 |
 |
| May 31, 2014 |
 Ukraine: The Real Energy Crisis Starts in June Washington DC (SPX) Jun 01, 2014 - Kiev is feeling emboldened by the successful election of a new Ukrainian president and a bloody surge against separatists in the east, but in just a few days, Russia says it will twist the gas spigot, and there's very little Kiev can do to stop that. On June 3, Russia plans to reduce the gas supply to Ukraine - and hence, to Europe - if Kiev has failed to pay in advance for next month's ga ... more |  |
 Heavy airplane traffic potentially a major contributor to pollution in Los Angeles Washington DC (SPX) Jun 01, 2014 - Congested freeways crawling with cars and trucks are notorious for causing smog in Los Angeles, but a new study finds that heavy airplane traffic can contribute even more pollution, and the effect continues for up to 10 miles away from the airport. The report, published in the ACS journal Environmental Science and Technology, has serious implications for the health of residents near Los Angeles ... more |  |
 Tiny elite huge proletariat: UK middle class to disappear in 30 years London (Voice of Russia) Jun 01, 2014 - High property prices will wipe out the British middle class within the next 30 years, according to a UK government advisor. He says society will be left with a "tiny elite" and a "huge sprawling proletariat." "The really scary thing is if in the next 30 years house prices rise as much as they have done in the last 30 years, then the average house in Britain will cost 1.2 million pounds (US ... more |  |
 Unexpected water explains surface chemistry of nanocrystals Berkeley CA (SPX) Jun 01, 2014 - Danylo Zherebetskyy and his colleagues at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) found unexpected traces of water in semiconducting nanocrystals. The water as a source of small ions for the surface of colloidal lead sulfide (PbS) nanoparticles allowed the team to explain just how the surface of these important particles are passivated, meaning how th ... more |  |
 25 years on, world happy to do business with Beijing's 'butchers' Washington (AFP) May 30, 2014 - Twenty-five years after the West condemned the "butchers" who crushed protesters in Tiananmen Square, China's astonishing economic and military transformation means the world has largely set aside concerns on human rights as it courts the former pariah. Outraged Western nations imposed economic sanctions and banned arms sales after troops killed hundreds of people during the night of June 3- ... more |  |
 | |
 Facebook's Zuckerberg pumping $120 mln into local schools San Francisco (AFP) May 30, 2014 - Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg put out word late Thursday that he and his wife Priscilla Chan are pumping $120 million into San Francisco Bay Area schools. Distribution of the money will be spread over five years, with initial grants going toward initiatives for providing computers and Internet access in public schools as well as training teachers and enlisting parents in efforts to ke ... more |  |
Sales tax hike dents Japanese economy Tokyo (AFP) May 30, 2014 - Japan's nascent economic recovery stumbled in April with data Friday showing last month's sales tax rise punctured household spending, as the IMF called on Tokyo to press on with reforms aimed at ending decades of stagnation. The 13.3 percent dive in spending, which followed a similar dip in retail sales, came as separate figures showed inflation surging and factory output slipping. The news ... more |  |
Microsoft working on smartwatch: report San Francisco May 30, 2014 - Microsoft plans to weigh into the wearable computing market with a smartwatch, Forbes reported Thursday. The US technology tighten tapped into talent behind its gesture-sensing Kinect accessory for Xbox video game consoles to help make a sensor-loaded smartwatch, according to Forbes. Smartwatch capabilities were said to include fitness features such as measuring and tracking heart rates. ... more |  |
China house prices post first fall in 23 months: survey Beijing (AFP) May 31, 2014 - Home prices in major Chinese cities posted their first monthly decline in nearly two years in May, an independent survey showed Saturday, providing new evidence the once red-hot market is losing steam. The average price of a new home in 100 major cities declined this month by 0.32 percent from April to 10,978 yuan ($1,758) per square metre, according to the China Index Academy (CIA), the fir ... more |  |
 Spain okays Repsol plan for Canary Islands exploration Madrid (AFP) May 29, 2014 - The Spanish government on Thursday gave oil giant Repsol the green light to explore for oil and gas off the coast of the Canary Islands, a move that environmental groups described as "unjustifiable". The environment ministry said in a statement it "has issued a favourable environment impact statement". It said the exploration would take place around 60 kilometres (40 miles) from the shor ... more |  |
 | |
 UK dominates Europe large scale PV activity in 2014 Englewood CO (SPX) May 29, 2014 - "After 7th July 2014, we will know the outcome of the consultation process to revise the support for large-scale PV plants in the UK that the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) opened in May. If the result of the process is a sharp end to the ROC scheme for large-scale solar projects on 1 April 2015, we expect a huge rush to beat the deadline and a surge in ground-mount PV installati ... more |  |
Obama wants to force coal plants to reduce emissions: NYTimes Washington (AFP) May 29, 2014 - US President Barack Obama wants to force coal energy plants to reduce emissions and pay for greenhouse gases they do emit through a cap and trade system, the New York Times said Thursday. Asked by AFP, the White House did not confirm that such a plan is being considered by the president, who has struggled to fulfill his campaign promises on fighting climate change, with most of his initiativ ... more |  |
 Microsoft allies with Salesforce.com in 'cloud' push; Acer launches software 'cloud' service Taipei (AFP) May 29, 2014 - Taiwan's Acer on Thursday unveiled its cloud service centre as the struggling computer maker seeks to revive its fortunes by diversifying away from the low-margin hardware business. Stan Shih, chairman and company founder, revealed further details about its software service programme called "Build Your Own Cloud" (BYOC), which he initiated late last year after returning to the helm of the co ... more |  |
China fines foreign eyewear makers; Tesco Completes JV Deal Shanghai (AFP) May 29, 2014 - China on Thursday fined several foreign eyewear makers more than 19 million yuan ($3.1 million) for "price manipulation", the government said, in the latest targeting of overseas firms in the giant market. The powerful National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, launched an investigation last August into alleged violations of anti-monopoly law in the sect ... more |  |
European firms spooked by slowing China growth: survey Beijing (AFP) May 29, 2014 - European businesses fear the "good times are over" in China, a survey showed Thursday, citing the country's slowing economic growth, rising labour costs, falling profits, regulatory hurdles and pollution. The Business Confidence Survey 2014 report, released by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China and consultancy Roland Berger, showed firms have become increasingly pessimistic as t ... more |  |
| |
China's Baosteel gets nod for $1.3 bln Aquila takeover Sydney (AFP) May 29, 2014 - Chinese iron and steel giant Baosteel moved a step closer to securing its Aus$1.4 billion (US$1.3 billion) takeover of Aquila Resources after the Australian government approved the deal on Thursday. Baosteel Resources Australia, a subsidiary of the Chinese parent's overseas development arm, and Australian rail freight operator Aurizon have made a conditional offer of Aus$3.40 per share in ca ... more |  |
Apple dances to new tune with Beats deal Washington (AFP) May 29, 2014 - If Wall Street struggles to see the logic in Apple's $3 billion deal for Beats Music, it may look across the river to Brooklyn, hometown of Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine. Apple's biggest-ever acquisition includes the maker of high-end audio equipment and a streaming music service, but more importantly, the talent of Beats brains Dr. Dre and Iovine. The wild card in the deal could be Iovi ... more |  |
Tablet sales losing steam, survey shows Washington (AFP) May 29, 2014 - Global sales of tablet computers are likely to slow this year, hurt in part by saturation and adoption of large-screen smartphones or "phablets," a market tracker said Thursday. The research firm IDC said its updated forecast sees tablet sales up 12.1 percent this year, after a 51.8 percent expansion in 2013. IDC said sales are likely to total around 245.4 million units this year. "T ... more |  |
Alibaba to name partnership members for IPO: report Shanghai (AFP) May 29, 2014 - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which is preparing a massive US stock offer, plans to reveal the 28 people who effectively control it, the firm said, as it apparently seeks to ease future shareholders' concerns, the Wall Street Journal said Thursday. Alibaba - founded by Jack Ma, a former English teacher turned Internet entrepreneur - earlier this month filed documents to the US Securiti ... more |  |
Smartphone market still growing as prices fall: study Washington (AFP) May 28, 2014 - Global smartphone sales will jump 23 percent this year to more than 1.2 billion units, fueled by growth of low-cost handsets in emerging markets, a research firm said Wednesday. An IDC survey said smartphone sales will maintain an annual growth rate of 12.3 percent through 2018. Much of the growth is coming from low-cost devices using the Android operating system, with Apple's market sha ... more |  |
| ||||
| ||||||
No comments :
Post a Comment