Photographs: Reuters.
Image: Chinese counterfeiters have had a field day pumping out knockoffs of Apple Inc's best-selling iPhones and iPads, but one appears to have gone a step further -- a near flawless fake Apple Store that even employees believe is the real deal.
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: Emergency response crew hired by Exxon Mobil clean up an oil spill along the Yellowstone River.Photographs: John Warner/Reuters.
Sector: Oil & gas
The world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, Exxon Mobil, was formed on November 30, 1999, with the merger of Exxon and Mobil.
Market cap: $422.57 bn
Turnover: $341.578 bn
Net income: $30.460 bn
Total assets: $298.98 bn
Employees: 83,600
(Market capitalisation of all companies as on July 22, 2011)
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Photographs: Reuters
Sector: Technology hardware & equipment
Apple's market capitalisation stands at $364.55 billion as of July 22, 2011. It stock price is at $394.30, up 20 per cent from the start of the year.
Apple will become the most valuable US company when the stock hits $444. Apple quarterly profit has zoomed by more than 125 percent to $7.31 billion, backed by a huge demand for iPhones and iPads.Market cap: $364.55 billion
Turnover: $65.067 bn
Net income: $14.013 bn
Total assets: $75.183 bn
Employees: 49,400
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: A station attendant fills up a car at a PetroChina gas station in Beijing.Photographs: Jason Lee/Reuters.
Sector: Oil & gas PetroChina Company is the largest oil and gas producer and distributor in China.
Market cap: $273.27 bn
Turnover: $222.332 bn
Net income: $21.23 bn
Total assets: $251.279 bn
Employees: 552,698
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.Photographs: Reuters
Sector: Banking Founded on January 1, 1984, ICBC is the largest Bank of China's 'Big Four' state-owned commercial banks.
Market cap: $235.772 bn
Net income: $25.059.3 bn
Total assets: $2042.093 bn
Employees: 389,827
World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: Royal Dutch Shell.Royal Dutch Shell (UK) - Rank 5
Sector: Oil & gas
Market cap: $233.17 bn
Turnover: $373.259 bn
Net income: $20.411 bn
Total assets: $317.199
Employees: 97,000
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: Microsoft Corporation.Photographs: Reuters.
Sector: Software & computer services Established on April 4, 1975, software giant Microsoft develops and manufactures a wide range of products and services.
Market cap: $232.15 bn
Turnover: $61.989 bn
Net income: $18.760 bn
Total assets: $86.113 bn
Employees: 89,000
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: A view of IBM headquarters at la Defense in Paris.Photographs: Philippe Wojazer/Reuters.
Sector: Software & computer services International Business Machines, founded in 1911, manufactures and sells computer hardware and software. Market cap: $225.83 bn
Turnover: $99.870 bn
Net income: $14.833 bn
Total assets: $110.232 bn
Employees: 399,409
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: Petrobras oil rig.Sector: Oil & gas Petrobras is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalisation and revenue. Petrobras controls significant oil and energy assets in 18 countries. Market cap: $217.19 bn
Turnover: $128.478 bn
Net income: $21,198 mn
Total assets: $309.336 bn
Employees: 80,492
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: A woman stands at a petrol pump at a Chevron gasoline station in Los Angeles.Photographs: Fred Prouser/Reuters.
Sector: Oil & gas
Chevron Corporation, an American multinational energy corporation is active in more than 180 countries.
Market cap: $215.78 bn
Turnover: $189.607 bn
Net income: $19.024 bn
Total assets: $183.918 bn
Employees: 62,000
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: headquarters of food giant Nestle in Vevey.Photographs: Denis Balibouse/Reuters.
Sector: Food processing
Nestle is the largest food and nutrition company in the world, founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland.
Market cap: $209.38 bn
Turnover:$112.005 bn
Net income:$36.651 bn
Total assets:$117.483 bn
Employees: 281,000
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: BHP Billiton.Photographs: Reuters
Sector: Mining
BHP Billiton is the world's largest mining company. It was created in 2001 by the merger of Australia's Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) and the Anglo-Dutch Billiton.
Market cap: $204.45 bn
Turnover: $50.418 bn
Net income:$12.148 bn
Total assets: $83.835 bn
Employees: 39,570
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: President Barack Obama (C) passes a turbine as he tours General Electric's birthplace in SchenectadyPhotographs: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters.
Sector: General industrials
From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, medical imaging, and television programming, GE operates in a number of industries across more than 100 countries.
Market cap: $202.19 bn
Turnover: $149.060 bn
Net income: $11.620 bn
Total assets: $751.200 bn
Employees: 287,000
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: China Mobile listed on NYSE.Sector: Mobile telecommunications
The world's most valuable mobile telecommunications company in the world, it is listed on both the NYSE and the Hong Kong stock exchange.
As of March 2011, China Mobile is the world's largest mobile phone operator with over 600 million subscribers. Market cap: $198.09 bnTurnover: $71.750 bn
Net income: $17.691 bn
Total assets: $129.297 bn
Employees: 164,336
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO Warren Buffett (R) and his wife Astrid Buffet.Photographs: Reuters.
Sector: Non-life insurance
Founded by Warren Buffett, Berkshire owns a diverse range of businesses including insurance, confectionery, retail, railroad, home furnishings, encyclopedias, manufacturers of vacuum cleaners, jewelry sales and newspaper publishing.
Market cap: $191.26 bn
Net income: $12.967 bn
Total assets: $372.229 bn
Employees: 260,000
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: A Wal-Mart store.Photographs: Reuters
Sector: Retail
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc runs a chain of large discount department stores and a chain of warehouse stores.
The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962 has 8,500 stores in 15 countries.
Market cap: $189.32 bn
Turnover: $418.952 bn
Net income: $16,389 mn
Total assets: $180.336 bn
Employees: 100,000
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: China Construction Bank.Sector: Banking
China Construction Bank is ranked as the china's second largest and the eighth largest bank in the world by market capitalisation.
Market cap: $186.136 bn
Net income: $20.460 bn
Total assets: $1640.263 bn
Employees: 301,537
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: Procter and Gamble products.Sector: Household and construction
A Fortune 500 American multinational corporation, it manufactures a a wide range of consumer goods.
Market cap: $179.95 bn
Turnover: $78.938 bn
Net income: $12.736 bn
Total assets: $128.172 bn
Employees: 127,000
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Sector: Fixed line telecommunications
AT&T Inc is a leader in telecommunication services, including cell phones, wireless, high speed internet and digital TV services.
Market cap: $179.56 bn
Turnover: $124.280 bn
Net income: $19.864 bn
Total assets: $268.488 bn
Employees: 265,410
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: A commuter train passes the HSBC building on Canary Wharf in London.Photographs: Reuters.
Sector: Banking
Founded in 1991, it was the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to Forbes magazine.
Market cap: $176.72 bn
Net income: $13.302 bn
Total assets: $2459.129 bn
Employees: 295,061
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World's 20 most valuable companies
Image: A general view of the Gazprom headquarters in Moscow.Photographs: Alexander Natruskin/Reuters.
Sector: Oil & gas
Founded in 1989, Gazprom is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and the largest Russian company.
Market cap: $171.75 bn
Turnover: $117.623 bn
Net income: $31.671 bn
Total assets: $302.017 bn
Employees: 393,000
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