IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 14 September
14-09-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Norkom warns of revenue dip | Science minister withdraws from book launch
The Irish Times reports that financial software firm Norkom has warned it expects revenues to fall by about 10 percent in the first half of the trading year. In an update to the Irish Stock Exchange, Norkom said it believed that, as a result of "elongated sales cycles, together with the delay in new regulatory guidelines passing into law in Asia", revenues for the first half of the year would fall to EUR22.5 million, down from EUR24.6 million a year earlier. The group expects EBITDA to decline from EUR4.5 million to between EUR1.2 million and EUR1.5 million. Norkom chief Paul Kerley said the company's long-term prospects "remain positive".
The paper also reports that Minister for Science Conor Lenihan has withdrawn from launching a book that describes evolution as a fantasy and a hoax, after the author asked him to pull out in the wake of controversy on the web. The minister was to launch 'The Origin of Specious Nonsense' by John May in Dublin on Wednesday. On Monday night May asked Lenihan not to launch the book "because I am so embarrassed that the Minister for Science has been so insulted" and "eviscerated" on a political website. Lenihan said while he "remained to be convinced" by May's arguments, he would be attending the launch in a personal capacity and as he believed "diversity of opinion is a good thing".
The Irish Examiner says that the HSE's national ICT director has been placed on administrative leave over claims of a conflict of interest involving private firms. Gerard Hurl has been temporarily replaced by Fran Thompson due to the former's connection to the Healthcare Informatics Society of Ireland (HISI), which he has chaired since 2003. The 700-member voluntary health informatics professionals umbrella group accepts sponsorship payments of up to EUR15,000 a year from IT firms, a number of which have been awarded HSE tenders in recent years. While Hurl has denied any wrongdoing, those behind an ongoing HSE internal review have decided to place him on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The same paper notes that a new company is allowing people to make funeral arrangements and book coffins and hearses online. FuneralsOnline.ie says it will make it easier for people to financially plan for a funeral in advance. The service allows people to view funeral plans, using their own password and reference number, and buy every item associated with funeral services. The funeral ceremony can even be webcast.
According to the Financial Times, Nokia will make a fresh push to reclaim lost ground from Apple and other rivals when it unveils a revamped range of smartphones at the Nokia World event in London this week. The handset giant is expected to unveil its latest flagship smartphone, the N8, and another new high-end device, the E7, at the trade fair. The new products will be the first based on Nokia's upgraded Symbian 3 operating system. Analysts said the N8 was designed to keep Nokia competitive against Android phones from Sony Ericsson, HTC and others rather than the more expensive iPhone. A full-scale battle against Apple is not likely until next year, when Nokia is due to launch its new MeeGo operating system, co-developed with Intel.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Verizon Communications' chief financial officer, John F. Killian, is to retire at the end of the year. The telecoms company said it would soon name a replacement, who would likely come from within the company. Killian joined the New York-based company 31 years ago.
Free! "In the papers" email newsletter -- get the full text to your in-box every business day. Email itp@enn.ie with 'subscribe' in the subject line.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 