Yahoo Inc Chairman Roy Bostock and three other directors will step down as the struggling company ploughs ahead with an internal overhaul, including discussions on dealing with its stakes in China's Alibaba Group and Yahoo Japan. The corporation - once a Web powerhouse but now agonizing over a range of options to revive flagging growth - on Tuesday said it appointed former Rovi Corp CEO and International Business Machines Corp veteran Alfred Amoroso and ex-eBay COO Maynard Webb as independent directors. Yahoo's board has come under fire from investors impatient with the company's persistent inability to effect a turnaround, and frustrated with the apparent indecisiveness of stakeholders over ...
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has vowed to fight an "anti-business culture" in Britain, warning that a row overexecutive pay and bonuses threatens the country's fragile economic recovery. "Let me say something about the row over bonuses and pay," Osborne said in a speech to the Federation of Small Businesses. "Of course rewards for failure are unacceptable -- and those who believe in the free market are the first to say so. But a strong, free market economy must be built on rewards for success." The Labour Party has heaped pressure on the ruling coalition to curb excessive pay for top executives, using a House of Commons debate to demand the return ...
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Tuesday he is resolved to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Russia at an annual rally calling for the return of all four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido in northern Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported. "We'll continue to make steady and determined efforts to move ahead with negotiations," Noda said, stressing the need to sign a peace treaty with Russia. The four islands - which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories - has been the subject of a territorial dispute between the two nations since the end of World War ...
Amanda Knox's Italian lawyer has filed an appeal of her slander conviction in Italy, a Knox family spokesman inSeattle said Monday. In October, an Italian appeals court overturned the young Seattle woman's murder conviction in the 2007 death of her British roommate in Perugia. But the same court upheld Knox's conviction for slander — for falsely accusing bar owner Diya "Patrick" Lumumba of involvement in the slaying. Lumumba was freed after two weeks in prison for lack of evidence. Knox later said she was "manipulated" during her lengthy police interrogation. An appeal of the slander conviction was filed Monday, Knox family spokesman Dave Marriott confirmed. He doesn't know when the Italian ...
The Dutch railway will remain 'vulnerable' during wintry weather but Dutch Rail (NS) and track operator ProRail did not help matters during the current cold snap by the late introduction of schedule adjustments to cope with the conditions, transport minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told parliament in a briefing on Tuesday. The NS and ProRail assumed on Thursday of last week that there would be three to five centimetres of snow. When the forecast was increased on Friday morning to between 10 and 15 centimetres, it was too late to change the timetables automatically, Schultz van Haegen told parliament. Drivers and conductors ...
Greece can leave the eurozone without damaging monetary union, European digital affairs commissioner Neelie Kroes says in an interview with the Volkskrant on Tuesday. Kroes, a member of the Dutch ruling right-wing Liberal party VVD, is not a supporter of Greece exchanging the euro for the drachma, but says: 'It is absolutely not a case of man overboard if someone leaves the eurozone.' The commissioner is very critical of the new Greek government and says they are not fulfilling their promises. 'Too few spending cuts, too little restructuring,' she says. She says the Greeks should follow the example of Italy where the new ...
Mitt Romney hopes his presidential campaign hasn't ignored Rick Santorum's aggressive attacks for too long, as caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota on Tuesday could reshuffle the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Santorum largely bypassed Florida and Nevada to blanket the two caucus states with criticism of Romney and lay the groundwork among conservatives who have great sway in the process. RivalNewt Gingrich praised Santorum's strategy as shrewd even as he signaled he had no interest in exiting the four-way race, which also includes Ron Paul. "I think that Santorum's going to have a pretty good day," Gingrich told reporters on the eve of the caucuses. "He targeted differently than I ...
Glencore and Xstrata agreed an all-share merger worth $90 billion (56 billion pounds) on Tuesday in the industry's largest ever deal, creating a commodities powerhouse spanning mining, agriculture and trading. Glencore, the world's largest diversified commodities tradinghouse, will issue 2.8 new shares for each Xstrata share in a deal they said was a "merger of equals." The ratio is a 15.2 percent premium to Xstrata shareholders compared with its share price last Wednesday before word leaked out about the merger talks, a joint statement said. "A merger between Glencore and Xstrata offers a unique opportunity to create a new business model in our industry to respond to ...
US White House hopeful Mitt Romney aims for another big caucus win in Colorado on Tuesday, as his well-oiled campaign machine works to cement his position as the Republican front runner in the US presidential race. Polls suggest he should triumph easily in the western US state -- where he scored 60 percent in 2008 -- although there is a tighter race in Minnesota, where last-placed Rick Santorum is hoping to snatch a win. Romney's main rival, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, is battling to stay in the race after two heavy losses in a row to the former Massachusetts governor, who ...
As President Christian Wulff remains mired in allegations of impropriety, anti-corruption group Transparency International (TI) has called for politicians to use the case as a chance to open up German politics. “We are very concerned that people seem to be starting to think that all politicians behave like Wulff, and that would be fatal,” Christian Humborg, TI Germany’s managing director told The Local. “I think the Wulff affair is a wonderful opportunity for German politicians to react to the cynical attitude that this is normal, and improve things,” he said. He said the fact that the authorities were investigating whether Wulff and his ...
Victoria Beckham has said she has no plans to go into acting. The Spice Girl, who is expecting her fourth child with husband David, already juggles motherhood with her fashion designing career. “I’m the only person living in Hollywood who A) does not want to act, and B) cannot act,” she confessed to Allure. Victoria also admitted she could never take on her footballer husband on the pitch. “I’m not very good... [more]
A European rocket blasted off Wednesday bearing a 20-tonne supply ship destined for a rendezvous with the manned International Space Station. The super-charged Ariane 5 ES rocket departed from Kourou, French Guiana, just shy of 2151 GMT after an initial attempt the day before was scratched at the last minute due to a minor technical glitch with the fueling system. The liftoff had to take place at that time and no other. “As we are... [more]
There was another televised political debate on Wednesday evening in the run-up to Dutch provincial elections. The poll is important as the results will decide the make-up of the Upper House or Senate of the Dutch parliament. The minority government will run into problems if a majority in the Senate is opposed to its policies. In the debate, Labour (PvdA) leader Job Cohen accused the Christian Democrats (CDA), the junior partner in the governing... [more]
A graffiti-enhanced poster attributed to secretive British artist Banksy has been ripped down in Hollywood, amid sightings of other pieces in a reported pre-Oscars publicity stunt. Banksy is nominated for best documentary for “Exit Through the Gift Shop” at the Oscars, due to be announced on February 27 at the climax of Tinseltown’s annual awards season. The elusive artist, whose identity is not publicly known, is suspected... [more]
Singapore, Australia exchanges merger revamped have been expressed, and provide further clarity as to how the merged entity will operate in the future,” Chew said. The Australian and Singapore bourses revamped their merger proposal Tuesday, promising an equal number of directors from each country in a bid to overcome political hurdles threatening the massive deal. The two exchanges also pledged to maintain operations, assets and key... [more]
Court records show Christina Aguilera and music executive Jordan Bratman have finalised their divorce. Most of the details of the couple’s break-up were not filed with the court in Los Angeles, but the judgment will not become official until April 15. Aguilera filed for divorce in October, just days after she and Bratman announced they had separated. It takes six months in California for a divorce to become official. They have a three-year-old... [more]
Middle-aged people searching for a new relationship are the most likely to look for love online, according to a Valentine’s Day survey. The poll of 12,000 couples from 18 countries by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) at the University of Oxford found that of people aged 40-69 looking to start new relationships, 36 percent revealed they had found their current partner online. “A Global Shift in Relationship Practices: Patterns... [more]
Luxury sports carmaker and Formula One constructor Ferrari have no plans to list the company for at least several years, Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said on Monday. “There are no current plans (to list the company). Perhaps in three, four or five years. There is no project now. Maybe there never will be,” he said on the sidelines of a meeting with the foreign media. Analysts late last year speculated that Fiat, which... [more]
France, as current head of the Group of 20 countries, will help the transition to a global financial system based on “several international currencies,” French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said on Monday. Lagarde, speaking ahead of a G20 finance ministers meeting here on Friday and Saturday, said the world had to move on from the “non-monetary system” it now has to one “based on several international... [more]
Teen sensation Justin Bieber is “disappointed” and “upset” after missing out on a Grammy Award on Sunday night – but he’s adamant he’ll scoop a top honour soon. The Baby hitmaker was nominated for the Best New Artist prize and Best Pop Vocal Album for My World 2.0, but failed to win either honour, losing out to Esperanza Spalding and Lady Gaga respectively. Bieber admits he’s devastated by... [more]
