Новости за 24.04.2012

The trend toward more adults living with their parents is usually framed as a problem of the middle class. With little money or job prospects, and lots of student loans, today’s working-class kids have little choice but to move back in with mom and dad.

U.S. regulators are investigating major U.S. movie studios' dealings with China as the entertainment companies try to get a greater foothold in one of the fastest-growing movie markets in the world. The Securities and Exchange Commission has sent letters of inquiry to at least five movie studios in the past two months, including News Corp's 20th Century Fox, Disney, and DreamWorks Animation, a person familiar with the matter said.

U.S. regulators are investigating major U.S. movie studios' dealings with China as the entertainment companies try to get a greater foothold in one of the fastest-growing movie markets in the world. The Securities and Exchange Commission has sent letters of inquiry to at least five movie studios in the past two months, including News Corp's 20th Century Fox, Disney, and DreamWorks Animation, a person familiar with the matter said.

Fitch ratings agency piled fresh agony on Nokia on Tuesday, cutting its debt rating to junk status for the first time and warning the struggling handset maker's cash position was under severe strain. Nokia's rating - already downgraded in recent weeks by Standard & Poor's and Moody's - was cut to BB+ from BBB- by Fitch which said this could be lowered further unless the company's business improved over the second half of 2012 and in 2013.

Apple Inc infringed on a Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc patent in making its popular iPhones, iPads and other products, a judge for the International Trade Commission ruled on Tuesday. ITC Judge Thomas Pender said in a preliminary ruling that Apple infringed on a patent for eliminating noise and other interference during voice and data transmissions. The full commission will now review the judge's decision and issue a final ruling in August.

LG Electronics will steal a march on its rivals by bringing forward the launch of a 55-inch flat TV using next-generation technology, raising the stakes in a cut-throat battle for the living room between Asia's top tech powerhouses. The South Korean firm will introduce its organic light emitting display (OLED) TV in several European countries in May, well ahead of an original plan to launch in the second half, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

In 2006, George Allen uttered the word "macaca" on film and changed the course of YouTube Politics forever. From that moment, the political world learned two important lessons: 1) YouTube is a powerful medium for spreading political messages and 2) everything a candidate says can be recorded on camera by a campaign tracker, employed by the opposition.

In 2012, campaign trackers are no longer a novelty on the trail. Today's NPR "All Things Considered" story offers a deeper look at how this... Читать дальше...

Cable & Wireless Worldwide shareholder Orbis said it would be prepared to retain its 19 percent stake in the corporate telecoms company if Vodafone took control. The investor said on Monday that Vodafone's agreed 38 pence-a-share offer undervalued CWW's assets and it declined to publicly back the deal. Certainly the prospect of being a shareholder in a stand-alone or Vodafone-led CWW are two potential outcomes Orbis has planned for and is comfortable with, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

Wall Street is looking to Apple Inc's quarterly results on Tuesday to settle the debate over whether the stock's recent sell-off is a blip or an extended pullback. If sales of iPhones and iPads blow past the market's expectations, that could assuage concerns that Apple's growth momentum is slowing. Such worries have caused the stock to fall 13 percent in the last two weeks. But if the results disappoint, that will fuel fears of a slowdown in sales of its flagship products and about whether the world's... Читать дальше...

Ericsson , the world's biggest mobile phone network gear maker, signed a framework agreement with world no.1 carrier by subscribers China Mobile regarding equipment and services, the Swedish government said on Tuesday. It also said in a statement in connection with an official visit to Sweden by China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao that China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd , the country's second-biggest mobile operator, had signed a letter of intent with Ericsson for the purchase of equipment and services.

AT&T Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday, sending its stock up as much as 4 percent, as a decline in iPhone sales reduced the amount of cash it had to pay Apple Inc and boosted its margins. Apple shares fell almost 2 percent after AT&T also said its numbers should improve further in coming quarters when it expects recent upgrade policy changes to temper smartphone sales further.

AT&T Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday, sending its stock up as much as 4 percent, as a decline in iPhone sales reduced the amount of cash it had to pay Apple Inc and boosted its margins. Apple shares fell almost 2 percent after AT&T also said its numbers should improve further in coming quarters when it expects recent upgrade policy changes to temper smartphone sales further.

As Real Madrid was celebrating their effective La Liga win with a victory over fierce rivals Barcelona at the weekend, Bayern Munich watched on as celebrations in Dortmund confirmed what had been widely accepted since their defeat to Borussia 10 days prior. For the first time in 16 years Bayern would go two seasons without a Bundesliga title. Yet there is certainly a sense that few people among Bayern's illustrious hierarchy will be thinking of the Bundesliga if the Bavarians can make it past Real... Читать дальше...

Apple Inc infringed a Motorola Mobility patent in making its popular iPhones, iPads and other products, a judge for the International Trade Commission ruled on Tuesday. Motorola Mobility, which is in the process of being acquired by Google , had filed related lawsuits against Apple in district courts in Illinois and Florida. Apple did not violate three other patents which Motorola Mobility accused it of infringing, ITC Judge Thomas Pender said in a preliminary ruling. The full commission will now... Читать дальше...

Here's the chance the future Brooklyn Nets have been waiting for. According to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard will request to be traded as soon as the Magic are eliminated from the postseason.

Known for his long and passionate personal life as well as his prodigious output, Pablo Picasso has proved to be the most bankable of artists over the past 20 years. At its spring sale of Impressionist and Modern Art on May 1 Christie's is featuring a virtual gallery of the women who figured in the Spanish artist's long life, from Marie-Therese Walter to Jacqueline Roque.

French spirits group Remy Cointreau expects full-year core profit growth of at least 15-18 percent, thanks to booming demand for premium cognac in Asia and notably China. The maker of Remy Martin cognac and Cointreau liqueur reported on Tuesday underlying sales growth of 15.6 percent in the 12 months ended March 31, helped also by robust demand in the United States and Russia. We confirm that we can achieve 15-18 percent current operating profit growth, possibly slightly more, Chief Financial Officer Federic Pflanz told analysts.

Steve Doocy, a Fox News commentator and co-anchor of the hit morning show Fox & Friends, is in hot water for misquoting President Barack Obama during a televised interview with Mitt Romney. Doocy used the misquote to elicit a response from the presumptive Republican presidential candidate. [Obama] had some fiery rhetoric pointed you yesterday. He said, uh, 'Unlike some people, I wasn't born with a spoon in my mouth,' Doocy said to Romney on April 19.

The price of European governments' debt obligations rose on strong trading Tuesday following a sharp selloff the prior day, lowering the borrowing costs of those countries and giving some confidence to equity markets. Yields on benchmark French and Dutch bonds slumped early in the day and continued dropping after U.S. markets opened, falling to 3.038 and 2.344 percent, respectively. Yields move in the opposite direction of price, so a falling yield corresponds with a rising price.

Will charges be dropped in Mark Abaire's $1 felony case in which he is accused of stealing $1 worth of soda from a Florida McDonald's and now faces up to five years in prison if convicted of the charges?   McDonald's responded to an IBTimes inquiry by releasing a statement from the owner-operator of the East Naples, Fla., McDonald's location, which said the establishment was fully cooperating with authorities on this matter. The statement did not mention whether the charges would be dropped in the $1 felony case.

Democrats used a hearing Tuesday to denounce the Arizona immigration law the Supreme Court is about to weigh, articulating their party's position on a likely hot issue in the general election. The highly polarizing bill mandates a state-level crackdown on unauthorized immigrants, including a provision requiring police officers to question and detain people they suspect of being in the country illegally. The Obama administration sued to block the law's implementation, arguing that immigration law is the province of the federal government... Читать дальше...

The surge of mega-yachts during the mid-2000s left a huge problem in its wake: too many giant yachts and not enough places to park them.

Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NYSE: WPI) will announce on Wednesday the purchase of major Swiss competitor Actavis Group, according to media reports citing persons familiar with the negotiations. The deal, valued at €4.5 billion ($5.92 billion), will elevate Parsippany, N.J.-based Watson to one of the world's top generic-drugs makers and allow it to surpass its primary U.S. competitor, Mylan Inc. (Nasdaq: MYL), the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Watson's stock price was down $1.60, or 2.29 percent... Читать дальше...

Consumer confidence fell slightly in April, the second straight monthly decline, as a stuttering economic recovery  kept purse strings tight, according to a survey released Tuesday. The Conference Board, a private research group, said that its Consumer Confidence Index fell to 69.2, down from a revised 69.5 in March. Economists were expecting a reading of 69.7, according to a Reuters poll. The current level is below a reading of 71.6 in February -- the highest level it has been in a year, the Associated Press reported.

In a new report, Amnesty International accuses Royal Dutch Shell of inaccurately assessing the size of a 2008 oil spill in the Nigerian Delta region.