21 May 2013
Last updated at 03:27 ET
Tough economic conditions in Italy and Spain have hit Vodafone
Mobile giant Vodafone’s full-year sales have slipped for the first time in eight years after tough economic conditions in Europe hit revenues.
Annual revenues fell 4.4% to £44.4bn, after the firm cut prices in Europe in an attempt to retain customers.
In Italy service revenue fell 12.8%, while in Spain it dropped 11.5%.
Vodafone said it had written down the value of its businesses in Italy and Spain by a further £1.8b [...]
Vodafone sales hit by European slump
21 May 2013
Last updated at 03:27 ET
Tough economic conditions in Italy and Spain have hit Vodafone
Mobile giant Vodafone’s full-year sales have slipped for the first time in eight years after tough economic conditions in Europe hit revenues.
Annual revenues fell 4.4% to £44.4bn, after the firm cut prices in Europe in an attempt to retain customers.
In Italy service revenue fell 12.8%, while in Spain it dropped 11.5%.
Vodafone said it had written down the value of its businesses in Italy and Spain by a further £1.8b [...]
Fresh bombings in Iraq ‘kill 13′
21 May 2013
Last updated at 04:37 ET
Two car bombs left widespread damage in Tuz Khurmato
At least 13 people have been killed in new bomb attacks in Iraq, a day after a wave of bombings across the country left at least 70 people dead.
Two car bombs hit the northern town of Tuz Khurmato, a device went off in a cattle market in Kirkuk, and a suicide bomber struck in the town of Tarmiyah.
The spate of bombings has marked the period as one of the most violent in Iraq in recent months.
The attacks have been linked to growing p [...]
Bell passed fit for England Test
Ian Bell has been passed fit for England’s second Test with New Zealand at Headingley, starting on Friday.
The Warwickshire batsman, who suffered a bout of flu during the first Test at Lord’s, is included in an unchanged 12-man squad.
Yorkshire players Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root are both hopeful of playing their first Test on their home ground.
“We need to produce another strong performance to secure a series win,” said England selector Geoff Miller.
More to follow.
Report: Rogers to ‘Choose Chicago’
Former White House social secretary Desiree Rogers has been tapped to head up “Choose Chicago,” a government-sponsored Chicago marketing initiative, according to Windy City news reports.
“I am confident that she will help Choose Chicago reach the next level as it continues to find creative ways to lure tourists and convention business,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, another Obama White House alum, said of her appointment to the post, according to the Chicago Tribune. “I am excited at the prospect of working alongside Desiree again.”
The new [...]
NASA Seeks Proposals for Commercial Operations at Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A
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NASA Seeks Proposals for Commercial Operations at Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A
WASHINGTON — NASA released a synopsis Friday announcing plans to issue an announcement for proposals for the commercial use of Launch Pad 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The announcement is expected next week.
Use of the launch pad by industry is designed to encourage commercial space act [...]
Apple accused of huge tax avoidance scheme
Apple uses a “highly questionable” web of offshore entities to avoid paying billions in US income taxes, a Senate committee alleged on Monday.
The complex arrangement includes three subsidiaries, based ostensibly in Ireland, which appear not to be designated as tax resident anywhere, the committee said. A source on the committee called them “iCompanies – I for imaginary, invisible”.
The commitee said that the arrangement, described by one senator as “the epitome” of tax-avoidance schemes, allowed Apple [...]
Senate set to grill IRS officials as White House seeks to clarify timeline
As the White House works to contain the political fallout over its knowledge that the IRS had targeted conservative groups applying for nonprofit status, the outgoing agency chief and IRS inspector general will join former Commissioner Douglas Shulman in an appearance Tuesday before the Senate Finance Committee.
Republicans hope the hearing – along with a separate hearing before a House committee on Wednesday – will provide them new tinder to keep alive public outrage toward the IRS abuses, which has in turn helped offer the GOP a unifyin [...]
Karzai to push for India defence aid
21 May 2013
Last updated at 04:14 ET
Karzai paid tribute to India’s support for Afghanistan
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is in India to press for more military aid, ahead of the withdrawal of Nato-led forces from Afghanistan in 2014.
He is set to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as President Pranab Mukherjee.
India already trains some Afghan military officers, but there has been little assistance in terms of hardware.
Last November, Delhi signed mining and development deals and pledged [...]
Arsenal want trophies not just top four next season, says Ivan Gazidis
Link to video: Arsène Wenger: Arsenal’s ‘exceptional attitude’ brings Champions League reward
The Arsenal chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, has moved to reassure supporters that qualification for the Champions League does not represent the height of the club’s ambitions. The victory at Newcastle United on Sunday secured a fourth-place finish and prompted scenes of giddy celebration at St James’ Park.
Players posted pictures on Twitter of jubilant team-mates in the dressing room after [...]
Newer, Pricier Prostate Cancer Radiation No Better Than Old: Study
MONDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) — The costly form of radiation therapy that has become the norm for prostate cancer in the United States may be no better than the older, cheaper variety — at least for some men, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that among more than 1,000 U.S. men who had radiation therapy after prostate cancer surgery, the newer form — known as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) — had no advantage over the conventional version.
Men who received IMRT were no less likely t [...]
Baucus, Hatch expand IRS probe
Top lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee are broadening their probe of the Internal Revenue Service’s practice of targeting conservative groups, asking the agency to turn over an extensive batch of communications detailing who was involved in the program.
In a letter sent Monday to acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller, Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and ranking member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) sought details on how the agency reviewed applications for wide range of tax exemptions — not just the requests for 501(c)(4) status at the center [...]
Ant abilities could aid robot design
21 May 2013
Last updated at 02:49 ET
By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News
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Prof Dan Goldman explains how fire ants manage to tunnel quickly through fine, loose sand
A study showing how ants tunnel their way through confined spaces could aid the design of search-and-rescue robots, according to US scientists.
A te [...]