Research
In Motion to restate results
Maker of the BlackBerry e-mail phone, Research In Motion
Ltd said it will restate earnings by about $250 million.
The restatements, which are not yet complete, cover more
than three years of results dating back to 2004. The adjustment
exceeds an earlier prediction by the company's forecast
in January that restatements would cut past earnings by
more than $45 million.
The
company also said James Balsillie will give up his post
as chairman after a review of its stock-options grants
but will remain co-chief executive officer as it separates
the roles of chairman and CEO to increase corporate governance.
The
company said it didn't find intentional misconduct by
its executives. Until the options review began, all grants
except those to the company's co-CEOs were made ``by or
under the authority of'' Balsillie, Research In Motion
said.
Shares
of Research In Motion fell $4.94, or 3.5 per cent, to
$135.97 on 2 March, in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. They
have gained 90 per cent in the past 12 months.
Research
In Motion is one of at least 200 companies that have disclosed
internal or federal investigations into options.
Investigators are trying to determine whether companies
inflated the value of employee options by backdating or
timing the grants to coincide with days when the stock
price was low.
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BBC
in tie-up with Google's YouTube for Internet broadcast
The UK government's broadcaster, and YouTube have announced
a partnership to offer internet users across the world
new and innovative ways to access BBC content through
YouTube and the two have already started showing promotional
trailers for new programmes and clips from old hits on
Google's YouTube in a bid to reach new audiences and boost
sales at its commercial arm.
The content will include content based on current BBC
hits such as Life on Mars and Doctor Who and some from
BBC Worldwide like Spooks and Top Gear, sold globally.
BBC
will add news clips in the near future when the output
will have three strands BBC said. The advertising-funded
news clips will, however, not be available to users in
Britain who pay the licence fee that funds the BBC.
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China's
exports to grow at 23 per cent; Deutsche Bank
Beijing: China's exports are estimated to rise by
23 per cent this year due to optimism over the US economy
and improved technologies and competitiveness of Chinese
goods, Deutsche Bank has forecast. The Bank said appreciation
of the Chinese currency, the yuan, has not had a negative
effect on exports.
Although
the yuan has appreciated 6.4 per cent, the growth rate
of China's exports declined only 1.2 per cent last year.
The growth rate of exports in 2005 was 28.4 per cent.
China's exports growth were also not effected by other
policies, including new export taxes, reduced export tax
rebates, and rising costs for land, labour and environmental
protection, the bank said.
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