IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 1 March
01-03-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Telefonica profits up 22 percent | Quarter of US adults read news on mobiles
The Irish Times reports that Ryanair has welcomed a High Court judgment that says the airline has the right to bring proceedings in Ireland against websites that sell its flights without its permission. Ryanair says 'screenscraping' sites breach its website's terms of use and the airline's exclusive distribution policy. Ryanair brought proceedings against German sites Billigfluege and Ticket Point in September 2009, but the two sites argued that Irish courts had no jurisdiction over these proceedings. Ryanair said the ruling means it can expedite court proceedings in Ireland against screenscrapers.
The Irish Examiner reports on a collaboration between the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the Tyndall National Institute for innovation in the biomedical device sector. Medical experts, scientists and engineers will work together to apply technology already being developed at Tyndall to the needs of clinicians for surgical procedures. One project being worked on is the development of a device that would allow surgeons to see damaged veins through the skin of the patient. Others include software to allow surgeons use image detection techniques that could better identify abnormalities in the stomach during laparoscopic surgeries, and the development of devices that can be worn like badges to measure radiation levels.
The paper also notes that Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) is to develop closer ties with the University of Pune in India, which has 650,000 undergraduate students in its affiliate colleges. According to CIT head of research Dr Niall Smith, a significant element of this development centres on a planned visit by staff from Pune to observe and better understand the way researchers here work closely with industry as part of an end-to-end innovation ecosystem. "This includes a comprehensive understanding of how to translate research ideas to commercial reality, so that research activities are of direct economic benefit, a culture that has been at the heart of the vibrant research and innovation activity in CIT for the past 20 years," said Dr Smith.
According to the Wall Street Journal, telecoms firm Telefonica's profits rose 22 percent in the fourth quarter to EUR2.44 billion, boosted by lower taxes and an asset sale. Total revenue increased 1.2 percent to EUR14.98 billion. While Telefonica reiterated its earnings guidance and pledged to grow revenue this year, its outlook excludes a host of items including write-offs, accounting changes in Venezuela and foreign exchange movements, but factors in 10 months of revenue from two recent acquisitions. A key challenge ahead for the company is how to maintain growth in Latin American markets.
The paper also reports that iPhone maker Apple has said audits of its suppliers have uncovered 17 core violations of its policies, including three cases in which its contractors hired underage workers last year. In a report posted on its website, Apple said three facilities had hired a total of 11 employees prior to reaching the legal working age in those countries. Some of the workers were as young as 15. At the time of the audit, the workers were either no longer underage or not employed by the contractors. Apple did not name the suppliers or identify in which countries the infractions of its policies occurred.
The same paper notes that just over one-quarter of US adults read news on their mobile phone, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. The study found that 26 percent of Americans get news on their phones. Pew does not have comparable data for two or three years ago, but evidence of a shift in habits can be seen from the finding that younger handset owners are more likely to look for news on their phones. About 43 percent of those under 50 said they are mobile news consumers, compared with 15 percent of older respondents. Of the 37 percent of mobile phone owners who said they use the internet on their phone, 72 percent said they check weather reports, while 68 percent check current events
The Financial Times reports that the UK government has begun distributing its STG200 million UK Innovation Investment Fund, which will be focused on life sciences, digital and advanced manufacturing businesses. The UK IIF will be managed by the European Investment Fund, which has matched STG100 million from the government with a further STG100 million from its own resources. EIF will divide up the STG200 million between venture capital investors who fund SMEs over four to five years.
The Sunday Independent says that Irish firms have fallen foul of Apple's ban on adult applications in the App Store, with Irish mobile content provider Zamano having up to four iPhone applications removed in the crackdown. Zamano described the apps as "experimental" and said it planned to move away from such apps.
The Sunday Tribune highlights the dangers of providing public access to certain information online. It says that there are concerns drug dealers could be using information posted on a website about the movements of Ireland's naval patrol vessels to avoid detection. The Defence Forces have denied that there is a security risk in allowing access to the information, published on MarineTraffic.com, as the data is only available when captains deem it appropriate. The data comes from the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which is intended to enhance maritime safety.
The Sunday Business Post reports that Electric Media has bought a stake in Irish firm Sales Online. Founder of the online sales firm Simon Ferguson said recent moves that saw media planners and buyers grouped into umbrella entities such as CoreMedia and Magna increased downward pressure on advertising rates, making consolidation a sensible option to protect online publishers. Online prices have fallen 20 to 30 percent in some cases over the past year, he said, with premium sites able to hold their own better than that. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
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