Apple responds to yesterday's study that showed Android phones are outselling iPhones in the U.S.
Harry McCracken , Technologizer
Apple has never been a company that felt obligated to provide responses to each and every press inquiry concerning Apple-related news. So it’s interesting to see that it gave the Loop’s Jim Dalrymple a statement concerning yesterday’s study that showed Android phones outselling iPhones in terms of units in the U.S.:
"This is a very limited report on 150,000 US consumers responding to an online survey and does not account for the more than 85 million iPhone and iPod touch customers worldwide,” Apple spokesperson Natalie Harrison, told The Loop. “IDC figures show that iPhone has 16.1 percent of the smartphone market and growing, far outselling Android on a worldwide basis. We had a record quarter with iPhone sales growing by 131 percent and with our new iPhone OS 4.0 software coming this summer, we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon.”
RABAT, Morocco -- Volcanic ash from Iceland wound its way down to North Africa and curled over to Turkey on Tuesday, forcing authorities to shut down Casablanca airport in Morocco as well as airports in Spain and airspace over Turkey.
Five airports in Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat-Sale, Tangiers, Tetouan and Essaouira — were closed Tuesday afternoon “to guarantee a maximum level of security for passengers,” the Moroccan civil aviation authorities said.
Airports in Morocco, 3,780 kilometers (2,350 miles) from Iceland, were not affected last month when the April 14 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokul (pronounced ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano forced at least a five-day suspension of air traffic in Europe.
The ash also was causing havoc Tuesday in nearby Spain, forcing airports to shut down in the Canary islands of Tenerife, La Palma and La Gomera, affecting dozens of tourist flights. On the Spanish mainland, 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the Canary islands, airports at Seville and Jerez in the south and Badajoz in the east were closed.
Spain also kept restrictions on planes flying between 20,000 feet and 35,000 feet (6,100 meters and 10,770 meters) above the ground, mainly affecting trans-Atlantic flights to and from other European countries. Up to 20 Spanish airports, including international hub at Barcelona, had to close over the weekend because of the ash.
Flights west and southwest of Istanbul were temporarily suspended for several hours Tuesday afternoon due to the ash cloud, banned over Turkey's Thrace region west of Istanbul and the Dardanelles Strait, southwest of the city.
Istanbul's two airports remained open, but international flights from Europe were likely to be affected by the airspace suspension.
Elsewhere, the dense ash in the middle of the North Atlantic — which caused severe flight disruptions over the weekend — was dispersing, easing the need to reroute trans-Atlantic flights around it and cutting down on delays, the Eurocontrol air traffic control agency reported.
Approximately 29,000 flights were operating Tuesday in Europe, about normal for this time of year, according to the Brussels-based agency.
Meteorologists say until the volcano in southern Iceland stops erupting, aviation in Europe will be heavily affected by how prevailing winds distribute the ash. The last time the same volcano erupted, the action went on from 1821 to 1823.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) and visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai meet journalists before their bilateral meeting at the State Department in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, May 11, 2010. (Xinhua/Zhang Jun)
WASHINGTON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday reaffirmed her country's commitment to Afghanistan's security and reconstruction, saying the United States would not "abandon" the Afghan people.
"Let me be clear. As we look toward a responsible, orderly transition in the international combat mission in Afghanistan, we will not abandon the Afghan people," Clinton told a U.S.-Afghanistan bilateral discussion.
"Our civilian commitment will remain long into the future," said Clinton before Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and senior diplomatic, defense, military and intelligence officials from both sides.
Karzai labeled the bilateral discussion as a sign of "mature and steady" relationship, adding that Afghanistan would continue building institutions to preserve progress and to walk towards the future with steady, strong steps.
Karzai, who is paying a four-day visit to the United States, is scheduled to meet President Barack Obama at the White House on Wednesday.
Senior administration officials described Karzai's visit as an opportunity to evaluate the broad strategic partnership between the two countries with a focus on shared security, governance and development.
After months of review, the Obama administration renewed its strategy for Afghanistan last December by sending 30,000 additional troops to the country in a decisive war against al-Qaida network and extremists.
The U.S. army forces stationed in Afghanistan would surge to about 100,000 troops.
Obama also urged the Karzai-led government to combat corruption and take good governance in order that a transfer of responsibility could be promoted and that the United States could begin to withdraw its troops from July 2011.
BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhuanet) -- BBC Radio Derby has won the prestigious Sony Station of the Year award for the second time after 2007 at the annual ceremony held in London, media reported Wednesday.
The award was one of a number won by both local and national BBC stations at The Sony Radio Academy awards -- the most highly regarded awards ceremony in the industry.
"The range and depth of the output is outstanding. Programmes and presentation are confident and warm and reach out to listeners," judges said.
"The news stories are strong and very well delivered - with big issues tackled from a local perspective with a range of voices," they added.
Simon Cornes, BBC Radio Derby's editor, said: "This is for everyone connected with the station in whatever capacity. It's also for the listeners who are such a part of everything we do.
"We were very fortunate enough to win this award three years ago - to win it for a second time really is very special indeed."
BBC Radio Derby is only the second station to have won the award twice and the first BBC local radio station to have been awarded the Gold more than once.
RIO DE JANEIRO, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Exactly one month away from the beginning of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the captain of Brazil's 1994 World Cup championship team and current head coach of the Brazilian national team, Dunga divulged on Tuesday the list of players he will carry to South Africa.
Keeping true to his promise of avoiding any "surprises", the coach named only the 23 athletes that will make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean.
Over the past three years and 10 months, Dunga has invited, analyzed and put to test some 85 Brazilian athletes.
He claims that his work has been long and tedious, but the result has led him to select only the best of players to represent Brazil next month on the world's largest stage of soccer.
As a former midfielder, Dunga called eight players in the position.
Coincidentally, Dunga's list of players is the same team that he used in the friendly against Ireland on March 2 in their 2-0 victory. Sticking to his promise of not having any surprise names on the list, Dunga left out the young and talented strikers at Santos Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso.
Neither of the athletes participated in a single game for the national team, falling out of Dunga's category of potential players to defend Brazil in South Africa. Additionally, Adriano ( Flamengo) and Ronaldinho (Milan/Italy) were omitted from the list of players to defend Brazil in South Africa.
HAVANA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Cuba launched a program of scientific and cultural activities Tuesday to join the international campaign against homophobia.
The activities call on Cuban citizens to be more tolerant, as male chauvinism and prejudice against homosexuality and transsexualism are rampant in Cuban society.
Mariela Castro Espin, director of the National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), said the main objective of this program is to call for reflection and dialogue to eliminate discriminatory statements against people because of their sexual orientation.
The scientific and cultural activities will be held from May 11 to 18 under the auspices of CENESEX. The main activity will be held on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, in the city of Santa Clara, about 270 km east of Havana.
The activities, to be attended by a panel on sexual diversity with university students, will include educational campaigns such as "HIV and homophobia" and "Homosexuality is not a threat, homophobia is."
This is the third consecutive year that Cuba is observing the International Day Against Homophobia. This date was chosen because on May 17, 1990, the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.
LOS ANGELES, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Two genes may play a role in the development of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), a new study finds.
Using an intensive, genome-wide association analysis study ( GWAS), a team of researchers identified the two new genes at specific locations in the DNA called loci that reached the required genome-wide statistical significance threshold for the first time, thus identifying them as very likely associated with AD.
The genes were found on chromosomes two and 19, the first being close to a gene called BIN1 (Bridging Intergrator 1) on chromosome two and the second being close to several genes including EXOC3L2, BLOC1S3 and MARK4 on chromosome 19. These findings were replicated in an independent population.
"Identifying each of these new genes, one on chromosome two and a second locus on chromosome 19, points to new biological pathways involved in the development of AD," said senior author Sudha Seshadri, MD, an associate professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and an Investigator at the Framingham Heart Study.
"Although such benefits are likely a decade away, studying these pathways should lead to new ways to postpone, prevent and perhaps treat the disease," she added.
The findings were published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
It is estimated that one of every five persons aged 65 years will develop AD in their lifetime, and that one in 10 baby boomers will develop the disease before they die. Genetic variants appear to play an important part in the development of the disease since having parents or siblings with the disease increases a person's risk.
The BUSM researchers joined with several leading world-wide epidemiological researchers who were also studying AD in population cohorts. The researchers combined their data with published data and assembled the largest sample to date, over 35, 000 persons of whom over 8,000 developed AD.
"This highly collaborative international effort enabled researchers to build the large sample size needed to identify elusive gene variants that may play a role in this devastating neurological disease," said Marilyn Miller, PhD, of the National Institute on Aging, which funds the collection of AD data in the study.
"Such collaborations are key to a fuller understanding of the many genetic factors that may contribute to overall risk for late onset Alzheimer's and how these genes affect the development of the disease."
PYONGYANG, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Scientists of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have succeeded in nuclear fusion reaction, the newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Wednesday.
This success means a step forward in the development of nuclear technology.
The success is "a definite breakthrough toward the development of new energy and opened up a new phase in the nation's development of the latest science and technology," said the report, carried by the KCNA news agency.
The Rodong Simmun report did not mention possible use of the technology for nuclear weapons.
Fusion reactions, much more powerful than fission reactions, can result in a thermonuclear explosion.
The success in nuclear fusion marks a great event that demonstrates rapid development of cutting-edge science and technology by the DPRK, the Rodong Sinmun said, adding that DPRK scientists have worked hard to develop nuclear fusion technology in their own way.
BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea of the Democratic People' s Republic of Korea (DPRK), said in Beijing that the DPRK remains unchanged in sticking to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim, also chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission, made the remarks when he held talks with Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, during his unofficial visit to China that lasted from May 3 to 7.
During their talks, Hu and Kim exchanged views on international situation, situation in Northeast Asia and the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.
The two leaders said that the peace, stability, prosperity on the Korean Peninsula is in line with common interests of China, the DPRK and the Northeast Asian countries, and the two sides will make joint efforts for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsular in accordance with the September 19 joint statement in 2005.
The two leaders said that the relevant parties in the six-party talks should demonstrate sincerity and make positive efforts for pushing forward the six-party talks.
Kim said that the DPRK will work with China to create favorable conditions for restarting the six-party talks.
Kim also expressed its appreciation for the efforts and contribution China has made for the six-party talks.
UNITED NATIONS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Five nuclear powers Wednesday called on Iran "to respond to the concerns of the international community" and urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "to fulfill the commitments under the Six- Party Talks," saying "we remain determined to achieve the satisfactory resolution of these dossiers through diplomatic means. "
Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, the five recognized nuclear countries under the NPT, issued a joint statement to air their viewpoints on nuclear weapons on the sidelines of the current NPT Review Conference, which entered the third day here Wednesday.
"The proliferation risks presented by the Iranian nuclear program remain of serious concern to us," the statement said. "We underscore the importance of Iran's full and immediate compliance with its international obligations."
"We urge Iran to respond to the concerns of the international community by complying promptly and fully with the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions and with the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," it said.
Meanwhile, the statement said, "We strongly urge the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to fulfill the commitments under the Six-Party Talks, including the complete and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in accordance with the September 2005 Joint Statement, and we reaffirm our firm support for the Six-Party Talks," which group China, Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the DPRK.
"We underline the fundamental importance of an effective IAEA's safeguards system to prevent nuclear proliferation and to facilitate co-operation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy," said the statement, referring the UN nuclear watchdog, known as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"We call on all non-nuclear-weapon States that have not yet done so to bring into force a comprehensive safeguards agreement, as provided for in Article III, or a modified small quantities protocol at the earliest opportunity," it said
The five powers also voiced their support to the establishment of the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in the Middle East, saying, "We are committed to a full implementation of the 1995 NPT resolution on the Middle East and we support all ongoing efforts to this end. "
"We are ready to consider all relevant proposals in the course of the Review Conference in order to come to an agreed decision aimed at taking concrete steps in this direction," it said.
"We urge all States to take all appropriate national measures in accordance with their national authorities and legislation and consistent with international law, to prevent proliferation financing and shipments, to strengthen export controls, to secure sensitive materials, and to control transfers of intangible technology," the statement said.
On the peaceful use of nuclear energy, the statement said, "We recognise the inalienable right of all States Party to the NPT reflected in Article IV to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Treaty and the relevant principles on safeguards."
"We note the increasing demand for nuclear energy and stress its potential in addressing climate change, in facilitating achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and sustainable development, in providing energy security and in addressing vital non-power applications such as nuclear medicine, agriculture and industry," it said.
"We underline the particular importance of international co- operation, both through the IAEA and bilaterally, for States Party new to nuclear technology," it said. "We are ready to work actively with States Party wishing to develop nuclear energy for peaceful uses consistent with their NPT and IAEA safeguards obligations."
"We call for the development of nuclear energy in a culture of openness and transparency, which builds confidence amongst neighbors and stress the importance of promoting the sustainable development of peaceful nuclear energy with in a framework that ensures effective safety, security, non-proliferation conditions, and arrangements for civil nuclear liability for the benefit of all," it said.
"Seeking a safer world for all and creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons in accordance with the goals of the NPT will require determined, long-term international co- operation based on common interest," the statement said. "Our commitment to this goal is unshakable."
RIO DE JANEIRO, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's former Chief of Staff and presidential candidate from the ruling Workers' Party Dilma Rousseff defended the Central Bank's current policies on Tuesday.
"It is good the way it is. It is not necessary to make any modifications," she said during a speech in Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul state.
Rousseff was responding to a declaration made on Monday by opposition candidate and former Sao Paulo governor Jose Serra, who said the Central Bank's autonomy must be maintained within certain parameters.
Rousseff stressed her participation in the current government, in which she was Minister of Mines and Energy for two years and Chief of Staff for seven. She also said that she trusts the Brazilian people's ability to choose their candidate with intelligence.
"I leave it to the electors to make a balance and see who is closer to this government, who is more identified with a platform of development and wealth distribution, and who is more identified with stagnation, unemployment and inequality," she said.
The candidate also talked about her lack of electoral experience, which according to her, may actually be a positive thing.
"It could be like a breath of fresh air in a more traditional manner of doing politics," she said.
RIO DE JANEIRO, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian Central Bank President Henrique Meirelles on Friday defended the decision to raise the country's benchmark interest rate Selic.
The Selic, which has been kept at a record-low of 8.75 percent for almost a year, rose 75 basis points on Wednesday to 9.5 percent.
The Central Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (COPOM) justified the measure as a way to bring the country's inflation rate closer to the target set for this year -- 4.5 percent with a tolerance of two percentage points.
In the first quarter of 2010, Brazil accumulated an inflation rate of 2.06 percent, up from 1.23 percent in the same period last year.
Meirelles stressed that when the market shows an imbalance, with an excess of demand, that must be corrected.
Meirelles said that no matter who will be President Lula's successor, he or she should work to make the country's public debt fall even more.
Brazil's public debt, which amounted to 60 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2002, now takes up 42 percent of the GDP.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Brazil is emerging stronger from the international financial crisis, said Central Bank Governor Henrique Meirelles on Wednesday.
"Recovery is happening at a fast pace," Meirelles told businessmen in Sao Paulo.
He mentioned encouraging economic figures in Brazil in the past months, such as foreign exchange reserves, which jumped from 205 billion U.S. dollars in September 2008 to 241 billion dollars in 2010, despite the crisis.
Foreign direct investment is expected to reach 45 billion dollars this year, Meirelles added.
The Stars Tuesday put their faith in goalie Kari Lehtonen.
Announcing the two sides had agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension worth $10.65 million, the Stars made a clear statement that the 26-year-old netminder is the future of the team.
"We made the trade for Kari knowing full well what his potential was, and I thought he did a great job of showing us glimpses of that potential this year," said Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk. "Now, we’re prepared to move forward with him as our main goalie."
Lehtonen is expected to sign the contract on Wednesday.
Lehtonen was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Thrashers in February and, after a few rough outings, went 6-3-0 down the stretch with a 2.44 GAA and .926 save percentage. He was coming off of two off-season back surgeries and had lost the No. 1 job in Atlanta, but he provided the budget-conscious Stars the opportunity to acquire a player with No. 1 talent.
Lehtonen was taken second overall in the 2002 entry draft and has a 100-87-17 record in parts of six NHL seasons. He has a career 2.87 GAA and a .912 save percentage. He has been sidelined by back, groin and ankle injuries in that span.
"I definitely think if we can get Kari on a strong workout program and get him consistently healthy, we’ll see a very strong goalie," Nieuwendyk said. "We’re counting on that."
So much so that the Stars announced after the season that they do not intend to pursue Marty Turco, who will leave the team as an unrestricted free agent this summer after setting most of the franchise records for goaltending. Dallas also has two unrestricted free agents in minor leaguers Brent Krahn and Matt Climie, and could sign either or both of them to return as potential backups to Lehtonen. They also have control of young prospects Richard Bachman and Tyler Beskorowany, and could also pursue a veteran free agent as a potential backup goalie.
"I definitely think there are options for a backup," Nieuwendyk said. "Getting Kari done on a multi-year deal was our first concern."
The Stars are battling financial issues, and are currently up for sale. Nieuwendyk said he is working under the assumption the team will be on the same $45 million budget for next season, and the contract reflects that. Lehtonen, who was due a $3 million qualifying offer as a restricted free agent, will actually make less than that next season at $2.7 million. The contract will then go up to $3.7 million in 2011-12 and $4.25 million in 2012-13.
Software Maker Gets Ready to Add Free Versions of Word that Run on the Internet
(AP Photo)
(AP) Microsoft Corp. is rolling out a new edition of its Office programs to businesses Wednesday, and for the first time it's adding versions of Word and other programs that work in a Web browser and will be free for consumers.
Office 2010 marks a milestone in Microsoft's efforts to keep up with an industry shift from programs that are stored on PCs to free ones that can be accessed from any computer, over the Internet. Microsoft must be careful not to make the free apps so appealing as to undermine its lucrative desktop software business, which accounted for 29 percent of Microsoft's revenue and 51 percent of its operating income in the most recent quarter. The free apps will have fewer features than the desktop versions.
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the other programs that make up Office are by far the most widely used for writing documents, making spreadsheets and designing slide presentations. But when it comes to free software online, Microsoft has lagged. When the company tried souping up Office in 2007 by adding a service that lets people store and view documents online, Google was already operating Web-based word processing, spreadsheet and presentation programs. Those programs are generally free for consumers and inexpensive for business users.
Today, 4 percent of companies use Google Apps, according to Forrester Research.
That's still far less than the 81 percent that use Microsoft's last Office software package, Office 2007. Businesses aren't ready to embrace Web-based Office-style programs quite yet, says Forrester analyst Sheri McLeish. People still want access to their files when they're not online.
Nevertheless, Microsoft needed a defensive move against the online apps from Google and other rivals that are pushing this concept, which is often called "cloud computing," McLeish said. She pointed out that businesses that do want Web-based programs might prefer Microsoft's because its online software was built to trade documents with Microsoft's desktop programs without losing formatting.
Consumers can start buying Office 2010 or using the free Web Apps in June. While it is possible people could choose to use only the free versions, NPD Group analyst Stephen Baker doesn't think that will widely happen because people "are not all that confident yet" about the concept of using software that stores their information online.
In addition to the Web Apps, Office 2010 brings a slew of new features and updates to individual programs.
In several programs, people will be able to work on the same document simultaneously, a feature Google's programs already allow.
Office 2010 also brings more powerful photo editing tools to Word and other programs, and adds video and audio editing functions to PowerPoint.
The Outlook e-mail program will be able to pull in information from users' outside social networks, such as Facebook and LinkedIn. It also adds new features to tame the ever-growing number of messages in the inbox, including a way to group all replies to a single thread under one line - as well as a way to "ignore" new replies and send them right to the trash.
A T-Mobile G1 Google phone running Android is shown photographed in Encinitas, California January 20, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Mike Blake
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc displaced iPhone maker Apple Inc to become the second most popular provider of smartphone software in the United States during the first quarter, the latest sign of the increasing competition in the fast-growing mobile market.
But Google's success in becoming a leading mobile software player was tempered by the news on Monday that Google lost a key partner in a related effort to redefine the cell phone industry by selling phones directly to consumers through its website.
A Sprint representative said on Monday the company would no longer support the Nexus One, the sleek touchscreen smartphone developed by Google and HTC and sold directly on the Google website.
Smartphones featuring Google's Android operating system accounted for 28 percent of U.S. smartphone unit sales in the first quarter, according to NPD Group, behind top-ranked Research in Motion Ltd, maker of the Blackberry phone, which had a 36 percent share of the market.
Smartphones, which allow consumers to surf the Web, send email and run specialized applications on wide, color screens, are increasingly replacing no-frills cell phones for many U.S. consumers.
The devices have become a prime battleground for a variety of technology companies seeking to ensure a good position in the evolving market.
Last month, Hewlett-Packard Co said it would pay $1.2 billion to acquire Palm Inc, which sells two smartphone models based on its WebOS operating system. Microsoft Corp, whose Windows operating system is used in the majority of the world's PCs, unveiled a pair of smartphones last month and recently launched a revamped version of its mobile operating system.
Apple has sold more than 51 million iPhones since it launched the device to wide acclaim in 2007 and the company says more than 200,000 apps are available for the phone.
In the first quarter, Apple's iPhone, which is available exclusively on the AT&T wireless network in the United States, dropped to third place as its share of the smartphone operating system market remained flat quarter-over-quarter at 21 percent.
Unlike Apple, Google offers its Android software to other phone-makers. In April, Google said a dozen vendors currently offer 34 different devices that feature the Android software.
NPD analyst Ross Rubin said the strong showing of Android phones during the first quarter owed to promotions by Verizon Wireless, which he said has expanded its buy-one-get-one offer. Verizon Wireless is a venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.
"As in the past, carrier distribution and promotion have played a crucial role in determining smartphone market share," Rubin said in a statement.
While the Android operating system is gaining momentum in the market, Google has had less luck with its Nexus One phone, the Android-based device it designed in close collaboration with HTC. Google sells directly to consumers from its website.
Sprint said the Nexus One would not be available on its wireless network because of the upcoming availability of the HTC EVO 4G phone, which also runs Google's Android software and is compatible with the next-generation high-speed networks Sprint offers in certain markets.
Sprint's decision to drop support for the Nexus One comes a few weeks after Google acknowledged a version of the phone that runs on the Verizon Wireless network was being scrapped. Google initially promised a version of the Nexus One for Verizon Wireless in the Spring.
In a report earlier this year, analytics firm Flurry estimated Google sold roughly 135,000 Nexus One phones in its first 74 days on the market, compared with the 1 million iPhones Apple sold in the same time frame when it released the device in 2007.
(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; editing by Steve Orlofsky and Andre Grenon)
TOKYO, May 11 (Reuters) - Japan's Sanyo Electric (6764.T) plans 170 billion yen ($1.8 billion) in capital spending for its rechargeable battery and solar cell operations for the next three years, in a bid to meet fast-growing demand for green energy sources.
Sanyo, the world's No.1 rechargeable battery maker and 13th largest in solar cells, said on Tuesday the amount accounts for about 60 percent of its total capital expenditure of 290 billion yen earmarked for the three years to March 2013.
Of the 170 billion yen, Sanyo, majority owned by Panasonic Corp (6752.T), will set aside 50 billion yen for solar cells and 120 billion yen for rechargeable batteries.
"We are striving to be a leader in the Panasonic group's energy and environment-related businesses," Sanyo President Seiichiro Sano told a news conference.
Sanyo's spending plan, however, is dwarfed by the investment strategy by Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), which said earlier on Tuesday it would invest $20.6 billion by 2020 in new businesses including health care and green energy technology.
Sanyo plans to start solar cell production at Panasonic's panel plant by early 2013, Sano said.
His comment comes after Panasonic President Fumio Ohtsubo said last week the parent company may convert one of its plasma panel plants into a solar cell factory.
Panasonic is the world's largest plasma TV maker.
Following the announcement, shares in Sanyo closed down 0.7 percent at 142 yen, outperforming the Tokyo stock market's electrical machinery index .IELEC.T, which fell 1.7 percent. (Additional reporting by Yumiko Nishitani; Editing by Michael Watson)
* Earmarks Y50 bln for solar cells, Y120 bln for batteries
O governo voltou a sinalizar nesta segunda-feira (10) que vai vetar a proposta que concede 7,7% de reajuste para as aposentadorias que são remuneradas acima do salário mínimo, aprovada pela Câmara dos Deputados na semana passada. Os deputados também votaram pelo fim do fator previdenciário, o que desagradou o governo.
“Temos um acordo e, se for votado de acordo com o que foi acertado, vai ser cumprido, se não for, vamos ter que ver o que vai se fazer e, provavelmente, vai ser vetado”, disse o ministro do Planejamento, Paulo Bernardo, após reunião com o presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
A medida provisória (MP) que concede reajuste para os aposentados que recebem mais de um salário mínimo, modificada pela Câmara, segue, agora, para tramitação no Senado. A MP tem que ser votada até o próximo dia 1º junho, data em que ela perde a validade. Se ela for alterada pelos senadores, a matéria seguirá novamente para a Câmara.
O Ministério da Saúde registrou do dia 1º de janeiro até o dia 3 de abril, 447.769 casos de dengue em todo o país. O número representa um incremento de 79,85% em relação ao mesmo período de 2009, quando foram notificados 248.970 casos. O balanço foi divulgado na tarde desta segunda-feira (10).
O levantamento indica ainda que 81% das notificações de dengue nas 13 primeiras semanas de 2010 estão concentradas em sete Estados, sendo que seis deles apresentam alta incidência em relação ao total da população. São eles: Acre (3.157,3 casos por 100 mil habitantes), Mato Grosso do Sul (2.507,8 casos/100 mil hab), Rondônia (1.585,1 casos/100 mil hab), Goiás (1.114,9 casos/100 mil hab), Mato Grosso (998,3 casos/100 mil hab) e Minas Gerais (490,5 casos/100 mil hab).
São Paulo também registrou incremento nos casos em relação ao ano passado. O Estado passou de incidência baixa (6,5 casos/100 mil hab) para média, com 152,6 casos/100 mil hab.
O Ministério da Saúde considera três níveis de incidência de dengue: baixa (menos de 100 casos/100 mil hab), média (de 100 a 300 casos/100 mil hab) e alta (mais de 300 casos/100 mil hab).
Em números absolutos, os sete Estados que respondem pela maior parte dos casos de dengue notificaram juntos 362.307 casos, do total de 447.769 registrados.
Outro dado que chama a atenção é o fato de que seis municípios concentram 28% dos registros de dengue no país: Goiânia (7,5%), Campo Grande (7,1%), Belo Horizonte (5,2%) Rio Branco (4,1%), Ribeirão Preto (2,6%) e Porto Velho (1,6%). Segundo o estudo, com exceção de Ribeirão Preto e Belo Horizonte, atualmente os demais apresentam tendência de redução de casos.
Casos graves e mortes Até 3 de abril, foram registrados 2.561 casos graves de dengue (746 casos de febre hemorrágica do vírus e 1.815 casos de dengue com complicações). Segundo o relatório, isso representa uma redução de 30,6% em relação ao mesmo período do ano anterior, quando foram registrados 3.695 casos graves de dengue.
Ainda de acordo com o ministério, até o dia 3 de abril deste ano houve queda de 7,8% nas mortes. Este ano foram registradas 117 mortes, enquanto que no ano passado foram 127. Entretanto, as Secretarias Estaduais de Saúde informam que outros 82 óbitos suspeitos de dengue estão sendo investigados laboratorialmente.
Número de mortes por dengue bate recorde no Estado de São Paulo
SP bateu em 2010 o recorde de mortes por dengue. Foram pelo menos 64 casos desde janeiro.O número é o maior desde o início da contagem dos casos de dengue -em 1990- e representa quase o dobro do recorde anterior: 35 mortes em 2007.
O governo atribui a elevação de registros de casos neste ano ao aumento do calor e da chuva em todo o país. Outro fator apontado é a maior circulação do sorotipo viral DEN-1, presente com maior intensidade na década de 90 e que voltou a se disseminar em alguns Estados no final do ano passado. Circulam no país também os sorotipos DEN-2 e DEN-3.
Segundo o Ministério da Saúde, os recursos para ações de controle da dengue e de outras doenças, que têm repasse mensal aos Estados, foram mantidos, e o aporte extra de R$ 128 milhões feito em 2009 foi incorporado ao Teto Financeiro de Vigilância em Saúde, orçado em R$ 1,02 bilhão para 2010.
Presidente foi condecorado em evento como o 'Campeão Mundial na Luta contra a Fome'
10 de maio de 2010 | 12h 54
Leandro Colon e Fabíola Salvador - Agência Estado
BRASÍLIA - O presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva disse, nesta segunda-feira, 10, a autoridades africanas que seu governo fez "milagre nos últimos anos". Para exemplificar, ele citou o crescimento da classe média no País. "Foi a capacidade de consumo dos pobres que fez a economia brasileira resistir à crise dos países ricos. As classes D e E do Norte e Nordeste consumiram mais que a A e B das regiões Sul e Sudeste. Os pobres foram à luta, compraram o que não podiam", disse Lula. "É a multiplicação dos pães. É um dos milagres que aconteceram no País", ressaltou. "Os pobres viraram classe média, passaram a comprar em shopping centers."
O presidente afirmou ainda que é necessário que os países ricos continuem ajudando as nações africanas e pediu que o próximo presidente da República mantenha as atuais relações com o continente. "Eu espero que o próximo governo continue pensando nessa trajetória", disse. "Espero que outros presidentes viajem mais do que eu para que possam descobrir o potencial que existe em nossas relações."
O presidente disse que, na política, os candidatos sempre prometem mudar a vida dos pobres, mas que, após a eleição, são os ricos que têm acesso às decisões. "Na hora de governar, o pobre sai da agenda e entra o rico", afirmou. O presidente reforçou ainda que não se pode esperar que sobre dinheiro do orçamento para investir no combate à fome. "O combate à pobreza só será vencido se houver prioridade na política orçamentária de cada país".
O discurso foi feito durante abertura de um encontro em Brasília entre ministros da Agricultura de países africanos e o governo brasileiro, organizado pela Organização das Nações Unidas para Agricultura e Alimentação (FAO). Lula destacou ainda a importância do desenvolvimento da agricultura africana e a importância de o Brasil e outros países investirem no continente. Lula foi condecorado, durante o evento, como o "Campeão Mundial na Luta contra a Fome".
BRASILIA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Jacques Diouf praised on Monday Brazil's Zero Hunger program and said it should be exported to the African countries to ensure food safety and quality of life for people living there.
According to Diouf, who participated in the "Brazil-Africa Dialogue on Food Security, Fight against Hunger and Rural Development", in Brasilia, FAO would guarantee the necessary financing and technology to put the project into practice.
"The intention to execute versions of Zero Hunger program is important because bringing forth the experience and technology of this program will make the projects on food security advance," Diouf said.
Throughout Monday, a series of meetings were held at the Itamaraty Palace, seat of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, with the participation of ministers and experts from the African countries.
They discussed proposals for the promotion of agriculture, food security and rural development to expand areas of cooperation between Brazil and these countries.
Fifty projects related to food security are operated by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency in 18 African countries, which in recent years received about 60 percent of resources for international cooperation.
According to Diouf, about 20 million people have benefitted from the Brazilian and international projects taking place in Africa.
Earlier on Monday morning, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was awarded "Champion in the Battle Against Hunger" granted by the United Nations World Food Program.
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Lula critica ONU e prevê vitória do PT em 2010
