Global warming dials up our risks, UN report says
A UN scientific panel reports that global warming is driving humanity toward a whole new level of risks, warning that the wild climate ride has only just begun. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a massive new report Monday that says 21st century disasters such as killer heat waves in Europe, wildfires in the US, droughts in Australia and deadly flooding in Africa and Asia highlight how vulnerable humanity is to extreme weather. The authors say those and other dangers are going to worsen as the climate changes even more. The report emphasises the varied risks the world faces and how no one is immune from the changes to come. Princeton University professor Michael Oppenheimer, an author of the study, says, ?We’re all sitting ducks.?
Amazon workers in Germany strike again
Hundreds of workers at online retailer Amazon in Germany went on strike on Monday, the first stoppage this year in a pay dispute that has been dragging on for months. A spokesman for the Verdi labour union said about 500 of the around 1,200 workers at Amazon?s distribution centre in Leipzig were expected to strike. Amazon employs a total of 9,000 warehouse staff at nine distribution centres in Germany, its second biggest market after the US, plus 14,000 seasonal workers.
J&J accepts $4-bn Carlyle offer for ortho unit
Johnson & Johnson accepted the $4-billion offer from The Carlyle Group made in January to acquire the company?s Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics business. The acceptance comes after consultation with relevant works councils and trade unions, New Brunswick, New Jersey-based J&J said in a statement on Monday.
China foreign debt at $863.2 bn at end Q4
China had outstanding foreign debt of $863.2 billion at the end of December 2013, the top foreign exchange regulator said on Monday. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange also said at a media conference that outstanding foreign debt stood at $676.6 billion at the end of last year.
China?s Baosteel prez sees more steel makers closing
The president of Baoshan Iron & Steeel on Monday said more Chinese steel makers will be forced to close over the next three years due to tighter credit, higher environmental requirements and increasing margin pressure. Dai Zhihao made the comments in an online briefing after the company reported a 42% drop in 2013 net profit.
CNOOC shares slide 4% after earnings disappoint
Shares of China?s top offshore oil producer, CNOOC, fell on Monday after it posted an 11.4% slide in its 2013 net profit, lagging analysts? forecasts. CNOOC posted a net profit of 56.5 billion yuan ($9.10 billion) for last year, versus 63.7 billion yuan in 2012, as it struggled to deliver production growth and control costs amid weakening crude prices. Its shares fell as much as 4.4% on Monday to HK$11.78 ($1.52), lagging a
flat broader market.
Frozen is top-grossing animated film ever
Disney?s hit film Frozen has become the top-grossing animated film in box office history, the studio said on Sunday as the musical topped $1 billion in global sales. The film has sold $398.4 million worth of tickets at US and Canadian theatres. Foreign box offices have added another $674 million, for a global total of $1.072 billion, Disney said. The previous animated-film box office champion was 2010?s Toy Story 3, which racked up $1.063 billion in sales, according to Boxofficemojo.com. Both films were distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Frozen, which stayed in the top 10 films on domestic box office charts for more than three months, also has now become the 10th-largest grossing film in cinema history.
