IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 24 March
24-03-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Vodafone entitled to EUR2.3m damages: court | China censors Google's new search service
The Irish Times reports that Northgate Managed Services is to create 88 jobs in Northern Ireland with a STG19.4 million investment in a new business project, as noted by ENN on Tuesday.
The paper also says that a High Court judge has ruled that Vodafone is entitled to over EUR2.3 million damages against a former financial executive and others who conspired to defraud it by buying services for the company which were either never provided or inadequately provided. The Commercial Court previously entered a summary judgment for EUR2.3 million against Niall Barron, former head of the firm's corporate financial services, over the fraudulent requisitioning of services on behalf of the firm. The summary judgment order was also against David McGovern and his wife Elaine Dixon, directors of firms involved in receiving requisitions from Barron.
The Irish Independent says that in the Cabinet re-shuffle, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has been renamed the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, and Batt O'Keeffe has been given the portfolio, as noted by ENN.
The Wall Street Journal says that Lee Kun-hee, the son of the founder of the Samsung group, will return to lead the Samsung Electronics business, after resigning nearly two years ago during an ethics and fraud scandal. Lee will return as chairman of the manufacturer of memory chips, mobile phones and TVs. However, he will not be on the company's board, which has a separate chairman. The scandal in 2007 and early 2008 that led to his resignation emerged from an effort in the mid-1990s to retain enough shares of various Samsung companies to pass control of them to his son.
The paper also notes that PC maker Dell has said it aims to grow its services business in China, as hardware profits have declined throughout the broader tech sector. "We do intend to grow in China, both organically and by acquisition," said Dell Services President Peter Altabef. He declined to give details.
According to the Financial Times, China began censoring Google's restructured Chinese search service on Tuesday, in an immediate response to the company's move to end its compliance with strict internet rules in the country. The government stopped short of blocking the search results outright, however. Chinese authorities appear to be filtering Google search results more aggressively than they do other foreign internet sites. A Google executive said the response raised hopes that the company would keep much of its audience and a significant advertising sales presence in China.
The paper also reports that Random House, the world's largest book publisher by sales, may keep its books from Apple's iPad when it goes on sale next month, due to fears around its effect on the pricing of e-books. Random House's five big rivals -- Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Harper-Collins and Penguin -- are understood to have signed up to iBookstore, the retail website where e-books will be sold for the iPad. Markus Dohle, Random House chief executive, did not exclude the possibility of reaching a deal before the iPad goes on sale on 3 April, but he said he was treading carefully, as Apple's pricing regime could erode established publishing practices.
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