BUSINESS

The good news is, it's easy to predict what will happen to the world economy in the next few years. The bad news is, the governments won't let it happen. And who knows what they'll come up with instead?

Carlsberg witnessed a decline in its quarterly profits as sales slumped in the Russian and Northern European markets. Similarly, shares of the company shrank following lower-than-expected fourth quarter earnings and high beer making expenses.

They are not really so much fans of the world's most popular social networking site but almost half of American parents admitted that the main reason they signed up for an account with Facebook is to spy on their children's online activities.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron arrives in India on the 18th of February with the biggest ever trade mission and will take part in three-day talks with Indian authorities.

iPad Mini 2 release date has been consistently pegged in the final quarter of the year, specifically in the month of October. Meanwhile, analysts are saying the new small Apple tablet could be more expensive by 30 per cent.

A study by the University of Queensland released on Tuesday said that Australia would have to include coal in its power generation mix until 2035. Coal is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions and supplies 80 per cent of Australia's current power requirements.

A leaked photo of the motherboard of Apple's iPhone 5s confirms rumours that the device will have an A7 quad-core CPU and GPU and 2 GB of RAM.

Unwrapping of the Galaxy S4 is on March 14, reports said, and what the world will get from Samsung is a far different handset from the rumours that have been circulating for months.

By Andrew NelsonUranium trading was pretty steady last week, with six transactions reported and just under one million pounds changing hands.

Google released the latest Android version 4.2.2 and the first line up of devices to gain the update is the Nexus line, including Galaxy Nexus. A factory image for the Galaxy Nexus released also by Google confirms that it will soon receive a 4.2.2 Jellybean update.

By Greg PeelThey met in Moscow on the weekend to declare there "is no Currency War". With the meeting out of the way, the War resumed last night.

Local stocks have started the trading week on a positive note, boosted by hopes of good results during the busiest week of reporting seas. European markets were weaker on Friday while US markets closed flat. Locally, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) added 28.3pts or 0.6pct to 5082.9pts, its highest level since September 8, 2008.

Nexus 5 updates remain unofficial as neither LG nor Google has referred to a Nexus 4 successor just yet. But which LG device got a Bluetooth certification recently? Sleuthing Android watchers posed the question, encouraging tech bloggers to delve deeper into the next Google-LG Nexus smartphone mystery.

China has fired up its first nuclear power plant after the destructive 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, near Wafangdian in Liaoning province at its northeast portion.

There is no let up in the rampaging Samsung juggernaut as the company aims to strengthen its grip on the feature phone market via its REX series handsets, powered by a Java-inspired mobile platform.

Conflicting reports on the actual specs that Samsung would unleash with the upcoming Galaxy S4 suggest two versions of the handset are geared to hit the market – one for international buyers and the other for the North American region.

Finding the exclusive Catholic mass services for gays and lesbians being offered at a Soho London church directly running against the teachings of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, the archbishop who had approved its concept in 2007 has called for the closure of the services.

The Australian sharemarket is improving by 0.6 per cent or 31.4 pts to 5086, adding to five straight weeks of gains. Global markets were mixed on Friday night, however U.S equities (shares) edged higher by a modest 0.1 per cent. Global investors could remain a little cautious today to overcommit due to the President's Day public holiday in North America. U.S shares will be closed on Monday however will return to trade normally on Tuesday.

Androids continue to dominate the global smartphone market, indicating has far this mobile OS has gone since it was rolled out in 2008. Since the Android Market introduced a set of widgets then, the Android has expanded to wider platforms and ecosystems with the latest being the Jellybean and the Lime Key Pie on the horizon.

Schweppes drinkers in New Zealand should be warned that it could also produce pain and blood because of glass fragments found in five flavors - lemonade, tonic water, soda, dry ginger ale and soda lemonade twist. The affected drinks are those in 300 ml clear glass bottles with best before dates between Jan 10, 2014 and Jan 30, 2014.

The confidence is back as several mergers have been announced. And what is more, the acquisition of Heinz was announced. Warren Buffett and Jorge Paulo Lemann decided to go into the ketchup business by acquiring H.J. Heinz Co. for over $23 billion. The acquisition of Heinz is believed to be the biggest takeover in the history of the food industry.

Sony has introduced Xperia Z with precision engineered full HD smartphone. It is considered one of the most durable phones in the market today. It has waterproof and dust-proof casing to protect it from most daily hazards for mobile devices. It also features clearer images viewed from its panels with OptiContrast, stunning video and photo under any lighting condition with 13MP rear shooter camera, and maximum durability versus water and shatters.

At last, the merger of American Airlines and US Airways is said to be announced on the 14th of February.

New Rio Tinto CEO Sam Walsh is gearing up to cut costs as the world's second largest mining company has just informed that it posted a $3 billion full-year loss.

Rolls-Royce witnessed an increase in the full year profits by 24 percent to over £1.4 billion. The increase in the level of output at Boeing CO. and Airbus SAS led to stronger-than-expected profits for Rolls-Royce. Also, the company named Ian Davis as the chairman of the company.

Google is planning to open retail shops in the United States by the end of 2013. Besides the U.S., Google is also planning to open an outlet in Dublin, Ireland, as the tech firm attempts to make its products more reachable to consumers, both in-web as well as physical items.

The HTC 2012 flagship model One XL is receiving an Android 4.2.2 Cyanogen Mod 10.1 Nightly Build. Cyanogen Mod developers are currently developing this custom ROM featuring the latest Jellybean 4.2.2 released by Google recently with all features of the stock ROM itself.

DNA tests confirmed over the weekend that dinners tainted with horse meat had reached schools. The discovery prompted British councils to push for the withdrawal of processed beef dishes from menus following the confirmation that the equine meat hidden in cottage pies was sent to 47 schools.

There is great news for Samsung users owning Galaxy S2 for the international versions is finally receiving an update of Jellybean. The almost-forgotten flagship has received the source code and can be downloaded using Over-the-Air update.