International Business Times

IEA Lowers Forecast For Oil Demand For Third Consecutive Month Due To Weakest European Activity Since 1980s

msingleton — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:53:58 +0000

Weak demand for crude oil and pessimism about the global economic outlook caused the International Energy Agency (IEA) to reduce its forecasts for global oil demand in 2013 for a third consecutive month.

The IEA released its April Oil Market Report (OMR) on Thursday. The report highlighted the significant supply risks that continue to threaten the market. It cut expectations for oil demand growth to 795,000 barrels a day from the previous forecast of 820,000 barrels a day that was made last month.

GM South Africa Expects A 20% Boom In Its Chevy and Isuzu Car Sales In The Next Two Years, Mostly In North Africa And South Africa Markets

msingleton — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:58:16 +0000

General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) is betting that its next big international markets will be populous urban centers in Africa. The U.S. car giant sold 180,000 vehicles on the continent in 2012, giving it a 10 percent market share, just behind Toyota, which sold 237,000. The GM South Africa subsidiary (GMSA) anticipates hitting the 2 million-car sales mark sometime in the next two years as the growing middle classes in North Africa and South Africa trade up from motorbikes and jalopies to brand-new vehicles.

Dubai Police Add $450,000 Lamborghini Aventador To Fleet Of Vehicles [PHOTO]

Cvand003 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:53:36 +0000

Photo: Dubai Police Department Dubai Police Department adds £360,000 Lamborghini Aventador to fleet

World's Most Expensive Home On Sale In Singapore For $242 Million, Cheng Wai Keung May Aim To Sell To A Developer

Cvand003 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:58:08 +0000

A property in Singapore just now hitting the market has set a record for the most expensive piece of real estate in the world. Priced at $242 million, the two-story home, which boasts a swimming pool and tennis court, is located on an elevated 85,000-square-foot lot at 33 Nassim Road, near the city’s Botanic Gardens.

4 Japanese Automakers, Chrysler Recall Nearly 3.7 Million Vehicles Globally

JR Tungol — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:56:35 +0000

Four Japanese automakers -- Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda -- are recalling a total of 3.4 million automobiles, owing to faulty airbags supplied by Tokyo-based car supplier Takata Corp., the second largest manufacturer of seatbelts and airbags, making this its biggest airbag recall ever.

China's One-Child Policy Backfires For Entrepreneurs

s.song — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:53:24 +0000

The original story appeared in Huxiu.com; Translated by Sophie Song.

Inheritance of family-owned businesses has become an issue on the minds of many entrepreneurs in China, so it's not surprising that it received plenty of attention at the 2013 Boao Forum for Asia on April 8.

Choosing a successor within the family is the norm in China. According to a survey by Forbes China, 65.8 percent of business owners in the country hope for a second-generation family member to take control of the business.

'Playboy' Bunny House Listed For $11 Million, Featured On 'Girls Next Door' [PHOTOS]

Zoe Mintz — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:15:26 +0000

The Playboy Bunnies might need to pack their bags.

The 6,690-square-foot home that sits across the street from Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion in the posh Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles is for sale and listed at $11 million, TMZ reports.

The house has five bedrooms, 6.5 baths and sits on 1.3 acres of land. A defining feature is the backyard's whale-shaped pool, grotto and retro 1960s furnishings. The house was also featured on the hit reality show "The Girls Next Door."

The Internet Is Killing Bookstores -- In China Too

s.song — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:01:52 +0000

In China, as in the rest of the world, increasing numbers of people are purchasing books online or in e-book format for their handheld devices. Many bookstores have become vestigial attachments to cafes and fast-food restaurants, and the physical spaces of Internet booksellers such as Amazon China, Dangdang.com and used-book retailer kongfz.com tend to be wedged into corners.

Birth Control Recall: Canada Recalls Placebo Alysena-28 Pills; List of Retail Provinces In Canada That Recalled Contraceptive Alysena-28

Rebecka Schumann — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:20:51 +0000

Health Canada issued an urgent recall of the birth control pill Alysena-28 on Monday because packages of the contraceptives could contain up to two weeks of placebo sugar pills instead of one, which could result in unplanned pregnancies for those who take the pills.

Daydreaming While Driving 5 Times More Dangerous Than Texting, Study Says

Thomas Barrabi — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:02:30 +0000

Texting while driving may be dangerous, but it pales in comparison to the dangers of daydreaming while behind the wheel, a new study says.

According to new research by the Erie Insurance Group, daydreaming drivers are five times more likely to suffer a deadly car crash than those who were focused on an electronic device.

“The results were disturbing,” Erie Senior Vice President Doug Smith told NBC News.