Last nights news online 11-25-2013 | Science

GN Store Nord, headquartered in Ballerup, near Copenhagen, has a product it hopes will reach that demographic - famously averse to accepting the depredations of age - by taking the stigma out of wearing an aid.

The world's fourth-largest maker has collaborated with Apple Inc to develop a device packed with bluetooth-like technology that installed in the ear allows users to stream voice and music from their iPhones without the need for an intermediary device.

Denmark's expertise in sound technology can be traced back to 1904, when William Demant Holding Group was founded by Hans Demant, whose wife had a hearing disability. Nearly 110 years later, William Demant is the world's second-largest maker of hearing aids, behind Switzerland's Sonova, and its Oticon Foundation continues to fund research and support engineering students.

Strong public and private cooperation has driven development in audio products from microphones to amplifiers in Denmark, which is also home to luxury stereo maker Bang & Olufsen and sound measurement firm Brüel and Kjaer.

Denmark's technical university offers an engineering acoustics masters program that attracts students from around the world and hosts a sound technology innovation network funded by the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation.

There is huge potential in an industry worth $15 billion.

The World Health Organization estimates there are 360 million people - over 5 percent of the world's population - with a disabling loss of hearing, yet current hearing aid production meets less than 10 percent of global need.

Berenberg Bank estimates only one in four who suffer from hearing loss in the United States use them. That might in part be down to stigma, part to cost.

Premium products in the United States sell for about $3,000, including GN's Verso range, and GN has said it will probably launch LiNX at a 5 to 10 percent premium to that.

But there are hopes that the new technology can overcome some of the stigma by making the devices more attractive, accelerating single-digit volume growth in a market that will benefit from an ageing population and rising wealth in emerging markets.

United Nations figures project that one in five people in a world population of between 8.3 and 10.9 billion will be over 60 by 2050, up from just under one in 10 of the current 7 billion.

Aimed at easing a long festering standoff, the interim pact between Iran and the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia won the critical endorsement of Iranian clerical Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

U.S. President Barack Obama said the deal struck after marathon, tortuous and politically charged negotiations cut off Tehran's possible routes to a nuclear bomb. But Israel, Iran's arch-enemy, denounced the agreement as an "historic mistake".

Halting Iran's most sensitive nuclear activity, its higher-grade enrichment of uranium, it was tailored as a package of confidence-building steps towards reducing decades of tension and ultimately creating a more stable, secure Middle East.

Indeed, the United States held previously undisclosed, separate direct talks with Iran in recent months to encourage diplomacy towards a nuclear deal, a senior U.S. official said.

Washington and Tehran have lacked diplomatic relations and been locked in hostility since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Any new detente between the two will be opposed by Washington's Israeli and conservative Gulf Arab allies as it could tilt the regional balance of power towards Tehran.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who has been coordinating diplomatic contacts with Iran on behalf of the major powers, said the accord created time and space for follow-up talks on a comprehensive solution to the dispute.

"This is only a first step," said Iranian Foreign Minister and chief negotiator Mohammad Javad Zarif. "We need to start moving in the direction of restoring confidence, a direction which we have managed to move against in the past."

Downtrodden by sanctions, many Iranians expressed joy at the breakthrough and prospect of economic improvement. Iran's rial currency, decimated earlier this year due to sanctions, jumped more than 3 percent on news of the deal on Sunday.

Obama said that if Iran did not meet its commitments during the six-month period covered by the interim deal, Washington would turn off the tap of sanctions relief and "ratchet up the pressure".

HP's year-long stock rally sputtered last week amid fears a faster-than-anticipated slowdown in emerging markets, above all China, may dash the computing giant's hopes for a return to growth in 2014 or beyond.

Cisco has warned about crumbling Chinese demand. IBM last month reported a sales drop of over 20 percent in the world's No. 2 economy.

Both also reported weakness in other emerging markets as well, but it was China and concerns about sales declines in that market that has grabbed headlines.

HP is already grappling with expectations of slowing U.S. federal spending, a fundamental erosion of PC demand and unrelenting competition from Lenovo and Dell. So it can ill afford a steeper-than-expected dropoff in China, which is estimated to account for a fifth of HP's revenue and is one of its most crucial growth markets.

Investors are looking to the computing giant, which reports quarterly results on Tuesday, to shed more light on goings-on in the world's largest PC market.

"All the giant tech companies are somewhat at risk now. You have to worry if the other companies are going to report the same kind of thing in their fourth quarter," said Peter Tuz, President of Chase Investment Counsel Corp in Virgina.

Shares in HP, up 77 percent so far this year, have lost almost 5 percent in the week since Cisco blamed a dismal business outlook on deepening fallout from the Snowden revelations. Some analysts also blame competition from networking giant Huawei and the government's increasing tendency to buy local.

Mizuho Securities analyst Abhey Lamba cited another culprit: a slowdown in spending by Chinese state enterprises awaiting policy signals from a new government.

Microsoft said China was the company's weakest performing market during the September quarter. The picture is far from clear, however. Juniper Networks said last week its business continues to grow in Asia, including China.

SERVERS, PERSONAL COMPUTERS

Workers at Amazon centers in Bad Hersfeld and Leipzig will walk out for at least one day on Monday, Heiner Reimann of Verdi told daily Stuttgarter Nachrichten.

The union has organized several short strikes this year in a bid to force the world's biggest Internet retailer to accept a collective agreement on employment conditions similar to deals for the mail order and retail sector, which are more generous than for the logistics sector.

Amazon regards staff in Bad Hersfeld and Leipzig as logistics workers and says they receive above-average pay by the standards of that industry.

Verdi board member Stefanie Nutzenberger told weekly Welt am Sonntag that the union could extend industrial action beyond those two centers during the busy Christmas holiday season.

"And we will concentrate on days that will be especially disruptive to business," she was quoted as saying in an article published on Sunday.

Amazon employs around 9,000 people in Germany. Sales there grew almost 21 percent in 2012 to $8.7 billion, representing a third of its overseas total.

"So far the strike action by Verdi has had no impact on shipments to our customers," Amazon spokesman Stefan Rupp said in an e-mailed statement.

The gathering, known as the Loya Jirga, had been convened by the president to debate the pact which outlines the legal terms of continued U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. It voted in favor and advised Karzai sign it promptly.

But Karzai, in his final remarks to the four-day meeting, said he would not sign it until after a presidential election due next April.

"If there is no peace, then this agreement will bring misfortune to Afghanistan," he said. "Peace is our precondition. America should bring us peace and then we will sign it."

The president did not elaborate, but has previously said a free and fair vote is needed to guarantee peace in the country and his spokesman later said Karzai had not changed his mind.

As the meeting ended, assembly chairman Sibghatullah Mojeddedi told Karzai: "If you don't sign it, we will be disappointed." Karzai responded "Fine!" and left the stage.

Failure to clinch the deal could mean a full U.S. pullout, leaving Afghanistan to fight the Taliban insurgency on its own. U.S. troops have been in Afghanistan since leading a drive to remove the Taliban in late 2001.

U.S. officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, said the deal must be signed by year-end to begin preparations for a post-2014 presence.

In his remarks, Karzai acknowledged there was little trust between him and U.S. leaders while saying signing the pact was broadly in Afghanistan's interests. Backing from the Jirga, handpicked by his administration, had been widely expected.

Most speakers were muted in their criticism of the thorniest issues in the document, including a U.S. request for immunity for its troops from Afghan law.

Critics say Karzai's recalcitrance on the date might reflect his desire to distance himself from any deal with the United States and avoid speculation that he has sold out to the West.

A former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Ronald Neumann, said Karzai is known to use 11th hour demands to press for concessions from the United States during negotiations.

After 30 hours of deadlock, they approved a pathway to a new global climate treaty in Paris in 2015.

The agreement was achieved after a series of last minute compromises often involving single words in draft texts.

Negotiators also made progress on the contentious issue of loss and damage that developing countries are expected to suffer in a warming world.

Green groups were angry about the lack of specific commitments on finance.

The Conference of the Parties (Cop) started two weeks ago in the shadow of Typhoon Haiyan.

Speaking at the time, the lead delegate from the Philippines, Yeb Sano, drew tears in the auditorium with a heartfelt plea to "stop this climate madness".

But the good intentions foundered on the political and economic realities of a complex process where agreement has to be by consensus.

The mood was not helped by the Japanese government announcing it would not be able to meet its 2020 emissions cuts target. 'Little of substance' The Poles, tasked with chairing the talks, were criticised for being seen to be too close to the coal industry.

The head of the meeting was then sacked as environment minister in a Polish government reshuffle.

All the while there were reports from many participants that little of substance was being achieved.

There were problems with finance, compensation for loss and damage and developing a framework by which the parties would get to in Paris in 2015, the deadline for a new global deal.

The critical element was the outline framework. This proved the most difficult aspect of the negotiations as meetings continued through Friday night and late into Saturday evening. Unlike the Kyoto Protocol, the richer countries want it to apply to everyone, especially emerging giants like India and China.

However, many of the emerging countries, including Venezuela, are keen on inserting a "firewall" into the prospective agreement to preserve the past differences.

2b or not 2b? The battle centred on a single word in the pathway document.

Paragraph 2b of the text originally spoke of "commitments" by all parties. But in a plenary session, delegates from China and India ripped into this and said they could not accept the language.

"Only developed countries should have commitments," said China's lead negotiator Su Wei.

Emerging economies could merely be expected to "enhance action", he said.

The S&P 500 has jumped around 26 percent this year, with major indexes notching record high after record high. Investors pointed to potential drags on the market next year, be it a pullback in stimulus by the Federal Reserve to weak earnings, that have made this market look expensive from a valuation basis.

"I'm very cautious on equities today," said billionaire Carl Icahn, among the world's most influential investors.

"This market could easily have a big drop," he added.

The advance of 2013 will be hard to duplicate next year, particularly with the expectation that the Fed is going to slow its $85 billion bond buying program, which has pumped cash into global markets. However, many managers interviewed said while the market may not gain 26 percent in 2014 as it has so far in 2013, returns are likely to be positive again.

The Fed's bond buying has helped swell its balance sheet to near $4 trillion, a record. The best chance for a correction could come when the Fed tapers its asset purchases, said Joshua Brown, chief executive of Ritholtz Wealth Management.

Icahn flagged the Fed's flood of money as a driver behind "manufactured" earnings.

With results in from 96 percent of the S&P 500 companies, third-quarter earnings growth is estimated up 5.7 percent from a year ago. A number of analysts say companies have boosted those results by taking advantage of lower borrowing costs throughout the past year.

Borrowing costs have tumbled even for companies rated junk. Such companies pay about 4.29 percentage points more than comparable U.S. Treasuries to borrow, according to Merrill Lynch data, around a full percentage point cheaper than at the end of 2012.

"I think a lot of the earnings that you see are a bit of a mirage," Icahn said. The earnings "are coming because you have very low interest rates," not because of corporate strength.

QE TRADE-OFF?

Fed policymakers, including current chair Ben Bernanke and expected incoming chair Janet Yellen, say they will only reduce their bond buys in the face of a sustainable recovery.

Less quantitative easing for a stronger economy is actually good for equity markets, said Steven Einhorn, the vice chairman of Omega Advisors, who also said the Fed will take pains to soften the effects of its retreat from bond-buying.

After a week long trial, the jury deliberated for nearly two days before reaching a decision on Thursday in a San Jose, California federal court. Apple had requested $379.8 million, while Samsung argued that it should have to pay $52.7 million.

Apple and Samsung have been fighting in the courts for over two years. Apple was awarded over $1 billion last year after it convinced a jury that Samsung copied various iPhone features - like using fingers to pinch and zoom on the screen - along with design touches like the phone's flat, black glass screen.

Earlier this year U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh upheld nearly $640 million of that verdict but ordered a retrial on the rest, ruling that the previous jury had made some errors in its calculations. Combined with the retrial verdict of $290.5 million on Thursday, Apple has now been awarded $929.8 million in the case.

Apple called its marketing chief Phil Schiller to testify during the trial. Samsung did not call any senior executives, a fact hammered on by Apple attorneys during closing argument. Juror Barry Goldman-Hall, 60, said the six-woman two-man jury discussed the disparity.

"We felt like we had way more information from Apple and we were left wondering why we hadn't gotten other information from Samsung," said Goldman-Hall, a therapist.

Samsung spokeswoman Lauren Restuccia said the company is disappointed by the verdict, especially because one of the patents in the case has been recently deemed invalid by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Apple is contesting that finding.

Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said it was grateful to the jury for imposing costs on Samsung, though she said the case has been more about protecting innovation than winning money.

Samsung manufactures phones that use the Android operating system, which is developed by Google. In addition to the fight over money, Apple is seeking a permanent injunction against several older Samsung phones. Koh had previously rejected such a sales ban, but earlier this week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ordered her to reconsider.

But underneath that fresh coat of paint is a core structure that is still rotting. Mayer's tenure has done little to improve Yahoo's fortunes, as the company's core business continues to erode. More than three-quarters of Yahoo's revenue comes from search and "display" ads (banners and in-video ads), but both businesses are struggling. Sales from both types of ads have fallen every quarter this year. Overall, Yahoo's revenue has been flat for the past three years.

So why is Yahoo's stock on a tear? Analysts say the primary reason is Yahoo's (YHOO, Fortune 500) large stake in ultra-buzzy Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which is preparing to go public. Last month, Yahoo revealed Alibaba's second-quarter sales jumped a whopping 61% over the year, and net income soared 145%.

"I would say right now, the [Yahoo stock value] is 75% Asian assets, 25% Marissa Mayer," said Victor Anthony, analyst at Topeka Capital Markets. S&P Capital IQ analyst Scott Kessler agreed: "[Excitement around Mayer] is the No. 2 driver, but I don't think it's close to the [importance of] those perceptions around Alibaba." That analyst view may sound surprising, given the public celebration of all things Mayer. Just about every decision Mayer makes -- from the length of her own maternity leave to providing Yahoo employees with company iPhones -- grabs attention. That type of buzz is a far cry from the not-so-long ago days when Yahoo was merely an aging Internet portal.

"They have a star running the organization, and that makes a difference," Anthony said. It's true that Mayer's appointment as CEO helped inject much-needed excitement into Yahoo, both from a company-culture and press-coverage perspective. She's led stock buybacks and big acquisitions, namely the purchase of popular blog platform Tumblr, that have helped boost the company's profile.

But none of those moves have addressed the fact that Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and Facebook (FB, Fortune 500) are eating away at Yahoo's once-dominant position in the online display advertising market. Luckily for Mayer, investors have so far been happy to ignore Yahoo's lackluster results while they wait to benefit from Alibaba's IPO.

About 300 game shops and 100 Tesco stores across the UK stayed open so gamers could buy the device.

Microsoft held launch events in London, New York and Los Angeles to mark the arrival of the successor to the Xbox 360.

The launch comes a week after the US launch of Sony's PlayStation 4 and sees the two start their fight for dominance during the key Christmas season.

No advantage Although the PS4 launched first in the US, it will not go on sale in the UK and Europe until 29 November. By contrast the Xbox One went on sale in 13 countries on Friday, 22 November. Neither console is set to be available in Japan until 2014.

Marc Whitten - and chief producer officer, Xbox One, told the BBC Microsoft had experienced an unprecedented number of pre-orders for the Xbox, far exceeding those of the Xbox 360. "I feel very very good about where we are. Today's launch is just the beginning of an amazing journey."

Launches are typically staggered so console makers keep manufacturing costs down, to give makers time to translate content into different languages, and to ensure deals covering what media can be seen on the gadget are in place.

In the UK the Xbox One is expected to cost about £429 (514 euros) and the PlayStation 4 £349 (418 euros).

The more expensive Xbox includes a bundled Kinect sensor that does a better job of spotting movement and hearing sounds than the first generation of the device.

Microsoft also has ambitions for its console to act as a hub for anything seen on a TV, and the device can act as a controller for cable and satellite set-top boxes. Microsoft's Skype net calling system is also integrated into the device.

The technical specifications of the two devices are broadly similar and the graphics on games are much improved on the preceding generation of consoles. Experts suggest that Sony's PS4 has the edge on graphics and early reports revealed that two games - Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts - would play in higher resolution on the PS4.

Both consoles attempt to round out the social side of gaming, giving owners tools and services that let them play with or against friends or find opponents online.

"If history has anything to say about it, core gamers tend to favour Sony," said Brian Blau, research director at analyst firm Gartner. "There is nothing I've seen to say that one platform is going to have an advantage over the other."

At Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia where Kennedy is buried, family members laid a wreath at his grave, where Jackie Kennedy and two of their children also are buried.

At dawn, Attorney General Eric Holder made a gravesite visit to honor Kennedy, bowing his head and placing a Justice Department commemorative coin at the stone. Holder then walked a short path to the grave of Robert F. Kennedy, who had served as attorney general under his brother, bowed his head and left another coin.

In a late morning ceremony in Dallas, Kennedy will be remembered with prayers, a speech by Mayor Mike Rawlings and military jets flying over the city's Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy was shot.

The ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m. (1730 GMT), to coincide with the time that Kennedy's motorcade had passed through packed downtown streets, 50 years ago. Only 5,000 people will be able to view ceremonies in Dealey Plaza but video screens will be set up throughout downtown.

For previous anniversaries, conspiracy theorists who say there was a plot to kill Kennedy have usually taken over Dealey Plaza, denouncing the official line that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and fired three shots at Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository building.

They have come to Dallas in force this year but will not be part of the official event.

"His death forever changed our city, as well as the world," Rawlings said in a statement ahead of the anniversary. "We want to mark this tragic day by remembering a great president with the sense of dignity and history he deserves." Dallas was seen as a pariah city for years after the November 22, 1963, assassination, and avoided any commemoration. That stigma started to fade decades ago, and now, The Sixth Floor Museum in the former Texas School Book Depository is one of the city's largest tourists attractions.