Category: News

On Friday, Nokia ended days of teases, officially taking the wraps off the Lumia 928 Windows Phone 8 smartphone. The handset, which will be available exclusively at US mobile operator Verizon, showcases a departure in design from current flagship, Lumia 920, while delivering similar hardware and software specifications.

The Lumia 928 packs a 4.5-inch OLED display with a resolution of 768 by 1280 and 334 pixels per inch, protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass. The screen can be operated using gloves or long fingernails (women should love this). Power comes from a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 processor, 1GB of RAM and a 2000 mAh battery. The 32 GB internal storage is non-expandable.

The smartphone features a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera capable of 720p video recording. On the back there is an 8.7 MP PureView shooter with Carl Zeiss Tessar f/2.0 lens, 1.4 sensor, OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) that is capable of 1080p video recording. The Lumia 928 uses a Xenon flash to take still photos and an LED flash for videos.

Nokia says that users will experience “high-amplitude audio capture” while shooting videos thanks to three built-in microphones, which can “record sound naturally and distortion-free, up to 140db”. The company also touts a better speaker, which is located on the back of the device and delivers sound at “one to two Decibels higher than anything else out there” — so Nokia claims. That should please those listening to music using the built-in speaker in public, while annoying passersby.

Just like Lumia 920, the Lumia 928 ships with built-in Qi wireless charging support and works with Nokia’s current accessories for the job, like the Wireless Charging Pillow by Fatboy (basically a wireless charging plate with a nicely designed fabric cover on top) and the JBL PlayUP speakers (which feature wireless charging support).

In the connectivity department the smartphone delivers support for 4G LTE networks; Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR; microUSB 2.0; A-GPS with Glonass support; NFC (Near Field Communication) and the usual array of sensors including accelerometer, magnetometer and ambient light sensor, among others.

In the software department, Lumia 928 provides access to Nokia’s exclusive app collection for Windows Phone 8, which includes the complete HERE suite (HERE City Lens, HERE Drive+ Beta, HERE Maps and HERE Transit), Nokia Music, Nokia Express, Burton and MICHELIN Travel, among others.

The Lumia 928 measures 5.24 x 2.71 x 0.44 inches and weighs 5.7 ounces (133 x 68.8 x 11.1 mm and 161.59 grams), which means that it is taller, narrower, thicker and lighter than the 920 (130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7 mm and 185 grams). The Lumia 928 still has a generous footprint compared to its older brother.

The Lumia 928 arrives in black or white, starting May 16, on Verizon’s online and brick-and-mortar stores. On a two-year contract, the smartphone runs for $99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. Early adopters, however, “for a limited time”, will receive a $25 credit that can be used to purchase Windows Phone apps and games.

Dennis Rodman says he’s going back to North Korea to have a sit-down with Kim Jong-Un on August 1st because Obama “can’t do s**t”.

The controversial baller has had an open line of communication with Jong-Un for months now and has reached out to him to get a pardon for Korean-American Kenneth Bae, who is serving hard time in North Korea on charges of entering the country under a false identity. Some say North Korea is using Bae as bait in order to get America to open up negotiations regarding their nuclear arms program and are wondering what Rodman’s end goal is.

“I’m not a total idiot. I know what Kim Jong-un is threatening to do regarding his military muscle. I hope it doesn’t happen because America will take whatever actions to protect America and our allies,” Rodman said.

Rodman recently said on camera that he has no faith in the president’s abilities to start negotiations with North Korea, which is why he’s stepping up.

“We got a black president [who] can’t even go talk to [Jong-un] … Obama can’t do s**t, I don’t know why he won’t go talk to him,” he said.

Dennis Rodman BLASTS Barack Obama Over North Korea — ‘He Can’t Do S**t’

The owners of Finnish mobile phone operator DNA and financial adviser UBS have launched a sale of the company which could be worth more than 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion), Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. Swiss bank UBS this week sent out information memorandums to prospective buyers, the people said. The sources declined to be identified because the process is private. One of the people said Swedish buyout firms EQT and Nordic Capital were likely to bid for the number three-ranked operator.

(Reuters) – The owners of Finnish mobile phone operator DNA and financial adviser UBS have launched a sale of the company which could be worth more than 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion), three people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Swiss bank UBS this week sent out information memorandums to prospective buyers, the people said. The sources declined to be identified because the process is private.

One of the people said Swedish buyout firms EQT and Nordic Capital were likely to bid for the number three-ranked operator.

DNA had earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 191 million euros in 2012 on revenues of 769 million. In the first quarter of 2013, revenues were flat versus the same period last year while profits rose.

The Finnish mobile services market is the centre of fierce price competition and DNA’s larger rival Elisa in April reported falling revenue and profit and cut its earnings outlook for 2013.

Sweden’s Teliasonera also saw falling revenue and profit in its Finnish business in the quarter.

Elisa is valued at 6.5 times its EBITDA profit in the 12 months to March this year. Applying the same multiple to DNA would give it an enterprise value of 1.3 billion euros.

DNA is controlled by companies that were previously local phone carriers in Finland. The largest shareholder is Finda Group, which owns close to 33 percent.

One of the people said a listing for up to half of DNA shares on the Helsinki stock exchange, allowing owners to sell part of their holdings and take part in any additional upside to the business, was also an option.

DNA and Finda declined to comment. A UBS spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment. ($1 = 0.7637 euros) (Reporting by Sven Nordenstam; writing by Niklas Pollard; Editing by David Cowell)

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The AFL-CIO, the largest union federation in the U.S., this week released its annual report on worker deaths. The report found that 4,693 U.S. workers died while on the job in 2011, and that an estimated 50,000 die each year from “occupational diseases.”

The report breaks down the demographics of the latest worker death data available. Latino workers were found to have the highest workplace fatality rates, with a rate 14% higher than other workers. North Dakota was also found to be the most dangerous state, with a fatality rate of 12.4 per 100,000 workers.

“In 2013, it is unacceptable that so many hardworking men and women continue to die on the job,” said Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President. “No one should have to sacrifice his or her life or health and safety in order to earn a decent living. Yet, elected leaders, business groups and employers have failed to provide adequate health and safety protections for working families. At the same time, too many politicians and business leaders are actively working to dismantle working people’s right to collectively bargain on the job and speak out against unsafe, unjust working conditions. This is a disgrace to all those who have died. America’s workers deserve better.”

The AFL-CIO’s statement on the report mentioned the recent West Texas fertilizer plant explosion as an example of how, it says, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is underfunded and understaffed. The organization also stated that it believes OSHA penalties are “too low to be taken seriously.”

Windows Phone fans on Verizon were disappointed last year to learn that the Nokia Lumia 920, ‘the” Windows Phone to have, would be exclusive to AT&T. They had to settle for the underpowered Lumia 820 or go with HTC’s 8X line. Good things come to those who wait, however, and that wait will soon be over.

Nokia announced today that its bringing an updated version of the Lumia 920 exclusively to Verizon. The new hardware is called the Lumia 928, and it features a number of new features that may have AT&T subscribers feeling a tinge of jealousy.

The Nokia Lumia 928 comes equipped with a 4.5-inch OLED display with a 1280×768 resolution, 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU, and an 8.7MP camera compete with Xenon flash. It also features the same image stabilization software that made the original Lumia 920 a hit with AT&T subscribers.

“Whether you’re attending a party, a concert or a sporting event with friends, the Nokia Lumia 928 excels at capturing high-quality video, audio and blur-free photos of life’s most share-worthy moments,” said Matt Rothschild, vice president, Nokia North America. “Verizon Wireless customers, we heard you and the wait is over – we’re excited to offer a Nokia flagship smartphone, specially designed and optimized for the nation’s largest 4G LTE network.”

Those looking for a more visual tour of the phone can check out the below video from Nokia:

Bob Geldof’s 8 Miles African private equity fund has made its first investment, backing a start-up company that plans to build commodity exchanges across Africa and improve food security, Reuters reported. The rock star activist’s $200 million fund has joined Morgan Stanley and the International Finance Corporation, in providing a total of $5 million of seed capital in eleni LLC, co-founded by Eleni Gabre-Madhin, the former head of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange.

(Reuters) – Bob Geldof’s 8 Miles African private equity fund has made its first investment, backing a start-up company that plans to build commodity exchanges across Africa and improve food security.

The rock star activist’s $200 million fund has joined Morgan Stanley and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), in providing a total of $5 million of seed capital in eleni LLC, co-founded by Eleni Gabre-Madhin, the former head of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX).

Gabre-Madhin set up Kenya-based eleni in January with the intention of levelling the playing field for African farmers in need of greater price transparency as they contend with powerful and better-informed market participants.

“We have closed (an agreement) this week with the 8 Miles fund,” she told Reuters on Friday at the World Economic Forum on Africa.

Gabre-Madhin aims to challenge the dominance of the world’s commodity markets by exchanges based in developed nations.

“It’s time the world looked to our markets as a reference,” she said. “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have a west African cotton index that the world refers to, or an east African coffee index or African sesame seed index.”

Africa is on the cusp of an agricultural revolution, Gabre-Madhin added, with only a quarter of its yield potential achieved and 70 percent of arable land uncultivated.

To fulfil its potential in agriculture, Africa also needs to have structured trade, she said.

WIDELY PRAISED

Gabre-Madhin was widely praised for her work at ECX, which she co-founded and ran from 2008 to 2012. The exchange handled trades worth about $1.2 billion in 2011/12, with trading volume having risen to 601,000 tons from 138,000 tons in 2008/09.

ECX trades coffee, maize, sesame and white pea beans through an open outcry system.

Nairobi-based eleni aims to design, build and support similar exchanges elsewhere in Africa, Gabre-Madhin said.

“The Ethiopian experience is a scratch on the surface of what we’re going to do with Africa,” she said.

Gabre-Madhin wants to solve the problem of weak markets in African agriculture “by creating markets that take commodities from where they are produced and enable buyers to know how to get their hands on that commodity in a reliable, transparent, efficient way”.

While at ECX, 18 different African governments approached Gabre-Madhin about replicating the Ethiopian model, which she says is a sign of the widespread acknowledgement of the need for commodity exchanges on the continent.

Eleni is looking to launch two exchange projects within six months, she said on Friday, declining to name the countries involved.

Each exchange is expected to cost between $20 million and $30 million and will be financed through a consortium of private investors.

The investments by Morgan Stanley and the IFC were announced in January, but the backing from Geldof’s 8 Miles fund could raise eleni’s profile further as it seeks to raise an additional $200 million for new exchanges over the next three years.

The 8 Miles fund declined to give details on its investment in eleni. (Editing by David Goodman)

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As a senior professional in financial services — an industry with comparatively few women in the executive ranks — I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about why there aren’t more women at the top-most levels of companies. I’ve read the studies and heard the theories that women don’t network well; don’t have the “vision thing”; communicate too passively; don’t ask for bigger jobs and the top clients; and have fewer sponsors who are willing to use political capital to advocate for them the way they do for their male colleagues. There’s a lot of agreement and repetition when talking about the problem. It’s when discussing solutions that things get quieter.

As a mother watching her 18-year old college freshman daughter contemplate her summer job options and future career, I want her to be exposed to success stories — not to what women lack or haven’t done or can’t do — because I know these successes exist and we need to share more of them. If young women everywhere went into the workforce steeped not only in the message that “you can’t have it all” and inundated not only with data on the lack of senior women, but armed instead with all the accumulated advice and wisdom of experienced women who have thrived in and enjoyed their careers, then they — and the organizations they’re joining — would be much better served.

Here is the advice I’ll give my daughter — and all young women like her eagerly anticipating building a career — as she starts to make decisions about her life. These are some truths that I know now, twenty-plus years into my career, but wish someone had told me earlier. And though I didn’t always follow these guidelines, my career has been more successful — and I got to where I am today — because of them. Maybe my daughter will embody these early on and be ahead of the game.