London (CNN) - Nyati tells CNN that mobile devices are unaffordable for most Africans and that connectivity is very expensive on the continent.

Davos, Switzerland (CNN) - For a decade the BRIC nations dominated the emerging markets narrative. But a new narrative has emerged for the post-crisis world. Are Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Pakistan and Turkey set to be the new engines of global growth?

Davos, Switzerland (CNN) - Ian Bremmer, President of Eurasia Group talks with John Defterios about the implications in 2013 of changes in the global economy.

Shaki, Azerbaijan (CNN) – Trading is in the life blood of Azerbaijan. As the link to east and west it was a vital rest stop along the old silk route. In the northwest city, Shaki, there are reminders of the country’s rich trading history and single remaining silk factory.

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) – Traditionally played in Turkish tea houses, Okey is a game of tiles that is widely popular throughout Turkey. Now the game is thriving online as players compete for “digital dollars.”

Mumbai, India (CNN) - India has been a nation of tea drinkers for centuries, but in the past decade coffee consumption has been growing. From Starbucks to Costa Coffee, coffee giants are moving into India, converting consumers from chai to cappuccino.

Last month, Starbucks opened its first outlet in India, partnering with Indian firm Tata.

“There's a tremendous amount of coffee being sold and served in this market,” Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman and CEO, told CNN’s Mallika Kapur.

FULL POST

Director Nicholas Jarecki tells CNN's John Defterios that his new film Arbitrage shines a light on the often shadowy world of the hedge fund manager – a figure demonised in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis.

"What I enjoy in my entertainment is the identification with the flawed character because I can see the flaws in myself. Every failing this character has I have."

The main character in the film has drawn comparisons with disgraced American financier Bernard Madoff, who is now serving 125 years in prison for running a multi-billion dollar fraudulent Ponzi scheme.

However Jarecki says the comparison is not entirely accurate – and that his character does not set out to do wrong.

FULL POST

These are troubled times for Research in Motion (RIM), the makers of the BlackBerry handheld device.

Back in 2008 RIM was an $84 billion company, the darling of executives everywhere, students had BlackBerrys, and even President Obama admitted to being addicted to his BlackBerry, what some people were calling ‘crackberry’.

That was BA – before Apple, and the juggernaut that was the iPhone which launched in 2007. Now fast forward to 2012 and the stock price has been hammered to a 52 week low of $6.22, it’s a $3.25 billion company and some people are saying there may even be layoff in BlackBerry’s future.

There is a bright spot, however – and that bright spot is Africa, specifically Nigeria.

FULL POST

(CNN) - As civil war continues to rage across Syria, in the city of Aleppo, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting between government forces and the rebels, commercial life has ground to a halt.

Zak Brophy, a business journalist recently returned from the area, told CNN of his shock on entering the city.

“Whole neighbourhoods were wiped out, destruction was all over the streets, cars buried amongst the rubble, all of the businesses and markets closed,” he said.

FULL POST

Almost two years on from the Arab Spring and youth unemployment remains the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s biggest problem, according to Saud Masud, chief executive of consultancy group SM Advisory.

Labor force participation rates are much below the global average, he said, with Middle East and North Africa at around 46 percent versus the global average of around 66 percent.

One of the main challenges, according to Masud, is a lack of essential skills among the region’s labor markets.

“The real issue here is that you can’t generate jobs by throwing money at it and you can’t generate jobs buy just subsidising any type of on demand job generation programme. The real challenge is skills mismatch,” he told CNN’s John Defterios.

FULL POST