International News

It’s a well-known truth that we humans love glowing, sparkling things. For proof of that fact, one needs only to note the growing number and popularity of international lights festivals. A few weeks ago I blogged about the Harbin Ice Festival in China, which displays amazing frozen artworks and sculptures illuminated by flexible LED lights. Learn More

For what the US is lacking in cold weather these days, China’s got plenty. That’s a good thing, considering the annual Harbin Snow and Ice Festival commenced on Thursday, January 5th. What began 10 years ago as a small ice sculpting competition between local artisans has now turned into an internationally acclaimed event that rivals Learn More

The LED market is growing, that’s for sure. But is it growing in the places we expected? Not necessarily. According to a report by DigiTimes, one of the newest and most promising places for the LED industry to expand is the agricultural sector. While LED TV backlight units were projected to sell well last year, Learn More

If your new year’s resolution is to get outside more but you work an office job, you may want to move to Germany.  There, developer Fraunhofer IAO is using wall LED panels to create a “virtual sky” ceiling for cooped-up workers. Just like billowing vapors in the real sky, LED lights help to create the Learn More

For most of us, the holidays are winding down, but in Ho Chi Minh, things are just getting going. The city is busy installing thousands of color-changing LED lights in preparation for its New Year Festival 2012, celebrating the Lunar New Year, which falls on January 23rd, 2012. The decorations will line four main downtown Learn More

In the wake of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s death, the global community is openly speculating about what might happen next for North Koreans, who have existed under one of the world’s most oppressive and dangerous regimes since the 1950s. South Korea’s response is an important part of the equation, and according to a Learn More

If the holidays are about giving, then lighting company Philips must be relishing in the holiday spirit. I recently blogged about how Philips is bringing LED light bars and other LED fixtures to South Africa. “The US-based company has struck a deal with Eskom, the South African utility company, to replace 50watt halogen bulbs with Learn More

South Africa, like most other countries in the world, is enduring an energy crisis. And Philips aims to offer a solution to that problem with its MasterLED lamps. The US-based company has struck a deal with Eskom, the South African utility company, to replace 50watt halogen bulbs with 7 and 10watt LED light fixtures in Learn More

As far as beautiful places go, the Louvre art museum is already a bright spot on the map. And thanks to LED lighting, it looks like this centuries-old Parisian landmark is about to get even brighter. The iconic building, which houses such important art works as the Mona Lisa and the Nike of Samothrace (along Learn More

Much like the US plan, which will phase out 100W or higher incandescent bulbs by  January, 2012, China recently unveiled its three-step plan for stopping the sale and import of energy-wasting incandescent lamps. Not surprisingly, shares in CREE, US-based maker of LED light fixtures, increased by almost 10% after the announcement was made. The Xinhua Learn More