Microsoft sets Xbox launch for China
San Francisco (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Microsoft said Wednesday it would launch the Xbox One in China in September, the first game console to be announced after Beijing lifted a ban on the devices.
"Today marks a monumental day for Xbox, as together with our partner BesTV New Media Co., we announced we will bring Xbox One to China in September of this year," said Yusuf Mehdi, vice president at Microsoft for the Xbox division.
...
more
Fujitsu swings back into the black
Tokyo (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Japan's Fujitsu said Wednesday it swung back into the black, posting an annual net profit after aggressive cost-cutting and stronger demand at home for its computer offerings.
The sprawling IT conglomerate earned 48.6 billion yen ($474 million) for the fiscal year to March, reversing a net loss of 79.9 billion in the previous year.
Operating profit soared 61.5 percent to 142.5 billion ye ...
more
Green campaigners irked by oil plans in Balcombe
London (UPI) Apr 30, 2013 -
The British Friends of the Earth said they were frustrated with council members in West Sussex County who voted in favor of oil operations near Balcombe.
"We are extremely disappointed that councilors have not listened to local people," Friends of the Earth campaigner Brenda Pollack said in a statement Tuesday. "This is an attempt by Cuadrilla to set the wheels in motion for dirty fossi ...
more
Thales is expanding its presence in Oman
Paris (UPI) Apr 30, 2013 -
Thales, the France-based conglomerate, has opened new offices in Oman as a result of increased business in the sultanate and regional opportunities.
The offices are at the Al Tilal Complex, in the Muscat Grand Mall, and have been operational since the beginning of this year, it said.
Thales, which has been doing business with Oman for 35 years, established Thales Oman in 2010 and ...
more
OMV, Gazprom sign MOU on South Stream
Moscow (UPI) Apr 30, 2013 -
Austrian energy company OMV said it signed an agreement with Russia's Gazprom to move forward with the Austrian section of the South Stream gas pipeline.
OMV Chairman Gerhard Roiss met in Moscow with his Gazprom counterpart, Alexei Miller, to discuss implementation of a gas pipeline the Russian company said will offer the European energy sector an alternative source of natural gas.
...
more
Samsung on top in growing smartphone market
Washington (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
South Korea's Samsung remained at the top of the rapidly growing smartphone market in early 2014 as Chinese rivals gained ground, a survey showed Wednesday.
The overall global smartphone market grew 28.6 percent from a year ago with 218.8 million units sold, according to the IDC survey. That was down 2.8 percent from the fourth quarter, with a seasonal impact on sales.
Samsung had a 30.2 ...
more
US Senate leader open to Keystone pipeline vote
Washington (AFP) April 29, 2014 -
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday he would consider legislation forcing construction of a controversial US-to-Canada oil pipeline, setting up a possible end run around the Obama administration after the project's latest delay.
"I'm open to anything that will move energy efficiency," Reid told reporters when asked about negotiations over bringing the Keystone XL Pipeline to a vot ...
more
Australia leases world's biggest coal port for $1.6 bn
Sydney (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
An Australian and Chinese consortium on Wednesday won a 98-year lease on the world's biggest coal export port for Aus$1.75 billion dollars (US$1.62 billion), the New South Wales government said.
New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said some Aus$1.5 billion raised from the sale of the lease of Newcastle Port, north of Sydney, would be redirected into state infrastructure.
"This momentous r ...
more
Solar facility in Arizona can power 230,000 homes
Phoenix (UPI) Apr 30, 2013 -
A 290-megawatt solar project in Arizona, Aqua Caliente, "raises the bar" for clean energy development in the United States, its development company said.
NRG Solar, a subsidiary of power company NRG Energy Inc., announced alongside its partner MidAmerican solar that it completed the Aqua Caliente solar facility, which is spread out over 2,400 acres between Yuma and Phoenix, Ariz.
...
more
Eni looks to LNG as fuel source for heavy-duty vehicles
Milan, Italy (UPI) Apr 30, 2013 -
Italian energy company Eni announced it opened the first liquefied natural gas fueling station in Italy to service heavy-duty vehicles.
The fueling station, located in the northern Italian city of Piacenza, is the first in a series Eni says it plans to open in the country during the next four years.
"Eni is an active participant of the European 'LNG Blue Corridors' project, which ...
more
Iran, Russian energy deal frustrates U.S. government
Washington (UPI) Apr 30, 2013 -
If reports about an energy deal between Iran and Russia are true, it would be a concern to the U.S. government, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian met Sunday in Tehran with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak to discuss upgrading Iran's power plants and electrical transmission lines. Both sides already work together in the nuclear se ...
more
Jurors deliberating in high-stakes Apple-Samsung trial
San Jose, United States (AFP) April 29, 2014 -
Jurors on Tuesday began deliberations in a big-money smartphone patent trial pitting Apple against Samsung, and by extension Google, in the heart of Silicon Valley
In a new trial following up on a landmark 2012 case in the same courtroom, Apple attorneys argued that Samsung flagrantly infringed on iPhone patents in a desperate bid to compete with the California company's culture-changing sma ...
more
Exelon buys Pepco for $6.83 bn in energy deal
New York (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
US nuclear power generator Exelon Corp announced Wednesday that it has reached an agreement to buy power company Pepco Holdings for $6.83 billion in cash.
Pepco, the main electric and gas provider for the US states of New Jersey, Delaware and the capital of Washington, was valued at $27.25 per share, according to a statement by Exelon.
The figure is a 20 percent premium over Pepco's clos ...
more
US: China's theft of trade secrets a major concern
Washington (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Washington said Wednesday that China's efforts to steal US trade secrets are of "significant concern" as it again listed the country as a major violator of intellectual property rights.
In its annual "Special 301" report on IP rights violators, China led 10 countries on the US Trade Representative's "priority watch list", marking its 25th year on the list.
Despite some improvement in coo ...
more
China poised to overtake US economy: World Bank ranking
Paris (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
China is advancing rapidly to overtake the United States as the biggest economy in the world, new data shows, with the leader of the world economy since the 19th century possibly losing its top spot to the Asian giant from this year.
"The United States remained the world's largest economy (in 2011), but it was closely followed by China" once data was adjusted for comparison on a standard bas ...
more
US economy slows to a near-stall in first quarter
Washington (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
The US economy ground almost to a halt in the first three months of the year amid severe winter weather, official data showed Wednesday.
Gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 0.1 percent after hitting a 2.6 percent pace in the 2013 fourth quarter, the Commerce Department said.
While analysts had expected some slowing after monthly data suffered under an unusually heavy ba ...
more
China pushes for rival trans-Pacific trade deal
Beijing (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
China is pressing for a vast Asia-Pacific free trade agreement, a senior official said Wednesday, as a rival US-led deal that excludes the Asian giant runs into snags.
Wang Shouwen, an assistant commerce minister, told reporters at a briefing that China has proposed setting up a working group to study the feasibility of an Asia-Pacific Free Trade Agreement (FTAAP).
The proposal comes a ...
more
Total losses out on Europe, looks to Africa
Paris (UPI) Apr 30, 2013 -
French energy company Total said Wednesday its finances were hurt by the refining sector in Europe, but was optimistic about the potential in Africa.
Total Chief Executive Officer Christophe de Margerie said adjusted net income of $3.3 billion for the first quarter was lower year-on-year because of "sharply lower" prospects in the European refining sector.
Total's reported net in ...
more
Fukushima operator books $4.3 bn profit on bailout, rate hike
Tokyo (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant said Wednesday it booked a $4.3 billion annual net profit owing to an electricity rate hike and a massive government bailout following the 2011 disaster.
Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) was teetering on the brink as cleanup and compensation costs stoked huge losses and threatened to collapse the sprawling utility until Tokyo stepped with ...
more
Energy Department finds 65 GW of hydropower available
Washington (UPI) Apr 30, 2013 -
U.S. rivers and streams have the potential to support at least 65 gigawatts of electric power generation, an assessment from the U.S. Energy Department finds.
The Energy Department said it worked with researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to examine the electric power potential in the estimated 3 million rivers and streams in the country.
It found more than 65 gigawatt ...
more
