BP drags FTSE lower, Greek uncertainty weighs

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BP drags FTSE lower, Greek uncertainty weighs

LONDON | Fri Jan 27, 2012 7:50am EST

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s FTSE 100 edged down Friday, with investors disappointed by the lack of a deal on Greek debt and heavyweight BP (BP.L) hit by prospects of a bigger clean up bill for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Investors were reluctant to take on fresh bets on the index — which is still up 0.7 percent for the week and 3.6 percent since the start of the year — until Greece reaches a deal with its creditors.

Without a deal, Greece could be heading for a disorderly default, with potentially glum consequences for the euro zone — and thus for Britain, for whom the bloc is the biggest trading partner.

Euro zone finance officials voiced optimism Friday that a deal was imminent but markets — which had hoped for an agreement earlier in the week — remained a little skeptical.

“Because (a solution) hasn’t materialized it seems to be weighing down the market. the stocks that have gained have started to come off, the mining sector and the banking sector have led the way down this morning,” said Martin Dobson, head of trading at Westhouse Securities.

Miners lost 0.7 percent .FTNMX1770 after a 4 percent surge the previous session, which was fuelled by solid production reports and hopes of stronger demand from the United States.

Further clues on the health of the world’s largest economy — and thus likely demand for metals and other natural resources — will come with the release of U.S. growth figures, out at 1330 GMT.

Economists estimate GDP grew at a 3.0 percent annual pace in the October-December period, according to the median forecast in a Reuters poll. That would be a step-up from the third quarter’s 1.8 percent rate and it would be the quickest pace since the second quarter of 2010.

Defensive tobacco and pharmaceutical stocks, which tend to enjoy strong demand regardless of the macroeconomic backdrop, performed relatively well, led by Imperial Tobacco (IMT.L), the top blue-chip riser.

Comments from Citigroup helped support the cigarette maker, which rose 1.7 percent, with the bank lifting its target price on the stock to 2,570 pence from 2,550, as it repeated its “buy” rating, saying recent share price weakness has been overdone.

Technical analysts at SEB said the FTSE — which closed at 5,795.20 Thursday after briefly rising above 5,800 for the first time in six months in intraday trading — was now in a sideways trading phase.

“There are however yet no signs of weakness visible so a neutral view is still advocated,” they added. “Brave ones could try a small short position with a stop above 5,900.”

(Additional reporting by Tricia Wright; Editing by Jodie Ginsberg)

BP drags FTSE lower, Greek uncertainty weighs

Swiss Re Report Examines Insurance Role in Earthquake Disasters

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Swiss Re Report Examines Insurance Role in Earthquake Disasters

Swiss Re’s new report – “Lessons from recent major earthquakes,” focuses on the most recent series of devastating quakes, which have caused extensive loss of life and injuries, along with widespread property damage, over the past two years. the report characterizes the cumulative catastrophic impact of earthquakes on society as “overwhelming.”

They are also very costly. Swiss Re notes that “seismic events caused economic losses of over $276 billion in 2010 – 2011. however, the report also points out that “highly earthquake-prone countries remain underinsured.”

Lucia Bevere, Senior Catastrophe Data Analyst at Swiss Re Economic Research & Consulting and co-author of the publication, stated: “the insurance industry is playing a key role in post-disaster financing of the countries affected. While insurance cannot replace lost lives and livelihoods, appropriate insurance and other risk transfer mechanisms can greatly accelerate the recovery process.”

However, the insurance industry’s contribution to the reconstruction effort differs dramatically from country to country. as an example Swiss Re notes that the “insurance industry will pay an estimated 80 percent of the overall cost of the February 2011 earthquake in New Zealand, but no more than 17 percent for the disastrous event in Japan in March 2011.” Earthquake insurance penetration, in fact, is highest in New Zealand, but it is very low in Japan, particularly for commercial properties.

In addition the report highlights the fact that “overall, earthquake insurance coverage is still quite low, even in some industrialized countries with high seismic risk. Low insurance penetration attests to a population’s low perception of risk.”

Bevere explained that the “low frequency of earthquake events, compared to other natural catastrophes, tends to shape the perception that earthquake risk is much lower than it actually is, even in places where there have been very deadly and damaging occurrences, like  California.”

If there’s insufficient coverage, “post-disaster reparations come from government funds and ultimately must be borne by taxpayers.”

The most recent earthquakes have enhanced the need for more accurate underwriting. Swiss Re noted that earthquake models are generally quite accurate in predicting the immediate physical damage caused by tremors.

However, Balz Grollimund, Head of Earthquake Perils at Swiss Re and co-author of the study, pointed out that “secondary loss factors, such as liquefaction and particularly business interruption, add to the complexity of claims assessments for major earthquakes. these factors should be considered more comprehensively in earthquake models.”

Swiss Re Report Examines Insurance Role in Earthquake Disasters

Live Chat with Shark Tank’s Daymond John

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Live Chat with Shark Tanks Daymond John

Finding the right investors for your business is one of the most important decisions you will make as an entrepreneur. in a lackluster economy, it is even more important to hone your pitching skills and stand out from the competition for funding.

To help you capture the attention of potential investors, we invited one of the "sharks" from ABC’s reality TV show "Shark Tank" to take your questions live in an exclusive online chat. the popular show, whose third season premiere air is Jan. 20, spotlights entrepreneurs as they pitch five investors — the "sharks" — to secure funding in exchange for a piece of their company.

Daymond John is an investor, entrepreneur, and one of the stars of ABC's "Shark Tank. Photo Courtesy of ABC

Joining us on the day of the season premiere was Daymond John, entrepreneur, investor — and, of course, one of the stars of "Shark Tank." He first became known for his hugely successful FUBU clothing line. He has since launched a multitude of successful business ventures and authored two business books, one focused squarely on branding.

In a one-hour interactive discussion, John answered your most pressing questions in our live chat about pitching investors — and he shared his most memorable experiences from the show. the event happened earlier today. in case you missed it, you can watch it now in its entirety, by clicking on the button at the top.

Live Chat with Shark Tank’s Daymond John

188 Stage Hero’s Journey – Hero’s Allies, First Threshold Trial

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188 Stage Heros Journey Heros Allies, First Threshold Trial

Kal Bishop’s 188 stage Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. in fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188+ stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY

TRANSFORMATION

Every Hero goes on a Physical Journey, the function of which is to stimulate a Psychological Transformation. it is the undergoing of the Journey that gives the Hero the capacity to conquer those challenges that were previously unconquerable.

In the beginning of the Journey the Hero is an Ordinary Self and at the end of it a New Self. The New Self is demonstrated by a change in attitudes, norms, values, behaviour and clothing. in the beginning the Hero is dressed in one way and at the end another.

In Dances with Wolves (1990), John Dunbar starts the story dressed as a soldier and ends it dressed as an Indian.

In Educating Rita (1983), Rita starts off as a hairdresser and ends up a student.

In Erin Brockovich (2000), Erin starts off as a poor, single Mom and ends up a wealthy, respected lawyer.

Go to heros-journey.info/ for the complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey.

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

*****Hero’s Allies*****

The Hero often has Allies in his Ordinary World that will accompany him on his Journey (often these are developed or more are encountered in the first Threshold). in Lord of the Rings (2001), Frodo has Sam and Pippin et al. it is these Allies’ Challenges that form the basis of the subplot.

*****First Threshold Trial*****

Past the Fish out of Water stage, the Hero always undergoes a Trial in the Outer Cave of the first Threshold, in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Clyde gets the groceries at gunpoint.

188 Stage Hero’s Journey – Hero’s Allies, First Threshold Trial

Networked Politics » Blog Archive » Can All Metallic Buildings Stand up to An Earthquake?

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Networked Politics » Blog Archive » Can All Metallic Buildings Stand up to An Earthquake?

In sure areas of the world, it is essential to build structures to resist the massive shock and damage associated with earthquakes. Sadly, science has not yet developed an early warning system that can give quick discover when an earthquake is imminent. thus, we are fully at nature’s mercy to survive an earthquake, and buildings should be constructed to resist an earthquake at any time.

Much research and research has been dedicated to studying which types of structures fare best in an earthquake. Typically talking the consensus is that metallic buildings fare higher than concrete.

However, one might ask: does this imply that each one metallic buildings can stand up to an earthquake?

The reply is no. Simply because a building is metal does not imply it’ll automatically do nicely in an earthquake.

Metallic buildings are more likely to survive earthquakes as a result of they are more ductile -they’ll bend and flex without breaking. This characteristic is essential in a critical earthquake.

The most typical kind of steel used to build earthquake-protected buildings is steel rebar. Steel rebar has the ductility that’s critical to absorbing earthquake and is very robust, making it one of the best and handiest option for building in an earthquake zone.

Metal rebar has proven to be an excellent constructing material that may face up to earthquakes, but it isn’t fool-proof in and of itself. it should be utilized with the correct engineering and architectural rules to maximise its effectiveness.

If you are contemplating using metal rebar to build an earthquake-resistant structure, be absolutely certain your plans and methods are correct, or hire a builder who is accustomed to such structures.

Different sorts of steel buildings are far much less immune to earthquakes, and may be fairly unsafe in earthquake-prone areas. many metallic modular homes will not be constructed to resist the great shock of an earthquake. all these buildings could be very unsafe in an earthquake zone. also, sheet metallic buildings are very fragile and highly likely to collapse throughout an earthquake.

Consultants do not suggest both of these types of structures to be positioned in an earthquake zone. Some zoning legal guidelines forbid them altogether.

Another essential issue that influences whether a building will survive an earthquake is the distribution of weight. a constructing that is high-heavy is more prone to fall than a building that’s light-weight on the top. An earthquake-safe constructing not only needs to be constructed with steel rebar. it ought to be framed with lighter materials in the higher floors and have a heavily reinforced lower section.

A very powerful lesson to be taught from this discussion is that just because a constructing is made of metallic does not necessarily mean it’s earthquake proof. To be totally earthquake proof, a constructing needs to be constructed with the proper materials (like steel rebar) and be constructed in response to the correct standards.

If you’re constructing an industrial facility, you owe it to yourself, your prospects, and anyone who uses the building to make use of one of the best materials and strategies available to you. You need to get the most out of your investment, so give it the eye it merits.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 at 10:57 am and is filed under Blogroll. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Networked Politics » Blog Archive » Can All Metallic Buildings Stand up to An Earthquake?

Why Resist Change, When It Is Inevitable

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Why Resist Change, When It Is Inevitable

Change can either challenge or threaten us.Your beliefs pave your way to success or block you. – Marsha Sinetar.

Indeed, change is seldom a welcome proposition. U.S. radical activist, Saul Alinsky, hit the nail on the head, when he said – Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict. This is particularly true in context of an organization. yet, more often than not, organizational change initiatives are met with apprehension and resistance.

Hence, a large part of effective change management depends on how well people reactions to change are managed. as the driving force of the organisation, the CEO plays a significant role here – not only in visualizing a change, but also in preparing his people to embrace that change. His initiatives can go a long way to ensure that the change process not only helps the organisation to evolve but also enables its people to enrich and expand their frontiers of thinking.

There are two ways of going about a change process. you visualize and decide upon a change, you delegate the work it calls upon to your subordinates, they follow your dictates and the change is accomplished. OR you visualize a change, you carry people along in your vision and make them part of the thought process, you open their eyes to a whole new world of possibilities and then encourage them to ideate ways of engineering the change. in the second option, not only have you minimized the possibilities of resistance, but at the end of the day, you also have a people strength that is more involved, more satisfied and more capable of steering such change in future. The trick lies not in filling an empty bucket with water but in genuinely lighting a spark. and that is where the CEO can make a difference.

Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. to the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. to the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. to the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better. ” – King Whitney, Jr.

Any change initiative can give rise to a gamut of reactions from resistance to disinterestedness to willingness to accept the change. Creation of a potentially better work environment, the thrill of being able to participate in something different and an expansion of the current set of opportunities can all aid in creating a positive response towards change. But the most common response to change, which is also the most harmful response, is that of resistance.

One of the causes of resistance lies in a very basic psychological fact. an external change demands an internal change, and while most of us can understand that in a world of uncertainty change is irrepressible, most of us hate to change our own selves to be able to respond to the change in circumstances.

Human beings have an immense capacity for perception and sensitivity. think about it, you can smell a few drops of perfume across the entire house, you can feel that mosquito on you when it’s still some distance away, and you can gauge emotions without words. then why do we block our sensitivity and perception when it comes to accepting change. why can’t we see beyond boundaries and discern possibilities that most often, are meant to unlock the best in us? why do we resist change intrinsically?

The reason could be that while change is inevitable, it is not always a conscious decision. hence, while some may choose to be active participants in the change process, many may not. This concept is beautifully explained by Scott J. Simmerman’s Teaching the Caterpillar to fly. Widely regarded as a useful management tool, Dr. Simmerman’s initiative explains that while all caterpillars eventually turn into butterflies, much more radiant and beautiful than in their evolutionary phases, most are unaware of the coming change and he imagines, could be resistant too. Similarly, most people have a lot of latent potential that can propel them to take charge of a higher situation. But many may not be aware of the potential they possess. hence, they are apprehensive of a change, which paradoxically may just bring out the best in them

To understand another aspect of resistance to Change, consider these lines by Ted Forbes, The Darden School of Business:

In the Change from being a caterpillar to becoming a butterfly, you’re nothing more than a yellow, gooey sticky mess.

The words are suffused with deep meaning and they open the door to another probable reason why we resist Change – because we hate the discomfort of the transition process.

In the foreseeable future, change can also come as an end to a familiar way of operating. This gives rise to feelings of insecurity, apprehension, lack of trust in the management etc. These, in turn, induce the employees to resist change and reinforce the current situation. Visible changes such as absenteeism or stretching oneself abnormally may occur. While the former occurs as a reaction to seeing older colleagues quit in the face of a change, the latter results from an urgency to prove oneself in the given situation. Both ways, it shows how individuals become vulnerable in an atmosphere of change. People may draw away from each other and become self defensive and protective, all this stemming from a feeling of insecurity, and directed towards retaining their own jobs. A sudden change situation may also see a loss of important workers and hence may result in critical vacancies that need to be filled up as soon as possible, to ensure smooth running of business. already existing grudges regarding unfair pay, overload of work or bad working relationships can lead to a stressful change environment, compounding negative attitudes of resistance to change.

When a change is announced, employees are generally seen to go through a phase of non acceptance or shock. they may become concerned about their jobs, expectations, hours of work, pay etc. Gradually, as the change sets in, there is a feeling of anger, resentment or sadness – an environment that is often heavily detrimental productivity and efficiency. However, once the change becomes part of the system over a period of time, most people learn to accept and adapt themselves to the changed circumstances, but for those who still can’t, a one-to-one interaction with the manager or a mentoring session may help.

Some research results in the area indicate that resistance to organisational Change initiatives can manifest itself in several forms from passivity or indifference to non cooperation in revealing information crucial to data collection phase of the Change process to strikes or violence. in order to effectively handle such reactions, it is also important to understand whether the mass of people is resistant to the type of Change being introduced or whether they are reacting against the way in which the Change is being introduced. Understanding this enables the Change agent to deal with the resistance accordingly.

Why Resist Change, When It Is Inevitable

Children’s Books Are Very Entertaining

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Childrens Books Are Very Entertaining

Children’s books are fun to read. Whether you’re a child or all grown up, they are always fun to read. Most children’s books have this innocent and fun nature that reminds you of your childhood and makes you happy. you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy them. They are also written in a very easy to understand manner using simple English to make sure that kids enjoy reading them.

Children’s books have various characters and styles. some of them have regular people and some have animals which are anthropomorphized (made human like) and talk to each other just like humans. the most popular books belong to the fantasy genre, books like Harry Potter, Eragon etc. come under this category. There are many more different genres and categories in children’s books.

The best way to classify children’s books is according to the age group. Books are written for kids of different age groups. you have really simple easy to read tiny picture books for young children, while you have longer more challenging books for older kids. Below is a list of different types of books kids can read:-

Children’s Picture Books:

These books are generally for children who are in the age group between 0 and 7. These books contain a lot of pictures and very few words. Most of them have less than 100 words. the books for really young kids have very few words as they cannot read at that age, but as they grow older the number of words keeps increasing. the difficulty level of the writing also goes up to give children a challenge.

Some of them are written using rhyming prose and poetry to make the writing more entertaining and fun. An example of a great children’s book is the Gruffalo. this book is a picture book written for young kids. It has a lot of pictures and the story is described using easy to ready rhyming verse which makes it interesting to read for really young kids.

You don’t have to be a child to enjoy these books as I have met hundreds of adults who enjoy reading picture books.

Chapter books and novels for children:

As Children get older they will want to read books that have more words in them. this is a good thing as it will help improve their reading and writing skills.

A good thing would be to get them started on chapter books which are books which have about 3,000 to 10,000 words. after they start reading and enjoying chapter books you can get them to read easy to read books like Chronicles of Narnia Series and Charlotte’s Web. These books are really fun to read. you could also get them to read books like Harry Potter and other Fantasy Novels.

Children’s Books Are Very Entertaining

Who Is Batman? The Mythology of the Dark Knight

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Who Is Batman? The Mythology of the Dark Knight

In this article we are going to discuss a superhero that is known as batman. Batman is a fictional comic book superhero created by Bob Kane and Bill finger. Batman was first introduced to the world in 1939. Batman has several nicknames including the batman, the caped crusader, the world’s best detective and The dark Knight.

The origin story of the dark knight is that young Bruce Wayne’s parents get murdered and he then seeks revenge on the criminal underworld. Bruce Wayne is the alter ego of the bat-man and has to live the life of a billionaire playboy at day and caped crusader at night.

Bruce Wayne has to first train himself physically and mentally before he becomes a superhero and although it’s not known how long he trains for many people believe it to be around 15 years. in this time Bruce trains in multiple martial art disciplines.

When Bruce returns to Gotham city he sees that it’s in ruins and decides to dress up as a bat to instill fear on those who prey on the fearful.

What makes batman so well liked in popular culture is that he is relate-able. Even though his parents were killed and he’s a billionaire he still struggles with every day issues like you or I. Batman also has an impressive list of villains which include:

The Ridler
The Joker
Catwoman
Penguin
Two Face

Batman has many other super villains however in my opinion the ones listed above are the favourite among fans.

The caped crusader has had many outings on the big screen and has had many big Hollywood actors portraying him; actors such as Val Kilmer, Michael Keaton, George Clooney and more recently Christian Bale have all donned the suit to play the dark knight.

Who Is Batman? The Mythology of the Dark Knight

How to change your view of Africa

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I once had coffee in Cape Town with a Cameroonian named Ntone Edjabe. He ran an English-language journal called Chimurenga, but what I remembered from our chat were his vignettes of Lagos (where he’d studied) and Johannesburg (where he went next). In Lagos, he said, you’d be driving down the highway and suddenly see a guy selling cars on the highway. Lagos was crazy, and yet it felt entirely safe. whereas Johannesburg seemed sane, but never felt safe.

bb17c712 4715 11e1 b646 00144feabdc0 How to change your view of Africa

I sent Edjabe some articles, but otherwise forgot about Chimurenga until a recent issue arrived in the mail. (Declaration of interest: I’m proud to say I have an article in it.) I read it and was staggered. I’d always thought the zenith of journalism was the New Yorker, but in parts, Chimurenga is better.

It’s also more surprising: I love well-off media types from New York or London, but by now we do tend to know how they think. By contrast, reading Chimurenga you keep thinking, “Who knew?” who knew that (as one article recounts) Bloemfontein has a literary scene of authors and critics writing for no money, guided by a Nigerian immigrant, and headquartered in an Afrikaans literature museum? Chimurenga changes your view of Africa, and of journalism.

Edjabe arrived in South Africa in 1993, instantly had his passport and money stolen, but stayed. He worked as a disc jockey, music writer and basketball coach, and in March 2002 he produced Chimurenga – the Zimbabwean Shona word for “revolutionary struggle”.

On a Skype call, puffing on cigarettes, he recalls, “I printed 1,000 copies, which I carried around in my bag. I sold it mainly to friends.” He had intended Chimurenga as a one-off, but it grew into a journal, written mostly by people he knew. He says, “I found out later that this is how most journals actually begin. at the time I thought it was unique.”

His idea was to get Africans to write about Africa as they saw it. That is unexpectedly tricky. often, African writers and journalists take their lead from depictions of Africa by white foreigners. Edjabe says, “Whatever was considered an important book had to be validated first by the Guardian.”

Yet Chimurenga isn’t particularly anti-colonial. That time has passed. Edjabe says, “You are not writing about the white man. That’s not the person you grew up with. This is not the person I have a beef with. the guy I have a beef with is the shebeen owner.” and so he has found African writers, Francophone and Anglophone, still living in Africa, who write mostly about a lower-middle-class Africa that almost never gets described: for instance, the decaying Nairobi neighbourhood that in Billy Kahora’s account turns into a metaphor for modern Kenya.

Sometimes Chimurenga dips to the bottom. Michael Abrahams – a one-time teenage gangster turned lumpen intellectual – recounts his brutal incarceration in a Cape mental hospital after he attempted suicide. Sean O’Toole accompanies a Zimbabwean immigrant sneaking into South Africa, while they discuss Hustler magazine. much of the writing is excellent. “As a 10-year-old girl, I liked reading obituaries…” is Lola Shoneyin’s opening line. some is mediocre. Edjabe gives writers space, and not all can handle it.

But none depicts Africa the standard way. “How does one ensure one’s dutifully collected shelf of African books is not … replete with child soldiers, AK47s and rapists?” asks Jeremy Weate in the books section. Well, write like Chimurenga is the answer.

“Pan-African” is a dead political cliché, but Chimurenga is genuinely pan-African. it doesn’t pretend that all Africans love each other. In fact, the current issue purports to be an edition of a fictional newspaper called the Chronic for may 18-24, 2008: the period of South Africa’s pogroms. it describes the horrors, sometimes from very close: “First, when being assaulted with rocks, the quicker you prostrate yourself, the better.”

Yet pan-Africanism exists in practice. In South Africa’s townships, it’s everything from binational sex to Somali traders selling Chimurenga. Edjabe says, “That’s what makes the xenophobic attacks of 2008 very complicated: someone who has lived with Mozambicans, and loved Mozambicans for 30 years, and then tries to chop their heads off – it is more complex than racial hatred.”

Chimurenga is rising. Edjabe says, “We have readers who are long-term prisoners at Pretoria Central Prison, who have subscriptions that they get to us in coins, and readers who are successful businessmen.” and there are readers in the west. the Dutch Prince Claus Fund recently gave Chimurenga a prize. But those of us eager to cheer anything produced by black Africans should remember the warning given to budding Bloemfontein writers: never dare assume “that being black is a sufficient and remarkable condition for art”.

Perhaps Chimurenga is art, or else it’s just as good. like the new French magazine XXI, Edjabe has found something that print does better than the internet: long-form journalism. it makes you almost proud to be a journalist.

How to change your view of Africa

AFP: Japan's Honda production down 20% in 2011

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AFP: Japan's Honda production down 20% in 2011Japan's Honda production down 20% in 2011

(AFP)–14 hours ago 

TOKYO — Japan’s Honda Motor, the country’s third-biggest carmaker, suffered a 20 percent plunge in its global production last year, it said Friday.

Honda made 2.91 million vehicles not including motorbikes in 2011, it said, down 20.2 percent as auto manufacturers struggled with natural disasters, a rising yen and the European economic slowdown.

The figures came as Japan’s major car firms announced their annual production for 2011.

Toyota, which had already confirmed earlier this week it had lost its position as the world’s biggest carmaker, said it produced 7.86 million vehicles, down 8.2 percent.

Nissan, 44.3 percent owned by French partner Renault, was the only leading Japanese carmaker to increase annual global production despite supply chain disruption from the country’s earthquake disaster and floods in Thailand.

It produced 4.63 million units, up 14.3 percent from a year ago, while global sales hit a record 4.67 million vehicles, it said.

Mitsubishi Motors, the nation’s fourth largest automaker, produced 1.14 million vehicles, a 2.8 percent drop.

Copyright © 2012 AFP. all rights reserved.More »

AFP: Japan's Honda production down 20% in 2011