IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 10 May
10-05-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Student numbers down for higher-level maths | Sony returns to operating profitability
The Irish Times reports that restructuring costs of EUR2.7 million at mobile operator Meteor last year contributed to a pre-tax profits drop of 25 percent to EUR37.2 million. Accounts just filed by Meteor Mobile Communications Ltd show pre-tax profits fell from EUR49.7 million in 2008 to EUR37.2 million to the end of June 2009. Revenues grew 2 percent from EUR480.9 million to EUR491.2 million. The biggest factors behind the drop in profits was a 95 percent rise in amortisation or depreciation of intangible assets to EUR18 million, and depreciation costs rising by 21 percent to EUR66 million.
The Irish Examiner says that the number of students who will take higher level maths in the Leaving Certificate next month is down further on previous years. Official figures for the June exams show that so far just 10,101 students, or 19.5 percent, have indicated they will choose the higher level maths paper this summer. Tanaiste and Education Minister Mary Coughlan previously said she favours giving bonus points for college entry to students taking maths at honours level, but she now says it will be up to each university or institute of technology to decide if they wish to do so. In addition, any such arrangements will not be finalised before next September, meaning it will be students sitting the Leaving Certificate in 2013 at the earliest who would benefit.
The paper also reports that calls have been made for a website to be blocked from internet search engines after it made a series of highly offensive remarks about bullying victim Phoebe Prince. The references to the County Clare teenager, who took her life after a sustained bullying campaign when she moved to the US, were made on controversial site Encyclopedia Dramatica. Site owner Joseph Evers has previously faced charges of racism and incitement to hatred. Daniel Cole, who established the website www.phoebeslaw.com in an attempt to force all states in the US to introduce new anti-bullying legislation, is calling on all businesses advertising on the site to remove their connection with it, and for a search engine barring order in the US and Ireland.
The same paper says that Ireland has the worst broadband speeds in Europe, according to figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. OECD broadband statistics for October 2009 show that Ireland dropped to 29th position for broadband speeds, after being placed 26th in September 2008. "We are dead last in Europe and second last in the OECD with only Mexico behind us," said Fine Gael communications spokesperson Simon Coveney.
According to the Financial Times, Facebook has hired a former senior Bush administration regulator in Washington to defend its privacy practices as it faces increasing scrutiny on Capitol Hill. Tim Muris is the former Republican chairman of the Federal Trade Commission who now serves as an attorney at the law firm O'Melveny & Myers. The FTC is taking a close look at complaints against the social networking site filed by privacy advocates, according to sources.
The paper also says that Sony has returned to operating profitability, the company said in advance of posting full-year results. The consumer electronics giant made an operating profit of JPY213 billion (USD2.3 billion) in the year to March, before restructuring costs and losses at Sony Ericsson, compared with the JPY140 billion it forecast in February and a JPY127 billion loss last year. The operating profit was ahead of analysts' expectations but its net loss of JPY41 billion was broadly in line with predictions. Sony is due to announce its full results and forecasts for this year on Thursday.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Panasonic has announced plans to invest more in rechargeable batteries, solar panels and other green energy products over the next three years, while scaling back capital spending on television and other home electronics. "This biggest business chance of this era is to build an enterprise focused on the environment," said Fumio Ohtsubo, president of Panasonic. "We are going to boldly shift our management resources." Under a three-year business plan ending March 2013, Panasonic said it plans to allocate JPY300 billion (USD3.3 billion) to what it calls its "flagship" energy systems business, which also includes Panasonic's existing fuel cells unit. It plans to invest JPY220 billion into its consumer electronics arm over the next three years, about one-third of its investment in the three years just ended.
The Sunday Tribune reports that a father of three who discovered an unexploded Nazi bomb in a field in County Donegal tried to sell it, but got a visit from the bomb squad instead. David McDaid put an ad for bomb on Donedeal.ie and stored it in his girlfriend's shed while waiting for a buyer. Gardai were alerted to the item, which was listed as 'World War II bomb for sale'. Within 24 hours, soldiers arrived at McDaid's door. His DoneDeal.ie account has been terminated, as the website said he broke its terms and conditions.
The Sunday Business post says that Irish companies and researchers are falling behind the European average for registering patents, with 145 granted in 2009, to bring the total number to 33,800. The European Patent Office (EPO) said Ireland has only one-fifth the number of patents registered in Romania, while Portugal, Hungary, Belgium and the Czech Republic have twice as many as Ireland. However, the number of patents granted to Ireland rose 18 percent last year. Labour Party MEP Alan Kelly said Ireland needs to look at how it deals with PhD students, the majority of whom do not enter industry or become entrepreneurs, but remain in the education cycle.
The paper also reports that Dublin software firm Information Mosiac is to expand in Asia, adding to its offices around the world. The company currently operates in eight countries, including Australia, India and Singapore, and plans to open another office in Malaysia to deal with demand for its products in the Asia-Pacific region. The company reported a profit of EUR1.2 million last year, the first time is has gone into the black. The Dublin software firm says it will have revenues of more than EUR20 million this year, compared to EUR17.3 million last year. Information Mosaic manages risk in capital markets.
The paper also reports that Three Ireland is to offer the iPhone to its customers this summer. The company is believed to be in negotiations to offer the device.
The same paper reports on UPC's plans to offer on-demand downloading services. Sales and Marketing Director Mark Coan said it was among the company's next steps but did not say when the service would be introduced. The firm recently announced it would launch a 100Mbps broadband service across its network in August.
The Sunday Times reports that RTE is to lay down guidelines for staff who are using the micro-blogging website Twitter and other social media. RTE said it began draftings its guidelines before the death of broadcaster Gerry Ryan, when rumours about his death spread on Twitter. Ryan's death was confirmed by Miriam O'Callaghan on her Twitter feed after she believed the news was common knowledge. She later deleted the post, but it had already been retweeted by others. The guidelines will be circulated to staff within weeks and will also include Facebook. The rules will cover personal comments and breaking news on Twitter.
The same paper reports that Irish users are getting a raw deal when it comes to Apple's new film service on iTunes, with users getting charged up to 28 percent more here for the latest films than in the US. UK customers can also buy films more cheaply, although rental costs are similar. The movies start from EUR7.88 in Ireland, and can be as expensive as EUR13.99 for new releases. The company has cited the currency exchange rates, local import laws, business practices, taxes, and the cost of doing business for the price discrepancies. However, this was largely rejected by the Consumers' Association of Ireland due to the electronic delivery model.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 