IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 3 June
03-06-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
Facebook taps new revenue stream | Twitter blocked in China
The Irish Times reports that Limerick City Council has become the first local authority in Ireland to put its burial registers online. Limerick City Council commissioned Medrex Systems to microfilm the records and convert them into digital format. Burial records for the city's largest cemetery, Mount Saint Lawrence, dating back more than 150 years, are now available to the public on the city council's website, www.limerick.ie.
The paper also says that network equipment maker Cisco Systems is expected to record a one-off tax charge of USD150 million following a tax ruling involving fellow US tech firm Xilinx. The US Court of Appeals has overturned a 2005 decision and ruled against Xilinx, which has its European headquarters in Ireland. This will directly impact Cisco Systems. The court ruled that Xilinx must pay taxes on stock-based compensation awarded to employees working in Ireland. Although Cisco Systems, which employs 200 people in Ireland, was not named in the case, the decision will affect its tax bill for a period of time before the 2005 fiscal year.
The paper also notes that a County Tyrone electrical wholesaler Meteor Electrical has closed down, with the loss of more than 70 jobs.
The paper also reports on the E3 Expo gaming trade show in Los Angeles. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said in a pre-event briefing that the global video game industry would grow from USD39 billion in 2008 to USD55 billion in 2012. Microsoft unveiled "Project Natal", a planned upgrade to its Xbox 360 console that replaces the traditional controller with a camera, a depth sensor and a microphone.
The Irish Examiner reports that Enterprise Ireland is to fund a EUR2.3 billion research network for the Irish pharmaceutical industry, as reported by ENN on Tuesday.
According to the Financial Times, PC maker Acer will start producing the world's first mainstream notebook computer using Google's Android operating system before the end of September. The move opens up a new front in Google's battle with Microsoft by offering an alternative to the Windows operating system on small, low-priced PCs, rather than just the smartphones for which Android was originally designed. The move comes as Microsoft revealed that Windows 7, the latest version of its operating system and one designed to work better on less powerful machines, would go on sale on 22 October.
The paper also says that former Vodafone chief exec Arun Sarin was paid a STG500,000 relocation fee by the mobile operator to move back to the US after leaving the company. Vodafone's annual report disclosed the fee, which was agreed with Sarin when he became chief executive in 2003. The report also revealed that Sarin secured an STG8.1 million pay package with Vodafone in the year to 31 March. He stepped down as chief executive last July. Vodafone declined to explain what was included in the relocation fee, but said that Vittorio Colao, Sarin's successor, would not enjoy a similar arrangement.
The paper also notes that Facebook has begun tapping a new revenue stream with the launch of an internal payments system. The system, which is in its early stages, will allow users to purchase Facebook "credits", then use those credits to buy virtual goods from the third-party applications that run on the site, or from Facebook itself. Facebook hopes that by offering a site-wide currency it will encourage more commerce on the website. By serving as the payment provider, it will capture a percentage of every transaction.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Twitter users across China have said that the micro-blogging website appeared to be blocked on Tuesday, two days ahead of the 20th anniversary of the military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square. If the site is being blocked by government censors, as many users suspect, it would mark the first time that Twitter has been widely inaccessible to users in China. The YouTube website has been blocked for several weeks in China and remains so, a Google spokesman said on Tuesday.
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