IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 7 November
07-11-2007
by Sylvia Leatham
Microsoft fires chief information officer | Sony Ericsson to launch internet music portal
The Irish Times reports that Microsoft is to open a new European data centre in Dublin. Read the full story on ENN.
The paper also says that AIB is creating 260 jobs in Swords, Dublin, through the opening of a new call centre, as noted by ENN on Tuesday.
The same paper notes that Horizon Technology Group has been granted a High Court order to allow it to reduce its share premium account by the amount necessary to eliminate accumulated losses. This clears the way for the company to make dividend payments to shareholders.
The Financial Times says that Yahoo chief Jerry Yang apologised on Tuesday to relatives of two jailed Chinese dissidents in the face of claims from US lawmakers that the internet company had been a "willing participant" in political witch-hunts. Yang, who has come under fire over the 2004 imprisonment of Chinese dissident Shi Tao, apologised to Shi's mother during his appearance before the House committee on foreign affairs. "I personally apologise to them for what they and their families are going through," he said.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft has fired its chief information officer for violating company policies, but the software giant declined to provide details. The company said in a statement that Stuart Scott was "terminated after an investigation for violation of company policies." Hired by Microsoft in July 2005, Scott was a corporate vice president at the company in addition to its chief information officer, overseeing the IT systems used by the 80,000-person company.
According to the same paper, mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has revealed plans for its own internet music portal. Sony Ericsson plans to release the upgraded PlayNow service next spring, adding millions of new music tracks from major record labels. Until now, Sony Ericsson has only offered music downloads via its handsets from Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Sony Ericsson expects to start a music service for computers and mobile handsets in the second quarter of 2008, after gaining support from the three other major record labels -- Universal Music Group, EMI Group and Warner Music Group.
The paper also says that Facebook has announced a new advertising system that allows marketers to target their messages based on the interests of the social networking site's millions of users. The new system, called Facebook Ads, will let advertisers target their messages to Facebook users most likely to want their products or services. Facebook will also give marketers detailed information about the people who see their ads.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 