Thursday 28 February 2013

Mason, 32, issued a non-traditional letter following the action, in which he at first said he was leaving to spend more time with his family.

“Just kidding - I was fired today,” he said in his missive to the staff. “If you’re wondering why.?.?. you haven’t been paying attention.”

Groupon announced the change, including a search for a new chief executive, on Thursday after the stock market had closed.

Leonsis did not respond to e-mails and phone messages, but he said in a statement released by the company: “Groupon will continue to invest in growth, and we are confident that with our deep management team and market-leading position, the company is well positioned for the future.”

Groupon’s stock price was decimated after the company announced late Wednesday that its fourth-quarter loss had widened to $81.1 million from a $65 million loss the previous year.

Groupon shares dropped 20 percent Thursday, closing at $4.53. That price is down from $20 per share a year ago.

The shakeup caps more than a year of upheaval for Groupon and the daily-deals industry, which less than two years ago was considered as transformative to local commerce and entertainment as Amazon.com was to retail.

The daily-deals business got off to a fast start around 2010 as companies like LivingSocial and Groupon started peddling steep discounts to spas, restaurants and shops in subscribers’ neighborhoods.

But by 2012, that growth began to slow, in part because customers felt bombarded by e-mails from both the big sites as well as scores of copycats. Groupon and LivingSocial began searching for other revenue streams.

“Deals are a piece of the online promotions puzzle, but they sit alongside traditional things,” said Peter Krasilovsky, a daily-deals analyst with BIA/Kelsey in Chantilly. “They are not really a stand-alone entity as we thought. It’s not a new paradigm for advertising.”

Groupon’s fortunes are expected to have a significant effect on Washington-based LivingSocial, the No. 2 daily-deals company and Groupon’s chief rival. Privately held LivingSocial has closely watched Groupon’s progress.

A spokesman for LivingSocial declined to comment.

The two companies have much in common. Leonsis is one of the chief investors in Groupon, and his close friend and business partner, fellow Washingtonian Steve Case, was one of the early investors in LivingSocial.

Both continue to have significant stakes in the companies and are also partners in other investments through a local venture-capital fund called Revolution Ventures. Leonsis, 56, also sits on the board of directors of American Express and is the majority owner and chairman of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the holding company that owns the Washington Wizards, the Capitals and the Verizon Center.

LivingSocial’s chief executive, Tim O’Shaughnessy, is the son-in-law of Washington Post Company Chairman Donald E. Graham.

Groupon was once named the fastest-growing company in history by Forbes magazine. But several high-profile missteps, including a lengthy and contentious initial public offering, restatements of earnings and high-level staff defections, damaged the company’s image.

Mason took responsibility for some those missteps Thursday.

“The events of the last year and a half speak for themselves,” he said in the letter. “As CEO, I am accountable.”

Mason, who had been seen as the creative force behind the company and still controls nearly 20 percent of Groupon’s voting stock, had drawn attention for his nontraditional approach to running a public company. He posted online videos of himself doing yoga in his underwear and posed for photos with cats on his head.

“Mason added very little value to a company which essentially became an online department store,” Krasilovsky said. “He was a lifestyle champion, and he started Groupon as something to help people figure out what they wanted to do on the weekends.”

Mason’s control of the company stemmed from his 20 percent share of the voting stock, which in addition to Lefkofsky’s shares and voting shares held by another key investor, Brad Keywell, amounted to a block 57 percent control. Lefkosky’s voting shares may have been instrumental in the executive leadership.

Mason acknowledged in his departing letter to employees that the company needed some change.

“You are doing amazing things at Groupon, and you deserve the outside world to give you a second chance. I’m getting in the way of that. A fresh CEO earns you that chance,” he wrote. “I’ll now take some time to decompress (FYI I’m looking for a good fat camp to lose my Groupon 40, if anyone has a suggestion), and then maybe I’ll figure out how to channel this experience into something productive.”

Staff writer Steven Overly contributed to this report.


View the original article here

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Keep the rumor mill churning.

Since Ellen DeGeneres announced she was stepping down from the "American Idol" judges' table, numerous celebrities' names have surfaced as possibilities for the new panel. Jennifer Lopez was rumored to be close to finishing a deal, but according to People.com, Jenny From the Block is out.

“Her demands got out of hand,” a source told the magazine. “Fox had just had enough.”

Reps for the show had no comment.

Lopez had been rumored to join Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and original "Idol" judge Randy Jackson at the judges' table.

Tyler, when asked about being a judge on the show, told cameras on July 31, "I'm probably going to be a judge on 'American Idol.' I'm doing it."

Various reports in recent weeks have also named Jessica Simpson, Chris Isaak, Harry Connick Jr. and Justin Timberlake as possible "Idol" judges.

© 2013 MSNBC Interactive


View the original article here

Tuesday 26 February 2013

Zsa Zsa Gabor at home with new hip

Posted by Unknown On 20:18 No comments
Editor's note:
This image contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.

Click to view the image, or use the buttons above to navigate away.


View the original article here

Monday 25 February 2013

Two days after former "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino was hospitalized for attempting suicide, the singer's manager Brian Dickens confirms to UsMagazine.com that she has been released from the hospital.

Photos: "Idol" judges before they were famous

"She has been lifted up by the outpouring of love and support from her fans," Dickens tells Us. "She is more committed than ever to her daughter and her work because they are her heart, her soul and inspiration."

In an eerie 911 call obtained by TMZ earlier Wednesday, a male voice (likely Dickens, who signed the police report), is heard telling police, "An individual took a bottle of Aspirin and she is slowly losing consciousness."

Photos: "American Idol" stars, then and now

Jennifer Lawrence Shows Sideboob in Sexy Lanvin Dress at the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards Mario Lopez Hopes Second Child With Wife Courtney Mazza Is a Baby Boy Jennifer Lopez, Casper Smart Take Twins Shopping on Their Fifth Birthday: Picture Nick Carter Engaged to Lauren Kitt: See the Proposal and Huge Engagement Ring!

When the operator asks if 26-year-old Barrino is alone, he responds: "I'm outside, but somebody is with her inside." When asked if she is bleeding, he says, "Yes." He says she doesn't have a weapon and is not violent.

"She's in the shower. Her family tried to put her in the shower to try to keep her awake until the paramedics get there," the male says to the dispatcher, who responds, "Take her out of the shower and turn the water off."

Photos: Love lives of "Idol's" stars

The suicide attempt came just after the Idol winner had been the subject of rumors she made a sex tape with a married man, Antwaun Cook, causing his wife, Paula, to file for divorce.

Prior to the incident, Dickens told Us that the singer is "certain that she is not responsible for the deterioration of Cook's marriage."

Copyright 2012 Us Weekly


View the original article here

video “This is going to turn into another big storm for the Midwest," said TODAY’s Dylan Dreyer. Though the region has already sustained massive snowfall, a weather system from the west is on the way.

2/23/2013 4:18:17 PM +00:00 2013-02-23T16:18:17

View the original article here

Sunday 24 February 2013

Sponsored By:

Posted by Unknown On 20:04 No comments

The likely cause for this is that your browser, feed reader, or email application is configured to not accept cookies, or your reader may launch an external browser to view links without sharing cookies.

If you're using Internet Explorer, make sure your privacy setting is at medium or below. Select 'Internet Options' from the 'Tools' menu in your browser windowClick the Privacy tabAdjust your privacy setting if necessary
If you're using a reader that embeds Internet Explorer (examples: Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Feed Demon), you'll also need to select Internet Explorer as your default web browser. Open Internet ExplorerSelect 'Internet Options' from the 'Tools' menu in your browser windowClick the 'Programs' tab and check the box for Internet Explorer to check if it is the default browser and save your changeClose your browser, re-open it, and when prompted, select Internet Explorer as your defaultYou can then click on an ad in your newsletter and visit the site you wish to view

View the original article here

>>> back now at 8:40. take a look at this guy, bill cosby , obviously alive despite those rumors. starring in the new website obkb. take a look.

>> obkb.

>> i wanted to meet bill cosby.

>> he's funny.

>> he made fat albert .

>> hey, hey, hey, it's fat albert !

>> the cosby show .

>> i would like to propose a toast to the beautiful lady rudy.

>> and he wrote.

>> like they're old --

>> and they're still --

>> they get to be themselves. without any writers writing lines for them.

>> the problem was, it wasn't my child. these are real kids , and they're different.

>> bill cosby , good morning.

>> good morning.

>> let's get the rumors out of the way about you being demise -- about your demise. what's behind this in the first place? four tweets or online rumors about your death. the latest one, i guess one of the most recent ones in early august. why?

>> i have no idea.

>> no? all teasing aside it's upset your family, right?

>> well, not only the family. but friends this time, for the fourth one, called. so, the part about, well, take the high, whatever, road.

>> right.

>> that's over. we just have to tell all fools who think that this is funny, it isn't, because i think you need to realize you're doing some damage to people that you really don't want to hurt, so we're just asking them to think. having said that, those children you just played --

>> yes.

>> i want to tell you a wonderful thing that happened. one of the kids --

>> they're all part of this web series , right?

>> the obkb, and i interview them and try to pull things from them, get them going. so that this is all funny, and fun. and then we do grown-ups. and they're funny, as well. but, a kid came up to me, and i was sitting, sweatshirt on, and he said, you know, and i said well, how are you? he said -- he's about 8. and so i said, everything okay? he said --

>> what's he looking at?

>> yeah. so i said, you seem to be looking for -- he said, i watched "the cosby show " all the time. i said, thank you. but why do you look that way? he said, you look old. because, you know, the show --

>> they tell the truth.

>> but the show, the show and then this kid was confused about the image of what -- and what he expected. you're old. i said, yeah. and then we did the interview, had a ball, and i said, so i'm old, so what do you think? he says, you're cool. yeah.

>> well, this show is reminiscent of "kids say the darnedest thing" back in the late '90s. a lot has happened in our world since then from 9/11 to the wars to this explosion of technology. kids are aware of all that stuff. has it changed kids? i mean, kids now, are they different --

>> sure they are.

>> in what way?

>> here's what isn't and what hasn't changed. you don't raise your kids to think, to have themselves think of themselves as victims. you bring them up to win. and so when you've got a kid with a thing here and the blue light on the face, what you do is you say, look, we have to put this down for a little while. there will be plenty of time for that. this thing is called a book. and we're going to read the book. because i found that children, given an opportunity to be taught correct behavior, good behavior, age and education love reading books. they love it. and there are certain schools that demand, demand that a child 7 years old finish up 40 books in a year. and you should hear how wonderful these kids feel.

>> you love kids. that's what it is. you just love kids.

>> but, i don't love that saying about how honest they are. because they're dishonest people.

>> why? what do you mean? quickly?

>> well, they lie.

>> well, they said you were old. that wasn't a lie, right?

>> no, no. but there's lies about other things.

>> give me one example, real quick.

>> you have a load in your pants? no.

>> that had to be the example you gave me?

>> 18 months old, you start out early, lying.

>> okay.

>> i see the load.

>> i've got nothing in my pants, bill, all right?

>> i don't believe you. ow.

>> oh, sorry.

>> see.

>> good to see you. i've got to run to the bathroom. by the way obkb will be available for download


View the original article here

>> on a much different note, it's been over five years since the world lost a comedy legend, johnny carson . but his legacy and the laughs he gave us live on. and now the entire tonight show library has been made available online.

>> ladies and gentlemen , here's johnny!

>> reporter: for 30 years on nbc, johnny carson was the king of late night . and his " tonight show " the throne of american comedy. at the top of his game night after night, as many as 15 million loyal fans tuned in.

>> would you welcome jerry seinfeld .

>> reporter: comedians who got an early break from carson saws his influence was unparalleled.

>> we eight dirt every day of the week.

>> reporter: from the animals to the parade of celebrity guests his show was a who's who of pop culture . until he signed off for good in 1992 .

>> we're going to come to an end. nothing lasts forever.

>> reporter: the host with boyish charm passed away in 2005 . now his voice lives on. carson 's entire " tonight show " archive has been digitized and posted online at where else, johnnycarson.com. over 3,000 hours, millions of jokes. a treasure trove of hidden gems long under lock and key . here's woody allen with johnny on new year's eve, 1965 .

>> without question the most adorable --

>> one of the greatest of all times. johnny carson . it's fantastic. cannot wait.

>> reporter: late night 's jimmy fallon was just a kid dreaming of stardom when carson went off the air 18 years ago.

>> every host looks up to him and wants to be like him.

>> a nail --

>> reporter: not even karnac the magnificent could have predicted the long-standing legacy.

>> i remember the first night backstage i said well, when this is over, it will be a week. then it will be a year. ten years from now you won't even remember this night. we all laughed. thinking there's no way anybody's going to do this for ten years. i don't know if i can take another night of this.

>> reporter: it seems the magic of his monologues have outlived the man. now his voice and his laughter live on. and


View the original article here

Saturday 23 February 2013

Video: Rockettes rock the plaza

Posted by Unknown On 23:31 No comments

All material submitted to MSNBC.com and NBC News (the “Submissions”) become the property of MSNBC and NBC News and will not be returned. Without affecting any of your ownership rights to the Submission, by submitting your Submission, you grant MSNBC and NBC News an irrevocable royalty-free, worldwide right, in all media (now known or later developed) to use, publish, alter or otherwise exploit your Submission and to sublicense such rights to a licensee at MSNBC and NBC News' discretion. You hereby forever release MSNBC and NBC News and any of its licensees from any and all claims you might have in connection with its use and exhibit of your Submission as set forth above. You also agree to sign (your parent or legal guardian if you are a minor in your state or Province) any necessary documentation to effectuate that license and release. Your Submission must be your own original work and, by submitting your Submission, you represent and warrant that: it is your sole original work; and you have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your Submission (including obtaining the written consent of all 3rd parties, where applicable). Your submission must not contain material which is violent, pornographic or otherwise obscene, illegal or racially or otherwise morally offensive. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless MSNBC and NBC News, its parents, subsidiaries and affiliated companies, each of their respective licensees, successors and assigns, and each of their respective employees, agents, representatives, officers and directors from and against any and all claims, losses, costs, damages, liabilities, losses, costs and expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys; fees) which arise out of any breach of this agreement or any of these covenants, agreements, obligations, rights, representations or warranties set forth herein. You waive any claim of infringement (including without limitation copyright, trademark, patent, trade name, trade secret, etc.) against MSNBC or NBC News or their licensees based upon access to or use of your Submission. If you do not want to grant MSNBC or NBC News the foregoing, please do not submit your Submission. Neither MSNBC nor NBC News is obligated to use the Submission.


View the original article here

Thursday 14 February 2013

* Genachowski offers plan for modernizing USF

* Cable group says gives phone companies unfair advantage

* Proposal set for agency vote on Oct. 27 (Adds comments from industry and analyst)

By Jasmin Melvin

WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. communications regulator unveiled on Thursday a proposal for achieving universal broadband coverage by the end of the decade.

Some 18 million Americans do not have access to broadband where they live and work despite some $4.5 billion in public money spent each year to subsidize telephone service for rural families.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski proposed a strategy for revamping that government subsidy program to help deploy high-speed Internet service to millions of Americans living in rural and costly-to-serve areas.

"The costs of this broadband gap are measured in jobs not created, existing job openings not filled and our nation's competitiveness not advanced," Genachowski said in a speech on Thursday, acknowledging that the current program is broken.

The FCC earlier in the year proposed modernizing the $8 billion universal service fund -- paid for through fees added to consumers' telephone bills -- to spur infrastructure investment while removing inefficiencies in the program.

Genachowski's proposal would gradually move the largest program within the universal service fund, the program that subsidizes telephone service, to directly support fixed and mobile broadband.

His plan would also phase out funding for duplicating services offered by several phone companies serving the same area.

Broadband buildout to unserved areas could begin in early 2012 under the plan, bringing high-speed Internet to hundreds of thousands of homes in the near-term.

"It will help cut the number of Americans bypassed by broadband by up to one half over the following five years, and it will put us on the path to universal broadband by the end of the decade," Genachowski added.

The comprehensive set of reforms will be circulated to the other commissioners on Thursday, and are set for a vote at the FCC's Oct. 27 meeting.

CABLE INDUSTRY NOT HAPPY

Genachowski outlined a new competitive bidding process for securing funds from the program, but the American Cable Association said it bent heavily to incumbent phone companies.

The proposal would quickly move to this bidding process in some areas, but others would not shift until later years.

ACA said this would give incumbent phone carriers first dibs at monies from the fund while other broadband providers, like cable, wait years for the option to competitively bid to receive support in those areas.

"The chairman's plan locks in a sole-source contract worth billions of dollars for over ten years to a handful of incumbent large telecom companies," ACA Chief Executive Matthew Polka said in a statement.

ACA represents independent companies providing broadband service to 7.6 million subscribers.

But Genachowski argued in his speech that "a flash-cut to competitive bidding in some parts of the decades-old program risks consumer disruption, build-out delays, and other unintended consequences."

In order to push reform through, certain policy and political trade-offs must be made, and that may limit cable companies' prospects for receiving federal broadband support, said Medley Global Advisors analyst Jeffrey Silva.

"The political sensitivities almost demand that in order to get any sort of consensus that's politically viable, you have to get buy-in by rural telephone companies," Silva said.

"That may be the best this chairman or any chairman is going to be able to do because it's not just about policy, it's about politics," he added. (Reporting by Jasmin Melvin, editing by Bernard Orr)


View the original article here

* Sony talking to Ericsson about 50:50 joint venture-WSJ

* Sony and Ericsson decline to comment on reported talks

* Deal would be positive for both companies - analysts (Adds details in paragraphs 2, 8-11, byline)

By Tarmo Virki, European Technology Correspondent

Oct 6 (Reuters) - Sony Corp (6758.T) is nearing a deal to buy Telefon AB LM Ericsson's (ERICb.ST) stake in their 50:50 smartphone joint venture, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Sony and Ericsson have been talking for weeks about the future of the venture because the companies' 10-year-old pact is up for renewal this month, two industry sources told Reuters.

The Wall Street Journal said the talks were ongoing and could break apart at any time.

Ericsson and Sony declined to comment on the reported talks. "We have a long-term commitment to our joint ventures," said an Ericsson spokesman.

Many analysts say Japan's Sony needs to assert control over Sony Ericsson if the venture is to recoup market share in the cut-throat world of smartphones. [ID:nLDE74N0FB]

The joint venture, formed in 2001, thrived after its breakthrough with Walkman music phones and Cybershot cameraphones, both of which leveraged Sony's brands.

But it lost out to bigger rivals Nokia (NOK1V.HE) and Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) at the cheaper end of the market, and was late to react to Apple's (AAPL.O) entrance into the high-end of the market.

It has refocused its business to make smartphones using Google's (GOOG.O) Android platform, but it has dropped to No. 9 in global cellphone rankings from No. 4 just a few years ago.

It is making some progress and turned a net profit of 90 million euros last year after booking a loss of 836 million in 2009. But it reported another loss for the April-June quarter.

The venture is due to report its September quarter results on Oct 14.

DIVORCE GOOD FOR BOTH PARTNERS?

"A buyout would make a lot of sense for Ericsson as I believe their share in the joint venture is worth to them between zero and minus 1 billion euros," said Bernstein analyst Pierre Ferragu.

"Whatever price they agree on, it would be a positive for Ericsson," he said.

Shares in Sweden's Ericsson gained on the report and closed 6 percent higher at 69.20 crowns on Thursday.

A full takeover of the venture would boost Sony's overall offering, which includes content, gaming devices, consumer electronics and even tablet computers. But the company still lacks its own smartphones.

"The buyout allows Sony to move development in-house and better integrate other products like gaming into newer phones," said Steven Nathasingh from U.S. technology research firm Vaxa Inc.

Last month at the IFA trade fair in Berlin, Sony Ericsson's phones were presented inside the Sony hall, mixed with Sony's TV sets and new tablets. [ID:nN1E77U0KO] (Additional reporting by Yinka Adegoke, Anna Ringstrom, Sven Nordenstam and Liana Balinsky-Baker; Editing by Erica Billingham and John Wallace)


View the original article here

By Michael Stott

LONDON | Thu Oct 6, 2011 1:57pm EDT

LONDON Oct 6 (Reuters) - Fleet Street's finest jostled furiously at the start on Thursday of a government inquiry, trying to grab public attention with tales of shock and horror.

But this time about their own industry.

Prime Minister David Cameron has asked a judge, Lord Brian Leveson, to hold an inquiry into the oft-feared British press and make recommendations for a new regulatory regime.

This followed allegations that the News of the World, a best-selling newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, had hacked the mobile phones of a string of personalities in the news including a murdered schoolgirl and paid money to the police for stories.

One of Cameron's predecessors, Tony Blair, famously attacked Britain's media as a "feral beast tearing people and reputations to bits," and some contrition was offered at the inquiry's opening debate.

"We've been up to pretty bad behaviour throughout history. It was fun" said Roy Greenslade, a former Daily Mirror editor who now lectures on journalism at London's City University.

But less than an hour into the proceedings, it was Richard Peppiatt, a tously-haired former reporter with one of Britain's most downmarket papers, the Daily Star, who stole the show with a withering denunciation of tabloid journalism.

In more than 900 stories for British popular papers, he told the debate on the competitive pressures facing journalists: "I can probably count on fingers and toes the number of times I was genuinely telling the truth".

Peppiatt's dramatic accusations, which were quickly tweeted over the Internet, shattered the carefully crafted picture of improved press standards painted by previous speaker Phil Hall, who edited the News of the World from 1995 to 2000.

"The publish-and-be-damned attitude has long since been confined to the history books of Fleet Street," Hall said reassuringly, as some participants quietly muttered disbelief.

Peppiatt was having none of it.

Tabloid stories, he said, were ordered up from cowering reporters by bullying editors to fit the newspaper's preconceived prejudices, regardless of the facts, under an unwritten pact best described as "you tell us what we want to hear and we won't question too much your sources".

Editors of Britain's best-selling newspapers, who fear the Leveson inquiry heralds new press regulation which will cramp their free-wheeling ways, struck back.

Peppiatt's "florid diatribe" was a "grotesque caricature of the newspaper world", fumed the former political editor of the top-selling Sun newspaper, Trevor Kavanagh. A lawyer for the Daily Express said the atmosphere described by Peppiatt was "not a newsroom culture I recognise".

Earlier, Kavanagh admitted the popular press occasionally erred but added: "You should see the stories we don't print."

"MEA CULPA"

In a dramatic clash between editors that appeared to reinforce concerns about tabloid standards, Greenslade challenged former News of the World editor Hall to tell the inquiry why Rupert Murdoch had sacked him from the paper.

"Maybe Roy can tell us first how he fixed the spot-the-ball competition when he edited the Daily Mirror," retorted Hall, to gasps from the audience.

"It is an episode of journalism I feel absolutely terribly sorry about....mea culpa, mea culpa," bemoaned Greenslade, admitting the lapse which critics said made it impossible for anyone to win the 1 million pound prize on offer.

The debate touched repeatedly on Fleet Street's growing obsession with the private lives of celebrities, ranging from the late Princess Diana to adulterous footballers. The trend is blamed by some press observers for a decline in standards but seen by some editors as a good way to boost sales.

"When Michael Jackson died, the Sun's circulation went up by 326,000 copies in one day," said Sun editor Dominic Mohan, who is the paper's former showbusiness reporter. "There is a public appetite for celebrity journalism."

The noisy debate over tabloid ethics almost drowned out some of the more sober voices calling for serious debate on the risks to press freedom posed by over-intrusive regulation or the hard financial numbers showing newspapers are a fast-dying industry.

Alan Rusbridger, editor of Britain's leading liberal daily newspaper The Guardian, made an eloquent plea in a speech laden with references to great political thinkers of the past like Locke and Wilkes for Britain's rulers not to forget free speech.

"A free press is part of a larger right of free expression," said Rusbridger, whose newspaper exposed the phone-hacking scandal, "- something to be jealously preserved and guarded, regardless of the abuses of those freedoms by, or on behalf of, a small number of people calling themselves journalists."

Veteran tabloid types, who grew up on Fleet Street mantras such as "It's never wrong for long" or "This story is too good to check" muttered that all the fuss over tabloids was not new.

Try the website gentlemenranters.com, one speaker suggested, and you will see that not much has changed since the 1950s.

The site features tales from the hard-drinking past of the British newspaper trade, including a tale of one photographer who died - shock horror - from a fall while going INTO a pub.

(Editing by Jon Boyle)


View the original article here

* Follows 20 percent reduction in budget

* 2,000 jobs to be axed, senior manager roles to be cut

* Labour unions warn programming, journalism will suffer (Adds detail, background)

By Kate Holton and Georgina Prodhan

LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The BBC is set to axe over 10 percent of staff in its management, programming and news divisions after Britain's cash-strapped government imposed deep spending cuts on the world-renowned, publicly-funded broadcaster.

The corporation set out the changes on Thursday in response to a 20 percent cut to its annual 3.5 billion pound ($5.4 billion) budget imposed by the government a year ago as part of the deepest public spending cuts in decades.

Unions said the changes would damage independent journalism at a time when a phone hacking scandal has revealed embarrassingly close ties between the Prime Minister David Cameron and Rupert Murdoch's right-leaning News Corp , a long standing critic of the BBC.

The BBC budget was imposed by the government with very little negotiation. Around 600 BBC News posts will now go.

"By 2016, the BBC will be significantly smaller than it is today," it said.

With eight national TV channels, 50 radio stations and an extensive website, the BBC's size and resources had already attracted envy and criticism from rivals, led by James Murdoch at the dominant pay-TV group BSkyB .

As the recession gathered steam in 2008, that criticism intensified as advertising-funded groups such as ITV struggled to cope, cutting staff and budgets.

Under the new plans, the corporation will cut 2,000 jobs, reduce the budget for buying sports and other rights, slash the number of senior managers and share more content.

More repeats will be shown on television and property in west London will also be sold. The changes will result in savings of around 670 million pounds a year by 2016/17.

"The realities of what this country looks like in 2011 and what households up and down the country are going through, what other public institutions are going through, (means) it would be a bit odd if the national broadcaster wasn't feeling some of the same pressures," Director General Mark Thompson said.

LAST MINUTE DEAL

Last year, the BBC agreed to freeze the annual licence fee, payable by every TV-owning British household, at 145.50 pounds. It is also taking on extra costs from the government including funding the BBC World Service, which is broadcast overseas.

The agreement was hammered out in a matter of days, stripping out the months of negotiation normally involved in setting a licence fee, as the coalition government scrambled to cut spending after taking power.

The National Union of Journalists condemned the move and called again for the licence fee to be renegotiatied "especially given what has since emerged about the close relationship between the government and Rupert Murdoch at the time the deal was done."

The media and entertainment union BECTU said the cuts were a direct result of the "shocking 11th hour deal" on the licence fee which "will be the cause of regret for years to come".

The BBC towers over Britain's media landscape with a rich offering of drama, comedy and children's programming, a huge newsgathering operation and some of the UK's most popular websites.

In a lecture more than two years ago, News Corp executive and BSkyB Chairman James Murdoch lashed out at the BBC, accusing it of making a land grab for power and calling for a radical overhaul of British television regulation.

The pendulum has since swung back in favour of looser regulation more favourable to commercial rivals and lower public spending, especially since the recession and the installation of a centre-right coalition government in 2010.

Alex DeGroote, media analyst at London brokerage Panmure Gordon, said the slimming down of the BBC would help level the playing field in Britain, where commercial media companies were up against a far stronger public rival than their peers abroad.

"There's always been a BBC discount for commercial media in this country. It got particularly high in 2002-05. That's when you had a massive expansion of the BBC's inventory -- more digital radio, BBC3 and BBC4, lots of Internet sites," he said.

BSkyB should be well placed to benefit. It is increasing the budget it spends on programming and has recently signed a deal to share the broadcasting of Formula One with the BBC. It is also already very aggressive in acquiring sports rights and drama from the United States. (Editing by Will Waterman and David Cowell)


View the original article here

LONDON | Thu Oct 6, 2011 1:41pm EDT

LONDON Oct 6 (Reuters) - A former reporter on a tabloid owned by Trinity Mirror has claimed the newspaper hacked into the phones of celebrities, Sky News reported on Thursday, potentially broadening a scandal that has so far largely affected Rupert Murdoch's News Corp .

David Brown, who worked for The People before being sacked, was reported by Sky News as having claimed the mobile phones of celebrities were targeted by The People in the years up to 2006.

Trinity Mirror has said the allegation is incorrect.

Brown's comments came in a written witness statement prepared for an employment tribunal claim for unfair dismissal against Trinity Mirror, but the statement was never used.

Sky is part owned by Murdoch's News Corp media empire.

"A number of the methods used to pry into individuals' lives were illegal and I have little doubt that if these people knew they had been spied upon, they would take legal action for breach of their right to privacy," Brown was reported to have written.

The people whose phones were hacked by the Sunday newspaper, Sky said, included David Beckham's children's nanny and TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson.

Trinity Mirror, which also owns the Mirror newspaper, denied the accusations.

"All our journalists work within the criminal law and the PCC (Press Complaints Commission) Code of Conduct and we have seen no evidence to suggest otherwise," it said in a statement.

It added that the "unsubstantiated allegations" taken from a draft statement had never been tested under cross examination.

Brown declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

He was reported to have written that information had been gleaned by others from Jonsson's mobile phone.

"This was done by 'screwing' or tapping Ms Jonsson's phone's message bank," he is said to have written.

He said in the statement that Trinity Mirror had quickly paid substantial damages to Beckham after running a front-page story wrongly alleging the soccer star had left angry messages on his nanny's mobile.

"It took the company less than a month to pay David Beckham substantial damages because it knew it could not produce the evidence of tapped mobile phones in any litigation," the statement reportedly said.

Brown was fired from the Sunday tabloid in April 2006 for gross misconduct, Sky said on its website.

The statement, written in 2007, was not used because the company settled out of court with Brown and he signed a confidential settlement agreement, Sky said.

When a News of the World reporter was arrested for hacking in August 2006, a senior human resources figure "contacted executives on Trinity's national titles to tell them that if they were asked by other newspapers or trade publications whether they had used information from 'screwed' mobile phones they should deny it," Brown was said to have written.

"(The) advice indicates that a major media plc was not only allowing its staff to carry out illegal activity by, at best, turning a blind eye to it, but also taking part in an organised cover-up of that activity."

Trinity launched a review of is editorial controls and procedures last August, and had obtained written confirmation from its current senior editorial executives that they had not engaged in phone-hacking since the introduction of an Act of law in 2000.

Allegations of hacking at its rival Sunday tabloid the News of the World led to the closure of the 168-year publication. Trinity Mirror soon afterwards said its circulation revenues had risen. (Reporting by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Jon Hemming)


View the original article here

By Michael Stott

LONDON | Thu Oct 6, 2011 1:57pm EDT

LONDON Oct 6 (Reuters) - Fleet Street's finest jostled furiously at the start on Thursday of a government inquiry, trying to grab public attention with tales of shock and horror.

But this time about their own industry.

Prime Minister David Cameron has asked a judge, Lord Brian Leveson, to hold an inquiry into the oft-feared British press and make recommendations for a new regulatory regime.

This followed allegations that the News of the World, a best-selling newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, had hacked the mobile phones of a string of personalities in the news including a murdered schoolgirl and paid money to the police for stories.

One of Cameron's predecessors, Tony Blair, famously attacked Britain's media as a "feral beast tearing people and reputations to bits," and some contrition was offered at the inquiry's opening debate.

"We've been up to pretty bad behaviour throughout history. It was fun" said Roy Greenslade, a former Daily Mirror editor who now lectures on journalism at London's City University.

But less than an hour into the proceedings, it was Richard Peppiatt, a tously-haired former reporter with one of Britain's most downmarket papers, the Daily Star, who stole the show with a withering denunciation of tabloid journalism.

In more than 900 stories for British popular papers, he told the debate on the competitive pressures facing journalists: "I can probably count on fingers and toes the number of times I was genuinely telling the truth".

Peppiatt's dramatic accusations, which were quickly tweeted over the Internet, shattered the carefully crafted picture of improved press standards painted by previous speaker Phil Hall, who edited the News of the World from 1995 to 2000.

"The publish-and-be-damned attitude has long since been confined to the history books of Fleet Street," Hall said reassuringly, as some participants quietly muttered disbelief.

Peppiatt was having none of it.

Tabloid stories, he said, were ordered up from cowering reporters by bullying editors to fit the newspaper's preconceived prejudices, regardless of the facts, under an unwritten pact best described as "you tell us what we want to hear and we won't question too much your sources".

Editors of Britain's best-selling newspapers, who fear the Leveson inquiry heralds new press regulation which will cramp their free-wheeling ways, struck back.

Peppiatt's "florid diatribe" was a "grotesque caricature of the newspaper world", fumed the former political editor of the top-selling Sun newspaper, Trevor Kavanagh. A lawyer for the Daily Express said the atmosphere described by Peppiatt was "not a newsroom culture I recognise".

Earlier, Kavanagh admitted the popular press occasionally erred but added: "You should see the stories we don't print."

"MEA CULPA"

In a dramatic clash between editors that appeared to reinforce concerns about tabloid standards, Greenslade challenged former News of the World editor Hall to tell the inquiry why Rupert Murdoch had sacked him from the paper.

"Maybe Roy can tell us first how he fixed the spot-the-ball competition when he edited the Daily Mirror," retorted Hall, to gasps from the audience.

"It is an episode of journalism I feel absolutely terribly sorry about....mea culpa, mea culpa," bemoaned Greenslade, admitting the lapse which critics said made it impossible for anyone to win the 1 million pound prize on offer.

The debate touched repeatedly on Fleet Street's growing obsession with the private lives of celebrities, ranging from the late Princess Diana to adulterous footballers. The trend is blamed by some press observers for a decline in standards but seen by some editors as a good way to boost sales.

"When Michael Jackson died, the Sun's circulation went up by 326,000 copies in one day," said Sun editor Dominic Mohan, who is the paper's former showbusiness reporter. "There is a public appetite for celebrity journalism."

The noisy debate over tabloid ethics almost drowned out some of the more sober voices calling for serious debate on the risks to press freedom posed by over-intrusive regulation or the hard financial numbers showing newspapers are a fast-dying industry.

Alan Rusbridger, editor of Britain's leading liberal daily newspaper The Guardian, made an eloquent plea in a speech laden with references to great political thinkers of the past like Locke and Wilkes for Britain's rulers not to forget free speech.

"A free press is part of a larger right of free expression," said Rusbridger, whose newspaper exposed the phone-hacking scandal, "- something to be jealously preserved and guarded, regardless of the abuses of those freedoms by, or on behalf of, a small number of people calling themselves journalists."

Veteran tabloid types, who grew up on Fleet Street mantras such as "It's never wrong for long" or "This story is too good to check" muttered that all the fuss over tabloids was not new.

Try the website gentlemenranters.com, one speaker suggested, and you will see that not much has changed since the 1950s.

The site features tales from the hard-drinking past of the British newspaper trade, including a tale of one photographer who died - shock horror - from a fall while going INTO a pub.

(Editing by Jon Boyle)


View the original article here

* Presidents, CEOs, fans pay tribute to Jobs

* Apple co-founder transformed lives of millions

* Jobs praised as "a dreamer and a doer"

* Apple shares up 1 percent (Updates links to stories, graphics, Breakingviews; updates shares)

By Jennifer Saba

NEW YORK, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Outpourings of public grief and appreciation swept the globe on Thursday after the death of Apple (AAPL.O) co-founder Steve Jobs.

Jobs, who touched the daily lives of countless millions of people through the Macintosh computer, iPod, iPhone and iPad, died on Wednesday at age 56 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He stepped down as Apple chief executive in August.

Reaction in the stock market was muted as Apple shares quickly recovered from an initial 1.5 percent decline. The shares were up 1 percent to $382.15 at midday.

In New York City, an impromptu memorial made from flowers, candles and a dozen green and red apples was erected outside a 24-hour Apple store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, with fans snapping photos of it on their iPhones.

"It was really sad news for us," said Daiichiro Tashiro, 25, visiting from Tokyo. "A lot of Japanese use the iPhone. We're here to thank him."

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Obituary [ID:nN1E79424F]

Apple's lead over rivals could narrow [ID:nL3E7L61B9]

Breakingviews - Apple's impact [ID:nN1E7950GQ]

Jobs a god for designers [ID:nL5E7L6347]

Factbox - Apple's history and milestones [ID:nN1E794246]

Graphic - Jobs profile link.reuters.com/tag34s

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

Tributes poured in both from ordinary people and from the pinnacles of the business and political worlds.

"He's the hero to everybody of this generation because he did something that I think is very hard, which is be both a dreamer and a doer," General Electric Co (GE.N) CEO Jeff Immelt told reporters in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday.

"I wouldn't be able to run my business without Apple, without its software," said David Chiverton, who was leaving Apple's flagship Regent Street store in London. "I run a video production company. It's allowed me to have my dream business."

News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch said, "Steve Jobs was simply the greatest CEO of his generation."

At an Apple store in Sydney, lawyer George Raptis, who was five years old when he first used a Macintosh computer, spoke for almost everyone who has come into contact with Apple. "He's changed the face of computing," he said. "There will only ever be one Steve Jobs."

U.S. President Barack Obama remembered Jobs as a visionary. "Steve was among the greatest of American innovators -- brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it," Obama said in a statement.

Microsoft's (MSFT.O) Bill Gates, who once triumphed over Jobs but saw his legendary status overtaken by the Apple co-founder in recent years, said, "For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor."

Nokia (NOK1V.HE) CEO Stephen Elop, whose company competes with Apple's iPhone in the handset market, said, "The world lost a true visionary today. Steve's passion for simplicity and elegance leaves us all a legacy that will endure for generations."

When he stepped down as CEO in August, Jobs handed the reins to long-time operations chief Tim Cook. With a passion for minimalist design and a genius for marketing, Jobs laid the groundwork for the company to continue to flourish after his death, most analysts and investors say.

But Apple still faces challenges in the absence of the man who was its chief product designer, marketing guru and salesman nonpareil. Phones running Google's (GOOG.O) Android software are gaining share in the smartphone market, and there are questions about what Apple's next big product will be.

LEGENDARY ENTREPRENEUR

A college drop-out and the son of adoptive parents, Jobs changed the technology world in the late 1970s, when the Apple II became the first personal computer to gain a wide following. He did it again in 1984 with the Macintosh, which built on breakthrough technologies developed at Xerox Parc and elsewhere to create the personal computing experience as we know it today.

The rebel streak that was central to his persona got him tossed out of Apple in 1985, but he returned in 1997 and after a few years began the roll-out of a troika of products -- the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad -- that again upended the established order in major industries.

A diagnosis of a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004 initially cast only a mild shadow over Jobs and Apple, with the CEO asserting that the disease was treatable. But his health deteriorated rapidly over the past several years, and after two temporary leaves of absence he stepped down as CEO and became Apple's chairman in August.

Jobs's death came just one day after Cook presented a new iPhone at the kind of gala event that became Jobs's trademark. Perhaps coincidentally, the new device got lukewarm reviews, with many saying it wasn't a big enough improvement over the existing version of one of the most successful consumer products in history.

Apple paid homage to its visionary leader by changing its website to a big black-and-white photograph of him with the caption "Steve Jobs: 1955-2011."

On Google's home page, the same line appeared just below its search box. It was a link to the Apple site. (For related stories, see TAKE A LOOK at [ID:nN1E79421F].) (Reporting by Jennifer Saba; additional reporting by Sinead Carew and Liana Baker in New York; Scott Malone in Columbus, Ohio; Sarah McBride in Cupertino, California; Poornima Gupta in San Francisco; Edwin Chan in Los Angeles; Matt Cowan in London; and Amy Pyett in Sydney; editing by John Wallace)


View the original article here

n" readability="45">Oct 6 (Reuters) - Carlos Slim, the Mexican billionaire who loaned the New York Times Co (NYT.N) $250 million, has upped his stake in the company for the third time in two months.

Slim now holds 8.1 percent of Class A shares of the New York Times, up from 7.5 percent in August. [ID:nN1E77N0GL]

Through the fund Inmobiliaria Carso S A, Slim purchased about 850,000 shares at prices ranging from $5.84 to $6.00 per share on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, according to a U.S. regulatory filing.

Shares of the New York Times closed up 12.7 percent at $6.75 on Thursday. This year to date, the shares are down 38.8 percent.

The stocks of newspaper companies McClatchy (MNI.N) and Media General (MEG.N) closed up 8.8 percent and 14.2 percent, respectively.

The New York Times repaid a $250 million to Slim on Aug. 15, about five months earlier than expected.

Slim holds warrants to buy 15.9 million Class A shares of the company that expire on Jan. 15, 2015. (Reporting by Jennifer Saba; Editing by Gary Hill)


View the original article here

* Rambus says relevant documents were all produced

* Appeals judge says Rambus doesn't know what was shredded

* Other judge: ITC may use wrong standard to take cases

By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Chip technology company Rambus Inc (RMBS.O) was quizzed in court about destroyed documents and its own use of its patents as graphics chip maker Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) sought relief from expensive licensing fees.

The two sides squared off on Thursday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit over whether Nvidia infringed Rambus patents for controlling and managing the flow of computer data to and from a chip's memory.

The U.S. International Trade Commission, which hears patent cases involving imports, had previously found Nvidia infringed Rambus chip patents and issued an order barring the importation of any chip made with the infringing technology.

Nvidia licensed the Rambus technology at royalty rates of between 1 percent and 2 percent depending on the type of memory controller involved, to allow its chips to enter the country, but the legal battle has continued.

The ITC had found that Nvidia infringed three patents but did not infringe two others. Both sides appealed to the circuit court and the arguments were consolidated.

Part of the battle has centered on whether Rambus destroyed documents to avoid having them used against it in litigation.

Rambus has acknowledged document destruction but said it was part of ordinary business practices.

Judge Kathleen O'Malley, part of a three-judge panel that heard the case, took issue with an attorney for Rambus who said the company produced the documents that were requested and that all relevant documents were preserved.

"You admit you have no idea what was destroyed! You have no record of what was destroyed!" she said.

"Remember, you saved the ones that helped you and destroyed the ones that hurt you," O'Malley said at another point.

The appeals court previously ruled in cases between Rambus and Micron Technology (MU.O) and Hynix Semiconductor (000660.KS) that Rambus destroyed documents inappropriately. The cases have been remanded back to lower courts for further consideration.

The battle is a key one for Nvidia, whose core business relies on the sale of specialized graphics cards.

Judge Raymond Clevenger on Thursday repeatedly asked whether Rambus had proved that it used the patents that it was seeking to defend.

Companies may not sue at the International Trade Commission unless they show that they are using the patent domestically. Rambus licensed the patents, and used that to proceed with the lawsuit.

Clevenger said district courts cannot order production or importation of infringing products to cease since the Supreme Court said in a 2006 decision that an injunction should not necessarily follow a finding of infringement. "It's a factor we should think about," he said.

Rambus and others go to the ITC to file patent complaints because the trade commission, unlike U.S. district courts, can bar the importation of devices made with infringing technology.

The case against Nvidia and others that was before the International Trade Commission is number 337-661. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit case numbers are 2010-1483 and 2010-1556. (Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)


View the original article here

*Flights canceled, bank machines, cell phones stop working

*Service expected to resume quickly

CALGARY, Alberta Oct 6 (Reuters) - A wayward satellite has cut communications for much of northern Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp reported on Thursday.

The CBC said on its website that Telesat Canada's Anik F2 satellite, which provides communications for Canada's sparsely populated Arctic, had pointed towards the sun, cutting long-distance phone service for 39 communities in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

The loss of the satellite signal meant most flights in Nunavut had been canceled, while bank machines and cell phones in territory's capital, Iqaluit, a town of 7,250 on Baffin Island, weren't working

Telesat Canada said the satellite suffered from a "technical anomaly" that began early on Thursday morning but the company had regained control and expected service to soon return to normal.

The satellite, manufactured by Boeing Corp (BA.N), was put in service in 2004. (Reporting by Scott Haggett; editing by Peter Galloway)


View the original article here

* Follows 20 percent reduction in budget

* 2,000 jobs to be axed, senior manager roles to be cut

* Labour unions warn programming, journalism will suffer (Adds detail, background)

By Kate Holton and Georgina Prodhan

LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The BBC is set to axe over 10 percent of staff in its management, programming and news divisions after Britain's cash-strapped government imposed deep spending cuts on the world-renowned, publicly-funded broadcaster.

The corporation set out the changes on Thursday in response to a 20 percent cut to its annual 3.5 billion pound ($5.4 billion) budget imposed by the government a year ago as part of the deepest public spending cuts in decades.

Unions said the changes would damage independent journalism at a time when a phone hacking scandal has revealed embarrassingly close ties between the Prime Minister David Cameron and Rupert Murdoch's right-leaning News Corp , a long standing critic of the BBC.

The BBC budget was imposed by the government with very little negotiation. Around 600 BBC News posts will now go.

"By 2016, the BBC will be significantly smaller than it is today," it said.

With eight national TV channels, 50 radio stations and an extensive website, the BBC's size and resources had already attracted envy and criticism from rivals, led by James Murdoch at the dominant pay-TV group BSkyB .

As the recession gathered steam in 2008, that criticism intensified as advertising-funded groups such as ITV struggled to cope, cutting staff and budgets.

Under the new plans, the corporation will cut 2,000 jobs, reduce the budget for buying sports and other rights, slash the number of senior managers and share more content.

More repeats will be shown on television and property in west London will also be sold. The changes will result in savings of around 670 million pounds a year by 2016/17.

"The realities of what this country looks like in 2011 and what households up and down the country are going through, what other public institutions are going through, (means) it would be a bit odd if the national broadcaster wasn't feeling some of the same pressures," Director General Mark Thompson said.

LAST MINUTE DEAL

Last year, the BBC agreed to freeze the annual licence fee, payable by every TV-owning British household, at 145.50 pounds. It is also taking on extra costs from the government including funding the BBC World Service, which is broadcast overseas.

The agreement was hammered out in a matter of days, stripping out the months of negotiation normally involved in setting a licence fee, as the coalition government scrambled to cut spending after taking power.

The National Union of Journalists condemned the move and called again for the licence fee to be renegotiatied "especially given what has since emerged about the close relationship between the government and Rupert Murdoch at the time the deal was done."

The media and entertainment union BECTU said the cuts were a direct result of the "shocking 11th hour deal" on the licence fee which "will be the cause of regret for years to come".

The BBC towers over Britain's media landscape with a rich offering of drama, comedy and children's programming, a huge newsgathering operation and some of the UK's most popular websites.

In a lecture more than two years ago, News Corp executive and BSkyB Chairman James Murdoch lashed out at the BBC, accusing it of making a land grab for power and calling for a radical overhaul of British television regulation.

The pendulum has since swung back in favour of looser regulation more favourable to commercial rivals and lower public spending, especially since the recession and the installation of a centre-right coalition government in 2010.

Alex DeGroote, media analyst at London brokerage Panmure Gordon, said the slimming down of the BBC would help level the playing field in Britain, where commercial media companies were up against a far stronger public rival than their peers abroad.

"There's always been a BBC discount for commercial media in this country. It got particularly high in 2002-05. That's when you had a massive expansion of the BBC's inventory -- more digital radio, BBC3 and BBC4, lots of Internet sites," he said.

BSkyB should be well placed to benefit. It is increasing the budget it spends on programming and has recently signed a deal to share the broadcasting of Formula One with the BBC. It is also already very aggressive in acquiring sports rights and drama from the United States. (Editing by Will Waterman and David Cowell)


View the original article here

* Case involves contract dating back to 1998

* Oracle denied engaging in fraud, but agreed to settle (Adds details of case, Oracle comment)

WASHINGTON Oct 6 (Reuters) - Oracle Corp (ORCL.O) has agreed to pay $199.5 million plus interest to settle allegations that the software giant failed to give promised discounts to the federal government, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

The world's No. 3 software company was also accused of making false statements about its sales practices and discounts and failing to meet its contract obligations to provide complete information about its sales practices.

Additionally, Oracle did not disclose higher discounts given to other customers and as a result the federal government paid more for its products than it should have, according to the Justice Department.

The settlement over false claims allegations is the largest involving the General Services Administration, which handles procurement for the federal government.

"Resolutions like this one - the largest GSA false claims settlement in history - demonstrate our commitment to ensure taxpayers are not overpaying for the products and services they receive," Tony West, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, said in a statement.

Oracle denied any wrongdoing or that it engaged in fraud as part of the contract, which dates back to 1998, and argued that many of the witnesses were no longer available or did not remember the events.

Nevertheless, company spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger said "Oracle has therefore decided to avoid the distraction and high cost of litigating this case by settling."

The settlement represents about 11 percent of the $1.84 billion in net income Oracle had in the quarter that ended Aug. 31.

The case involved a former Oracle employee who became a whistleblower, Paul Frascella, and he will receive $40 million as his share, according to the Justice Department.

Oracle shares closed up 56 cents, or 1.9 percent, at $30.07 in regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky in Washington and Jim Finkle in Boston, editing by Carol Bishopric, Gary Hill)


View the original article here

* Rambus says relevant documents were all produced

* Appeals judge says Rambus doesn't know what was shredded

* Other judge: ITC may use wrong standard to take cases

By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Chip technology company Rambus Inc (RMBS.O) was quizzed in court about destroyed documents and its own use of its patents as graphics chip maker Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) sought relief from expensive licensing fees.

The two sides squared off on Thursday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit over whether Nvidia infringed Rambus patents for controlling and managing the flow of computer data to and from a chip's memory.

The U.S. International Trade Commission, which hears patent cases involving imports, had previously found Nvidia infringed Rambus chip patents and issued an order barring the importation of any chip made with the infringing technology.

Nvidia licensed the Rambus technology at royalty rates of between 1 percent and 2 percent depending on the type of memory controller involved, to allow its chips to enter the country, but the legal battle has continued.

The ITC had found that Nvidia infringed three patents but did not infringe two others. Both sides appealed to the circuit court and the arguments were consolidated.

Part of the battle has centered on whether Rambus destroyed documents to avoid having them used against it in litigation.

Rambus has acknowledged document destruction but said it was part of ordinary business practices.

Judge Kathleen O'Malley, part of a three-judge panel that heard the case, took issue with an attorney for Rambus who said the company produced the documents that were requested and that all relevant documents were preserved.

"You admit you have no idea what was destroyed! You have no record of what was destroyed!" she said.

"Remember, you saved the ones that helped you and destroyed the ones that hurt you," O'Malley said at another point.

The appeals court previously ruled in cases between Rambus and Micron Technology (MU.O) and Hynix Semiconductor (000660.KS) that Rambus destroyed documents inappropriately. The cases have been remanded back to lower courts for further consideration.

The battle is a key one for Nvidia, whose core business relies on the sale of specialized graphics cards.

Judge Raymond Clevenger on Thursday repeatedly asked whether Rambus had proved that it used the patents that it was seeking to defend.

Companies may not sue at the International Trade Commission unless they show that they are using the patent domestically. Rambus licensed the patents, and used that to proceed with the lawsuit.

Clevenger said district courts cannot order production or importation of infringing products to cease since the Supreme Court said in a 2006 decision that an injunction should not necessarily follow a finding of infringement. "It's a factor we should think about," he said.

Rambus and others go to the ITC to file patent complaints because the trade commission, unlike U.S. district courts, can bar the importation of devices made with infringing technology.

The case against Nvidia and others that was before the International Trade Commission is number 337-661. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit case numbers are 2010-1483 and 2010-1556. (Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)


View the original article here

* Sony talking to Ericsson about 50:50 joint venture-WSJ

* Sony and Ericsson decline to comment on reported talks

* Deal would be positive for both companies - analysts (Adds details in paragraphs 2, 8-11, byline)

By Tarmo Virki, European Technology Correspondent

Oct 6 (Reuters) - Sony Corp (6758.T) is nearing a deal to buy Telefon AB LM Ericsson's (ERICb.ST) stake in their 50:50 smartphone joint venture, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Sony and Ericsson have been talking for weeks about the future of the venture because the companies' 10-year-old pact is up for renewal this month, two industry sources told Reuters.

The Wall Street Journal said the talks were ongoing and could break apart at any time.

Ericsson and Sony declined to comment on the reported talks. "We have a long-term commitment to our joint ventures," said an Ericsson spokesman.

Many analysts say Japan's Sony needs to assert control over Sony Ericsson if the venture is to recoup market share in the cut-throat world of smartphones. [ID:nLDE74N0FB]

The joint venture, formed in 2001, thrived after its breakthrough with Walkman music phones and Cybershot cameraphones, both of which leveraged Sony's brands.

But it lost out to bigger rivals Nokia (NOK1V.HE) and Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) at the cheaper end of the market, and was late to react to Apple's (AAPL.O) entrance into the high-end of the market.

It has refocused its business to make smartphones using Google's (GOOG.O) Android platform, but it has dropped to No. 9 in global cellphone rankings from No. 4 just a few years ago.

It is making some progress and turned a net profit of 90 million euros last year after booking a loss of 836 million in 2009. But it reported another loss for the April-June quarter.

The venture is due to report its September quarter results on Oct 14.

DIVORCE GOOD FOR BOTH PARTNERS?

"A buyout would make a lot of sense for Ericsson as I believe their share in the joint venture is worth to them between zero and minus 1 billion euros," said Bernstein analyst Pierre Ferragu.

"Whatever price they agree on, it would be a positive for Ericsson," he said.

Shares in Sweden's Ericsson gained on the report and closed 6 percent higher at 69.20 crowns on Thursday.

A full takeover of the venture would boost Sony's overall offering, which includes content, gaming devices, consumer electronics and even tablet computers. But the company still lacks its own smartphones.

"The buyout allows Sony to move development in-house and better integrate other products like gaming into newer phones," said Steven Nathasingh from U.S. technology research firm Vaxa Inc.

Last month at the IFA trade fair in Berlin, Sony Ericsson's phones were presented inside the Sony hall, mixed with Sony's TV sets and new tablets. [ID:nN1E77U0KO] (Additional reporting by Yinka Adegoke, Anna Ringstrom, Sven Nordenstam and Liana Balinsky-Baker; Editing by Erica Billingham and John Wallace)


View the original article here

* Rambus says relevant documents were all produced

* Appeals judge says Rambus doesn't know what was shredded

* Other judge: ITC may use wrong standard to take cases

By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Chip technology company Rambus Inc (RMBS.O) was quizzed in court about destroyed documents and its own use of its patents as graphics chip maker Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) sought relief from expensive licensing fees.

The two sides squared off on Thursday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit over whether Nvidia infringed Rambus patents for controlling and managing the flow of computer data to and from a chip's memory.

The U.S. International Trade Commission, which hears patent cases involving imports, had previously found Nvidia infringed Rambus chip patents and issued an order barring the importation of any chip made with the infringing technology.

Nvidia licensed the Rambus technology at royalty rates of between 1 percent and 2 percent depending on the type of memory controller involved, to allow its chips to enter the country, but the legal battle has continued.

The ITC had found that Nvidia infringed three patents but did not infringe two others. Both sides appealed to the circuit court and the arguments were consolidated.

Part of the battle has centered on whether Rambus destroyed documents to avoid having them used against it in litigation.

Rambus has acknowledged document destruction but said it was part of ordinary business practices.

Judge Kathleen O'Malley, part of a three-judge panel that heard the case, took issue with an attorney for Rambus who said the company produced the documents that were requested and that all relevant documents were preserved.

"You admit you have no idea what was destroyed! You have no record of what was destroyed!" she said.

"Remember, you saved the ones that helped you and destroyed the ones that hurt you," O'Malley said at another point.

The appeals court previously ruled in cases between Rambus and Micron Technology (MU.O) and Hynix Semiconductor (000660.KS) that Rambus destroyed documents inappropriately. The cases have been remanded back to lower courts for further consideration.

The battle is a key one for Nvidia, whose core business relies on the sale of specialized graphics cards.

Judge Raymond Clevenger on Thursday repeatedly asked whether Rambus had proved that it used the patents that it was seeking to defend.

Companies may not sue at the International Trade Commission unless they show that they are using the patent domestically. Rambus licensed the patents, and used that to proceed with the lawsuit.

Clevenger said district courts cannot order production or importation of infringing products to cease since the Supreme Court said in a 2006 decision that an injunction should not necessarily follow a finding of infringement. "It's a factor we should think about," he said.

Rambus and others go to the ITC to file patent complaints because the trade commission, unlike U.S. district courts, can bar the importation of devices made with infringing technology.

The case against Nvidia and others that was before the International Trade Commission is number 337-661. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit case numbers are 2010-1483 and 2010-1556. (Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)


View the original article here

* Genachowski offers plan for modernizing USF

* Cable group says gives phone companies unfair advantage

* Proposal set for agency vote on Oct. 27 (Adds comments from industry and analyst)

By Jasmin Melvin

WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. communications regulator unveiled on Thursday a proposal for achieving universal broadband coverage by the end of the decade.

Some 18 million Americans do not have access to broadband where they live and work despite some $4.5 billion in public money spent each year to subsidize telephone service for rural families.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski proposed a strategy for revamping that government subsidy program to help deploy high-speed Internet service to millions of Americans living in rural and costly-to-serve areas.

"The costs of this broadband gap are measured in jobs not created, existing job openings not filled and our nation's competitiveness not advanced," Genachowski said in a speech on Thursday, acknowledging that the current program is broken.

The FCC earlier in the year proposed modernizing the $8 billion universal service fund -- paid for through fees added to consumers' telephone bills -- to spur infrastructure investment while removing inefficiencies in the program.

Genachowski's proposal would gradually move the largest program within the universal service fund, the program that subsidizes telephone service, to directly support fixed and mobile broadband.

His plan would also phase out funding for duplicating services offered by several phone companies serving the same area.

Broadband buildout to unserved areas could begin in early 2012 under the plan, bringing high-speed Internet to hundreds of thousands of homes in the near-term.

"It will help cut the number of Americans bypassed by broadband by up to one half over the following five years, and it will put us on the path to universal broadband by the end of the decade," Genachowski added.

The comprehensive set of reforms will be circulated to the other commissioners on Thursday, and are set for a vote at the FCC's Oct. 27 meeting.

CABLE INDUSTRY NOT HAPPY

Genachowski outlined a new competitive bidding process for securing funds from the program, but the American Cable Association said it bent heavily to incumbent phone companies.

The proposal would quickly move to this bidding process in some areas, but others would not shift until later years.

ACA said this would give incumbent phone carriers first dibs at monies from the fund while other broadband providers, like cable, wait years for the option to competitively bid to receive support in those areas.

"The chairman's plan locks in a sole-source contract worth billions of dollars for over ten years to a handful of incumbent large telecom companies," ACA Chief Executive Matthew Polka said in a statement.

ACA represents independent companies providing broadband service to 7.6 million subscribers.

But Genachowski argued in his speech that "a flash-cut to competitive bidding in some parts of the decades-old program risks consumer disruption, build-out delays, and other unintended consequences."

In order to push reform through, certain policy and political trade-offs must be made, and that may limit cable companies' prospects for receiving federal broadband support, said Medley Global Advisors analyst Jeffrey Silva.

"The political sensitivities almost demand that in order to get any sort of consensus that's politically viable, you have to get buy-in by rural telephone companies," Silva said.

"That may be the best this chairman or any chairman is going to be able to do because it's not just about policy, it's about politics," he added. (Reporting by Jasmin Melvin, editing by Bernard Orr)


View the original article here

* Case involves contract dating back to 1998

* Oracle denied engaging in fraud, but agreed to settle (Adds details of case, Oracle comment)

WASHINGTON Oct 6 (Reuters) - Oracle Corp (ORCL.O) has agreed to pay $199.5 million plus interest to settle allegations that the software giant failed to give promised discounts to the federal government, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

The world's No. 3 software company was also accused of making false statements about its sales practices and discounts and failing to meet its contract obligations to provide complete information about its sales practices.

Additionally, Oracle did not disclose higher discounts given to other customers and as a result the federal government paid more for its products than it should have, according to the Justice Department.

The settlement over false claims allegations is the largest involving the General Services Administration, which handles procurement for the federal government.

"Resolutions like this one - the largest GSA false claims settlement in history - demonstrate our commitment to ensure taxpayers are not overpaying for the products and services they receive," Tony West, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, said in a statement.

Oracle denied any wrongdoing or that it engaged in fraud as part of the contract, which dates back to 1998, and argued that many of the witnesses were no longer available or did not remember the events.

Nevertheless, company spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger said "Oracle has therefore decided to avoid the distraction and high cost of litigating this case by settling."

The settlement represents about 11 percent of the $1.84 billion in net income Oracle had in the quarter that ended Aug. 31.

The case involved a former Oracle employee who became a whistleblower, Paul Frascella, and he will receive $40 million as his share, according to the Justice Department.

Oracle shares closed up 56 cents, or 1.9 percent, at $30.07 in regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky in Washington and Jim Finkle in Boston, editing by Carol Bishopric, Gary Hill)


View the original article here

n" readability="45">Oct 6 (Reuters) - Carlos Slim, the Mexican billionaire who loaned the New York Times Co (NYT.N) $250 million, has upped his stake in the company for the third time in two months.

Slim now holds 8.1 percent of Class A shares of the New York Times, up from 7.5 percent in August. [ID:nN1E77N0GL]

Through the fund Inmobiliaria Carso S A, Slim purchased about 850,000 shares at prices ranging from $5.84 to $6.00 per share on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, according to a U.S. regulatory filing.

Shares of the New York Times closed up 12.7 percent at $6.75 on Thursday. This year to date, the shares are down 38.8 percent.

The stocks of newspaper companies McClatchy (MNI.N) and Media General (MEG.N) closed up 8.8 percent and 14.2 percent, respectively.

The New York Times repaid a $250 million to Slim on Aug. 15, about five months earlier than expected.

Slim holds warrants to buy 15.9 million Class A shares of the company that expire on Jan. 15, 2015. (Reporting by Jennifer Saba; Editing by Gary Hill)


View the original article here

* Presidents, CEOs, fans pay tribute to Jobs

* Apple co-founder transformed lives of millions

* Jobs praised as "a dreamer and a doer"

* Apple shares up 1 percent (Updates links to stories, graphics, Breakingviews; updates shares)

By Jennifer Saba

NEW YORK, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Outpourings of public grief and appreciation swept the globe on Thursday after the death of Apple (AAPL.O) co-founder Steve Jobs.

Jobs, who touched the daily lives of countless millions of people through the Macintosh computer, iPod, iPhone and iPad, died on Wednesday at age 56 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He stepped down as Apple chief executive in August.

Reaction in the stock market was muted as Apple shares quickly recovered from an initial 1.5 percent decline. The shares were up 1 percent to $382.15 at midday.

In New York City, an impromptu memorial made from flowers, candles and a dozen green and red apples was erected outside a 24-hour Apple store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, with fans snapping photos of it on their iPhones.

"It was really sad news for us," said Daiichiro Tashiro, 25, visiting from Tokyo. "A lot of Japanese use the iPhone. We're here to thank him."

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Obituary [ID:nN1E79424F]

Apple's lead over rivals could narrow [ID:nL3E7L61B9]

Breakingviews - Apple's impact [ID:nN1E7950GQ]

Jobs a god for designers [ID:nL5E7L6347]

Factbox - Apple's history and milestones [ID:nN1E794246]

Graphic - Jobs profile link.reuters.com/tag34s

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

Tributes poured in both from ordinary people and from the pinnacles of the business and political worlds.

"He's the hero to everybody of this generation because he did something that I think is very hard, which is be both a dreamer and a doer," General Electric Co (GE.N) CEO Jeff Immelt told reporters in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday.

"I wouldn't be able to run my business without Apple, without its software," said David Chiverton, who was leaving Apple's flagship Regent Street store in London. "I run a video production company. It's allowed me to have my dream business."

News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch said, "Steve Jobs was simply the greatest CEO of his generation."

At an Apple store in Sydney, lawyer George Raptis, who was five years old when he first used a Macintosh computer, spoke for almost everyone who has come into contact with Apple. "He's changed the face of computing," he said. "There will only ever be one Steve Jobs."

U.S. President Barack Obama remembered Jobs as a visionary. "Steve was among the greatest of American innovators -- brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it," Obama said in a statement.

Microsoft's (MSFT.O) Bill Gates, who once triumphed over Jobs but saw his legendary status overtaken by the Apple co-founder in recent years, said, "For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor."

Nokia (NOK1V.HE) CEO Stephen Elop, whose company competes with Apple's iPhone in the handset market, said, "The world lost a true visionary today. Steve's passion for simplicity and elegance leaves us all a legacy that will endure for generations."

When he stepped down as CEO in August, Jobs handed the reins to long-time operations chief Tim Cook. With a passion for minimalist design and a genius for marketing, Jobs laid the groundwork for the company to continue to flourish after his death, most analysts and investors say.

But Apple still faces challenges in the absence of the man who was its chief product designer, marketing guru and salesman nonpareil. Phones running Google's (GOOG.O) Android software are gaining share in the smartphone market, and there are questions about what Apple's next big product will be.

LEGENDARY ENTREPRENEUR

A college drop-out and the son of adoptive parents, Jobs changed the technology world in the late 1970s, when the Apple II became the first personal computer to gain a wide following. He did it again in 1984 with the Macintosh, which built on breakthrough technologies developed at Xerox Parc and elsewhere to create the personal computing experience as we know it today.

The rebel streak that was central to his persona got him tossed out of Apple in 1985, but he returned in 1997 and after a few years began the roll-out of a troika of products -- the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad -- that again upended the established order in major industries.

A diagnosis of a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004 initially cast only a mild shadow over Jobs and Apple, with the CEO asserting that the disease was treatable. But his health deteriorated rapidly over the past several years, and after two temporary leaves of absence he stepped down as CEO and became Apple's chairman in August.

Jobs's death came just one day after Cook presented a new iPhone at the kind of gala event that became Jobs's trademark. Perhaps coincidentally, the new device got lukewarm reviews, with many saying it wasn't a big enough improvement over the existing version of one of the most successful consumer products in history.

Apple paid homage to its visionary leader by changing its website to a big black-and-white photograph of him with the caption "Steve Jobs: 1955-2011."

On Google's home page, the same line appeared just below its search box. It was a link to the Apple site. (For related stories, see TAKE A LOOK at [ID:nN1E79421F].) (Reporting by Jennifer Saba; additional reporting by Sinead Carew and Liana Baker in New York; Scott Malone in Columbus, Ohio; Sarah McBride in Cupertino, California; Poornima Gupta in San Francisco; Edwin Chan in Los Angeles; Matt Cowan in London; and Amy Pyett in Sydney; editing by John Wallace)


View the original article here