EU solar market seeks re-levy on China
European Union solar-panel producers requested a prolongation of EU tariffs against Chinese competitors, potentially rekindling what was the bloc's biggest trade dispute of its kind.
EU ProSun, a group representing manufacturers in Europe of the renewable-energy technology, asked the European Commission to renew duties that are due to lapse on Dec. 7, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because the move has yet to be announced.
The appeal, made last week, covers two sets of levies imposed in December 2013 to counter alleged below-cost -- or "dumped" -- imports of solar panels from China and alleged Chinese subsidies.
The commission, the 28-nation EU's trade authority in Brussels, must decide within the next three months whether to start so-called expiry reviews. Such a step would automatically keep the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties in place for as long as 15 more months while the commission examined whether to re-impose the measures.
The two-year accord set a minimum price and a volume limit on European imports from China of solar panels. Chinese manufacturers that opted to take part in the pact are spared the EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties.
-- Bloomberg News
BlackBerry to buy $425M security firm
NEW YORK -- BlackBerry said late last week that it will make another security-related acquisition, buying Good Technology for $425 million in cash.
BlackBerry, once known for making smartphones, is now trying to focus on software that lets information technology departments manage mobile devices. The company said Good Technology will help it offer a unified secure platform for mobile devices that runs on any operating system. It said Good Technology has about $160 million in annual revenue, while BlackBerry has reported about $3 billion in revenue in its last four fiscal quarters.
The Canadian company expects to complete the purchase by the end of November.
Earlier this year BlackBerry Ltd. bought WatchDox, a provider of secure enterprise file-sync-and-share technology, and agreed to buy AtHoc, a software company that develops emergency alert systems for government agencies, military bodies, and other organizations.
The company also announced a round of job cuts earlier this year as it restructures its business and deals with weak smartphone sales. BlackBerry has eliminated thousands of jobs in the last few years under Chief Executive Officer John Chen, who has focused on reducing costs and increasing innovation.
-- The Associated Press
New Google app displays 'spherical' pics
Google is retiring its Photo Sphere Camera app on iOS and the Street View feature from the Google Maps app on Android in favor of a new app for both operating systems: the Street View app.
The tech giant announced recently the standalone app will let people explore collections of 360-degree panorama photos of locations (both interior and exterior), and make their own contributions to public photo galleries.
Users can snap 360-degree "spherical" photos directly from their Android phone or iPhone, or use a dedicated 360-degree camera such as the Ricoh Theta S or NCTech iris360. They can then geotag the images and upload them directly to Google Maps. Other users can then view those images when they tap on a map location within the app.
-- Los Angeles Times
Lego expects prosperous China expansion
The series of shocks that has rocked China's markets since a devaluation last month has done nothing to put off one of the world's most successful companies.
Lego, famous for its colorful plastic bricks, said its "biggest opportunity" still lies in China. A factory that the Danish company is building in Jiaxing, by China's east coast, is due to start production this year as Lego tries to respond to growing demand in the world's second-largest economy.
"We've continued to have very strong double-digit growth in China and, within the Asian region, China was the fastest- growing, from a percentage point of view," John Goodwin, Lego's chief financial officer, said in a phone interview.
Lego's revenue jumped 23 percent in the first half of the year, when it sold $2.13 billion of merchandise. Asia accounted for the highest growth rate, with China continuing to post "very strong double-digit" sales expansion, Goodwin said.
Though the figures cover a period that predates the market rout that gripped China in August, Goodwin said the stock sell-off won't alter the fact that "China represents a fantastic market for us."
-- Bloomberg News
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