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 ...
Today is Wednesday, Feb. 3, the 34th day of 2010. There are 331 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Feb. 3, 1943, during World War II, the U.S. transport ship Dorchester, which was carrying troops to Greenland, sank after being hit by a German torpedo; of the more than 900 men aboard, only some 230 survived. Four Army chaplains gave their life belts to four other men, and went down with the ship. On this date: In... [more]
Today is Tuesday, Feb. 2, the 33rd day of 2010. There are 332 days left in the year. This is Groundhog Day. Today’s Highlight in History: On Feb. 2, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican-American War, was signed. On this date: In 1536, present-day Buenos Aires, Argentina, was founded by Pedro de Mendoza of Spain. In 1653, New Amsterdam — now New York City — was incorporated. In 1870, the “Cardiff... [more]
Today is Monday, Feb. 1, the 32nd day of 2010. There are 333 days left in the year. Events 1327 – Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn, Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia). 1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege. 1713 – The Kalabalik... [more]
Today is Sunday, Jan. 31, the 31st day of 2010. There are 334 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 31, 1950, President Harry S. Truman announced he had ordered development of the hydrogen bomb. On this date: In 1606, Guy Fawkes, convicted of treason for his part in the “Gunpowder Plot” against the English Parliament and King James I, was executed. In 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief... [more]
Today is Saturday, Jan. 30, the 30th day of 2010. There are 335 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 30, 1948, Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi was shot and killed by a Hindu extremist. On this date: In 1649, England’s King Charles I was beheaded. In 1882, the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was born in Hyde Park, N.Y. In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor... [more]
Today is Friday, Jan. 29, the 29th day of 2010. There are 336 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 29, 1860 (according to the New Style calendar), Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov was born in the port city of Taganrog (TAG’-uhn-rahg). On this date: In 1820, Britain’s King George III died at Windsor Castle. In 1843, the 25th president of the United States, William McKinley, was born... [more]
Today is Thursday, Jan. 28, the 28th day of 2010. There are 337 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 28, 1980, in what became known as “the Canadian Caper,” six U.S. diplomats who had avoided being taken hostage at their embassy in Tehran flew out of Iran with the help of Canadian diplomats. On this date: In 1547, England’s King Henry VIII died; he was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, Edward... [more]
Today is Wednesday, Jan. 27, the 27th day of 2010. There are 338 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 27, 1880, Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric incandescent lamp. On this date: In 1756, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria. In 1901, opera composer Giuseppe Verdi died in Milan, Italy, at age 87. In 1943, some 50 bombers struck Wilhelmshaven in the first all-American... [more]
Today is Tuesday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2010. There are 339 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 26, 1950, India officially proclaimed itself a republic as Rajendra Prasad took the oath of office as president. On this date: In 1788, the first European settlers in Australia, led by Capt. Arthur Phillip, landed in present-day Sydney. In 1837, Michigan became the 26th state. In 1841, Britain formally... [more]
Today is Monday, Jan. 25, the 25th day of 2010. There are 340 days left in the year. Today’s Highlights in History: On Jan. 25, 1890, reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) of the New York World completed a round-the-world journey in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes. The United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, Ohio. On this date: In 1759, Scottish poet Robert Burns was born in Alloway. In 1787, Shays’s... [more]
