Automation cluster presentation in Barcelona
On Tuesday, some of the most important companies in Catalonia’s automation sector gave their explicit support to the creation of an automation cluster.
The development of a car and motorbike cluster wants to foster business, innovation, training and sustainability.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Apple has raised $17bn via a bond sale, the biggest ever by a non-banking company, to help fund its plan for extra payouts to shareholders.
Last week, it said it will buy back $60bn in shares, and raise its dividend to shareholders by 15%.
PC shop in China
According to market data report made by IHS, China has overtaken the United States in 2012 as the world‘s biggest market for personal computers.
Research by the consultants IHS said PC shipments to the country rose to 69 million units in 2012.
The Celler de Can Roca cooking team
Catalan cuisine again tops the world’s best restaurant ranking.
The ‘Restaurant’ magazine has awarded the title of being the best restaurant in the entire world to a Catalan restaurant again: El Celler de Can Roca, located in Girona, near the Costa Brava.
Weibo, Chinese Twitter
Alibaba, China‘s biggest e-commerce group, has bought an 18% stake in Weibo, China’s largest Twitter-like service, as it looks to tap into the fast-growing social media sector.
Alibaba will pay $586m for the stake, valuing Weibo at over $3.2bn.
Enrico Letta, Prime Minister of Italy
A new Italian government has been sworn in today at the presidential Quirinale Palace in Rome.
Enrico Letta, deputy leader at the Democratic Party, becomes Prime Minister at the head of a “grand coalition” including Silvio Berlusconi‘s People of Freedom party.
Luis De Guindos, Economy Minister of Spain
Spain‘s government has revised down its forecast for the Spanish economy this year, it argued the level of contraction is likely to be worse than previously predicted.
Government of Spain now expects the economy to contract by 1.3% in 2013, compared with its earlier estimate of 0.5% down.
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
An Ethiopian Airlines 787 Dreamliner is due to take off from Addis Ababa tomorrow morning, the first commercial flight by the Boeing aircraft since all 787s were grounded in January.
The 50 planes around the world were grounded due to battery malfunctions that saw one 787 catch fire in the United States.
Spanish public employment office
According to official figures, Spain‘s unemployment rate soared to a new record of 27.2% of the workforce in the first quarter of 2013.
The total number of unemployed people in Spain has now passed the six million figure, although the rate of the increase has slowed.
South Korean exports
South Korea‘s growth rate hit a two-year high in the first three months of the year, boosted by a rebound in construction, investment and exports.
According to the central bank of South Korea, the economy grew by 0.9% in the January to March quarter from the previous three months.
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