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The Irish Independent reports that the technology, media and telecoms (TMT) sector recorded a significant drop in employment levels in July, according to the NCB Purchasing Managers Services Index. The downturn in employment came despite the sector reporting no change in business activity levels for the month. Employment in the sector fell at the sharpest rate since the survey began.
The paper also reports that fake Web sites are being used to snare paedophiles who log on to child pornography sites. The Gardai have joined forces with their British counterparts, who have developed software that can track the IP and home address of anyone who logs on to the bogus sites. The software is designed to respond to keywords typically used by people searching for child sex sites.
The paper also says that An Taisce has welcomed a decision by An Bord Pleanala to refuse planning permission for a proposed business and technology park near Castletown House in County Kildare. Janus Securities Ltd had been granted permission by Kildare County Council for the park and for the change of use of 121 acres of adjoining lands from agricultural to amenity use. Turning down the project, the planning appeals board said the proposed development, sited in the Deer Park and historic grounds near Castletown House, would adversely affect the character and setting of a protected structure of international importance.
The Irish Times says that technology group Computerlinks has reported a slump in profits in the first half of the year, down to EUR23,000 from EUR1.33 million a year earlier. Sales at the group, which markets hardware and software products in the Republic, Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland, were down 4 percent in the period to EUR77 million, and earnings per share were down to EUR0.41 before goodwill amortisation, compared with EUR0.63 a year ago. Nonetheless, Pierce Casey, chairman of the group's supervisory board, welcomed the figures, saying that all companies in the group had been profitable and cash generative in the second quarter.
The same paper reports that bankrupt telecom Global Crossing is close to agreeing to the sale of its assets to a venture backed by Hutchison Whampoa and Singapore Technologies Telemedia. Sources said Hutchison and Singapore Technologies would receive a 62 percent stake in Global Crossing in return for between USD250 and USD300 million in cash and about USD300 million in notes. The offer is worth only around half of the USD750 million the group had originally offered for 79 percent of Global Crossing, an offer rejected in May because attorneys for Global Crossing's creditors said the offer was too low. The company is struggling to complete a deal in the wake of the bankruptcy of a number of telecoms firms. It has extended the deadline for the auction of its assets four times, rescheduling the latest auction from Tuesday to Thursday.
The paper also reports that the Department of the Environment is to make significant changes to the State's electronic voting system. The system, which was used in three constituencies in May, is to be extended to four more -- Dublin Mid-West, Dublin South, Dublin South West and Dun Laoghaire -- for the imminent Nice Treaty referendum. The system was criticised after the general election because candidates only discovered they had lost their Dail seats when the final result was declared. The Minister for the Environment said he intends to review the system to ensure that each count is declared separately on large screens situated in each election count centre.
According to the Financial Times, mobile phone company Orange has announced that it is delaying the rollout of its 3G service in Sweden. The company, a subsidiary of France Telecom, asked the Swedish authorities to relax the terms of its 3G licence and to give it an extra three years to build a network capable of providing national coverage. It also asked to have its rollout obligations lowered, reducing coverage to 8.3 million people instead of the 8.86 million originally planned. If Orange fails to renegotiate the conditions and does not build the network, it could face large fines and the loss of its licence. The outcome of Orange's request is being watched intently by its rivals in Sweden, where four other operators -- Telia, Tele2, Vodafone and Hi3G -- are also committed to providing 3G services.
The Wall Street Journal reports that PurchasePro has admitted it is being investigated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Last week, the WSJ reported that two AOL Time Warner executives had been interviewed by the SEC about AOL's relationship with the Internet software company. AOL executives said the interviews were related to a prior investigation of PurchasePro and not the more recent inquiry into AOL's accounting practices. PurchasePro did not disclose the purpose of the investigation but said it is cooperating fully. People familiar with the inquiry said it likely focuses on a period last year when PurchasePro announced disappointing quarterly sales in a news release, then revised those sales downward in an SEC filing.
The same paper says that Vivendi Universal is reportedly considering selling its videogame-software business in a bid to reduce its debt with a deal that could fetch as much as EUR2 billion. New chief executive Jean-Rene Fourtou has not yet formally decided on such a sale and continues to weigh other options, but he has identified the videogame business as noncore and expendable. Meanwhile, contrary to recent speculation, Fourtou is inclined not to sell Vivendi's 44 percent stake in French telecoms firm Cegetel, say sources. A spokeswoman for Vivendi declined to comment on what assets the company is planning to sell.
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