IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 22 June
22-06-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Irish interest in science below EU average | Amazon, Barnes & Noble start e-reader price war
The Irish Times reports that although the majority of Irish people believe science can improve our lives, we have a lower level of interest in scientific issues and feel less well informed than other EU states. According to a Eurobarometer survey, 71 percent of Irish respondents were interested in science, below the EU average of 79 percent and well below Cyprus, Luxembourg and Hungary, where more than 90 percent expressed an interest. Just 56 percent of people in Ireland felt they were moderately or well informed about science, compared to 61 percent on average across Europe. However, 70 percent of people in Ireland think science can improve our lives, and 66 percent think it could bring real health benefits -- figures above the EU averages.
The paper also says that the DUP MP for East Derry, Gregory Campbell, has complained to the police after a picture of him with a bullet through his forehead against a Nazi flag background was posted on Facebook. Campbell said there must be greater scrutiny of Facebook and other social networking sites after his comments about the Saville Report on Bloody Sunday prompted offensive comments about him on the site. Facebook has since removed the picture from the site. Campbell said there were 700 postings on Facebook attacking him.
The paper also notes that Australian telco Telstra has agreed to help build a national broadband network worth up to AUD37 billion (EUR26.35 billion), a deal that could win votes for the government and ease uncertainty for Telstra investors. Under the deal, Telstra agrees to convert its old copper-wire network into optic-fibre and then rent it out to the government's National Broadband Network Company (NBN) in return for AUD11 billion (EUR7.84 billion) in long-term payments. The government had threatened to split Telstra up unless it agreed to the deal.
According to the Financial Times, shares in Amazon and Barnes & Noble fell around 3 percent on Monday on the back of fears of a possible e-reader price war. Amazon announced it was cutting the US price of the Kindle by 27 percent, from USD259 to USD189, shortly after Barnes & Noble said it would cut the price of its Nook reader from USD259 to USD199. The move widens the price gap between the two products and Apple's new iPad, which costs USD499. The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that sales of digital reading devices in the US will more than double to 5 million units this year.
The paper also reports that a number of US states investigating Google's interception of data sent over unencrypted wireless home networks will co-ordinate their efforts, increasing pressure on the search company. Connecticut attorney-general Richard Blumenthal said he would lead the joint probe. The inquiry will try to determine whether data privacy laws were broken in any of the states concerned when Google's Street View cars recorded internet activity over Wi-Fi networks, as well as whether new laws should be proposed.
The Wall Street Journal reports that chipmaker Intel and the US Federal Trade Commission appear close to settling the agency's antitrust case. Lawyers for Intel and the FTC have submitted a proposed consent decree to the commission, asking for a suspension of proceedings in the case until 23 July while the deal is reviewed by five FTC commissioners. The terms of the proposed agreement were not disclosed. If accepted, the agreement would head off a September trial before an FTC judge that was likely to detail dealings between Intel and chip customers such as HP, Dell, IBM and Acer.
The paper also says that US regulators are holding talks with phone and cable companies about a compromise that would give the government authority over internet lines without adopting controversial new rules the industry opposes. Edward Lazarus, the chief of staff at the Federal Communications Commission, and other senior FCC staffers are holding closed-door meetings with a small group of lobbyists representing internet providers, including AT&T and Verizon Communications and internet services companies such as Google and Skype. The negotiations concern a possible compromise that would avoid wholesale changes in how the FCC regulates internet lines but still give the agency the ability to enforce 'net neutrality' rules, which would prevent internet providers from deliberately slowing or blocking web traffic.
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