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 ...
The Netherlands came from behind to break Brazilian hearts and take a huge step towards a third FIFA World Cup™ final appearance. Trailing at half-time to Robinho’s early goal in Port Elizabeth, Bert van Marwijk’s men drew level through Felipe Melo’s own goal before Wesley Sneijder headed the winner with 22 minutes remaining. Brazil ended the game a man short after Felipe Melo’s dismissal as, like in Germany four... [more]
Dutch fightback buries Brazil In a matchup that was good enough to be the World Cup final, Brazil was upset by the Netherlands. Above, Dani Alves of Brazil tackles Arjen Robben of the Netherlands. The Netherlands came from behind to break Brazilian hearts as Felipe Melo’s own goal and Wesley Sneijder’s header secured a 2-1 quarter-final win in Port Elizabeth. More to follow…………………. Finally,... [more]
The Nigerian national football team has been banned from competitive games for two years by the country’s president following their poor performance at the World Cup. President Goodluck Jonathan forced the hiatus upon the squad to allow it time to “put its house in order”, his office said. Nigeria finished bottom of their group in South Africa with just one point after losing to Argentina and Greece and drawing with South... [more]
The leaders of Britain and Germany may put aside historic rivalries and watch the crunch World Cup football match between England and Germany together at a G8 summit in Toronto, Canada, they said Friday. British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkelwant to talk about tuning in to Sunday’s last 16 clash – and Cameron has joked he will “try not to wrestle her to the ground during penalties.” The... [more]
Italy have often played with fire in the past and not least at Spain 1982, when they squeezed through their section with three draws before going on to lift the Trophy thanks to Paolo Rossi’s sudden scoring streak. Their 2010 counterparts may appreciate that omen after kicking off with a pair of draws, but that is where the comparisons end. Marcello Lippi’s side lack the defensive authority of years gone by, with captain Fabio... [more]
Zidane’s concern is that the squad lacks character. “You run into trouble when results don’t go your way,” he said. “When you’re winning, everything’s great and everything’s rosy, but you see who the real men are when things get difficult.” The former Real Madrid playmaker was also keen to stress that “when you’re all in the same boat, you mustn’t think you’re the captain. You can have a different opinion to... [more]
France and Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka unleashed a volley of insults at coach Raymond Domenech after being criticised at half-time of the 2-0 World Cup defeat to Mexico, L’Equipe newspaper reported on Saturday. Anelka told Domenech to “go screw yourself, dirty son of a whore” in the dressing room at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane after the coach took issue with his first-half performance, the report said. The... [more]
An England football fan has sparked a security alert by barging into the national team’s dressing room to criticise the players for their woeful World Cup display. The Football Association, which has made a complaint to Fifa, said players were unnerved by the “unacceptable” incident, but added “no serious harm was done”. Princes William and Harry, who have been on a tour of southern Africa, had left the dressing... [more]
On the day France remembers one of the country’s most defiant rallying cries, its football team is coming to terms with one of its most humbling retreats. Thousands were expected to gather on the streets of Paris to celebrate the 70th anniversary of General de Gaulle’s wartime call-to-arms. But the chances of French football fans filling the capital’s streets – as they did after 1998′s famous World Cup final... [more]
Holders Italy opened their 2010 FIFA World Cup™ campaign with a 1-1 draw against Paraguay in Group F on a rainy evening at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town. Antolin Alcaraz shocked the Gemany 2006 champions in the 39th minute to open the scoring, while Italy’s Daniel De Rossi took advantage of some unconvincing goalkeeping by veteran Justo Villar to equalise just after the hour mark. New Zealand and Slovakia play the group’s other... [more]
