IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 6 January
06-01-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
MasterCard acquires Orbiscom | Hibernia wins transatlantic cable deal
The Irish Times reports that Irish e-payments software firm Orbiscom has been acquired by credit card company MasterCard for around USD100 million. Last September Orbiscom announced its technology was being used to create the 'MasterCard in Control' platform, which enables internet and phone purchases to be made without revealing the user's real credit card details. Orbiscom will become a wholly owned subsidiary of MasterCard but the company brand and products will be maintained. Orbiscom chief executive Garry Lyons said the sale was "a good result for shareholders and MasterCard" and he now hopes to grow the business further.
The paper also says that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has explained his recent weight loss, saying he's been diagnosed with a hormone imbalance, as noted by ENN on Monday.
The paper also reports that Communications Minister Eamon Ryan and Northern Ireland's Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster have announced the awarding of a STG30 million contract to build a new direct telecommunications link to North America. The two departments have awarded the contract to Hibernia Atlantic Limited, a transatlantic submarine transport cable provider. 'Project Kelvin', expected to be completed no later than March 2010, will involve connecting a new submarine cable to the Hibernia North Transatlantic cable located 22 miles off the north coast of Ireland. "Project Kelvin will provide faster broadband at lower costs. This alone will assist Ireland and Northern Ireland in attracting foreign investment," said Minister Ryan.
The Irish Examiner says that an announcement by Dell concerning the future of its Limerick operation is expected on Thursday. Senior management at the PC maker's Irish arm have already been briefed in preparation for the announcement, which will end weeks of speculation about the company's plans. The announcement is expected to outline the removal of Dell's manufacturing facility from Limerick to a plant in Lodz, Poland, resulting in 2,000 layoffs over the next 12 months. However, several hundred jobs in the logistics, finance and company command centre are expected to be retained.
Also reporting on Dell, the Irish Independent says that it has emerged that workers at the Limerick plant will not be getting a visit from CEO Michael Dell this week. There had been indications that he would come to the Raheen facility to personally inform workers about the future of the 2,000 manufacturing jobs, but company sources insisted on Monday night that Michael Dell was not scheduled to visit Limerick.
The paper also notes that a report from the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) says that extra marks should be awarded for Leaving Certificate maths and science to encourage more students to study the subjects. The report also says there is no national approach in practice to the 'digital education' of primary school students and urges the "transformation" of education with a swift roll-out of a digital curriculum at primary and secondary level.
The same paper reports that UK police are being given powers to hack into personal computers without a court warrant. The Home Office is facing anger and the threat of a legal challenge after granting permission. Ministers are also drawing up plans to allow police across the EU to collect information from computers in Britain. Hacking -- known as "remote searching" -- has been quietly adopted by police across Britain following the development of technology to access the contents of computers from a distance. Police say it is vital for tracking cyber-criminals and paedophiles and is used sparingly, but civil liberties groups fear it is about to be vastly expanded. Details of the proposal are still being developed by the Home Office and other EU ministries.
According to the same paper, users of Wikipedia have seen off a threat that the website would be forced to carry advertisements or charge for access, after a successful online fundraising campaign. The free online encyclopaedia was struggling to raise EUR4.4 million to cover its running costs for 2009 and launched a campaign seeking donations on 3 November. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales took the unusual step of publishing a personal appeal for donations, warning that unless the target was reached the site might be forced to start carrying adverts, which at the moment it does not do, and even introduce a subscription fee. By 1 January 2009, the total funds raised exceeded EUR4.4 million.
The paper also notes that security firm Fortify Software has warned Windows fans to avoid downloading and installing pirate copies of an early build of Windows 7, the new Microsoft operating system. "Reports suggest that pirate versions of an early build of Windows 7, which is under alpha test with developers, is available for file-sharing on the internet. Given the low level at which this operating system installs on a PC, we recommend users give the version a very wide berth because of the associated security risks," said Rob Rachwald, Fortify's director of product marketing.
According to the Financial Times, computer mouse maker Logitech is planning to cut 15 percent of its workforce and has withdrawn its fiscal 2009 financial targets, citing deepening global recession. "During the December quarter, the retail environment deteriorated significantly," said Chief Executive Gerald Quindlen, adding that the company expected the economic environment to worsen in coming months. In October, the company cut its growth forecast for sales and operating income in its fiscal year 2009 from 15 percent each to 6 to 8 percent and 3 to 5 percent, respectively. Logitech did not provide revised targets but said it would give a further business update with its third-quarter results on 20 January.
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