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 ...
Up to 10 million people in the Netherlands are expected to watch Monday afternoon’s World Cup football match between the Netherlands and Denmark. All over the country schools have agreed to close early or set up giant screens, while company canteens have been given over to football fever. As newspaper Trouw puts it: ‘this afternoon the Dutch economy depends on people who don’t like football’. ArboNed, a company which... [more]
Today is Monday, June 14, the 165th day of 2010. There are 200 days left in the year. This is Flag Day. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted the Stars and Stripes as the national flag. On this date: In 1775, the Continental Army, forerunner of the United States Army, was created. In 1801, former American Revolutionary War General and notorious turncoat Benedict Arnold died... [more]
Swiss businessman Max Goeldi will leave Libya on Sunday for home, three days after being freed from a Libyan jail for visa offences, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey told reporters. “Goeldi will leave Libya today,” Calmy-Rey told reporters after a meeting with Libyan officials. She also said that Libya and Switzerland have signed an “action plan” to solve a bitter diplomatic row that saw Goeldi stuck in... [more]
The International Polar Year Oslo Science Conference 2010 with more than 2 000 polar researchers from nearly 70 countries participating during the week’s presentations, closed Saturday. - This has been the largest polar science conference ever – a powerful demonstration of knowledge. We have been pleased and honoured to host you, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in his closing speech: - Think about it: For centuries the... [more]
Kate Hudson is dating Muse frontman Matt Bellamy, according to reports. The Almost Famous actress has been single since splitting from baseball star Alex Rodriguez late last year. But Hudson appears to be putting the failed relationship behind her by hooking up with the musician, according to The Sun. The publication claims the pair started dating last month and plan to go public with their romance at the Glastonbury festival later this... [more]
Katherine Heigl has revealed she found out she could adopt her daughter whilst filming her new movie Killers. The 31-year-old says the movie is very “significant” to her for that reason. Katherine and her husband Josh Kelly became parents last September when they adopted daughter Naleigh from South Korea. The actress, who first found fame when she starred in the TV medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, went on to say that mixing... [more]
Brit Award winning singer Duffy has admitted she is in love with her rugby star boyfriend Mike Phillips. The couple, who have been dating for about ten months, have acquired the nickname ‘The New Welsh Posh and Becks’ replacing Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson who split up a few weeks ago. When asked how she met the Osprey scrum-half, 25-year-old Duffy said: “He asked me out on a date. I’d never been on a date before.... [more]
Today is Sunday, June 13, the 164th day of 2010. There are 201 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Miranda v. Arizona decision, ruling that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional right to consult with an attorney and to remain silent before being questioned by police. On this date: In 1886, King Ludwig II of Bavaria drowned in Lake Starnberg. In... [more]
Several Norwegian airports are closed, after more than 1000 security guards went on strike for higher pay on Saturday morning. Helicopter traffic to North Sea oil installations is also affected. Stokmarknes, Førde and Hammerfest airports will be closed. In addition, there will be no departures from Molde Airport. Haugesund airport will be kept open during the weekend. At Oslo Airport Gardermoen, 59 out of 670 security guards will walk... [more]
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has appointed Senator Uri Rosenthal as coalition negotiator. The senator is a member of the free-market liberal VVD party which became the leading party in Wednesday’s general election. His brief is to explore the viability of a coalition with maximum support in the 150-seat Dutch Lower House. In the course of the queen’s consultation round on Friday, most party leaders recommended a centre-right... [more]
