Air France unveils luxury first-class seat
Shanghai (AFP) May 07, 2014 -
Air France unveiled its new first-class section in Shanghai on Wednesday, fuelling an international luxury-seating race to win over Asia's rising number of high fliers.
The airline's "haute couture" suite will feature a seat that reclines into a bed stretching 2.01 metres long and 77 centimetres across (6 ft 7 ins and 30 inches) - one of the most spacious in the world.
A total of 76 of ...
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Hong Kong property moguls on trial in huge graft case
Hong Kong (AFP) May 07, 2014 -
Billionaire Hong Kong property tycoons Thomas and Raymond Kwok will go on trial Thursday in a blockbuster corruption case that analysts say could lift the lid on cosy ties between officials and wealthy moguls.
The brothers, who jointly chair development giant Sun Hung Kai Properties, and Hong Kong's former chief secretary Rafael Hui, were arrested in a major swoop by the city's anti-graft wa ...
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Alibaba founder eyes US listing - and next challenge
Shanghai (AFP) May 07, 2014 -
The outspoken founder of Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, Jack Ma, threw down a challenge to the world's global Internet giants as his firm moves towards a huge US stock offer.
In a memo sent to employees on Tuesday minutes before Alibaba filed documents to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for its initial public offering (IPO), Ma described the listing as a "filling station" on ...
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HP steps up in cloud with $1 bn investment
New York (AFP) May 07, 2014 -
US computer giant Hewlett Packard unveiled an expanded offering of Internet "cloud" services on Wednesday, pledging to invest $1 billion over the next two years.
The California tech giant said it was launching "HP Helion," described as "a portfolio of cloud products and services that enable organizations to build, manage and consume workloads in hybrid IT environments."
"Customer challen ...
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Devon acquires 50,000 acres of Oklahoma shale
Oklahoma City (UPI) May 7, 2013 -
Devon Energy Corp. announced it acquired 50,000 acres of shale acreage in Oklahoma that holds an estimated 23 million barrels of oil equivalent.
Devon, which has headquarters in Oklahoma City, said it purchased the acreage from rival Cimarex Energy for $249 million in cash.
Devon Chief Operating Officer Dave Hager said the acreage in the Cana-Woodford shale is producing an averag ...
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Baker Hughes counts increased rig activity in United States
Houston (UPI) May 7, 2013 -
There were 80 more rigs actively looking for oil or gas in the United States than at the same time last year, oil services company Baker Hughes said Wednesday.
Baker Hughes published its monthly rig count for April, noting the number of rigs looking for or developing oil or natural gas worldwide.
For the United States, the oil services company counted 1,835 rigs, up 32 from March ...
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Sonar can spot arctic oil spills hidden by ice
Providence, R.I. (UPI) May 7, 2013 -
According to the National Academy of Sciences, the risk of a serious oil spill in the arctic is growing due to the uptick in ocean shipping traffic and oil and gas activities.
Complicating matters, scientists say, is the fact that increasing amounts of ice floating in the region could obscure evidence of any sort of oil spill, thus delaying a response effort.
That's why scientist ...
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China and US battle for influence in Angola
Luanda (AFP) May 07, 2014 -
Africa's second biggest oil producer and one of its fastest growing economies, Angola is at the centre of a race for influence between China and the United States, both greedily eyeing its huge trade potential.
The competition is on full display this week, with Angola's capital Luanda welcoming Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday for a 48-hour visit, just three days after it laid out the ...
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Genetic approach helps design broadband metamaterial
University Park PA (SPX) May 08, 2014 -
A specially formed material that can provide custom broadband absorption in the infrared can be identified and manufactured using "genetic algorithms," according to Penn State engineers, who say these metamaterials can shield objects from view by infrared sensors, protect instruments and be manufactured to cover a variety of wavelengths. "The metamaterial has a high absorption over broad bandwid ...
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Graphene for Real-World Devices
Austin TX (SPX) May 08, 2014 -
Graphene, a one-atom-thick form of the carbon material graphite, has been hailed as a wonder material - strong, light, nearly transparent, and an excellent conductor of electricity and heat. But a number of practical challenges must be overcome before it can emerge as a replacement for silicon and other materials in microprocessors and next-generation energy devices.
One particular challen ...
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Raytheon and Petrofac debut new tropical helicopter underwater escape training
Dallas TX (SPX) May 08, 2014 -
Raytheon Professional Services LLC, (RPS), a subsidiary of Raytheon, and Petrofac Training Services announced a first-of-its-kind offering under their jointly owned Hi-Con Training program. The new Tropical Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (THUET) course is being launched at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, May 5-8, 2014.
Approved by OPITO, an accreditation body fo ...
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JinkoSolar to Supply 100 MW Solar PV Modules for Two Projects in Chile
Shanghai, China (SPX) May 08, 2014 -
JinkoSolar Holding has announced that it signed contracts to supply 100 MW of PV modules for two PV projects in Chile.
Both projects are located in Chile's Atacama Desert region, which has one of the highest irradiation levels in the world. The Lalackama PV plant, the first of the two projects, will consist of 60 MW and will include 197,000 JinkoSolar high-efficiency PV Solar modules.
...
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EnerTech and Morgan to sell Solar CPV Technology to Kuwait and Middle East
Kuwait City, Kuwait (SPX) May 08, 2014 -
EnerTech Holding Company is pleased to announce that it has entered into a strategic investment and partnership agreement with Morgan Solar. MSI has developed a revolutionary, low cost and high efficiency solar concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology and a game changing two-axis tracker, with great potential for adoption in the Middle East.
Under the agreement, EnerTech will invest in M ...
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Geothermal Industry celebrates Awareness Day as sector readies for Summit
Washington DC (SPX) May 08, 2014 -
On Monday, May 5, the geothermal industry will recognize Geothermal Awareness Day in California (#GeothermalDay2014) with a slate of activities in Sacramento and beyond, including a call for entries for GEA Honors, the Geothermal Energy Association's annual awards program.
"There is a growing need to educate Californians about the benefits of geothermal energy, and Geothermal Awareness Day ...
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Scotland boasts of oil, gas potential at Houston conference
Houst, Texas (UPI) May 7, 2013 -
The Scottish energy sector is expected to attract more than $160 million in contracts during the next three years, the Scottish energy minister said Wednesday.
"Scotland has built a global reputation with many creative and innovative companies capable of identifying growth opportunities in overseas markets and making a significant contribution to such business for many years to come," E ...
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Fewer US nuclear plants could curb climate change fight
Washington (AFP) May 07, 2014 -
Nuclear power plants in the United States increasingly risk closure amid growing competition from cheap natural gas, which experts said could hamper President Barack Obama's efforts to combat climate change.
The White House on Tuesday urged action to fight the repercussions of greenhouse gas emissions, warning that human-caused warming was already having a serious impact.
But an increase ...
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Germany now EU's worst polluter as CO2 emissions rise
Brussels (AFP) May 07, 2014 -
Germany is the European Union's worst polluter, with its production of CO2 gasses from fossil fuel rising by two percent in 2013 to 760 million tonnes, official data showed on Wednesday.
The EU's statistics agency Eurostat found that while emissions were cut across the 28-member bloc by an average of 2.5 percent in 2013, they actually went up in six countries, including Germany.
Denmark ...
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Tennessee utility to add more solar power to grid
Richmond, Va. (UPI) May 7, 2013 -
U.S. energy provider Dominion said Wednesday it added solar power developments in Tennessee that will bring its total solar power portfolio to 212 megawatts.
Dominion said it acquired two solar energy projects in southwest Tennessee for an undisclosed sum. Power generated from both sites will be purchased by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Each of the projects, Mulberry Farm and ...
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Vietnam says China fired water cannon, rammed ships near oil rig
Hanoi (AFP) May 07, 2014 -
Hanoi said Wednesday that Chinese ships protecting a deep-water drilling rig in disputed waters in the South China Sea had used water cannon to attack Vietnamese patrol vessels and repeatedly rammed them, injuring six people.
Tensions between the communist neighbours have risen sharply since Beijing unilaterally announced last week it would move the deep-water drilling rig into disputed wate ...
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Manned and unmanned maritime combat vessel going on display
Lod, Israel (UPI) May 8, 2013 -
A dual-mode, manned/unmanned combat maritime vessel is being displayed in the United States next week by Israel Aerospace Industries.
The modular designed Katana, suitable for a range of homeland security applications and for protection of offshore assets, features autonomous navigation, collision avoidance, advanced control systems. It is equipped with various payloads, communication s ...
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New Marine One helicopters to be produced by Sikorsky
Stratford, Conn. (UPI) May 8, 2013 -
Sikorsky Aircraft has been selected by the U.S. Navy to produce a new fleet of Marine One helicopters for the Office of the President of the United States.
Six S-92 helicopters, with certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, and two trainer simulators are covered by the $1.2 billion engineering and manufacturing development contract awarded for the modification, test and d ...
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Syria conflict renders weapons sites inaccessible: UN
United Nations, United States (AFP) May 08, 2014 -
Insecurity in war-torn Syria is hampering the final stages of work to dismantle its chemical weapons arsenal, the UN official overseeing the task told reporters on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters following a closed door meeting of the UN Security Council, Sigrid Kaag said 92 percent of Syria's illicit chemical stockpiles have been destroyed, as a June 30 deadline approaches.
But dangerou ...
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Hamas must recognize Israel, top Egyptian official says
Washington (AFP) May 07, 2014 -
Hamas must recognize the existence of Israel if the Palestinians are to move forward with their hopes of establishing their own state, former Egyptian foreign minister Amr Mussa said Wednesday.
"It is normal for the Palestinians to reconcile," Mussa said of a recent unity deal struck between the Hamas militants who run the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
However, ...
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For victim-turned-guide, Iraq gas attack still vivid
Halabja, Iraq (AFP) May 08, 2014 -
For years, Umed Rashid has guided visitors around a monument to victims of a 1988 gas attack in Iraq, but unlike many guides, he learned about his subject first hand.
The 40-year-old vividly recalls the horrifying period more than a quarter century ago when his family was killed by a gas attack launched by the regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein, believed to be the worst ever against ci ...
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Enstrom Helicopters supplying aircraft to Venezuela
Menominee, Mich. (UPI) May 8, 2013 -
Venezuela's Ministry of Defense has ordered 420B training helicopters from Michigan-headquartered Enstrom Helicopter Corporation.
The contract is for 16 helicopters for use by the country's air force and navy and will be delivered within the next 18 months.
Also included in the deal are spare parts and tools, pilot and mechanic training and in-country technical assistance during ...
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