Geneva - A raft of new NGN (Next Generation Networks) specifications and reference materials will enter ITU’s 4-week approval process in August. If approved, they will set the stage in the fall and 2007 for the next array of global NGN standards under development.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued the final results of its antidumping (AD) duty administrative review of stainless steel bar from Germany for the period of March 1, 2004 through February 28, 2005.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued its preliminary results of the following antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty administrative reviews:

As of Aug. 15 ICANN will have a new formal method for assessing requests to change existing top-level domain name registry services or offer new ones, it said Tues. The Registry Services Evaluation Process (RSEP), intended to be an efficient system for vetting proposed changes in registry services, will encourage registries to talk to ICANN staff before making such requests, ICANN said. RSEP includes review of proposed changes’ potential impact on Internet security and stability by a 20-member technical panel. If need be, ICANN will do a preliminary competition review, with problem requests sent to appropriate govt. antitrust authorities. Once it gets the technical panel’s report, the ICANN board will have 30 days to grant or reject a request.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued the preliminary results of the following antidumping (AD) duty new shipper review:

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated new shipper reviews for the antidumping (AD) duty order on silicon metal from China with respect to the following companies, identified as exporters and/or producers, and review period:

Consumer intentions to buy TV sets fell sharply in July from June, according to preliminary Conference Board data. Of 5,000 households polled in the monthly survey, 7.3% said they plan to buy a TV set in the next 6 months, vs. 8.5% in June, 8.9% in May, 7% in July 2005. The Consumer Confidence Index posted another slight rise in July after climbing moderately in June, the Conference Board said: “Consumer confidence continues to hold steady, with the prognosis little changed from last month. Present-day conditions remain favorable, though not as strong as earlier this year. Expectations for the month ahead remain cautious, and also below levels earlier this year.”

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued the final results of its antidumping (AD) duty administrative review of certain preserved mushrooms from China for the period of February 1, 2004 through January 31, 2005.

Dealt a legal defeat last fall (CED Sept 19 p3), RadioShack incurred a $8.5 million pretax expense to cover a preliminary settlement of a class action suit that alleged violations of the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). RadioShack made the disclosure in reporting that its 2nd-quarter net loss narrowed to $3.2 million, from $52.3 million a year earlier. Revenue rose to $1.099 billion from $1.092 billion despite a 3% decline in same store sales.

Security firms WatchGuard and SonicWall settled a suit alleging a SonicWall employee unlawfully used confidential WatchGuard data. A senior executive who left WatchGuard in 2004 used the contested data in a similar job at SonicWall, and poached WatchGuard employees for SonicWall in violation of his departure agreement, WatchGuard said. In June, U.S. Dist. Court, Dallas, rejected a WatchGuard motion for preliminary injunction in June, saying it could be compensated with damages. The settlement terms are confidential.