports today.

  • Deepak Chopra Radio provides an online forum for compelling and thought provoking conversations on success, love, sexuality and relationships, well-being and spirituality.

  • Hits Radio covers basketball, sports culture and entertainment with past guests including Jason Kidd, Robin Lundberg and Chris Herren.

  • Listeners get an earful on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds. Whether it?s the current political cocktail or the latest must-read award-winning book, Halli tackles all topics and likes to stir ? and sometimes shakes ? things up.

  • Official Internet radio show of forthcoming epic paranormal investigation book by Eric Olsen and "Haunted Housewife" Theresa Argie.

  • Award-winning World Footprints is a leading voice in socially responsible travel and lifestyle. Hosts Ian & Tonya celebrate culture and heritage and bring a unique voice to the world of travel.

  • Football Reporters Online is a group of veteran football experts in the fields of coaching, scouting, talent evaluation, and writing/broadcasting/media placement. Combined, the group brings well over 100 years of expertise in sports.

  • Host John Martin interviews the nation's leading entrepreneurs and small biz experts to educate small business owners on how to be successful. Past guests have included Emeril Lagasse and Guy Kawasaki.

  • The Movie Geeks share their passion for the art through interviews with the stars of and creative minds behind your favorite flicks and pay tribute to big-screen legends. From James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola to Ellen Burstyn and Robert Duvall, The Geeks have got'em all.

  • Sylvia Global presents global conversations pertaining to women, wealth, business, faith and philanthropy. Sylvia has interviewed an eclectic mix from CEOs and musicians to fashion designers and philanthropists including Randolph Duke and Ne-Yo.

  • Mr. Media host Bob Andelman goes one-on-one with the hottest, most influential minds from the worlds of film, TV, music, comedy, journalism and literature. That means A-listers like Kirk Douglas, Christian Slater, Kathy Ireland, Rick Fox, Chris Hansen and Jackie Collins.

  • Paula Begoun, best-selling author of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, separates fact from fiction on achieving a radiant, youthful complexion at any age. She?s regularly joined by health and beauty experts who offer the latest on keeping your skin in tip-top shape.

  • Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cosmiccoachingcentre/2013/01/16/international-business-mentor-and-speaker-marsha-wright

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    Analysis: Israel avoids public spat over Hagel

    Mark Wilson / Getty Images file

    Defense nominee Chuck Hagel is a decorated Vietnam combat veteran.

    By Jim Maceda, Correspondent, NBC News

    ANALYSIS

    TEL AVIV, Israel -- Even before he was nominated to become the next U.S. secretary of defense, the bad-mouthing of former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel had already begun.

    Warnings flew like salvos across the U.S. media and beyond: Hagel is soft on Iran and no friend of Israel.?Tea Party and Republican critics of the moderate and pragmatic Hagel smelled blood.

    Ted Cruz, a freshman senator from Texas, said that Hagel ?would make war with Iran more likely because he's too nice to Iran.?

    Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Hagel would be "the most antagonistic secretary of defense towards the state of Israel in our nation's history."

    So you would expect to see the vitriol flowing here in Israel, especially just days before a crucial parliamentary election -- on Jan. 22 -- in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is struggling to head off a late populist surge by an even more right-wing candidate.

    But there have been no anti-Hagel protests outside the U.S. Embassy and no angry Israelis heard on radio talk shows. In fact, reaction to all the uproar back home has been muted.

    'Dark cloud'
    It's true that Israelis in general aren't happy with the nomination. ?It represents a dark cloud over the relationship between the two countries, and it borders on hostility,? said Simon Schiffer, a political analyst with the Yediot Ahronot daily newspaper.

    Hagel's willingness to engage with Iran and its client, Hamas, upsets most Israelis, Schiffer noted. But he went on to say that ?U.S. policy towards Israel is set in the White House, and there you can find today a president who has a very warm approach to Israel but at the same time a very angry and cold policy towards Netanyahu and his government.?

    Related: Hagel -- a man without a party

    So far, Israeli government reaction has been minimal and mixed. Reuven Rivlin, the powerful speaker of Israel?s parliament, the Knesset, told The Associated Press he is worried about Hagel ?because of his statements in the past and his stance toward Israel.?

    But Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, wrapping up a trip to the U.S., told a group of major Jewish organizations that he personally knew and worked with Hagel and found him to be ?a decent and fair interlocutor who believes in the natural partnership between Israel and the United States.?

    Until Sunday there had been not a peep from Netanyahu himself,?whose "iron fist" approach to Iran, Hamas and the Palestinian territories seems diametrically opposed to Hagel's instinct for dialogue.

    "I do not interfere in the political appointments of the?U.S. president. It is his prerogative,'' Netanyahu told Israel's Army Radio. "Congress decides and confirms, and we will work with?whoever is chosen.''

    One Israeli official told NBC News that Netanyahu's silence doesn't mean he's not angry.

    After making the mistake of ?backing the wrong horse -- [Gov. Mitt] Romney -- during the last U.S. election, he's not willing to play that game again,? said the official, who was not authorized to speak on the record about policy matters.

    'Revenge' for Romney?
    Sever Plocker, an influential Israeli commentator, went further by suggesting that Obama picked Hagel as ?revenge? for Netanyahu's public support for Romney.

    Hagel hasn't yet defended his positions before the U.S. Senate, but he has faced the court of public opinion, emphasizing in recent days his ?unequivocal support for Israel.? On Iran, he told Defense Department officials Wednesday that he also strongly ?supports multilateral sanctions against Iran and that Tehran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear warheads.?

    Hagel may have gotten into some hot water with a comment -- made years ago in Washington -- that ?the political reality is that ?the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here.? But on Monday one of the largest and most active of those "Jewish lobbies" -- the National Jewish Democratic Council -- released a statement saying it believes Hagel ?will follow the president's lead in providing unrivaled support for Israel -- on strategic cooperation, missile defense programs and leading the world against Iran's nuclear program.?

    The consensus here is that Netanyahu may enjoy watching Hagel fight for his nomination in Washington, but staying out of the fight is probably a smart move.

    Related stories:

    Senators signal tough fight for Hagel

    Full Israel coverage from NBC News

    Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/13/16466401-israel-avoids-public-spat-over-hagel-defense-nomination?lite

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    Brent Crude Oil tied to $111 bbl peg on lack of directional momentum: Barclays

    Commodity Online
    Crude oil markets have started the year on a positive note, drifting marginally higher with front month Brent stepping out of its recent$108-111/bbl range. While the fiscal cliff agreement has cleared the macro cloud for now, there continues to be a lack of directional momentum for prices to move much further away from the $111/bbl mark, at least for now, with prices having retraced gains above $113/bbl by the end of the week.

    On fundamentals, global demand continues to hold steady as seen in a healthy set of data from Asia over the past few weeks. South Korean oil demand is up 4% y/y. Part of the strength is because of the extremely cold and long winter the country has had over much of Q4.

    The nuclear shutdowns for investigation have also contributed to a strong appetite for the rest of the energy complex, despite nationwide conservation measures initiated earlier on. Elsewhere in the region, the preliminary Chinese data for December point to demand growth holding up, while in Japan, although y/y growth rates have flat-lined, consumption remains on a high base.

    On supply, third-party estimations of OPEC output show a sizeable reduction in volume in December.

    The supply adjustment does not comeas a surprise in light of a much more balanced market than H1 2012. Also, this is inline with the tone of the recently concluded OPEC meeting which suggested a convergence to producing closer to the target rather than above it.

    The third-party estimates showed a reduction in Saudi Arabian output over December. Iranian volumes have also dropped as the sanctions place a stronger grip on the country?s export outlets. Finally, Iraqi volumes were curtailed due to a combination of the KRG stopping exports in December, as well as bad weather at the Basra port, which?restricted the usual flowof export loadings.'

    Meanwhile, non-OPEC supply shortfalls have continued to build this week, owing to a combination of weather and geopolitical reasons.

    ?Overall, this year we expect the trend in oil market balances at the aggregate level to be roughly similar to last year, in that global oil demand should continue to march higher, while non-OPEC supply (ex-North America) should continue to disappoint, placing the call on OPEC crude at elevated levels.? the Bank said.

    ?While we expect geopolitical developments to become a major driver for the oil market in 2013, and in particular Iran?s external relationships, thus far developments have not created any ripples strong enough to disturb the market calm.? the Bank concluded.

    Source: http://www.commodityonline.com/news/brent-crude-oil-tied-to-$111-bbl-peg-on-lack-of-directional-momentum-barclays-52198-3-52199.html

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