Well here it is again. The biggest show on Earth is back... and this time on the African continent for the first time.
South Africa may well be a controversial choice with its high crime rate, murderous roads and underlying racial tensions, but the 'Rainbow' nation has triumphed before on and off the field in the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Indeed the incredible events of 15 years ago inspired a Clint Eastwood movie called Invictus, which told of Nelson Mandela's inspirational leadership and how he motivated the Springboks.
The money and numbers in the World Cup are truly mind boggling. I intend to investigate the financial impact of the World Cup at a later date with a class. But for now let't sit back and enjoy the FIFA World Cup and savour the unique flavour South Africa will bring.
Spain and Brazil are the favourites, but I have a feeling that Argentina - under the madcap stewardship of Diego Armando Maradona - will emerge triumphant.
Friday 11 June 2010
In the News...
BP OIL SPILL WORSE THAN EXPECTED
As many as 40,000 barrels (1.7 million gallons) of oil a day may have been gushing out from a blown-out Gulf of Mexico well, doubling many estimates.
The US Geological Survey says that flow rate could have been reached before a cap was put on the well on 3 June.
BP's chairman has been asked to meet Barack Obama next week, amid assurances from the UK and US that bilateral ties will not be affected by the crisis.
UK PM David Cameron and President Obama will discuss the spill at the weekend.
Oil has been leaking into the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on 20 April and sank off the coast of the US state of Louisiana, killing 11 workers.
JAPAN IN DANGER OF COLLAPSE
Japan is at "risk of collapse" under its huge debt mountain, the country's new prime minister has said.
Naoto Kan, in his first major speech since taking over, said Japan needed a financial restructuring to avert a Greece-style crisis.
"Our country's outstanding public debt is huge... our public finances have become the worst of any developed country," he said.
After years of borrowing, Japan's debt is twice its gross domestic product.
DUNDEE MP TRIES TO SAVE JOBS AT DC THOMSON
The MP for Dundee East, Stewart Hosie, is to meet the head of DC Thomson in an attempt to save 350 jobs.
The Dundee-based company, which publishes the Sunday Post, the Beano and the Dandy, is to shed the staff from its production and printing division.
It has said the cuts were necessary to protect the firm's future.
Mr Hosie will meet chief executive Andrew Thomson on Friday afternoon to discuss the proposed cuts.
The proposed closure is at a printing and book-binding centre in the city's Guthrie Street.
BRITONS WORK WITHOUT A BREAK
One in four people in the UK often works all day without taking a break, a survey suggests.
More than half of the 3,000 people polled by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists said they went to work when feeling unwell or stressed.
Staff shortages were cited as a cause of stress and why breaks were skipped.
While work can contribute to people's mental and physical well-being, overworking can lead to health problems, the CSP warned.
O2 SCRAPS UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS
UK phone network O2 has scrapped unlimited data downloads for smartphone customers.
All new and upgrading customers will have their usage capped at between 500 Megabytes (MB) and one gigabyte (GB) depending on their monthly tariff.
Analysts said the move was "inevitable" as more and more consumers switch to data-intensive smartphones that can surf the web and show video.
Other networks are likely to follow O2, they said.
"O2 had become the industry poster-child of the capacity crunch era," said Thomas Wehmeier, principal analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media.
Many customers have complained about poor service, download speeds and network coverage.
"It is a victim of its own success - O2 has had so many people sign up for data intensive phones, like the iPhone," Ben Wood of research firm CCS Insight told BBC News.
"Huge amounts of data are consumed by the minority of people."
Source: BBC News
As many as 40,000 barrels (1.7 million gallons) of oil a day may have been gushing out from a blown-out Gulf of Mexico well, doubling many estimates.
The US Geological Survey says that flow rate could have been reached before a cap was put on the well on 3 June.
BP's chairman has been asked to meet Barack Obama next week, amid assurances from the UK and US that bilateral ties will not be affected by the crisis.
UK PM David Cameron and President Obama will discuss the spill at the weekend.
Oil has been leaking into the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on 20 April and sank off the coast of the US state of Louisiana, killing 11 workers.
JAPAN IN DANGER OF COLLAPSE
Japan is at "risk of collapse" under its huge debt mountain, the country's new prime minister has said.
Naoto Kan, in his first major speech since taking over, said Japan needed a financial restructuring to avert a Greece-style crisis.
"Our country's outstanding public debt is huge... our public finances have become the worst of any developed country," he said.
After years of borrowing, Japan's debt is twice its gross domestic product.
DUNDEE MP TRIES TO SAVE JOBS AT DC THOMSON
The MP for Dundee East, Stewart Hosie, is to meet the head of DC Thomson in an attempt to save 350 jobs.
The Dundee-based company, which publishes the Sunday Post, the Beano and the Dandy, is to shed the staff from its production and printing division.
It has said the cuts were necessary to protect the firm's future.
Mr Hosie will meet chief executive Andrew Thomson on Friday afternoon to discuss the proposed cuts.
The proposed closure is at a printing and book-binding centre in the city's Guthrie Street.
BRITONS WORK WITHOUT A BREAK
One in four people in the UK often works all day without taking a break, a survey suggests.
More than half of the 3,000 people polled by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists said they went to work when feeling unwell or stressed.
Staff shortages were cited as a cause of stress and why breaks were skipped.
While work can contribute to people's mental and physical well-being, overworking can lead to health problems, the CSP warned.
O2 SCRAPS UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS
UK phone network O2 has scrapped unlimited data downloads for smartphone customers.
All new and upgrading customers will have their usage capped at between 500 Megabytes (MB) and one gigabyte (GB) depending on their monthly tariff.
Analysts said the move was "inevitable" as more and more consumers switch to data-intensive smartphones that can surf the web and show video.
Other networks are likely to follow O2, they said.
"O2 had become the industry poster-child of the capacity crunch era," said Thomas Wehmeier, principal analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media.
Many customers have complained about poor service, download speeds and network coverage.
"It is a victim of its own success - O2 has had so many people sign up for data intensive phones, like the iPhone," Ben Wood of research firm CCS Insight told BBC News.
"Huge amounts of data are consumed by the minority of people."
Source: BBC News
Tuesday 1 June 2010
In the News...
GOODFELLAS RELAUNCH
Northern Foods, which makes Goodfella's pizza, says it hopes a £5m ($7.2m) brand relaunch will lift profits.
Northern, which holds either number one or two position in many of the UK's prepared food markets, also makes Fox's biscuits, as well as ready meals.
Its Fox's biscuit campaign, which features a panda called Vinnie, has helped to push that brand into second place in the country.
Northern says the new pizza campaign will initially raise its costs.
The company added, however, that it was important to continue investing in key brands through what it called "uncertain economic times".
WORLD CUP SPONSORS UNHEALTHY?
FIFA has scored an "own goal" by agreeing sponsorship deals for the 2010 World Cup with companies that sell unhealthy products, campaigners say.
The World Cancer Research Fund criticised the governing body for partnering with the likes of Coca Cola, McDonald's and Budweiser.
It said the tournament should be an opportunity to promote active lifestyles.
Advertisers denied the deals would negatively impact children's diets.
The three companies are partners or official sponsors for the World Cup giving them a visible presence inside the stadiums on advertising hoardings and digital displays.
JOB VACANCIES RISE IN THE UK
The number of job vacancies across the UK rose slightly last month, but the pay on offer fell, a report has said.
Employment agency Reed said 1% more jobs were offered by firms through its service in May compared with April.
At the same time, it said the average wage available declined by 4.2% to £31,800 in May, from £33,200 in April.
Job demand rose most in the charity and voluntary sectors, followed by marketing, public relations, legal and secretarial.
Reed said about 90,000 jobs were offered though it in total last month.
EUROZONE UNEMPLOYMENT RISING
Unemployment in the eurozone rose again in April to a fresh all-time high, figures from Europe's statistics office have shown.
Eurostat said unemployment in the 16 nations that use the euro now totals 15.86 million - equivalent to 10.1% of the population.
Spain, Ireland and Slovakia recorded the highest rates of joblessness, with the Spanish rate now close to 20%.
Meanwhile, the euro has hit a four-year low against the dollar.
It was trading as low as $1.2111 at one stage, and was also down to a one-year low against the pound, with one pound buying 1.1935 euros.
Northern Foods, which makes Goodfella's pizza, says it hopes a £5m ($7.2m) brand relaunch will lift profits.
Northern, which holds either number one or two position in many of the UK's prepared food markets, also makes Fox's biscuits, as well as ready meals.
Its Fox's biscuit campaign, which features a panda called Vinnie, has helped to push that brand into second place in the country.
Northern says the new pizza campaign will initially raise its costs.
The company added, however, that it was important to continue investing in key brands through what it called "uncertain economic times".
WORLD CUP SPONSORS UNHEALTHY?
FIFA has scored an "own goal" by agreeing sponsorship deals for the 2010 World Cup with companies that sell unhealthy products, campaigners say.
The World Cancer Research Fund criticised the governing body for partnering with the likes of Coca Cola, McDonald's and Budweiser.
It said the tournament should be an opportunity to promote active lifestyles.
Advertisers denied the deals would negatively impact children's diets.
The three companies are partners or official sponsors for the World Cup giving them a visible presence inside the stadiums on advertising hoardings and digital displays.
JOB VACANCIES RISE IN THE UK
The number of job vacancies across the UK rose slightly last month, but the pay on offer fell, a report has said.
Employment agency Reed said 1% more jobs were offered by firms through its service in May compared with April.
At the same time, it said the average wage available declined by 4.2% to £31,800 in May, from £33,200 in April.
Job demand rose most in the charity and voluntary sectors, followed by marketing, public relations, legal and secretarial.
Reed said about 90,000 jobs were offered though it in total last month.
EUROZONE UNEMPLOYMENT RISING
Unemployment in the eurozone rose again in April to a fresh all-time high, figures from Europe's statistics office have shown.
Eurostat said unemployment in the 16 nations that use the euro now totals 15.86 million - equivalent to 10.1% of the population.
Spain, Ireland and Slovakia recorded the highest rates of joblessness, with the Spanish rate now close to 20%.
Meanwhile, the euro has hit a four-year low against the dollar.
It was trading as low as $1.2111 at one stage, and was also down to a one-year low against the pound, with one pound buying 1.1935 euros.
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