France urges action on euro, wins little support

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - France called on Monday for coordinated action by the world's major economies to counter the strength of the euro and avoid damaging an economic recovery, but Europe's finance ministers said it was up to markets to decide the currency's value.

French President Francois Hollande last week raised the possibility of political interference in exchange rate policy when he called for a medium-term target for the euro's value, a move to counter its recent appreciation.

France's Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici reiterated Hollande's message to his euro zone peers in Brussels and urged "strong action", but appeared to win little support. Euro zone ministers said the issue should be discussed by finance ministers and central bankers from the world's 20 biggest economies in Moscow on Friday and Saturday.

"We really have to take strong action at the international level for stability and then all instruments can be used but in a coordinated manner," Moscovici told a news conference.

Asked precisely what shape any intervention might take, he said: "This is not about, to be clear, calling for pressure on the European Central Bank ... or pushing for a currency war."

The strengthening euro is a source of tension between France and Germany, the two countries at the heart of European integration, because Berlin refuses to countenance governments' involvement in managing exchange rates.

The euro has risen about 13 percent against the dollar since touching $1.21 in July last year, although it has come off recent highs since European Central Bank President Mario Draghi indulged in some gentle verbal intervention last Thursday.

Germany has already rejected Hollande's initiative, and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in Brussels "that exchange rates should not be manipulated, that too high flexibility is of course dangerous."

The newly appointed chairman of euro zone finance ministers, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, was also reluctant to discuss the euro's value, saying the G20 was the place to do it.

GROWTH RISK

After three years of a debt crisis during which many investors and economists fretted about the very existence of the European single currency, Moscovici acknowledged he preferred "a strong euro to a dead euro."

But he warned that in France's case, if the euro continued to appreciate at the current rate, it would lop 0.3 percentage points off the country's economic growth - a significant impact given that the French economy is likely to barely grow this year.

A stronger euro hurts exports because it makes them more expensive abroad. It comes at a time when the 17-nation bloc is relying on demand from Asia and the Americas to pull it out of its second recession since 2009.

U.S. investment bank JP Morgan said in a study on Monday that a 10 percent increase in the value of the exchange rate could reduce total exports of goods and services by around 2.5 percent, although it said gauging the impact was difficult.

The call for a discussion of the euro's strength comes as bond-buying policies of Japanese and U.S. central banks have helped depress the value of the yen and the dollar and put upward pressure on the euro.

Despite France's push for strong action on exchange rates, there is little appetite elsewhere for anything other than market-set currency rates.

To that end, the Group of Seven nations is considering issuing a statement this week reaffirming its commitment to "market-determined" exchange rates, two officials from the Group of 20 biggest economies said on Monday.

The officials, from different countries, told Reuters that, if agreed, the statement could be released around the time of the meeting in Moscow. France is part of both the G7 and G20.

(Additional reporting by Claire Davenport John O'Donnell and Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/france-says-tools-used-restore-forex-stability-190642202--business.html

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Google Fixes Webmaster Tools Link Reporting Bug

A week ago we reported a massive drop in links reported within Google Webmaster Tools.

After about a week or more of the bug being reported, Webmasters are just now reporting that their link count is returning back to normal.

One webmaster said:

Yes data is now back. I have gone from 85 links last week to 3051 this month. Good news.

Note, if your link count is not yet back to normal, do not worry yet. I'd assume this can take a few days to propagate out to all sites within Google Webmaster Tools. I'd wait a few days to see if the link numbers return back to normal.

Google has not yet confirmed it has been fixed but it seems like a fix has been rolling out this morning.

Forum discussion continued at WebmasterWorld & Google Webmaster Help.

Source: http://feeds.seroundtable.com/~r/SearchEngineRoundtable1/~3/xEnENsdPyp4/google-webmaster-tools-links-back-16349.html

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London?s gay community is being urged to help save The Old Ship - a popular gay...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/pinknews/posts/219024868222739

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A new genetically-engineered virus has been developed to kill cancer tumors and...

Cancer Battle: Scientists engineer new tumor-killing virus

rt.com

The study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Medicine, describes a four-week trial of the vaccine Pexa-Vec or JX-594 marking a step forward towards a successful treatment of solid tumors.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/RTnews/posts/128240487347678

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Tim Cook Never Wanted To Sue Samsung Over Patents - Business ...

Photo by Don Feria/Apple via Getty Images

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Apple's current CEO Tim Cook didn't want to sue Samsung over smartphone patents, according to a new Reuters report.

He was opposed to the lawsuit, largely because of Apple's supplier relationship with Samsung, according to Reuters.

Steve Jobs was the one that really wanted to go after Samsung in the courts once he saw how it was copying the iPhone and the iPad.

Prior to being CEO, Cook was COO and oversaw the supply chain. He worked closely with Samsung, so he was likely to be in a more awkward position once Apple filed its lawsuit.

Suing Samsung, which was copying Apple in many ways, certainly made some sense from Jobs' perspective. He wanted to stop them from ripping off his work.

But in the long run, it's unclear if it was the right decision.

Despite the fact that Apple won its trial against Samsung in California, its litigation results around the world haven't been great. More importantly, the patent suits haven't slowed down the rise of Samsung one bit.

Cook has publicly discussed his distaste for the patent suits. On Apple's Q2 2012 earnings call, he said, "I have always hated litigation, and I continue to hate it. We just want people to invent their own stuff. If we could get to a fair settlement, I would highly prefer to settle versus battle."

And since then, he's done just that. Apple settled with HTC. And Cook has talked to Google and Samsung about settling other lawsuits.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-never-wanted-to-sue-samsung-over-patents-2013-2

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Indian Kashmir on edge after terror convict hanged

SRINAGAR, India (AP) ? Most of Indian-controlled Kashmir was paralyzed Sunday as a strict curfew imposed after the execution of a Kashmiri man convicted in a deadly 2001 attack on India's Parliament remained in effect.

Mohammed Afzal Guru was hanged in New Delhi early Saturday. Ahead of the execution, authorities ordered people in most of the Indian-held part of the disputed Kashmir region to remain indoors indefinitely in anticipation of anti-India protests.

On Sunday, scores of people defied the curfew and clashed with troops who fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowds, a police officer said on customary condition of anonymity. Four policemen were injured in the clashes, he said. Police said 23 troops and 13 protesters were injured in demonstrations on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of security troops were fanned out across the Himalayan region, and metal barricades and razor wire blocked all major roads in the area.

Cable television and mobile Internet services were shut down in most parts of the region, and most local newspapers were not available Sunday.

Greater Kashmir, an English language newspaper, said on its website that police went to the printing presses of most local newspapers and asked managers not to publish Sunday editions.

Showkat Ahmed Motta, the editor of another English daily, Kashmir Reader, said that his paper published Sunday's edition, but that police seized the copies.

A top local police official denied that any newspapers were stopped from publishing, but said the strict curfew may have prevented copies of the papers from reaching readers.

Guru's execution is an extremely sensitive matter in the Himalayan region, where most people believe his trial was not fair. Several rights groups across India and political groups in Indian Kashmir have also questioned the fairness of his trial.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Muslim-majority Kashmir, which is divided between Hindu-dominated India and Muslim-majority Pakistan but is claimed by both nations.

Since 1989, an armed uprising in the region and an ensuing crackdown have killed an estimated 68,000 people, mostly civilians.

Guru confessed in TV interviews that he helped plot the attack on India's Parliament that killed 14 people, including the five gunmen, but later denied any involvement and said he had been tortured into confessing.

Government prosecutors said that Guru was a member of the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed, a charge Guru denied.

Guru had been on death row since first being convicted in 2002. Subsequent appeals in higher courts were also rejected, and India's Supreme Court set an execution date for October 2006. But his execution was delayed after his wife filed a mercy petition with India's president. That petition, the last step in the judicial process, was turned down last week.

While Indian government officials said that Guru's family had been informed of his imminent execution by express mail, the family said it learned of it only through television news.

"I wish we were the ones authorized to give the news to the family ? we owed him that much," Omar Abdullah, Indian Kashmir's top elected official, told CNN-IBN news channel on Sunday.

After the execution, Guru was buried in the prison compound.

The secrecy with which Guru's execution was carried out was similar to the execution in November of Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Kasab was buried in the western Indian prison where he was hanged.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indian-kashmir-edge-terror-convict-hanged-112743978.html

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BlackBerry Z10 now available in U.S. with $50 unlimited plan

BlackBerry?s (BBRY) first next-generation smartphone won?t be available from major U.S. carriers until sometime in mid-March, but a smaller carrier called Solavei is making the BlackBerry Z10 available starting immediately. What?s more, BlackBerry?s Z10 is available with unlimited service and nationwide access to Solavei?s partner 4G networks for just $50 per month.?The catch? The Z10 costs $1,000 online from Solavei?s retail partner. ?We believe in giving our members access to the latest phones and wireless capabilities,? said Solavei CEO Ryan Wuerch. ?Solavei not only gives its members the opportunity to pay less for unlimited mobile service, but even the opportunity to earn income by sharing Solavei with others.? More details on how the service works follow below in the company?s full press release.

Solavei Leads Market As First U.S. Wireless service provider?to Offer Blackberry z10

[More from BGR: Another one bites the dust: Home Depot ditches BlackBerry for iPhone]

?With its $49 No-contract Unlimited Voice, Text and Data Mobile Service on a Nationwide 4G Network, Solavei Announces the Early Availability of the Newest Blackberry Phone?

BELLEVUE, Wash. (February 8, 2012) ? Solavei?, an affordable contract-free mobile service provider, today announces the advanced availability exclusively to its members for immediate purchase of the Blackberry Z10 through its retail partner GSM Nation. Solavei Members can be the first to own the newest Blackberry handset before any other carrier or MVNO in the U.S.

One of the most anticipated new phones for 2013, the Blackberry Z10 was only available in Canada and the UK ? until now. Due for widespread availability in mid-March, the Blackberry Z10 boasts a high-resolution LCD display, 4.2 inch screen, the brand new Blackberry 10 operating system and onscreen keyboard. Consumers and experts alike are anxiously awaiting the phone?s mass-market arrival, but for Solavei Members, the wait is over.

?We believe in giving our members access to the latest phones and wireless capabilities,? said Ryan Wuerch, founder and CEO of Solavei. ?Solavei not only gives its members the opportunity to pay less for unlimited mobile service, but even the opportunity to earn income by sharing Solavei with others.?

Launched on September 21, 2012, Solavei has already attracted more than 120,000 members nationwide to take advantage of the only mobile phone service offering a $49 per month unlimited voice, text and data plan, along with the unique opportunity to earn recurring monthly income by sharing with friends and family through its social commerce platform.

Instead of spending millions of dollars on advertising for brand awareness or using retail stores to distribute its services, Solavei relies on its members to share the service and directly compensates them for their efforts. The members using Solavei?s contract-free mobile service act as the greatest form of advertising and distribution. Members enroll new customers by sharing through word-of-mouth and personal social media connections. In its first four months, Solavei paid out more than $5 million in member commissions.

To learn more about Solavei and enroll, visit Solavei.com, and to purchase the Blackberry Z10 visit GSMNation.com/Solavei.

How Solavei Works

Solavei is a cost effective mobile phone service with no obligation to share or sign up others. Members who choose to share the Solavei Mobile Service with others through its social commerce platform can?use the money to offset their monthly bill and even have the opportunity to generate recurring monthly income. At its simplest, the plan allows members to earn $20 per month for every three members (called a ?Trio?) they or someone directly connected to them signs up for mobile service. When members have three Trios, the income generated is greater than their monthly plan cost of $49, essentially making their mobile service free. The more members in a person?s network, the more income earned.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blackberry-z10-now-available-u-50-unlimited-plan-134515785.html

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