Business & Financial News

Forbes has published the list of the largest companies of the world
Magazine Forbes has published a rating of the largest public corporations of world Global 2000. Unlike other similar lists the magazine considered not only capitalization of the companies, but also their actives, a sales volume and profit. American Citigroup and Bank of America have appeared the best in the world (on the sum of the given parameters).
In ten the largest companies of the world only four companies are not from the USA: “the bronze prize-winner” HSBC Holdings from the Great Britain, Dutch Royal Dutch Shell and ING Group (8 and 10 places accordingly), and also Swiss UBS are among this list. Chinese PetroChina - the best company from developing countries - has borrowed 41 place of this list.
The first hundred of the greatest companies of the world almost completely consists of the financial organizations and oil-and-gas corporations. General ElectricGeneral Electric is the only exception of this rule. Though this company has also financial division, the basic kind of its activity relies in mechanical engineering.
If to compare research of the Forbes to the list of the largest companies on market capitalization (for example with the last FT-500 list), some essential differences will be quite evident.
According to the Forbes the first places are occupied by banks, financial groups’ insurers, and according to the FT-500’s gradation - the first positions are mainly occupied by oil-and-gas companies. This shows that the magazine considers actives of corporations. At banks the given parameter is traditionally very high (due to the huge accounts of clients, including oil-and-gas companies’ accumulations).
 

Hackers have managed to receive the detailed information on 45,7 million bank cards which were used by clients of American TJ Maxx trading network and its British branch - TK Maxx.
As TJ Maxx admits that, unfortunately, now it is impossible to establish precisely, which data have been stolen and how it will affect owners of cards.
At the same time, the company assures, that in 75 % of cards’ owners should not worry about data which have come into the hands of hackers. The majority of the transactions “intercepted” by malefactors, concern to 2003-04, and it means, that validity of many cards has already expired. Besides in some cases hackers could not get access to numbers of cards.
The representative of APACS British payment association has told that if their clients carried out transactions with TK Maxx in 2003-04, the majority of them have already received absolutely new debit or credit cards. - Therefore they can be assured that there was an outflow of data with their old, instead of their new cards.
The representative has also added, that banks can return money to the clients in case that their money has been stolen by means of TK Maxx computer system failure.
TK Maxx Representatives have informed that hackers managed to steal 100 files from its British server. Thus the company will not, probably, manage to find out, which data was stored in these files.
According to the company, for the first time hackers have managed to get access to its computers in July, 2005. Computers were cracked up to the middle of January 2007, however last time data about consumers have come into the hands of malefactors in December, 2006.
Hackers have obtained data about transactions in TJ Maxx shops in the USA, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Great Britain and Ireland.
Now TJ Maxx management calls the clients to check up closely reports on the transactions in order to reveal possible abductions.

Argentina repudiates the contract with the Great Britain on common extraction of oil, which has been found out on Falkland Islands. This step has marked a new step of the conflict which started in 1833 and has reached its culmination in 1982, when 74-day’s bloody war took place between two countries. Next Monday will be the 25th anniversary from the date of its beginning.
In 1995 Buenos Aires and London have entered into the agreement in which they have agreed to promote extraction of oil in disputable territories. The United Kingdom and Argentina also had to share the oil found on Falkland Islands. Now Minister for Foreign Affairs of Argentina approves, that London has taken the advantage of this agreement to justify “illegal” requirements of islands. The Foreign minister said that the decision made by Argentina does not allow the United Kingdom to use it as the tool for the justification of illegal and unilateral actions on investigation of resources which belong to Argentina.
Actually, Falklands is the group, consisting of two greater islands - Western Falkland and East Falkland - and about 200 small islands. The general territory is 12 173 km². According to CIA in July, 2006, the population of islands made 2967 people (basically the British). The islands are in a southern part of Atlantic Ocean, to the east from the western coast of Argentina. Seismological researches have found out almost 60 billion barrels of oil in the Falkland shelf. However, in 1998 as a result of joint researches Shell and Amerada Hess (now - Hess Corporation) have come to conclusion, that this oil is badly suitable for sale.

The manufacture of MG Rover cars has been again renewed after a two-year-old break. However Nanjing Automobile Company - the new owner of the brand - now is collecting the cars not in the Great Britain, but in the east of China.
As one of Nanjing Automobile top-managers has told, the company has started manufacture of cars of MG7 series and MG TF sports car. As he has also said, the cost of machines will make from 23 thousand up to 51 thousand dollars.
The company declares that it is measured to sell cars worldwide. However, the observers consider that China, where demand increases for 10 million cars a year, will become a basic market Nanjing Automobile nevertheless becomes.
How has Rover been removed from the Great Britain?
Till 2000 MG Rover company was included into BMW Concern. However Germans could not rescue the British division, losing the market, and have sold it to Phoenix Venture Holdings for symbolical 10 pounds, having reserved the rights to release cars under Rover and Mini brands.
The new owner was also unable to correct the situation. In the end of March, 2005, MG Rover factory has been closed, Phoenix Venture Holdings has declared bankruptcy, and the court has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers as the external managing director of the company.
By that moment MG Rover has run into 1,4 billion pounds (2,8 billion dollars) creditors dept and has dismissed 5 thousand workers of the basic factory in Birmingham.
PwC has declared the sale of MG Rover. The tender was won by Chinese Nanjing Automobile state company, having offered 87 million dollars for a brand and industrial actives of the company. The manufacture of cars has been transported to China.
Nanjing Automobile plans to make 200 thousand cars a year.
 

Johannes Feldmayer, a member of German Siemens AG board, has been arrested in a Nuremberg on charge in excess of powers within the limits of case on briberies.
Siemens stuff has also confirmed, that the police have made searches at offices of the company in Nuremberg, Munich, and also that consequence on Feldmayer’s case is being preceded; besides Feldmayer is the head of IT-service and constructing technologies departments.
The Public Prosecutor Office suspects, that some Siemens head managers gave a bribe at a rate of hundreds millions euro for reception of contracts.
One month ago the police have already hold searches in some offices of the company, however then it was a question of evasion from payment of taxes. The search was spent at Siemens objects in Munich and Nuremberg. The inspectors were looking for some documentation, concerning several tax payments.
Lately, the Siemens’ widespread application informed, that the German industrial giant renders all-round assistance to consequence. In particular, the copy of the document on results of the internal investigation, lead by the company, has been transferred to Office of Public Prosecutor.
It is also worth of reminding that not so long ago the Concern had to pay the penalty (423 million euro), which has been imposed on the Company by Eurocommission on charge in cartel fraud.
 

The UNO General Secretary Ban Ki-moon has called all the parties to renew negotiations on the Iranian nuclear problem. In the United Nations Secretary’s application it is marked, that he welcomes unanimous acceptance of the United Nations Resolution 1747 and calls Iran to execute all positions of the Resolution. Ban Ki-moon has also expressed confidence that settlement of the Iranian nuclear problem by negotiations would promote strengthening of the international mode of non-distribution of the nuclear weapon, and has stated to hope for renewal of dialogue on this extremely important problem.

The American tires manufacturer Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. plans to sell its EPD Inc. business unit to the Carlyle Group investment company for 1,475 billion dollars. As it has become known such radical Goodyear’s measures are to be held within the limits of the program on the company’s re-structuring policy, which purpose is to focus Goodyear’s activity on manufacture of tires.
Earlier, Goodyear, the largest US tires manufacturer, has already declared about its intention to sell EPD Inc. subdivision in the 1st decade, 2007.
Now the financial business of the American tires manufacturer is far from the in the best positions. So, in 2006 the company has been compelled to borrow almost 1 billion dollars to cope with consequences of the working enterprises strike.
Let’s remind, that on October, 5th, 2006, the workers of 12 Goodyear’s American factories have declared strike. Trade unions did not manage to achieve the adoption of the workers requirements put forward the company’s management. Striking workers have declared, that they will not allow to close factories in the USA and to reduce workplaces. The opposition, which has prolonged contracts with employees for some months, has also caused the increase in charges of the company.
Therefore for increase of profitableness of Goodyear’s business, management considers an opportunity of transferring of a greater part of manufacture to China. Sale of EPD subdivision within the limits of re-structuring will also allow Goodyear to compensate the greater part of its losses.
 

European space concern EADS and the Russian Incorporated Aircraft manufacturing Corporation (IAC) have concluded the agreements defining key parameters of further cooperation. The Russian party possesses 5 percent of the European concern’s shares. The amount of works on designing and manufacture of liner A-350, carried out by the Incorporated Aircraft manufacturing Corporation will be proportional. The total cost of the project makes 10 billion euro.
The Aircraft manufacturing Corporation will also share the risks with other participants of concern. The IAC’s share will remain the same and will make 5 percent. The details, which are planed to be produced in Russia, are being discussed now.
EADS and IAC are measured to establish joint ventures for alteration of passenger planes of family A-320 in cargo in Germany (Dresden) and Russia (Moscow). Russia, being the high-grade partner, is to receive incomes of sales of planes A-350, first of which are to be sold to their customers by 2013.
 

Yesterday in Italy the official solemn actions, devoted to the EU’s 50th anniversary, have been started. On March, 25th celebrating will come to the end with signing of the Berlin declaration which should become original resumes of semicentenial European history in German capital.
Angela Merkel wishes to use the Berlin declaration for the beginning debate about revival of the stopped process on acceptance of the European constitution; however some countries insist, that this question was not mentioned in the document. Let’s remind, that the project of the European constitution has been signed by 25 states - members of EU in October, 2004, however its ratification by all countries of the European Union is necessary for the introduction of the document by virtue. For today the constitution has been approved only by 16 of 27 states.
European Pessimism
The western press has rather originally congratulated EU with its anniversary, having noted, that the Europe now is in a stage of decline. The Financial Times newspaper together with Harris center have carried out the research, the results of which testify to pessimistic moods among Europeans. 44 % of respondents in the Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain consider that the level of their life has gone down after entering the EU. The opposite point of view is supported only with 25 %. However, thus about 40 % of the interrogated have not spoken against a possible secession from the European family.
The idea of reanimation of the European constitution project is approved with 35 % of respondents, 27 % of respondents are against this idea.
 

Google Company tests the new system of context advertising. The New York Times informs that according to the new rules, the advertiser pays only in case that after transition under the advertising reference the user was registered in advertised service, has filled the questionnaire or has bought firm’s production of the.
The present systems pf online-advertising foresee payment of each display of a banner or transition under the reference to a site of the advertiser irrespective of, whether that he has received profit on such advertising. Google will change system of context advertising