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 ...
Rail users are facing budget-busting fare increases which have now come into effect. Annual season tickets for main line rail travellers will rise by an average of 5.8%, with Tube and bus fares in London rising by an average of 6.8%. In some cases main line season tickets are going up almost 13% although fares are rising by an average of 6.2%. However, some lines will see much higher rises than others. Regulated fares on the Southeastern... [more]
Three Russian opposition leaders received short jail terms Sunday for “disobedience towards police” after a rally, a party spokesman said, a sign of a new crackdown on critics of the Kremlin. Boris Nemtsov, a Solidarity leader and Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister in 1997-1998, was sentenced to 15 days in jail, another opposition leader, Konstantin Kosyakin, was given ten days and a third, Ilya Yashin, got five days under... [more]
LOREDANA Jolie, who still claims to be one of Tiger Woods’ girlfriends, has big plans for 2011, the New York Post reported. Beyond cashing in on her self-appointed title as Mistress No. 15 with a tell-all, “The Real Diary of Loredana Jolie,” the former Playboy model plans to open a full-facility spa on New York’s Upper East Side, charmingly called Tigress. “She’s finishing cosmetology classes,” a... [more]
The debt crisis has strengthened Germany’s hand in Europe, but Chancellor Angela Merkel will have a tough time convincing voters that leadership might also mean digging deep for additional aid. “So far, people do not see the costs that might be associated with what politicians have agreed to, namely some nation states underwriting the debt of others,” Barclays Capital economist Thorsten Polleit told AFP. “It is an... [more]
EXPEDIA has stopped selling tickets on American Airlines flights, the latest twist in a simmering pricing dispute between American and travel websites. “Expedia has chosen to no longer offer American Airlines fares on its website,” American said. “Customers looking to compare flights or fares online should visit other travel sites such as Kayak.com or Priceline.com for the most accurate and up-to-date information.” The... [more]
The grime and grit of Berlin’s U-Bahn metro may not seem very glamorous. But this month a dozen designer-model teams will take inspiration from their favourite underground stations for the city’s first fashion show in beauty pageant form. Who will become Miss U-Bahn 2010? Like a traditional pageant, the August 14 show will be divided into four segments: evening wear, swimsuit competition, talent performance and a question and answer... [more]
Twelve of the Netherlands 37 professional football clubs are in such poor financial state that they have been put under the supervision of the Dutch football association, RTL news reports. The problems are due not only to the wages bill but the economic crisis, RTL said, quoting a KNVB report which will be published on Wednesday. The KNVB has divided the clubs into three categories: those under formal KNVB supervision, those where the finances... [more]
The opposition to the controversial plans for a 420Kv power line to be built along and across the scenic Hardangerfjord in Western Norway continues to grow, across party lines. The Norwegian government has given final approval, but the much-debated plan has been opposed by local authorities as well as environmental groups. Hovever the Government says the approval is final, and cannot be appealed. But the Liberal Left Party has now... [more]
The Material Girl is illuminating the City of Light, where she’s filming her latest film, W.E. Dressed all in black and heavily accessorised in dark shades, a hat and a patterned scarf,Madonna directed yesterday’s shoot in Paris. The 51-year-old singer made her directorial debut in 2008 with Filth and Wisdom, about a Ukrainian cross-dressing punk-rocker. Madonna is not the only US star to film in the French capital this summer. Last... [more]
The Pakistani government on Monday summoned Britain’s high commissioner to Islamabad over remarks made by the British prime minister on the export of terror that sparked a diplomatic row, officials said. Top envoy Adam Thomson went into talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at around 11:30 am (0630 GMT). “The British high commissioner was summoned to foreign office today. He is in a meeting with the foreign... [more]
