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En los últimos años, Fox News se ha situado como uno de los canales más vistos.
Fundado por la BBC inglesa, emite en más de 200 países alrededor del mundo.
El canal de información económica en español que no descuida los aspectos de la información global
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El primer canal internacional de noticias en inglés sobre Oriente Medio.
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Noivos chegando a cavalo, cachorro entregando as alianças, família reunida, churrasco fogo de chão, cerveja local e a paisagem bucólica dos arredores de Santa Rita do Passa Quatro. iG Gente mostra com exclusividade imagens de dentro da festa e da cerimônia do casamento secreto de Ana Paula Arósio, que no último dia 16 oficializou sua união com o bioarquiteto Henrique Pinheiro.
Maria Bethânia beija mão de fãs após 'ataque' no palco
Foto: Futura Press
A diva da música brasileira Maria Bethânia fez um show no Coliseu do Porto, em Portugal, neste fim de semana, e uma fã subiu ao palco para entregar flores e tentar beijar o pés da cantora. As informações são da revista Blitz.
Há um vídeo da apresentação em que é possível ver o incidente. Nas imagens, a cantora inicialmente se assusta, mas volta para cumprimentar a fã, que já era retirada por um segurança. Bethânia, como de costume, se apresentou descalça.
Durante a visita a Portugal, a cantora também se apresentou no Cool Jazz Festival, em Cascais.
Miércoles 28 de julio de 2010
Tiene una medida de derogación transitoria del IVA para muchos productos de primera necesidad en 37 municipios de los departamentos de Boyacá, Cesar, La Guajira, Norte de Santander, Arauca y Vichada.
La exclusión del cobro del IVA estará vigente por 120 días y operará para alimentos, calzado, confecciones, materiales de construcción y electrodomésticos explicó el ministro de Hacienda, Óscar Iván Zuluaga, luego de un Consejo de Ministros presidido por el presidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez en la noche de este martes.
Otra de las medidas tomadas como parte de la emergencia social fue la facultad dada a la Dian para que en los municipios fronterizos se permita el pago de deudas con esa entidad a través de dación en pago de bienes muebles e inmuebles".
Esto, dijo el Ministro, "con el fin de facilitar que muchos de estos ciudadanos, producto de la difícil situación económica, se pongan al día en sus deudas con la Dian".
Un tercer decreto expedido por el Gobierno este martes en la noche permitirá un tratamiento preferencial para quienes impulsen la creación de zonas francas en municipios con límites fronterizos con Venezuela hasta el 31 de diciembre del 2011.
"En estos municipios se podrán crear zonas francas únicamente con una inversión requerida de un millón de dólares. No hay requisito complementario. Se excluyen para estos efectos industrias que estén relacionadas con sectores de minería, petróleo y sus derivados", aclaró Zuluaga.
La emergencia social se estableció a través del decreto 2693 ante anuncio de la semana pasada por parte del Presidente Hugo Chávez, de la ruptura de relaciones diplomáticas con Colombia.
Según el Ministro de Hacienda, "un hecho de estas características, equivalente, no se presentaba desde el año 1906, cuando era Presidente en Colombia Rafael Reyes".
"Lo que se expide esta noche es para cualquier comprador nacional, de la zona de frontera o un hermano venezolano que venga a Cúcuta o cualquier capital limítrofe", había aclarado horas antes el presidente Álvaro Uribe.
Uribe reconoció que es un costo fiscal grande pero ayuda a superar la crisis al sector productivo de Cúcuta, especialmente,
De igual manera, el ministro Plata informó que se realizarán varias macrorruedas comerciales en Cúcuta que incentiven al empresariado.
Una de ellas será de orden nacional para que compradores de todo el país se acerquen a proveedores de la zona de frontera que dejaron de vender a Venezuela o no han podido encontrar otros mercados.
También habrá una macrorrueda internacional el 23 y 24 de agosto en Cúcuta que traerá a inversionistas de Centroamérica, Ecuador, Chile, entre otros países.
Esta iniciativa se complementa, finalmente, con una macrorrueda de crédito con empresarios colombianos y extranjeros, que será coordinada por Bancoldex
Medellín
The second weekend Box-office of Warner Bros. Pictures' dream-themed film
Inception directed by Christopher Nolan and top-lining Leonardo DiCaprio, was rock solid and scored an appreciating gross collection of Rs.39, 892,195 in India. In the US Box Office, Inception retained its No.1 slot with an estimated chart-topping $43.5 million at 3,792 locations. The drop was approximately 31% in comparison to the first weekend.
“Inception is one of the few Hollywood movies which keeps weekdays active for Cinema operators. Occupancy is just growing day by day & more importantly we are seeing repeat patrons at many locations. It is a must watch movie of all time. Thanks to Inception our Q2 has started on a very good note.” says Devang Sampat President for Cinemax India Ltd
“The movie has achieved the best occupancy in this weekend. It is almost 70% + occupancy inspite of the competition of Salt and Khatha Meetha. Weekend net box-office is as good as the 1st weekend so in almost 2 weeks Inception is the highest collecting English movie for 2010.The net box-office is more than 2.5 crore.” says Prakhar Joshi, PVR Cinemas
“The film has seen the lowest drop for a wide English film this year. The word of mouth on this film is unprecedented and a lot of audiences are going back to the cinemas for a second or third viewing. We are confident that the film will have a dream run.” says Denzil Dias, Deputy Managing Director (Theatrical), Warner Bros. Pictures India.
Inception released in India in four languages with 300 prints which include English (120 prints), Hindi (90 prints), Tamil (45 prints) and Telugu (45 print). This critically acclaimed film has got an over-whelming response from the audiences across the nation.
Estimated cume after the 2nd weekend: 167,378,382 ($3,579,738)
Screens: Prints: Sites: 239:239:239
Weekend drop: - 47%
Comp Films:
+550% on Batman Begin
+34% on Dark Knight
+180% on Terminator Salvation
+284% on I Am Legend
+449% on Wanted
+89% on Mission Impossible 3
It is the lowest drop for a wide film release in 2010
O menor J., primo do goleiro Bruno Fernandes Souza, voltou a dizer que foi contratado para "dar um susto em Eliza". O depoimento foi dado durante acareação entre o adolescente e Sérgio Sales, também primo de Bruno, que terminou por volta das 20h45 de hoje, no Departamento de Investigações de Belo Horizonte.
"Ele entrou em muita contradições, cada minuto contava uma história diferente", disse o delegado Edson Moreira, que preside as investigações do desaparecimento e suposto assassinato da ex-amante de Bruno, Eliza Samudio. O menor disse que só falaria no Juizado.
Sérgio Sales, segundo Moreira, confirmou depoimento que já havia dado e voltou a dizer que entregou Eliza para Marcos dos Santos, o Bola, para ele matá-la.
LOS ANGELES — ABC programming chief Stephen McPherson has abruptly resigned from the network after a six-year tenure in which the network aired such provocative series as "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" but ended last season in third place among the big four networks.
McPherson submitted his resignation as ABC Entertainment Group president and the company accepted, the Disney-ABC Television Group said in a brief statement Tuesday. His replacement will be announced soon, according to the statement, in which McPherson was quoted as thanking the people with whom he'd worked.
Paul Lee, who as president of ABC Family boosted the cable channel's ratings with hits including "The Secret Life of the American Teenager and "Pretty Little Liars," was widely reported to be McPherson's likely successor.
Before joining ABC Family in 2004, Lee was chief executive officer and founder of BBC America. He'd previously worked at the BBC in England and been a reporter, TV producer and director, according to ABC's website.
McPherson's departure from the top programming job at ABC comes just days before the network's presentation of its fall schedule to a meeting of TV reporters and critics. The network is set to bring the cast and producers of new and returning shows to the Television Critics Association gathering Aug. 1 in Beverly Hills.
The fall season begins in September, with ABC's 2010-11 schedule having been assembled by McPherson and featuring new series stars including Matthew Perry, Michael Imperioli, Michael Chiklis and Dana Delany and such offbeat shows as the mock-docmentary series "My Generation" and the comedy-drama "No Ordinary Family."
After taking on the job in 2004, McPherson helped turn ABC around after a disastrous ratings slide caused by his predecessors' over-reliance on multiple nights of the prime-time game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire."
He gained ground with innovative and serialized shows including "Lost," "Ugly Betty" and "Brothers and Sisters" in contrast with procedurals such as the "Law & Order" and "CSI" franchises favored by its rival networks. "Dancing with the Stars," which has rivaled top-rated "American Idol," also started airing on ABC under McPherson.
However, unlike its three chief rivals, ABC lost viewers last season as hits like "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy" started aging. There also was a failed effort to replace "Lost," which wrapped its run last season, with the similarly mysterious "Flashforward."
Yet the network's biggest risk of last fall — filling Wednesday with four new comedies — was a success. Three of them are returning and one, "Modern Family," is considered one of the freshest new shows on TV.
In a separate statement released by his publicist, McPherson said he would divide his attention for his next business efforts.
"I will be announcing my future plans shortly which will include a new entrepreneurial venture in the spirits business," he said in the statement. "While I will continue with my ongoing wine business, I'll also reveal plans for my involvement in a new media company."
He has wine label called Promise, a Cabernet produced in the Napa Valley region of Northern California.
___
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.
Apesar de boa relação com Uribe, elo especial da diplomacia brasileira com Chávez incomoda setores do governo colombiano
28 de julho de 2010 | 0h 00
A desconfiança da Colômbia em relação ao governo Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva limita a capacidade de mediação do Brasil na atual crise entre Bogotá e Caracas. Segundo analistas e ex-diplomatas dos dois países ouvidos pelo "Estado", a diplomacia do presidente Lula é percebida como excessivamente simpática ao governo de Hugo Chávez, embora, formalmente, as relações com Bogotá também sejam boas.
"Não é que Lula seja visto como hostil, mas certamente não inspira confiança no governo colombiano, como, por exemplo, o Chile ou o Peru", opina o cientista político Alejo Vargas, da Universidade Nacional da Colômbia. "Para a Colômbia, e em especial para (o presidente Álvaro) Uribe (que deixa o cargo no dia 7), é importante que os governos vizinhos reconheçam as Farc (Forças Armadas Revolucionárias da Colômbia) como terroristas - e isso o Brasil não fez."
No mês passado, uma fonte próxima ao Ministério da Defesa colombiano disse, sob condição de anonimato, que autoridades de seu país ficaram "chocadas" ao encontrar, no computador apreendido de um líder guerrilheiro, indícios de que integrantes das Farc teriam tido acesso à figuras ligadas ao governo Lula durante as gestões do caso Olivério Medina - ex-padre vinculado à guerrilha refugiado em território brasileiro. Em 2008, o Brasil condenou duramente o bombardeio colombiano contra um acampamento da guerrilha no Equador (a Colômbia ficou isolada na região). E, em 2009, o governo brasileiro criticou o acordo que permite aos Estados Unidos usar sete bases militares na Colômbia.
Na ocasião, Chávez congelou as relações comerciais com Bogotá, o que causou prejuízos de bilhões de dólares e levou ao corte de 300 mil empregos. Isso não impediu que Uribe fosse recebido calorosamente por Lula em São Paulo - quando a questão das bases dos EUA foi formalmente dada por encerrada na agenda bilateral.
O governo colombiano é pragmático: o Brasil representa boas oportunidades de negócio e o presidente Lula pode ser um aliado na medida em que a estabilidade da região também lhe interessa. A desconfiança, porém, não foi completamente superada, principalmente pela disparidade na forma como o brasileiro trata Uribe e Chávez, segundo analistas.
Unasul e OEA. "Não há dúvida de que a solidariedade ativa do Brasil com Chávez - pois não se trata só de simpatia - contamina a relação com Bogotá", diz Roberto Abdenur, ex-embaixador do governo Lula nos EUA.
O fato de o Brasil ter defendido que a crise fosse tratada no âmbito da União de Nações Sul-Americanas (Unasul) - e não na Organização dos Estados Americanos (OEA) - também desagradaria a Bogotá, segundo Sérgio Amaral, ex-embaixador em Paris também na era Lula. Na OEA, a Colômbia tem a "proteção" dos EUA, e na Unasul só é apoiada por Peru e Chile.
O ex-chanceler brasileiro Luiz Felipe Lampreia, porém, ressalta que o incômodo causado pela relação de Lula com Chávez na Colômbia se concentra na esfera diplomática. As Forças Armadas dos dois países mantêm uma estreita cooperação. Fontes colombianas relatam uma relação especialmente fluida com o ministro da Defesa, Nelson Jobim.
Em 2009, Jobim disse que se rebeldes das Farc tentassem entrar no Brasil "seriam recebidos à bala". Não é difícil entender porque a ameaça agradou mais aos colombianos que a declaração de Lula na sexta-feira: "As Farc são problema da Colômbia e acho que deve ser tratado pela Colômbia", disse o presidente.
Dezembro de 2002
O presidente Fernando
Henrique Cardoso anuncia a exportação de petróleo e derivados para a Venezuela e envia um petroleiro da Petrobrás para ajudar o país durante o locaute que paralisou o setor petrolífero e ameaçou o governo de Chávez
Março de 2008
Bombardeio da Colômbia a um acampamento das Farc em território equatoriano mata Raúl Reyes, número 2 da guerrilha. Quito rompe relações com Bogotá. Brasil condena o ataque e exige que o governo colombiano peça desculpas
Dezembro de 2008
Colômbia sempre se mostrou cautelosa com o avanço da Unasul, principalmente com a criação do Conselho Sul-Americano de Defesa, oficializado apenas sete meses após a criação da organização
A mobilização internacional para impedir o apedrejamento da iraniana Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, por acusação de adultério, ganhou mais um reforço nesta semana. No microblog Twitter corre a campanha “Liga Lula”, pedindo para que o presidente brasileiro entre em contato pessoalmente com o governo de Mahmoud Ahmadinejad e interceda pela iraniana.
O vídeo da mobilização, com a atriz Mika Lins, começa informando que, no Irã, ainda se matam maridos e mulheres infiéis. Sakineh, viúva e mãe de dois filhos, faz parte da lista de 16 iranianos que aguardam sua execução pelo mesmo crime.
Logo mais, atriz diz conhecer uma voz poderosa, “talvez a única” capaz de dialogar com Ahmadinejad: a do presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
- Liga, Lula, talvez você possa ajudar. Você é próximo do presidente de lá, não custa tentar.
O apelo a Lula vem do fato de que o Brasil tem adotado uma posição contrária às sanções patrocinadas pelos Estados Unidos, a Europa e a ONU (Organização das Nações Unidas) contra o Irã por seu programa nuclear.
Na campanha do Twitter, o internauta é direcionado para o site Avaaz, onde uma petição pode ser assinada contra a execução de Sakineh. Até agora, já foram recolhidas 541.452 assinaturas, e o objetivo é chegar a 600 mil petições.
Entre os famosos seguidores da campanha “Liga Lula”estão os brasileiros Marcos Mion, Serginho Groisman e Rafinha Bastos, além do milionário Bill Gates e a maior apresentadora da televisão americana, Oprah Winfrey.
Lei islâmica prevê penas que vão contra os direitos humanos
A morte por apedrejamento por adultério está na lei religiosa muçulmana, a sharia, detalhada no livro sagrado do Islã, o Corão. A legislação “olho por olho, dente por dente” ainda prevê chibatadas para várias infrações.
A oposição a esse tipo de pena ganhou força com o julgamento de Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. Sua prisão, em 2005, ocorreu porque ela teria uma “relação ilícita” com dois homens, segundo o regime. A pena inicial foram 99 chibatadas. O processo avançou e, no dia 27 de maio de 2007, Sakineh foi condenada à morte por adultério.
Pressionado por uma campanha internacional, o governo iraniano recuou na decisão, mas quatro dias depois, o ministro das Relações Exteriores, Manucher Mottaki, confirmou que a pena continua válida
By Catherine Parker
07.28.10 | 
If you’re using multiple social media platforms to promote your business, it makes sense to cross promote the media you generate through the various channels available, and try to play to the inherent strengths of each of the platforms.
Doing this increases your content’s exposure to a larger audience, which means you have more people engaging with your brand.
For example, if you’ve already built up a healthy fan base on Facebook, but have only just started to engage on Twitter or YouTube, you can promote this new content to your Facebook audience that is already established and more open to engaging with your brand.
As well as exposing your content to more people, you’ll also increase the chances that those people share your content with their own circle of influence, which broadens its exposure even more.
Integrating your content across platforms is simpler than it seems thanks to tools built into most major social media tools like Twitter and Facebook, and blogging platforms like Wordpress and Blogger.
Here are five ways to begin cross-promoting among them:
How to do it: You need to already have a Twitter profile and a Facebook Page set up in order to integrate the two. Once you have both set up, log into your Facebook account linked to your Page, and install the Twitter app.
How to do it: The app to pull through blog posts is preloaded on your Facebook Page, so log into Facebook and then click “Edit” under the Notes Icon. On the notes page, click “Import a Blog” on the right side of the page. Enter your blog’s website or RSS address, which will then pull through your blog posts into your Notes tab each time you publish them.
How to do it: Most major blogging platforms such as Wordpress contain plug-ins that will automatically tweet your blog posts once published. However, for the reasons mentioned above, it’s often a good idea to do this manually, so that you’re only tweeting a selection of your best content that you feel are worth tweeting about. Tweeting your blog posts manually is also a good way of getting yourself to write a catchy blog post title that encourages people to click through to your post from your tweet.
How to do it: Once you’ve set up your Page, install the Facebook Page Badge.
How to do it: Although there are many ways to do this, one way is to generate a share button using the AddThis service. The site generates a button depending on your specific content platform (e.g. Wordpress, Blogger or your own website), and you can choose its look and feel to suite your website or blog’s style. If you register with the site, you can also access statistics about who has shared specific content on a particular sharing site.
KABUL, July 28 (Xinhua) -- A roadside bomb on Wednesday morning hit a passenger bus in Nimruz province in southwest Afghanistan, killing 20 people and wounding 25 others, provincial governor said. "The tragic incident happened at around 07:00 a.m. local time between Dilaram district of the province and Bagwa district of the neighboring Farah province, Ghulam Dastgir Azad, governor of Nimruz province, told Xinhua. He also added that the dead and wounded include many women and children. "Many of the wounded are in critical conditions," said Azad, adding "casualties could further rise." He said that some of the wounded have been rushed to a NATO hospital for treatment. No groups or individuals have claimed of responsibility. However, Azad put the attack on the enemies of peace, a term used against Taliban militants. This is the second devastating roadside incident in Afghanistan over the past three days. In the previous mishap took place in the southern Kandahar province on Monday 22 travelers were killed and 25 others were injured.
BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhuanet)-- Facebook on Monday launched a Web page, intending to give users more control over the use of their personal data, according to AFP report.
The new page was intended to enlarge a virtual Safety Center that Facebook introduced in April and was based on a "security page" that boasted more than 2.2 million "fans" as of Monday.
The number of people using the world's leading social-networking community topped the 500 million mark last week, meaning one in every 14 people on the planet has now signed up to the social network.
Founded in February 2004, Facebook is now a privately held company and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
(Agencies)
CARACAS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela is not beefing up its military presence along its border with Colombia, a government statement said Tuesday amid simmering tensions between the two neighbors.
"There has not been any type of reinforcement, no military contingency, and our personnel is the same as we have worked with all year," the statement quoted Franklin Marquez, a regional commander of the National Guard, as saying.
The denial came a day after Marquez told reporters that about 1,000 troops had arrived over the weekend at the border region as reinforcement and that Venezuelan forces are staying on alert along the over-2,000-km-long frontier.
Venezuela severed diplomatic ties with Colombia last week after the latter accused it of hosting Colombian guerilla chiefs on its soil, a charge Caracas has firmly denied.
The latest row followed on the heels of old tensions already straining bilateral relations. Venezuela has repeatedly said that the close military ties between Colombia and the United States pose a threat to Venezuela and the whole region.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro is now on a seven-nation South America tour to warn about the possibility of Colombia raiding his country and to float a regional peace plan for discussion.
"President (Hugo) Chavez fights for unity. You know we have been going through a very difficult and complex situation in recent days. This tour is to widely inform about the need for a peace plan for South America," he said on Monday.
The Venezuelan plan will be discussed when foreign ministers from the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) countries meet on Aug. 5 in Quito, Ecuador, but details of the plan are still unavailable.
BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhuanet) --The Pentagon said Tuesday it was launching a manhunt to find whoever leaked tens of thousands of classified documents on the war in Afghanistan, one of the largest security breaches in US military history. US defense officials said the person behind the release of some 91,000 classified documents appeared to have "secret" clearance and access to sensitive documents on the Afghan war. "We will do what is necessary to try to determine who is responsible," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said. "Until we know who's responsible, you have to hold out the possibility that there could be more information that has yet to be disclosed." The documents, dating from 2004 to 2009, were released on whistleblower website Wikileaks on Sunday. The most controversial allegations center around claims that Pakistan, a key US ally, allows its spies to meet the Taliban directly. Afghanistan blamed its Western allies Tuesday for having an incoherent approach to insurgency. "Having a contradictory and unclear policy towards those forces who have used terrorism as a tool of interference and destruction against others has had disastrous consequences," the National Security Council in Kabul said in a statement, referring to Pakistan. However, Admiral Mike Mullen, the US military's top officer, denied Tuesday that information in the documents questioned US strategy or relations with Pakistan. Mullen said he was "appalled" at the leak, but that the information had been taken into account during a strategy review last year and that Washington made clear to Islamabad its concerns about possible links to militant groups. US relations with Pakistan have "dramatically" improved in the past year and Pakistan has launched offensives against Islamist extremists, Mullen added. Meanwhile, those leaked files have become major fodder for the media. Time magazine published a story of the top 10 leaks in US history on its website, ranking the last incident as No 1 on the table, ahead of the Watergate scandal's Deep Throat and The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Scandal. Britan's The Guardian newspaper, one of the three media groups to have received the files from Wikileaks, published a section of spreadsheets showing explosive attacks against NATO forces and the number of soldiers killed in each attack. Some of the data is even downloadable on its website. (Source: Globaltimes.cn/Agencies)
7/27/2010 11:42 AM PDT by TMZ Staff
A woman who claims to be Michael Jackson's illegitimate love child -- conceived when MJ was a minor -- has filed legal documents claiming there was a diabolical plot to cover up her existence ... involving murder, abduction and Diana Ross' sister.
The alleged MJ spawn -- Mocienne Petit Jackson -- has filed documents with L.A. County Superior Court claiming she will surely be in line for a serious inheritance check ... if a judge will give the go-ahead on a DNA test.
Here's the story -- MPJ claims back in 1975, 17-year-old Michael Jackson secretly impregnated her mother Barbara ... who happens to be Diana Ross' sister.
MPJ claims when she was 9 years old, Katherine Jackson hatched a plan to "abduct" MPJ and send her to Belgium to protect Michael's "reputation." She claims all 7 of her abductors were later murdered.
Now MPJ -- who currently lives in the Netherlands -- has decided to come forward with her story ... so she can "formally claim my part of my father's inheritance." She also wants custody of MJ's kids so she can give them a "more normal life."
MPJ also claims she was diagnosed with Vitiligo ... so, there's that.
Calls to Diana Ross, Barbara Ross and MJ's camp have not been returned.
A summary of events Tuesday, July 27, Day 98 of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that began with the April 20 explosion and fire on the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, owned by Transocean Ltd. and leased by BP PLC, which is in charge of cleanup and containment. The blast killed 11 workers. Since then, oil poured into the Gulf from a blown-out undersea well until BP managed to stanch the leak Thursday — at least temporarily — with a massive, deep-sea cap.
DUDLEY
The American picked to lead oil giant BP as it struggles to restore its finances and oil spill-stained reputation pledged Tuesday that his company will remain committed to the Gulf region even after the busted well is sealed. Robert Dudley will become BP PLC's first ever non-British chief executive, the company said as it reported a record quarterly $17 billion loss and set aside $32.2 billion to cover costs from the spill. Ending weeks of speculation, BP confirmed that gaffe-prone Tony Hayward will step down Oct. 1 as the London-based company seeks to reassure both the public and investors that it is learning lessons from the spill.
NEXT STEPS
BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said the company's priority was to stop the Gulf leak permanently and then to clean up miles of spoiled waters and beaches and compensate people whose livelihoods have been lost. But he added that the company was determined to restore value to shareholders, after a 35 percent, or $60 billion, drop in market value to around $116 billion since the explosion. Under U.S. political pressure, the company also axed dividends to shareholders this year.
STOCK
BP's stock started out marginally higher on Tuesday, but dropped 3 percent to 404.2 pence in afternoon trade on the London Stock Exchange. In New York, BP stock slumped about 2 percent to $37.87 after BP announced it would sell $30 billion in assets to help pay potential costs related to the spill. Analysts said they were disappointed at how many assets BP was willing to sell, and its cost estimate was thought to be on the conservative side.
LAWSUITS
MIAMI — BP PLC and the other companies involved in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill face fast-multiplying lawsuits that will provoke one of the most drawn-out and costliest legal battles in U.S. history. It could easily consume the $20 billion set aside by BP to pay for the disaster, according to legal experts and attorneys nationwide. One veteran complex litigation attorney estimated that unless there is a quick settlement that satisfies all sides, it will be 2015 before any trials begin and at least 2028 before appeals and other legal issues are fully resolved.
MEDIA
WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association is urging Congress to hold the media "accountable" for what he alleges is inaccurate reporting on the Gulf oil spill that has hurt tourism in his state. Keith Overton suggested at a hearing Tuesday that Congress charge a federal agency with reviewing news reporting. He complained many in media put "ratings ahead of accuracy" and exaggerated the amount of oil that hit Florida beaches. Overton is also chief operating officer of TradeWinds Island Resort in St. Pete Beach, Fla. He did not specify what government could do. Congressional action is limited, given the First Amendment's protection of freedom of the press.
TOURISM
WASHINGTON — The head of the U.S. Travel Association is proposing that BP set aside $500 million for a marketing campaign to help draw tourists to the Gulf Coast. Association president and CEO Roger Dow has made the proposal in prepared testimony to a House panel looking at the oil spill's impact on tourism. Dow says in his remarks that a study his group commissioned found the spill could result in lost tourism in coastal areas to the tune of $22.7 billion over three years. He says the $500 million could come from either $20 billion BP has set aside to pay for economic damages or could be added to it.
SAN FRANCISCO | (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc's (YHOO.O) plans for its Asian assets are in the investor spotlight, following the surprise news that Yahoo Japan has turned to Google Inc (GOOG.O) for its Internet search technology. Yahoo Japan -- an independent company in which Yahoo holds a 35 percent stake -- diverged from the course set by Yahoo, which has forged a pact with Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) for Web search technology. For investors that have long eyed Yahoo's Asian holdings as attractive spin-off candidates, the move by Yahoo Japan could bolster the argument that the time has come for Yahoo to cash out some of its overseas investments. "If they're not going to work nearly as closely, if at all, going forward, is it as much of a strategic asset?" said UBS analyst Brian Pitz of Yahoo's investment in Yahoo Japan. He said the move by Yahoo Japan could "reignite" conversations between investors and Yahoo management about the future of the company's Asian holdings. "Investors have been wanting them to sell Asian assets for awhile," said Pitz. In addition to its investment in Yahoo Japan, Yahoo has a 44 percent stake in Alibaba Group, China's leading business-to-business e-commerce Web site. Yahoo's investment in Alibaba Group also gives it stakes in fast-growing Alibaba subsidiaries, including online retailer Taobao and Alipay.com, which provides online payment technology. Barclay's analyst Douglas Anmuth said Yahoo Japan's deal with Google suggests a "significant deterioration" in the relationship between Yahoo and Yahoo Japan. In a note to investors Tuesday, Anmuth said he believed a near term sale of Yahoo's Japanese stake was now more likely, as Yahoo may be less concerned about the impact of a sale on Yahoo Japan's shares. Yahoo shares finished Tuesday's regular trading session down 1.4 percent to $13.95, while Microsoft's shares increased 0.2 percent to $26.16. Competition in the Internet search market has heated up during the past year, as Microsoft has unveiled an improved version of its Bing search engine. Last July, Yahoo and Microsoft signed a 10-year deal that calls for Microsoft to provide the back-end technology powering search on Yahoo's websites, in a bid to create a strong Number 2 search entity to compete with Google, which controls a majority of the worldwide Internet search market. Synovus Securities portfolio manager Daniel Morgan said that investors may view the Yahoo Japan news as a setback for the Yahoo-Microsoft search alliance and said it raises questions about the global prospects of Microsoft's search technology. At a news conference on Tuesday, Yahoo Japan President Masahiro Inoue said the Japanese firm had concluded that Microsoft's search technology was not sufficiently strong enough for its needs, giving Japanese language search capabilities as one example. "It is kind of a kick in the face to them," Morgan said about Microsoft, whose shares his firm owns. Yahoo, which generated $6.5 billion in 2009 revenue, said in a statement that it does not anticipate that Yahoo Japan's deal with Google will have a material financial impact on its revenues. According to Yahoo's 2009 10-K filing, Yahoo generated $303 million in revenue last year by providing search ads for Yahoo Japan, and $296 million in 2008. Some analysts noted that Yahoo Japan's deal with Google -- whose search advertising technology is considered best-of-breed by analysts -- could actually increase the value of Yahoo's Japanese investment. "If Yahoo Japan is making decisions it thinks are in the best interest of its business, it's probably a benefit to Yahoo, with its ownership," said Oppenheimer & Co analyst Jason Helfstein. Yahoo said the fair value of its 35 percent stake in Yahoo Japan at the end of 2009 was $6 billion, according to its 10-K filing. But the company has indicated that a sale of any of its Asian assets is probably not in the cards in the near term. At Yahoo's analyst day in May, Finance Chief Tim Morse laid out the case for why the company believed that selling its Asian assets would have negative tax consequences and ultimately prove less beneficial to the company that retaining the assets. That hasn't satisfied everyone on Wall Street. "An unanswered question is could you do some kind of tax-free spinoff to shareholders," said Oppenheimer's Helfstein. Whatever the changing relationship between Yahoo and Yahoo Japan, Citi analyst Mark Mahaney said he believed any re-evaluation by Yahoo of its Asian assets will unfold slowly. "I don't think this kind of news would change it in the next year or two," said Mahaney. "It could change it in the next five years." (Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic, editing by Bernard Orr)
Disney buying gaming site
Disney says it is buying online social gaming company Playdom for more than $560 million.
It’s the latest sign the company is becoming a formidable player in the video game industry.
The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday it is buying Playdom to strengthen its digital gaming portfolio. Disney says the purchase will help bring its characters, stories and brands to customers in new ways, through Facebook and MySpace.
EU approves airline merger
United Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc. won European Union antitrust approval for an all-stock merger that would create the world’s biggest airline.
The transaction won’t harm competition in the EU region, the European Commission said in a statement Tuesday.
The carriers have said all along that the combined airline’s CEO would be Continental chief Jeff Smisek, with United CEO Glenn Tilton as chairman. On Tuesday, they named the eight executives under Smisek, with four from each airline.
Earnings reports
•Lexmark International Inc., the maker of laser and inkjet printers that is buying Perceptive Software, posted second-quarter revenue and profit that topped analysts’ estimates on improving equipment and services sales. Net income rose to $85.1 million, or $1.07 a share, from $17 million, or 22 cents, a year earlier.
•Lockheed Martin Corp. said second-quarter profit jumped 12 percent and increased its outlook for full-year earnings as sales at its space and information-systems units picked up. Net income rose to $825 million, or $2.22 a share, from $734 million, or $1.88, a year earlier.
•Occidental Petroleum Corp. posted a smaller profit increase than analysts predicted as output fell short of the company’s forecast.
Second-quarter net income climbed 56 percent to $1.1 billion, or $1.31 a share, from $682 million, or 84 cents, a year earlier.
•Office Depot Inc. said it reduced its net loss to $9.49 million, or 7 cents a share, from $82.1 million, or 31 cents, a year earlier. Sales fell 4.4 percent to $2.7 billion in the 13 weeks that ended June 26.
• U.S. Steel Corp. posted a second-quarter loss after revaluing a $1.4 billion loan made to a European unit. The net loss narrowed to $25 million, or 17 cents a share, from $392 million, or $2.92, a year earlier.
•Valero Energy Corp. posted its first profit in five quarters as demand for fuel increased. Net income for the second quarter was $583 million, or $1.04 a share, compared with a loss of $254 million, or 48 cents, a year earlier.
| Star news services
Dos amigas se abrazan tras la victoria española. | Carrascal
La lista de enemigos de la salud es larga y nutrida, pero no deja de crecer. Apunten un nuevo 'villano' al que combatir si quieren estar sanos: la soledad. Una investigación estadounidense demuestra esta semana que las personas con buenas relaciones sociales tienen más posibilidades de sobrevivir.
Para llegar a estas conclusiones, los autores de este trabajo -de las Universidades de Brigham Young de Utah y North Carolina (EEUU)- repasaron la literatura médica en busca de trabajos que hubieran analizado la influencia de las relaciones sociales sobre la mortalidad.
Preocupados por el aumento del número de 'solitarios' registrado en los últimos tiempos, estos científicos querían averiguar las consecuencias que puede tener un excesivo aislamiento.
En total, revisaron 148 trabajos previos sobre el tema que incluían análisis de factores como la integración en redes sociales, el apoyo familiar, el estado civil o la participación en distintas actividades de 308.849 individuos, que fueron estudiados durante una media de 7,5 años.
Los resultados de la evaluación mostraron que las relaciones sociales parecen influir directamente sobre el riesgo de muerte de los individuos. Así, quienes tenían una vida social adecuada tenían un 50% más de posibilidades de sobrevivir que aquellos cuyas conexiones interpersonales eran insuficientes.
"La magnitud sobre la salud de este efecto [mantener una buena red de apoyos familiares y de amigos] es similar a la que se obtiene dejando de fumar", comentan los autores de este trabajo, publicado en la revista 'PLoS Medicine'.
Según sus datos, la influencia de la falta de relaciones sociales sobre la salud es aún mayor que la que ejercen problemas como la inactividad física o la obesidad.
"Los médicos, profesionales sanitarios y educadores tienen en cuenta factores de riesgo como el tabaquismo, la dieta o el ejercicio. Los datos que presentamos dan razones de peso para añadir las relaciones sociales a esa lista", remarcan los científicos, quienes sugieren la inclusión de distintas variables para medir el bienestar social en las revisiones médicas rutinarias.
Pese a su entusiasmo, también reconocen que son necesarias más investigaciones sobre el tema y un análisis exhaustivo de los mecanismos que intervienen en esta relación.
"Las relaciones sociales se relacionan con prácticas más saludables y con determinados procesos psicológicos [...] Sin embargo, estos factores no explican por completo la influencia de las interacciones sobre la salud", sugieren los investigadores, quienes están convencidos de que otros factores biológicos también podrían tener mucho qué decir en este tema.
Llevar la experiencia en carreras a un coche de calle, controlable, elegante y versátil no es una tarea fácil. Aston Martin demuestra una vez más que cuando es la marca preferida de James Bond, es por algo. El V8 Vantage N420 no sólo supera en potencia y prestaciones a su antecesor, el N400 de 2008, sino que también mantiene todas las características de Aston Martin, pero dirigido a los clientes que quieren “algo más”.
La puesta a punto del nuevo N420 lo hace más brioso que el resto de la gama y con todas las sensaciones a flor de piel, pero elegante y sofisticado del morro al maletero. Mantiene todo el confort y la máxima elegancia que son la marca de la casa, a diferencia de otros fabricantes de automóviles, que cuando hacen un superdeportivo parecen considerar que más potencia y prestaciones tiene que ser sinónimo de un diseño más macarra.
El nuevo V8 Vantage N420 es un biplaza con motor situado en posición central delantera y con tracción trasera, heredero directo de los modelos de competición de Aston Martin que compiten en las 14 horas Nürburgring desde 2006. La marca británica ya disponía en su gama V8 Vantage de una versión más deportiva que, como este, fue concebida para la carretera y para el circuito, el N400, también una serie especial limitada de 240 unidades con carrocería coupé y un número similar en versión roadster.
Ahora el motor ha incrementado su cilindrada de 4,3 a 4,7 litros (4.735 cc) y la potencia en 20 caballos, hasta los 420, mientras el peso se ha reducido en 27 kilos, lo que mejora aún más su comportamiento y prestaciones. El par máximo es de 470 Nm a 5.000 rpm, lo que le permite un acelerar de 0 a 100 km/h en sólo 4,9 segundos y alcanzar una velocidad máxima de 290 km/h. El éxito de su antecesor ha llevado a la empresa a elevar el número de unidades que se producirán en la planta británica de Gaydon (a pocos metros de las de Jaguar y Land Rover), las mismas que su apellido, 420 del coupé y 420 del Roadster.
Este modelo supuso para mí una experiencia diferente al volante de un Aston Martin. Las respuesta son igual de inmediatas que en otros modelos de la marca, pero demuestra una enorme capacidad de transmitir al conductor cada latido del motor y de la transmisión, pero también de la carretera. Hay que sujetar bien el volante por que se transmite cada irregularidad del asfalto y puede llegar a provocar un pequeño latigazo en la dirección si se toma un bache. Una sensación estimulante que se acrecentó al circular por las carreteras inglesas por la izquierda y con el volante a la derecha.
El equilibrio es perfecto también en su dimensión más radical. El sonido del motor resulta mucho más bronco, como un rugido sordo, que incluso se siente a bajas revoluciones y se eleva al pisar a fondo el acelerador. Este diferente sonido se ha logrado con un nuevo sistema de escape deportivo.
Asi mismo, si un Aston Martin “pide” una conducción suave, pese a su potencia y prestaciones, el N420 sólo se relaja cuando se siente domado, por eso resulta más agradable hacer los cambios con las levas del volante, incluso en el modo “confort”. Para activar esta forma de conducción, en la que los ajustes se adaptan una guía más relajada hay que pulsar el botón que está más a la izquierda del hueco de la llave, rematada en cristal de zafiro y con el escudo de la marca. Este botón ocupa la posición habitual de la P (parking) del cambio automático Sportshift, por lo que para detener el vehículo sólo es necesario ponerlo en la posición N (neutra).
Destacar que las marchas se engranan de forma rapidísima, más aún si el modo “confort” está desconectado y el la estabilidad resulta sorprendente, incluso en maniobras bruscas o en las salidas de curva. La suspensión deportiva, de doble brazo transversal la delantera y oscilantes e independientes la trasera, con barra estabilizadora y amortiguadores monotubo, contribuyen a su estabilidad sin perder la sensación de confort.
Los frenos de disco de acero tienen un diámetro de 355 mm los delanteros y 330 los traseros. El equipamiento de serie incluye control de estabilidad, distribuidor electrónico de la frenada, ayuda a la frenada de emergencia, control de tracción, ayuda al aparcamiento, control de crucero y conexión del teléfono por Bluetooth. Además todas las unidades están identificadas con una placa que específica que número que tiene en la serie especial.
Para destacar su vocación deportiva, el N420 ofrece nuevas combinaciones de colores en el exterior y el interior. La más elegante y la que llevaba la unidad que probamos es la negra y blanca, pero pueden solicitarse otras más especiales como azul y naranja, tradicionales del mundo de la competición.
El diseño exterior e interior están perfectamente integrados y equilibrados para preservar la elegancia británica. Los embellecedores de las branquias laterales, normalmente de acero son en esta versión de fibra de carbono, que los hace resaltar más sobre el blanco perla de la carrocería. Las tomas de aire frontales y las que tiene sobre el capó están cubiertas con una malla en color negro grafito, como el remate del tubo de escape. Las llantas de 19 pulgadas y diez radios tiene el frontal de acero con los laterales negros.
En el interior, los asientos deportivos de un perfecto ajuste combinan el cuero con Alcántara en la parte central, como los deportivos clásicos. El volante también es de Alcántara para conseguir un tacto más adherente. El color negro de las tapicerías resalta con los pespuntes en blanco.
Los relojes del cuadro de instrumentos también son negros con un marco blanco consiguiendo un perfecto equilibrio cromático en todo el vehículo que en el exterior se completa con una amplia banda negra que recorre la parte superior de las puertas laterales desde el parabrisas hasta el maletero.
Los precios para el mercado español de este serie especial arrancan en 141.000 euros la versión Coupé manual y 146.087 con cambio automático Sportshift, 152.777 el Roadster con cambio manual y 157.830 con Sportshift.
Lanzamiento. Agosto 2010. Precios. Entre 141.000 y 157.830 euros. Dimensiones. Longitud/anchura/altura/batalla: 4,38/1,86/1,25 (coupé) y 1,26 (roadster) /2,60 metros. Maletero: 300 (coupé) y 144 (roadster) litros. Mecánica. De ocho cilindros en V y 4.735 cc. Gasolina con 420 caballos. Par máximo, 470 Nm a 5.000 rpm. Tracción trasera. Cambio: manual y automático de seis velocidades. Prestaciones. De 0 a 100 km/h: 4,9 segundos. Velocidad máxima: 290 km/h. Consumo medio: 13,3 (cambio manual) y 12,7 (automático) litros/100 km. Emisiones de CO2: 315 (manual) y 300 (automático) gr / km.
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