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 death of a great granddaughter of South African icon Nelson Mandela after a World Cup concert cast a tragic shadow over the start of the world’s biggest sporting event on Friday. Mandela’s 13-year-old great granddaughter, Zenani Mandela, was killed when her car overturned on a Johannesburg highway after South Africa’s World Cup concert, his office said. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife, contrary... [more]
Today is Friday, June 11, the 162nd day of 2010. There are 203 days left in the year. Today’s Highlights in History: On June 11, 1776, the Continental Congress formed a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence calling for freedom from Britain. On this date: In 1509, England’s King Henry VIII married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. In 1770, Captain James Cook, commander of the British ship Endeavour, discovered the... [more]
Today is Thursday, June 10, the 161st day of 2010. There are 204 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 10, 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio by Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith and William Griffith Wilson. On this date: In 1610, Englishman Lord De La Warr arrived at the Jamestown settlement to take charge of the Virginia Colony. In 1865, the Richard Wagner opera “Tristan und Isolde”... [more]
Today is Wednesday, June 9, the 160th day of 2010. There are 205 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 9, 1954, during the Senate-Army Hearings, Army special counsel Joseph N. Welch berated Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy for his attack on Frederick Fisher, a junior attorney at Welch’s law firm, asking: “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?” On this... [more]
Today is Wednesday, June 9, the 160th day of 2010. There are 205 days left in the year. 68 – Roman Emperor Nero commits suicide, imploring his secretary Epaphroditos to slit his throat to evade a Senate-imposed death by flogging. 641 – Arabic/Islamic army contrasts with the Hippo over Alexandria 721 – Odo of Aquitaine defeats the Moors in the Battle of Toulouse. 922 – French republic chooses Robert I, King of France 1075... [more]
Cheryl Cole showed she is still on top with an award for Woman of the Year. The star, 26, scooped the title at the Glamour Women of the Year awards for the 12 months during which she finally ditched footballer husband Ashley Cole. The One Show host Christine Bleakley, who has been at the centre of a tug-of-war between ITV and the BBC, also cemented her on-screen status with the title of Presenter of the Year. Pregnant X Factor judge Dannii... [more]
A judge on Tuesday doubled LindsayLohan’s bail to $200,000 after finding the actress violated the terms of her release with an adverse report by an alcohol ankle monitor. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel determined Lohan was in violation after a closed-door meeting with the actress’ attorney and a prosecutor. Revel did not detail the violation, but said her decision was made after receiving “results”... [more]
Lindsay Lohan could face court again after her alcohol ankle-monitor went off. The monitor apparently went off after actress Lohan appeared at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. A court hearing on the matter has not been scheduled but Lohan’s lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley said she is looking into whether a violation may have occurred. The actress has been on probation since August 2007 after pleading guilty to drug charges... [more]
Miley Cyrus will be relieved when she finally graduates from high school – because she is fed up with her bothersome tutor. The Hannah Montana star studies with a private instructor, who follows the 17 year old around the world to ensure she keeps on top of her studies. And Cyrus admits she can’t wait until she finishes her education – so she can work in Hollywood without requiring permission. She tells Graham Norton,... [more]
Metro services in Stockholm will be free of charge on June 19th, the day of the royal wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling, the local transportauthority, SL, has announced. With crowds of well-wishers and royal watchers set to descend on the Swedishcapital the authority and with much of the city centre cordoned off for bus traffic, metro services are expected to be in high demand. SL has now decided to increase... [more]
