ROUNDUPS
In the papers 24 August
24-08-2005
by
Digicel's sponsorship of West Indies cricket called into question | China looks to stop video-games addiction
The Irish Examiner reports that the number of Freedom of Information requests submitted to the Department of the Environment has continued to plummet since the government put a EUR15 charge on them. Prior to the introduction of the fee in July 2003, the FOI office had dealt with 349 queries in 2002 and 233 in the first six months of 2003. Last year, however, there were just 112 requests, the newspaper noted.
The Irish Independent reports that Digicel's USD20 million sponsorship of the West Indies cricket team could be declared null and void. According to local media reports, Justice Lucky, a Trinidadian judge who headed up a special committee's review of the sponsorship contract with the mobile operator, identified flaws in the contract signed by Digicel and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). The details of Justice Lucky's decision were posted on the caribbeancricket.com website as part of a copy of a broader report into the sponsorship activities of the West Indies cricket team.
Also in the paper is a report which says that search giant Google has launched Google Talk, a new instant messaging and VoIP computer program. Read the full story as reported by ElectricNews.Net on Tuesday.
The Wall Street Journal says that International Business Machines has created an advisory council composed of leading investors from top venture-capital firms. Called the Venture Capital Advisory Council, the new board will help guide IBM's efforts in shaping the growth of technology in emerging markets. The idea behind the association with the investors is to help IBM stay informed of emerging opportunities, and to ensure that technology start-ups build open standards tools and platforms which will integrate easily with IBM's own product and consulting mix.
Also in the paper is a report which says that South Korea's antitrust watchdog will probably rule next month on allegations that US software giant Microsoft engaged in unfair trade practices. Huh Sun, a senior official of the Fair Trade Commission, made the remark as the commission began a two-day hearing on the case. Local media have suggested that a decision could be possible this week. The commission has been investigating a complaint from Daum Communications, an internet portal, which alleged that Microsoft violated trade rules by tying its instant messenger software to Windows.
In the Financial Times is a story which claims that China has introduced an "anti-online game addiction system" designed to protect players from the mental and physical perils of spending too much time in front of computers. The plan will encourage players to play less by cutting the benefits they gain in online games, and it is to be implemented by local internet companies that have signed a code of conduct. The move reflects fears about the social impact of multiplayer online role-playing games which have been blamed for declining social values and even murder. An estimated 25 million Chinese people play online role-playing games.
Finally, the same newspaper reports that Cablecom, the Swiss cable television and communications group, is in discussions over a stock market flotation in late October or November in what would be one of Switzerland's biggest initial public offering in years. Currently valued at up to SFR5.5 billion (USD4.3 billion), Cablecom is controlled by private investors, including Goldman Sachs, and has a dominant position in cable television and increasing penetration in internet access and telephony. Cablecom was bought out of NTL, the UK cable company, in a debt-for-equity swap in 2003.
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