[Graphic News] Apple, Google, Coca-Cola top list of most valuable brands

Apple, Google and The Coca-Cola Co. topped the list of the world’s 100 most valuable brands in 2016, while technology and automotive brands dominated overall rankings, according to a report by brand consultancy firm Interbrand.Microsoft, Toyota Motor, IBM, Samsung Electronics, Amazon.com, Mercedes-Benz and General Electric were also among the top 10, according to Interbrand’s 2016 Best Global Brands report. Social network Facebook, e-commerce giant Amazon.com and toy company Lego were the top gr

World NewsOct. 13, 2016

[Graphic News] The 2016 electoral map is rapidly slipping away from Trump

According to the Fix’s electoral vote tracker -- an amazing tool that marries Real Clear Politics polling averages in swing states with the electoral map -- if the election were held today, Hillary Clinton would win 341 electoral votes to Donald Trump’s 197.Those totals reflect the fact that Trump’s always-narrow path to 270 electoral votes has become a footpath — at best — over the past two weeks or so, dating back to the first presidential debate Sept. 26. Trump has been battered over that tim

World NewsOct. 12, 2016

[Graphic News] Asia’s access to electricity

Around the world, 1.3 billion people lack access to electricity, with more than 526 million of them in Asia, according to data collected by the International Energy Agency, a global energy watchdog. India has the largest population lacking access to electricity -- a staggering 237 million people -- while the corresponding figures for Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia are 60 million, 50 million and 49 million people, respectively. Meanwhile, Myanmar and Philippines are also faced with the challe

World NewsOct. 11, 2016

[Graphic News] High disparity in Asia’s broadband connectivity

There is a high disparity in the broadband connectivity in Asia-Pacific, a digital divide that remains to be one of the largest in the world, according to data compiled by the Asia News Network.Data showed that South Korea has a subscriber base of 40 percent, while Myanmar only has 0.3 percent subscribers. This means that South Korea has 40.2 subscribers per 100 inhabitants.Aside from South Korea, high-income countries like Hong Kong (31.2), Japan (30.5), Singapore (26.5), and China (18.6) also

World NewsOct. 10, 2016

[Graphic News] Ramen exports to reach all-time high

With popularity of South Korean-made ramyeon continuing to rise, the amount of ramyeon exports is expected to reach an all-time high, the Korea Customs Service said.From January to August this year, the export amount of ramyeon reached $175 million this year, marking a 26.5 percent hike from the same period last year.At this rate, the total amount by the year’s end is expected to reach about $263 million. Of this year’s total so far, $27,000 worth of exports were made via e-commerce, marking a w

IndustryOct. 9, 2016

[Graphic News] 10 countries host half world‘s refugees: Amnesty International

Ten countries accounting for 2.5 percent of world gross domestic product host more than half the world‘s refugees, Amnesty International said Tuesday, as it slammed what it called the selfishness of wealthy nations.In a report on the plight faced by the world’s 21 million refugees, the London-based human rights body lamented that countries immediately neighboring crisis zones bear the brunt of the global refugee problem.Some 56 percent of refugees are sheltered in 10 countries, according to the

World NewsOct. 6, 2016

[Graphic News] IMF holds Korea’s growth outlook steady at 2.7% for 2016

The International Monetary Fund kept its economic growth forecast for South Korea this year and next year unchanged in its latest quarterly economic outlook, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.The agency earlier anticipated that Asia’s fourth-largest economy will expand 2.7 percent in 2016 and 3 percent in 2017. It left those rates unchanged in its latest World Economic Outlook released globally.The IMF forecast is slightly lower than the South Korean government’s growth target of 2.8 percent.

World BusinessOct. 5, 2016

[Graphic News] Maternity leave usage highest among teachers, civil servants

About 76 percent of government workers and teachers at public schools who become pregnant use state-provided maternity leave system.The rate is more than double the usage of women working at private companies, a report by a state-funded research institute found.According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, workers at institutes that were either state-funded or have received government investments followed at 66.7 percent, while take-up among women at private companies lingered

Social AffairsOct. 4, 2016

[Graphic News] Europe’s comet probe Rosetta ends 12-year mission

After 12 years of hurtling through space in pursuit of a comet, the Rosetta probe ended its mission Friday with a slow-motion crash onto the icy surface of the alien world it was sent out to study.Mission controllers lost contact with the probe, as expected, after it hit the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Friday, the European Space Agency said.ESA chief Jan Woerner called the $1.57 billion mission a success. Aside from sending a lander onto the surface of comet 67P in November 201

World NewsOct. 3, 2016

[Graphic News] Korea’s childbirths and marriages drop in July

South Korea saw a steep drop in the number of childbirths in July, amid rising concerns over the fast aging society, data showed Wednesday.About 33,900 babies were born here in July, a 7.4 percent on-year decrease from 36,600 last year. It was the biggest drop since November 2013 when there was a 12.3 percent on-year fall in the number of childbirths, according to data from Statistics Korea. Meanwhile, the number of marriages in July was 21,200, marking a 10.2 percent on-year decrease and a 10-m

IndustrySept. 29, 2016

[Graphic News] 7 in 10 small businesses fail to survive past 5 years

Seven in 10 small businesses in Korea failed to survive past five years, government data showed Wednesday.Among small-scale enterprises that opened in 2008, only 29 percent remained in business in 2012, according to a report that the Small and Medium Business Administration submitted to lawmaker Lee Che-ik. It also showed that the finance and insurance sectors were the toughest for small businesses, with only 45.7 percent of them remaining open after a year.“The figure indicates how difficult co

Sept. 28, 2016