Global Networks

6:48 pm

17th death anniversary of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan today

#GNN - #LAHORE: The 17th death anniversary of internationally renowned late Pakistani singer and musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is being observed today (Saturday).

Ustad Nusrat Fateh who was primarily a singer of Qawwali‚ was born on October 13‚ 1948 in Faisalabad. He was popularly known as “Shahenshah-e-Qawwali”.

The fame and reputation he got from all over the world is exemplary. Khan created a world record of releasing as many as 125 audio albums as a Qawwal which includes legendary numbers like Dum mustt Qalandar mustt‚ Ali Maula Ali‚ Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai‚ Mera Pia Ghar Aya and many others.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died on August 16‚ 1997 in London.

6:30 pm

#GNN #finance news - Holders of Argentina eurobonds plan to appeal U.S. court ruling

Holders of euro-denominated Argentine bonds plan to appeal a U.S. judge's ruling blocking the country from making payments on their debt, according to a court filing on Friday.

In a notice filed in Manhattan federal court, lawyers for the bondholders challenged an Aug. 6 ruling from U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa that Argentina cannot pay the bondholders until it also pays holdout investors who refused to restructure their debt in the wake of Argentina's 2001-2002 default.

Meanwhile, Citigroup Inc and Argentina on Friday were granted an expedited appeal of another order from Griesa that barred future payments to holders of certain U.S. dollar-denominated restructured bonds, after the judge allowed the bank to make a one-time payment.

Both appeals will be considered by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. The court on Friday set oral arguments in the Citibank matter for Sept. 18.

Argentina defaulted after missing a July 30 deadline for payments on restructured bonds. Officials have claimed the country fulfilled its obligations but was blocked by Griesa, whom they have criticized, saying he overstepped his authority.

In June, Argentina deposited $539 million in Bank of New York Mellon Corp's account at the Central Bank of Argentina, earmarked for bondholders who participated in sovereign debt exchanges in 2005 and 2010. It also deposited funds with Citibank Argentina.

But Griesa blocked the payments, saying Argentina's actions were an "illegal" violation of his prior orders.

The euro bondholders have argued that their bonds should be exempt because they are governed by the laws of England and Wales and paid through foreign banking institutions.

"At no point in the euro bonds' payment chain do funds comprise U.S. dollars, enter the U.S., or flow through U.S. entities," lawyers for the bondholders argued in a previous court filing in June.

Separately, in July, Griesa permitted Citibank to pay some bondholders because the bank indicated it was unable to differentiate between dollar-denominated exchange bonds and bonds issued as part of a settlement between Argentina and Repsol SA, which are not part of the bond dispute.

He said he would not allow a second payment and ordered the bank to figure out a way to tell the difference, prompting Argentina and Citibank to appeal.

Last week, Griesa threatened a contempt order if the country did not stop issuing "false and misleading" statements, but Argentine officials have continued to defy him. On Wednesday they accused him of not understanding the case's complexities.

In 2012, Griesa ordered Argentina to pay $1.33 billion plus interest to the holdout group, led by Elliott Management's NML Capital Ltd and Aurelius Capital Management.

Aurelius declined to comment on the latest development in the long-running proceedings. A representative for NML was not immediately available to comment.

(GNN)(Reuters)(Reporting by Joseph Ax and Daniel Bases; Editing by David Gregorio)

6:18 pm

#GNN finance news - French PM calls for European investment plan to boost growth

#GNN - #France's prime minister called on Friday for steps to be taken at EU level to boost economic growth through investment, a day after data showed that both France and the euro zone stagnated in the second quarter.

"The situation is difficult, growth is slowing, not only in France but in the whole euro zone," Manuel Valls told French media on the sidelines of a World War II commemoration ceremony.

He pledged to press ahead with France's plans to cut public spending by 50 billion euros over the next three years, saying the government would not change course, adding: "We also need investment initiatives at European level."

France slashed its growth forecasts for both 2014 and 2015 on Thursday and acknowledged it would miss its public deficit target this year, saying poor growth and low inflation in Europe were partly to blame.

The government, which has long called for the European Union to focus more on growth than austerity, also hinted that it would probably not manage to come into line with the EU's deficit ceiling of 3 percent of GDP next year.

Both the German government and European Central Bank policymaker Jens Weidmann have over the past weeks rebuffed France's calls for Berlin to step up investments to boost growth.

Incoming European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has promised to push for a 300-billion-euro public-private investment program over the next three years, combining EU money with private sector funds, to build energy, transport and broadband networks.

(GNN)(Reuters)(Reporting by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Susan Fenton)

5:52 pm

#GNN finance news - GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks wobble on Ukraine news, bond yields slide

* Ukraine news sparks market turmoil, but stocks pare losses

* German Bund yields plumb record lows below 1 pct

* Safe-haven yen, Swiss franc gain (Adds close of U.S. markets)

By Herbert Lash

NEW YORK, Aug 15 GNN - Global equity markets seesawed and government bond yields fell sharply in a flight to safety on Friday after Ukraine said its artillery shelled a Russian armored column on Ukrainian soil in a report that raised fears of escalating tensions.

The government in Kiev said its artillery partially destroyed the Russian column in fighting overnight, but Russia denied its forces had crossed into Ukraine and called the Ukrainian report "some kind of fantasy."

Investors have worried about a worsening stand-off between Ukraine and Russia, even as recent signs of easing tensions had lifted equity markets, especially in Europe. Investors on Friday were less than sure about the seriousness of the fighting.

"The fact that the market sold off relatively hard on the Ukraine report but came back in the last hour or so is a reflection of us not getting any additional confirmation on the Russian column being attacked," said Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Banyan Partners LLC in New York.

MSCI's gauge of global equity performance pared losses in late trading to end at break-even, while the benchmark S&P 500 closed only 0.01 percent lower on the day. But bond prices reflected a rush into traditional safe havens.

The yield on German 10-year Bunds dropped to a record low of 0.958 percent in their biggest weekly percentage fall in almost 11 months. The 10-year U.S. Treasury slid to 2.3415 percent, and 10-year UK bond yields fell to 2.328 percent at the close, the lowest since August 2013.

"The falling yield levels are a reaction to panic," said Chris Orndorff, a portfolio manager at Western Asset in Pasadena, California.

Most U.S. stock indexes also pared losses to trade slightly lower, but the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended in positive territory.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 50.67 points, or 0.3 percent, to end at 16,662.91 and the S&P 500 lost 0.12 point, or 0.01 percent, to 1,955.06. But the Nasdaq Composite added 11.925 points, or 0.27 percent, to 4,464.927.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading European shares fell 0.45 percent to close at 1,323.10, after trading 0.8 percent higher earlier in the session.

The safe-haven yen and Swiss franc advanced after news of the Ukraine event. The Swiss franc hit a 19-month high against the euro and a three-week peak versus the dollar. The yen reversed losses against the dollar, turning higher.

The dollar fell as much as 0.09 percent against the yen to 102.34 yen, after hitting its highest in more than a week. The dollar last traded at 0.9027 franc, down 0.4 percent.

The euro, meanwhile, tumbled versus the Swiss franc to its lowest since January 2013. It was last at 1.2093, down 0.19 percent.

Crude oil prices rose on the Ukraine news, after Brent had stabilized close to a 13-month low on ample supplies of high-quality oil and signs that faltering global economic growth may cap fuel demand.

October Brent crude rose $1.46 to settle at $103.53 a barrel, while U.S. crude rose $1.77 to settle at $97.35 a barrel. (GNN)(Reuters)(Reporting by Herbert Lash; Additional reporting by Nigel Stephenson in London; Editing by Dan Grebler and Chizu Nomiyama)

5:26 pm

Deloitte CEO Joe Echevarria to retire and pursue public service

Aug 15 #GNN - Deloitte LLP's Chief Executive Officer Joe Echevarria plans to retire later this month to follow his interest in public service, the accounting and consulting firm said on Friday.

Deloitte's board has named Chief Financial Officer Frank Friedman as the CEO pending completion of a formal leadership election, which is under way.

Echevarria, who joined Deloitte in 1978 and became the CEO in 2011, said, "I have determined that this is the right time in my life to pursue my passion for public service.

"Given my roots, inner-city Hispanic from the South Bronx - I am especially looking forward to continuing my role as co-chair with" former basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson on "the My Brother's Keeper Initiative, which is focused on helping boys and young men of color succeed."

President Barack Obama launched My Brother's Keeper this year to improve health, education and employment opportunities for black and Latino boys and young men. Under this initiative, the president asked leading U.S. foundations and corporations to partner with school districts, for example, to help these boys stay in school and get job training.

Echevarria also serves on the President's Export Council, the main national advisory committee on international trade, according to his bio on Deloitte's website. In 2013, he was a member of the Presidential Council on Election Administration.

Deloitte LLP is the member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company. Subsidiaries of Deloitte LLP include audit firm Deloitte & Touche LLP. (GNN)(Reuters)(Reporting by Lehar Maan in Bangalore; Editing by Jan Paschal)

5:20 pm

California expands tax credit for stealth bomber to Northrop Grumman

Aug 15 #GNN - #California on Friday offered tax incentives to an aerospace company seeking to build the next generation of stealth bombers, after controversy that the state had earlier offered the valuable tax breaks only to its main competitor.

The bill to expand a nearly $500 million tax break to Northrop Grumman Corp that had previously been limited only to Lockheed Martin Corp was signed Friday by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown.

"This is a victory for fairness, the aerospace industry and all Californians," said Northrop Grumman spokesman Tim Paynter.

Northrop Grumman, which headquarters its aerospace operations in Southern California and had already committed to building the planes there, was not initially offered the tax incentive.

Northrop Grumman complained, saying the tax credits would benefit the team of Maryland-based Lockheed Martin and Chicago-based Boeing Co in their efforts to win the estimated $55 billion contract to build the new stealth bombers.

The plan exposed sharp divisions among Democrats, some saying the credit amounted to corporate welfare, and others saying it was unfair to offer the break only to Lockheed Martin, which was working as a subcontractor to Boeing in pursuit of the federal contract.

The initial bill, passed last month, did not mention Lockheed by name, but said the tax credit would apply to subcontractors working on the contract. Lockheed is the only subcontractor in the running.

After a tense session on the senate floor, lawmakers agreed to support the Lockheed credit only if a similar bill benefiting Northrop was also introduced.

"As a legislature we committed to leveling the playing field," said Democratic state Senator Richard Roth of Riverside, a co-author of the Northrop bill. "The state of California is not in the business of determining winners and losers when it comes to the Department of Defense contracting process."

His measure does not name Northrop but expands the tax break beyond sub-contractors to primary contractors.

It was not clear why the state initially offered credits to just one company. Roth said he was told Brown's economic development team did not know of Northrop's concern until the last minute.

Republican state Senator Steve Knight, co-author of the Lockheed bill, also co-authored the Northrop measure.

"These extraordinary efforts show that the aerospace industry is important to California," said Knight, who received a $1,500 contribution from Lockheed in November, campaign finance reports showed.

Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (GNN)(Reuters)(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

5:17 pm

SEC probes California's West Contra Costa Unified School Distict

Aug 15 #GNN - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is reviewing bonds issued by West Contra Costa Unified School District in California.

The federal agency requested information regarding general obligation bonds issued by school district between 2009 and 2013 and about proposed refunding of the district's debt, according to a supplement filed on August 7 that accompanied the official statement of $77.46 million of general obligation refunding bonds.

The SEC's letter said that the investigation was "a non-public, fact-finding inquiry" to "determine whether there have been any violations of the federal securities law." It did not disclose the nature or scope of the probe, the district noted.

Superintendent Bruce Harter said in a prepared statement on Wednesday that "much is unknown about the nature of this inquiry."

"We are announcing the receipt of this subpoena in order to ensure that our community is informed," Harter wrote.

The district's Board President Charles Ramsey also received an SEC subpoena, along with certain members of its financing team and some of its consultants and advisors, according to the disclosure.

Ramsey's attorneys Amy Craig and Ismail Ramsey said on Friday that the SEC has issued a request for records, and there was no indication of wrongdoing.

The board had agreed to pay for legal representation for its president, district spokesperson Marcus Walton confirmed.

West Contra Costa Unified School District is located roughly 15 miles northeast of San Francisco, where over 28,000 students attend from the cities of Richmond, El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, and San Pablo, along with several unincorporated areas. (GNN)(Reuters)(Reporting by Robin Respaut; editing by Andrew Hay)

5:09 pm

#GNN Tech - How People Are Filling In When AI Can’t Do The Job

Since Siri became a part of iOS in 2011, the idea of having a digital assistant that can help us get things done just by asking has been a central thrust of the big smartphone platform owners.

Less than a year after Apple rolled out its AI companion, Google followed suit with Google Now, a service that preemptively sends notifications based on contextual clues like your location, your email inbox, and traffic data.

Announced at this year’s Build conference, Microsoft also has a smart assistant: Cortana, named after the AI from the Halo franchise of games on the Xbox. Microsoft says Cortana is designed to act like like a secretary, reminding you about the things that you want to bring up when you call your wife on your way home.

Despite the niftiness of having your phone tell you to leave work 15 minutes early to make it to your flight or Siri and Cortana cracking the occasional joke, the limitations to these assistants are clear. Siri can set a reminder, but she can’t help you schedule a meeting; Google Now can suggest some restaurants nearby, but it can’t book you a table at your favorite place.

Enter premium digital assistants like Fancy Hands and Jarvis. For a monthly fee, these services can handle requests that make Siri and Cortana look like barely functioning alpha builds

How do these assistants accomplish such advanced tasks? Does Jarvis know what kind of food its users like? Can it tap into your schedule while looking for flights to see what might work for you? Can it actually interact with people via email without sounding like a processed form?

Yes, but not because the startup has managed to create an advanced artificial intelligence that just happens to be flying under everyone’s radar. Instead, what they’ve done is create a TaskRabbit for digital tasks: on the other end of every request is a college-educated worker sitting at a computer, searching for the best food around your office or using price-comparison tools to find flights.

Even with the convenience that comes from modern apps, looking through Yelp for a decent place to take a business associate to dinner can still take quite a while, especially if you’re the indecisive type to begin with. I’ve spoken to a few users of these premium digital assistants, and one use case that kept coming up was getting three or four options to choose between to simplify decision-making processes. People just want someone to do the boring, trivial tasks for them.

In a few years, many of these tasks will be accomplished by software. Apple, Google, and Microsoft aren’t standing still with their efforts, and new companies (including one founded by the creators of Siri) are looking to create services that learn and tie in to all of your favorite apps to create digital assistants that are aware of your circumstances and the nuance of tasks that you want done.

But until then, it’s interesting to see humans essentially slotted into these services like cogs in a machine. The interfaces are there for users in the form of apps (or text and email for Jarvis, which means you can use it via Siri’s messaging capabilities), the data is there, but the ability to parse complex requests (or to take simple requests and understand what they mean in context) is years away.

And when that technology does arrive, I can’t help but wonder if these services will go away, or simply move further up the “experience stack.” Imagine it: People with too much on their plate could pay a company like Fancy Hands to manage aspects of their life that are just too tricky or awkward or just take a few seconds too long to handle with an AI assistant; and workers at that company could use AI in concert with traditional applications to become even more productive.

5:01 pm

Which Apps Are Eating Your Battery? Normal Will Tell You. - #GNN Tech

Somewhere, somehow, maybe less than a year after I got the latest version of my iPhone, its battery would mysteriously deplete in about half a day.

I wasn’t really sure why. But now I can find out.

There’s a new app called ‘Normal’ out from a pair of Stanford Ph.Ds in computer science named Adam Oliner and Jacob Leverich, who are turning some postdoctoral research into a company called Kuro Labs.

Their first project, Normal, is a battery diagnosis service that tracks and compares your app usage to other iOS device owners to see if there are any specific actions you can take to save battery life. The 99 cent app compares your phone’s battery usage over time with other people who have similar combinations of apps.

Hence, the name ‘Normal’ — is your phone’s battery life normal compared to other devices that are the exact same model?

“Battery is a pain point and there are not good solutions,” Oliner said. “The device doesn’t tell you everything you need to know. Why is it using so much energy? Is that normal or not? That’s what we’re trying to adjust.”

When you go inside Normal, you’ll see active apps, inactive battery hogs and other apps. For each app, there is a ring chart that will show you how much battery life you’ll save if you close a specific app.

So for instance, if I shut Facebook’s mobile app off, Normal estimates that I’ll save 26 minutes and 47 seconds of battery life. Or if I close inactive apps running in the background like Instagram, I’ll save an hour and seven minutes.

Certain apps can be re-configured to use up less battery. Oliner says Pinterest, for example, is not normally a battery hog but there are a few configurations that make it more energy intensive. There’s a screen inside the app that will tell you if a specific app is behaving normally compared to other identical apps on other smartphones.

The app is based on a project Oliner led at UC Berkeley that eventually became an app called Carat. The concept seems almost identical. That older app would quietly take measurements from your device, combine that data it with other people’s anonymized usage metrics, and then send back tips on whether to update your OS or kill or restart apps.

Now that Oliner is finished with postdoc work, he decided to start a new bootstrapped company with Leverich called Kuro Labs that may spin out more similar concepts. He hinted at looking at laptops or tablets.

“The closest analogous company is something like Bugsense, which diagnoses crashes,” he said. “But we’re doing energy instead.”

4:54 pm

#GNN Tech - Yahoo Acquires Ad Startup ClarityRay

Israel-based ad startup ClarityRay announced on its website that it has been acquired by Yahoo.

A Yahoo spokesperson sent me the following statement confirming the deal:

We’ve been working on building up security capabilities and making Yahoo a safer place for users and partners. Advertising is an essential part of our business here at Yahoo, and we’re committed to getting it right. ClarityRay is a company with deep expertise in ad-malware detection and prevention. The bottom line for Yahoo is that search is going to get better and safer for users, and advertising will become more reliable and profitable for partners.

I first wrote about ClarityRay two years ago after it raised $500,000 in funding from its chairman Saar Wilf. At the time, the company offered tools for online publishers to circumvent ad blockers — CEO Ido Yablonka told me that his goal was to help publishers make money without ignoring the concerns of the “ad intolerant.”

Since then, however, as the Yahoo statement suggests, ClarityRay’s focus has moved away from ad blocking to ad security and fraud detection. (I’m trying to get more detail about what the company has been up to and will update if I find out.)

The ClarityRay announcement doesn’t say anything about the terms of the deal or offer specifics about the extent to which Yahoo will be using the company’s technology. The startup writes:

Joining Yahoo now will allow us to make use of that momentum and take the next steps (or rather, leaps) towards that vision, and we couldn’t be more excited. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity enables the mass scaling of our technology, impact and ideas to the absolute forefront of our field, while working with an amazing team who shares our passion. We’re proud to call Yahoo ‘home’.

Yahoo has become notably acquisitive since Marissa Mayer became CEO two years ago, something that has been credited with reinvigorating the company while also drawing its share of criticism.

2:56 pm

#GNN Tech - #IBM, Lenovo server deal gets final clearance from US regulators

#Summary: The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States approved the $2.3 billion sale of IBM's x86 server business to Chinese PC maker Lenovo.

IBM received good news from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) on Friday regarding the proposed sale of its x86-based server business to Chinese PC maker Lenovo.

Following a period of intense scrutiny fueled by national security concerns, US regulators have approved the $2.3 billion sale, which gives Lenovo control of IBM's x86 servers, blade networking and maintenance operations.

The deal received approval in China last month.

While IBM says the sale of its low-end server business will allow the company to focus on system and software innovations such as cognitive computing, Big Data and cloud infrastructure, security concerns have hovered over the deal since it was first announced back in January.

The main issue revolves around the sensitive deployments of the x86 servers – they are not only used in the nation's communications networks, but also within the data centers that run the Pentagon's computer network.

Lenovo will now maintain those deployments, as per the terms of the deal, which critics say could lead to weakened security via hackers or Chinese spies.

But obviously US regulators found the threat to be minimal, and IBM and Lenovo said in a press release that they look forward closing the transaction.

2:50 pm

#GNN - #Apple to store some user data in #China: Weighing the pros and cons

#Summary: Apple's move to store some of its Chinese users' data in the country has benefits — and drawbacks — for its customers.

Apple has started to store some of its Chinese users' data on servers in mainland China, becoming one of the very few technology giants to store information on Chinese soil.

It's a step away from its rivals, like Google and Microsoft, which tend to shy away from storing data in the country due to its policies on censorship and past accusations of state-sponsored hacking and spying.

Apple said it made the move in order to speed up its iCloud service to users in the country, and increase reliability across the board, according to the Reuters news agency.

China remains increasingly important to the company's bottom line, as it continues to drive the company's strong quarterly revenue. The iPhone and iPad maker's fiscal third-quarter results showed China accounted for about 16 percent of the company's global revenue, thanks to a bump in iPhone sales — its predominant profit driver — in the country.

But skeptics are already questioning whether or not the data-storing approach may harm its business, in light of the nation state's past (and ongoing) practices.

Here's what you need to know:

The data will be held by China Telecom, the country's third-largest wireless carrier — though, the data will be encrypted. The carrier will not have access to the data, Apple said.
Encryption keys for iCloud, which lets users store their music, photos, documents, and other data from their iPhone, iPad, or Mac, will be stored offshore by Apple.
China Telecom is state-owned, but remains a strong partner for Apple. It was a key partner in getting the iPhone to market in the country, which at the time was stalling its iPhone profit growth.

Apple will remain the custodian of the encryption keys. But because Apple conducts business in China, it still has to abide by data requests by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Reports suggest that the move was twofold: to make iCloud faster and more reliable for its users, but also because the company was facing a crackdown by the Chinese authorities that may have seen it penalized for failing to store data within grabbing-reach of the state.

It follows Russia's recent steps to force companies to store Russian data on its soil, which would make it significantly easier for Moscow to conduct surveillance on its citizens.

Russia and China, two of the last remaining communist states, remain at arms length from the rest of the G7 and the United Nations due to these practices.

But it may not alleviate concerns that China may be able to grab data when it wants, for any given reason.

China's policies and practices on state surveillance, government censorship, and extraterritorial hacking have been widely criticized by Western nations. Google refuses to store data in China after it was hacked by Beijing in 2011, leading to the search giant pulling out of the country altogether.

Apple has in recent months become one of the pinnacles of user privacy, particularly in the wake of the Edward Snowden disclosures. Although Apple denied any knowledge of the PRISM surveillance system during a time in which its transparency levels were at an all-time low, many remain skeptical of how much access the US government has to Apple's networks.

In the wake of the disclosures, Apple issued its first transparency report with a "warrant canary," to show before-the-fact if a wide-ranging warrant for its customers' data had been received.

Apple also devises its messaging systems to be encrypted to the point where, according to reports, even the company cannot access the data — making it impossible to hand over that data to the US government and other nation states. Search warrants can still be served on the company. It's not clear if there are master encryption keys to allow Apple's general counsel or custodian of the records to hand over data in a law enforcement or national security emergency.

That said, trust in the wider Silicon Valley technology scene has been shaken by the scope of state surveillance.

For now, it seems like the fairest compromise. Though the data may be stored in China, it's said to be unreadable by its carrier partner — and therefore also unreadable by Beijing. With Apple storing the encryption keys, it may be the best-case scenario for everyone.

2:45 pm

Microsoft to deliver #Windows 'Threshold' tech preview around late September

#GNN - #Summary: #Microsoft is aiming to make available a #technology preview of Windows Threshold around late September or early October.

Microsoft is aiming to deliver a "technology preview" of its Windows "Threshold" operating system by late September or early October, according to multiple sources of mine who asked not to be named.

And in a move that signals where Microsoft is heading on the "servicability" front, those who install the tech preview will need to agree to have subsequent monthly updates to it pushed to them automatically, sources added.

Threshold is the next major version of Windows that is expected to be christened "Windows 9" when it is made available in the spring of 2015. Threshold is expected to include a number of new features that are aimed at continuing to improve Windows' usability on non-touch devices and by those using mice and keyboards alongside touch.

Among those features according to previous leaks are a new "mini" Start Menu; windowed Metro-Style applications that can run on the Desktop; virtual desktops; and the elimination of the Charms bar that debuted as part of Windows 8. Cortana integration with Windows Threshold is looking like it could make it into the OS, as well.

I've asked Microsoft officials for comment. To date, Microsoft execs have declined to comment on what will be in Threshold, when it will be available, how much it will cost or what it will be named.

When Microsoft was working on Windows 8, the company delivered three external "milestones" before making the operating system generally available in October 2012. First there was a Windows 8 developer preview, which Microsoft released on September 13, 2011, followed by a Windows 8 "consumer" preview on February 29, 2012. The operating system was released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012.

These days, Microsoft's operating system team is on a more rapid release schedule, so I'd think there won't be five or six months between any Threshold milestone builds Microsoft plans to make available externally.

I had heard previously from my contacts that Microsoft was aiming to deliver a public preview of Threshold available to anyone interested toward the end of calendar 2014. I'm not sure if there's still a plan to make a public consumer preview available at that time or if this "technical preview" is the only "preview" Microsoft will release before Threshold is released to manufacturing.

Update: One of my contacts who has provided accurate information on Windows in the past said the Threshold tech preview will be public and available to all those interested. (GNN)(ZDNET)(AIP)

2:40 pm

Microsoft weighs new names for its TechEd conference successor

#GNN - #Summary: #Microsoft is surveying select users and partners about what it should name its unified IT pro show slated for next year. Here are the names said to be on the short list.

Microsoft is surveying select customers and partners about what it should name its new catch-all conference that is replacing TechEd and a number of other product-specific shows.

Microsoft officials announced in July that the company is consolidating its TechEd, Microsoft Management Summit, SharePoint, Lync and Exchange conferences into a single, new unified tech conference that will be held in Chicago. The new IT-Pro-focused event is slated for the week of May 4, 2015.

According to some of those surveyed, Microsoft's short list of names under consideration for the new show include:

Microsoft Current
Microsoft Co:
Microsoft Forsee (not sure if that's a typo)
Microsoft 4C
Microsoft GO
Microsoft Tomorrow
Microsoft Spark
Microsoft Unity

Microsoft's Build and Worldwide Partner Conferences will remain separate events. As to what happens to TechEd Europe in 2015, "we have nothing more to share at this time," a Microsoft spokesperson said earlier this year.

Any of these sound like a winner? Or any other write-in candidates you'd suggest, Microsoft show-goers?

2:37 pm

Mozilla shows off flexible RAM on $170 #Firefox OS Flame

#GNN - #Summary: #Mozilla is still shipping its reference #phone for developers that want to reach consumers on low-spec Firefox OS devices.

Most consumers probably want a smartphone with more RAM, but the highlight of Mozilla's newish Flame handset is that it lets developers dial it down when they want.

Building a mobile ecosystem in the shadow of iOS and Android seems an impossibly tough task, but Mozilla is pressing ahead with its effort to encourage developers to build HTML5 apps for low-cost devices chiefly aimed at emerging markets.

Since May, developers could pre-order the first official Firefox OS reference phone, Flame, which Mozilla started shipping in July when the preorder period expired. The company on Thursday decided to re-announce the fact it was shipping the Flame, coupled with a new blog outlining how developers could use it.

The $170 Flame is an unlocked dual-SIM 3G touch phone with 1GB of RAM, a 1.2GHZ dual-core processor, a 4.5-inch 854x480 pixel screen, and comes with a five-megapixel rear camera and two-megapixel secondary one.

As Chris Heilman, Mozilla's principal evangelist for HTML5, notes, Flame's 1GB RAM makes it good for daily use, but not exactly representative of commercially available Firefox devices. While Geeksphone's dual-boot Revolution shared similar specs to the Flame, it was aimed only at developers and, without carrier distribution, was technically not classified as a Firefox OS phone.

Devices carrying the Firefox OS brand are markedly different from the Flame, such as Alcatel's One Touch Fire, which has 256MB RAM or ZTE Open C with 512MB RAM.

Meanwhile, other ultra-cheap and presumably low-specced Firefox OS devices are due soon include one from Chinese maker Spreadtrum. They're aimed at emerging markets including India, Indonesia, and China.

So, the news from Mozilla yesterday is actually a set of new instructions explaining how developers can use ADB to wind back the Flame's 1GB RAM to test how their app would perform on a device with 256MB, for example.

Mozilla's attempt to break into the mobile market comes as Android OEMs increasingly aim to push down prices, while Microsoft is angling for a way to bring would-be Nokia 130 consumers over to its lower-end Lumia phones. (GNN)(ZDNET)(AIP)

6:34 pm

China July property investment slows, sales drop sharply

#GNN - #China's #property market showed further signs of weakening in July, with real estate investment slowing and sales falling sharply despite efforts by many local governments to shore up the troubled sector.

Combined with July activity data released over the past week, the figures suggest softness in the housing market is becoming an increasingly drag on other parts of world's second-largest economy.

Property investment grew 13.7 percent in the first seven months from a year ago, down from an annual rise of 14.1 percent in the first half, the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) said on Wednesday.

Newly started property construction dropped 12.8 percent in the January to July period from the same time a year ago, though the decline easing from an annual drop of 16.4 percent in the first six months.

Meanwhile, property sales dropped 16.3 percent in July in terms of floor space, according to Reuters calculations based on official data.

That compared with a 0.2 annual drop in June.

Property investment growth and newly started construction are expected to cool further in the coming months as developers slow their activities amid weak demand, analysts said.

"The surprisingly deep drop in home sales will continue to weigh on the property market," Zhao Dazhen, a property analyst at CEBM Group, an investment research firm in Shanghai.

"If the sales continue to worsen in coming months, we think the government will unveil more measures to support the industry," said Zhao.

A growing number of local governments have eased restrictions on property purchases in recent week, while state-controlled banks have also revved up lending to the sector, though some analysts believe banks are increasingly reluctant to lend to some developers as the downturn persists.

At least 30 regional governments, which earn a large chunk of their revenues by selling state land, have openly or quietly relaxed home purchase restrictions this year, according to data from CRIC, a unit of real estate services firm E-House China EJ.N.

Analysts said the unwinding of property controls would lend some support to the market in coming months but a greater concern would be whether authorities made credit more readily available to borrowers.

The NBS data showed mortgage loans fell 3.7 percent in the first seven months of 2014, unchanged from the first half.

A tighter financial environment is considered one of reasons for the cooling property market as Chinese banks have become more cautious on extending property-related loans this year.

Local authorities in southern Fujian Province earlier this month urged banks to increase loans to developers and home buyers, while the western Sichuan Province has started to provide fiscal subsidies to banks which offer cheap mortgage loans to first home buyers.

(GNN)(Reuters)(Reporting By Xiaoyi Shao and Koh Gui Qing; Editing by Kim Coghill)

5:52 pm

China's July economic data points to further softness

#GNN - #China's #economy showed further signs of softening in July despite a burst of government stimulus measures, suggesting more
policy support may be needed to keep growth on track.

An encouraging performance from factories, where output for July met market forecasts, was offset by less buoyant activity for investment and retail sales, where growth was not as strong as expected, while the cooling property market showed further signs of deterioration.

Data earlier on Wednesday showed the amount of money flowing into China's economy slowed to the lowest level in nearly six year, adding to worries about the outlook.

"The activity figures are basically lower than market expectations, especially the investment data, which is mainly due to the weak showing in the property market," said Zhou Hao, an economist at ANZ in Shanghai.

"I would say the government will have to further relax policies to deliver an annual growth rate of 7.5 percent."

China's economic growth quickened slightly to 7.5 percent in the second quarter - in line with the government's full-year target - from 7.4 percent in the first three months, its weakest pace in 18 months.

But much of the pick-up was attributed to government stimulus, rather than a genuine recovery in momentum.

Industrial output rose 9 percent in July from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday, slowing from June's 9.2 percent gain but in line with market expectations.

Fixed-asset investment, an important driver of economic activity, grew 17 percent in the first seven months from the same period last year, it said. That compared with a 17.3 percent rise in the first six months.

The investment figure is closely watched amid the government's push to quicken spending on railway and public housing projects to help offset falling property investment.

Stimulus measures unveiled so far include speeding up the construction of railway projects and public housing, while the central bank has eased monetary conditions by guiding market rates lower and cut reserve requirements for some banks.

Retail sales, a key gauge of domestic consumption, rose 12.2 percent in July from a year earlier, slowing from June's 12.4 percent pace.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales to rise 12.4 percent, while fixed-asset investment for the January-July period was seen up 17.4 percent.

July export growth posted last week was double what markets had expected but imports unexpectedly fell, pointing to weakness in domestic demand. Inflation also remained tame, adding to signs of slack in the economy.

Questions about the durability of the economic recovery flared last week after surveys on service sector activity showed unexpected weakness, linked largely to the housing market downturn.

Real estate investment, which affects more than 40 other sectors from cement to furniture, rose 13.7 percent in the first seven months from the same period a year ago, slowing from a rise of 14.1 percent in the first six months.

Sales measured by floor space fell 7.6 percent from a year ago in the first seven months, while sales revenue fell 8.2 percent. New construction dropped 12.8 percent.

(GNN)(Reuters)(Reporting by China economics team; Editing by Kim Coghill)

5:48 pm

U.S. team landed on Mount Sinjar to assess possible evacuation

#GNN - A team including personnel from the U.S. military and the U.S. Agency for International Development landed on Iraq's Mount Sinjar early on Wednesday to assess how to evacuate civilians, a U.S. official said.

The official said the team flew in darkness early in the morning to the mountain, where thousands of people, including members of the Yazidi religious minority, have fled to escape an advance by Sunni fighters from the Islamic State militant group.

"They were there last night and they did an assessment," said the official, saying this occurred early on Wednesday in Iraq.

A second U.S. official said fewer than 20 personnel were involved in the assessment of the situation and all had returned safely to the Kurdistan capital of Arbil by military air.

The United States has not ruled out using ground forces in an operation to extract thousands of desperate civilians trapped on the mountain by Islamist militants, but they will not engage in combat, a senior White House official said earlier.

A team of 130 U.S. military personnel is in Arbil urgently drawing up options ranging from creating a safe corridor to an airlift to rescue those besieged on Mount Sinjar for over a week.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has also deployed a so-called Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) team to Iraq to assess the humanitarian situation.

(GNN)(Reuters)(Reporting By Arshad Mohammed and David Alexander; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles