ROUNDUPS
In the papers 13 February
13-02-2003
by John Cradden
Alphyra board expected to meet next week | Motorola appeals to US federal court over Java ruling
The Irish Times reports that Trend Micro, a Japanese security software company, will set up a new facility in Cork and create 100 jobs over the next two years. The company has decided to move its back office functions to a single shared services centre in Cork. See the full story as reported on ElectricNews.net on Wednesday.
The Irish Independent reports that the finding of the Moriarty Tribunal that there was no interference in the process for the second mobile phone licence was supported strongly by a senior civil servant. Department of Communications official Martin Brennan, chairman of the inter-departmental group that picked the winner of the licence, also agreed under cross-examination at the tribunal he did not believe former minister Michael Lowry interfered with the process.
The paper also reports that the board of e-payments company Alphyra is expected to meet next week to discuss the company's results for 2002 which, if approved, could then be published before the 39-day deadline of 23 February required under takeover rules. The board meeting would bring together members of the management buyout team led by Nagle and the independent directors who are assessing the MBO on behalf of shareholders.
The same paper reports that Gabriel Byrne is to be the new voice of 02 in its TV, radio and cinema advertising. He replaces fellow Irish actor, the late Richard Harris, who was the voice of O2 since its launch in May 2002.
The Financial Times reports that Tiscali, Europe's largest independent Internet service provider, has managed a small profit last year before taxes, depreciation and amortisation, and should see revenue grow 30 percent and top EUR1 billion this year, according to chief executive Renato Soru. Tiscali had a full-year earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) of around EUR1 million thanks to an ebitda of around EUR13.5 million in the fourth quarter. Analysts had been expecting a full-year loss of around EUR4 million.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Yahoo is planning to begin selling a package of premium services in the first half of the year to consumers who arrange their own Internet access. In move that mirrors that of rivals such as AOL's America Online and Microsoft's MSN, the company may introduce a "Bring your own access" offering as early as end of March. The company also announced an agreement with BT Group that allows Yahoo content to be sold with BT's broadband, or high-speed, Internet-access service.
The paper also reports that Microsoft has asked a US federal appeals court Wednesday to set aside a lower-court ruling forcing the software company to include Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java programming language in its Windows operating system. In the appeal to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Microsoft argued that a December US district court ruling forcing Microsoft to include the Java technology in its Windows XP operating system was flawed. The decision was part of Sun's USD1 billion antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft.
The same paper reports that New York's city council voted 38 to five on Wednesday to ban the use of mobile phones at public performances. Talking on a mobile phone, dialing, listening or even having one ring during a performance will constitute a violation punishable by a USD50 fine. The law covers concerts, movies, plays, lectures, dance performances, museums, libraries and galleries.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 