The world’s population has increased from 5.7 billion people in 1994 to 7.2 billion people in early 2014, according to a report by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, presented at the 47th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development.
UN: Earth’s population reaches 7.2 billion
In the Commission’s view, the population of Africa will increase substantially in the next ten years. By 2050, the population growth rate in Africa will be more than six times higher than the population growth rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, and more than 15 times higher than the population growth rate in Asia.
However, in more than 40 countries, the population in 2014 — 2050. will shrink. The most significant population decline will occur in Germany, China, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Thailand, Japan and Ukraine, as well as in countries of East, Southeast and West Asia.
By 2025, the world’s population will reach 8.1 billion people, and by 2050, 9.6 billion people.
In 1994 — 2014 the number of people over 60 has doubled. There are more elderly people in the world than children under the age of five. By 2050, the proportion of older persons in the total population will reach 21%. Over the next 35 years, the share of young people in the global population will remain almost unchanged.
More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas — 3.9 billion people, and the number of citizens continues to grow.
Demographic change has an impact on economics, ecology and politics. An aging population and urbanization promise new challenges and opportunities, the UN Commission believes.
“The demographic composition of the modern world is so diverse that mankind has never before known in its history. There are countries in which a high birth rate remains, and as a result, they are characterized by age structures with a large share of youth and high population growth rates. There are also countries where the birth rate has already fallen below the level of reproduction, which results in a rapid aging of the population, ”concluded Ban Ki-moon.
Macegora: the United States has not yet clearly explained to DPRK the benefits of denuclearization
The Ministry of Culture is preparing amendments to the law on advertising, in particular, proposes to allow interruption of cartoons for advertising, reports a single portal for the disclosure of information on the preparation of legal acts.
For the good of children: in cartoons they will allow advertising
According to the Ministry of Culture, Russian television is not interested in the products of Russian animators, since such products are expensive and do not pay for advertising, since advertising in children’s programs is prohibited.
“When making decisions on the purchase of content, television companies take into account primarily commercial feasibility. The number of children’s products shown by television channels will not be increased until the acquisition of these products becomes profitable for television channels, ”the project justification noted.
The Ministry of Culture suggests amending Art. 14 of the federal law «On Advertising» «in terms of introducing a differentiated ability to interrupt the broadcast of national animated films by advertising.» Public discussion of the project will last until April 22.
Earlier, members of the State Duma Committee on Culture Stanislav Govorukhin, Maria Kozhevnikova (United Russia) and Elena Drapeko (Fair Russia) made a proposal to allow advertising in children’s TV shows. The head of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko, said in January that the proposal to lift the ban on advertising in children’s programs can be supported, but only if the money earned on advertising goes to the development of children’s broadcasting.
Opinion. Russia-USA: friendship is still far away, but there is a desire to understand each other
Companies in the S&P 500 index in 2014 can return to their shareholders about $ 1 trillion through the payment of dividends or the stock repurchase procedure.
Over the past quarter, the amount spent on the repurchase of shares may have reached its historical record.
This is stated in a study by Goldman Sachs. The indicator rose sharply compared to last year, when investors received only $ 800 million.
“The companies included in the S & P500 index spent $ 476 billion on the buyback procedure. In 2014, we expect companies to spend 23% more — $ 587 billion. The amount of dividends paid in 2013 amounted to $ 312 billion, in 2014 we expect growth by 20% to $ 375 billion, ”said Stuart Kaiser, strategist at Goldman Sachs, in a note.
Technology companies spend much more on stock repurchases and dividends than companies from other sectors. Goldman Sachs experts explain this by the extremely high incomes that companies in this sector have recorded in recent years.
Over the past quarter, the amount spent on the repurchase of shares may have reached its historical record, in any case, this is the estimate of Hard Silverblatt, chief analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices. Exact data will be published this week.
However, the amount that goes to buyback is likely to not last at such a high level. Investors will choose companies that, in addition to increasing profits, increase sales. But for companies that increase profits by resorting to buybacks, investors are likely to turn their backs.
“People are starting to get smarter: McDonalds and IBM have been doing buybacks for several years, but stocks have stagnated. People want to see real income, real sales, ”said Paul Nolte, portfolio manager of Kingsview Asset Managemen.
Meanwhile, companies continue to raise $ 200 billion per quarter and have been doing this since 2012.
