Europe Intelligence Wire articles from June 2010, page 7

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from June 2010

Police praised as north-east crime hits seven-year low.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: calum.ross THE crime rate in the north-east has plunged to a seven-year low, new figures have revealed. Grampian Police have reported that the number of offences recorded in the region has...

Protesters want to address councillors.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: calum.ross CAMPAIGNERS against plans for a GBP140million development at an Aberdeen city-centre park hope to raise their concerns at a council meeting today. The Friends of Union Terrace...

Protesters want to address councillors.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: calum.ross CAMPAIGNERS against plans for a GBP140million development at an Aberdeen city-centre park hope to raise their concerns at a council meeting today. The Friends of Union Terrace...

Two more in court over fatal brawl.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: andrew.kellock Two more men have appeared in court in connection with a street brawl which left a father of six dead. Andrew Wilson, 22, appeared in private at Elgin Sheriff Court yesterday,...

North-east man who fled country seeks top oil job.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: catriona.webster A NORTH-EAST oil worker who escaped execution under Saddam Hussein has set his sights on one of Iraq's top jobs. Dr Salah Baker, a partner in Grampian Petroleum, is to return...

Lossie airmen set for six-month tour.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: kaye.nicolson SERVICEMEN at a Moray RAF base are preparing for their latest tour in Afghanistan. The 5 Force Protection Wing, which includes personnel from 51 Squadron RAF Regiment and 10...

Councillorscleared by probe into bullying.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: neil.macphail Three Highland councillors who were accused of bullying by officials during a row about gypsy travellers have been cleared of breaching their code of conduct. John Holden, Bob...

Fall in number of pregnant girls under 16.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: shona.gossip MORE than 700 girls under 16 became pregnant in 2008, figures showed yesterday. A total of 713 under-16s got pregnant, down from 751 in 2007 but higher than the 659 total from...

Work to begin on Trump course.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: graeme.scott DONALD Trump's ambitious plans for a world-class golf course in the north-east have been given the go-ahead by councillors. Work will finally get under way later this week on the...

'Respect agenda' on the line at fish talks.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: keith.findlay THE so-called 'respect agenda' between Westminster and Holyrood was put to the test yesterday, when European Union fisheries ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss the best way...

North-east crime rate tumbles by a quarter.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: calum.ross The crime rate in the north-east has plunged to a seven-year low, new figures have revealed. Grampian Police have reported that the number of offences recorded in the region has...

Happiness has a price.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: alex.martin Amid widespread reports of youngsters being allowed into stadiums for free to boost disappointing attendances, it's a fact even the World Cup's biggest matches have been blighted by a...

Granite City is chosen for welfare claimant crackdown.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: david.perry THE north-east has been singled out to trial the government's crackdown on welfare claimants this autumn. Those on incapacity benefit in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will be asked to...

Councillors cleared after bullying claims.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: neil.macphail Three Highland councillors who were accused of bullying by officials during a row about gypsy travellers have been cleared of breaching their code of conduct. John Holden, Bob...

Walkers take great strides in boosting local economy.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: neil.macphail WALKERS hiking up the Great Glen Way between Inverness and Fort William boost the local economy by GBP1.5million, according to latest figures. Figures collected from automated...

North-east crime rate tumbles by a quarter.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: calum.ross The crime rate in the north-east has plunged to a seven-year low, new figures have revealed. Grampian Police have reported that the number of offences recorded in the region has...

Plans closer for Tivoli theatre's new role.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: shona.gossip WORK to bring a 'new lease of life' to a disused Victorian theatre in Aberdeen could start as soon as September, it was revealed yesterday. Ambitious plans for the Tivoli, in...

Town anger as 15 travellers pitch camp beside north-east tourist attraction.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: gary.cruden A TRAVELLERS' camp next to a top north-east tourist attraction has doubled in size. More than 15 caravans were at the site next to Stonehaven's open-air pool yesterday. There are...

Police under fire over problem.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: gary.cruden A DOZEN travellers' camps are active around Aberdeenshire, Moray, Angus and the Highlands. In Moray around seven caravans have pitched up at Lossie Green car park, Elgin, with...

Stage is set for Tivolirevival.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: shona.gossip WORK to bring a 'new lease of life' to a disused Victorian theatre in Aberdeen could start as soon as September, it was revealed yesterday. Ambitious plans for the Tivoli, in...

Anger as travellers' camp in town doubles in size.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: gary.cruden A TRAVELLERS' camp next to a top north-east tourist attraction has doubled in size. More than 15 caravans were at the site next to Stonehaven's open-air pool yesterday. There...

Pub chain expands presence in north-east.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: ian.forsyth SCOTTISH pub chain and brewer Belhaven is adding two properties to its growing north-east portfolio. UK parent group Greene King has bought the Gordon Hotel in Wellington Road,...

Pair accused of assault.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: lindsay.watling TWO men have appeared in court charged with committing a serious assault. Stuart Robertson, 58, and Dale Robertson, 31, are accused of repeatedly punching David Whyte on April...

Westhill pub joins Belhaven portfolio.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: ian.forsyth SCOTTISH pub chain and brewer Belhaven is adding two properties to its growing north-east portfolio. UK parent group Greene King has bought the Gordon Hotel in Wellington Road,...

Stage is set for Tivoli theatre revival.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: shona.gossip WORK to bring a 'new lease of life' to a disused Victorian theatre in Aberdeen could start as soon as September, it has been revealed. Ambitious plans for the Tivoli, in Guild...

Great Glen economy gets GBP1.5m boost.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: neil.macphail WALKERS hiking the Great Glen Way between Inverness and Fort William boost local economy by GBP1.5million. Figures collected from automated visitor counters on the route have...

Councillors cleared over bullying claims.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: neil.macphail Three Highland councillors who were accused of bullying by officials during a row about gypsy travellers have been cleared of breaching their code of conduct. John Holden, Bob...

Two more held over fatal Elgin brawl.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: andrew.kellock TWO more men have appeared in court in connection with a street brawl which left a father of six dead. Andrew Wilson, 22, appeared in private at Elgin Sheriff Court yesterday,...

Plans to axe 350 NHS jobs scrapped.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: calum.ross North-east health chiefs have been forced to abandon plans to axe jobs because there is no money to pay for redundancy packages. NHS Grampian had hoped to offer 350 workers...

High-risk roads 'could be safer'.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: morag.lindsay DRIVERS in Scotland are facing 'unacceptable risks' on roads which could be made safer with a few simple, inexpensive improvements, according to a new report. The A86 Spean...

'Respect agenda' tested at EU fish talks.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: keith.findlay THE so-called 'respect agenda' between Westminster and Holyrood was put to the test yesterday, when EU fisheries ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss the best way forward for...

Inexpensive improvements could make roads safer.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: morag.lindsay Drivers in Scotland are facing 'unacceptable risks' on roads which could be made safer with a few simple, inexpensive improvements, according to the authors of a new report. The...

'This is the moment we have all been waiting for'.
June 30, 2010... (From Aberdeen Press & Journal) Byline: ryan.crighton DONALD Trump woke up to news of the committee's decision yesterday. 'This is the moment we have all been waiting for,' he said from his Manhattan home. 'All the other votes...

Greek banks' saving deposits down in May.
June 30, 2010... (From Athens News Agency) Savers continued withdrawing money from Greek banks in May. The Bank of Greece, in its monthly report, said total saving deposits by enterprises and households fell to 220.05 billion euros at the end of May, from...

Retail sales turnover index down 0.4 pct in April.
June 30, 2010... (From Athens News Agency) The turnover index in the retail sector fell 0.4 pct in April compared with the same month last year, after a decline of 14.2 pct recorded in April 2009, the Hellenic Statistical Authority said on Wednesday. Th...

Greece, Azerbaijan to launch talks for direct purchase of Azeri natgas.
June 30, 2010... (From Athens News Agency) Greece and Azerbaijan have agreed to commence negotiations for the direct supply of Azeri natural gas to Greece, it was made known on Wednesday. The commencement of negotiations was agreed by Greece's Environment,...

France - Competition body orders Google to allow Navx on AdWords.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) The French competition authority has issued an injunction requiring Google to improve transparency regarding its market-dominant AdWords search advertising service and the radar speed trap sector in a case brought...

Belgium - BIPT publishes termination rate cuts.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Belgian regulator BIPT has published its decision on cuts to mobile termination rates and an end to assymetrical rates. The rates already fell by around half in the period 2006-09 and will drop by another 50 percent...

Germany - E-Plus wins Supreme Court ruling over GSM gateways.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) The German Supreme Court (BGH) has ruled that mobile network operator E-Plus is not obliged to allow the use of its SIM cards in GSM gateways. GSM gateways are used to divert calls from the fixed network and route...

Netherlands - Dutch youth spend more time online, less with TV.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Dutch young people aged 12 to 25 are spending more time online, according to the national statistics office CBS. In 2009, 99 percent of young people aged 12 to 25 had access to internet and nine out ten spent time...

Belgium - Belgacom to appeal BIPT fine.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Belgacom plans to appeal the recent fine imposed on the company by regulator BIPT. Belgacom was fined EUR 800,000 for violating rules on transparency. Belgacom announced in early February changes to its internet...

Germany - German mobile customers prefer post-paid contracts - survey.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Almost half (49%) of German mobile phone customers only use post-paid mobile phone contracts, with 38 percent only using pre-paid services, according to a survey by Innofact for The Phone House. This leaves 13...

Netherlands - Ziggo searches for new CEO ahead of IPO - report.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Dutch cable operator Ziggo is looking for a new CEO to help the company prepare for an IPO, Het Financieele Dagblad reports citing sources at the company. Egon Zehnder has been replaced by a British recruitment firm...

Netherlands - ICT~Milieu reports stable ICT material recycling in 2009.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) The Dutch non-profit group Stichting ICT~Milieu reported that industry players collected 22.4 million tonnes of ICT material last year for recycling. This is the first time in years that the amount collected was...

Bulgaria - Globul launches 4th 'Drive safely' campaign.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Globul and Germanos launched their fourth joint 'Drive safely, use hands-free!' campaign. The informative campaign was launched across all types of media, namely radio, internet and press, as well as stickers and...

France - SFR enters cloud computing market.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) French mobile and broadband operator SFR's enterprise subsidiary, SFR Business Team, is launching a cloud computing service on 1 July aimed at corporate customers and IT service providers, featuring a full range of...

Germany - Versatel Kabel sold to Chequers Capital for EUR 66 million.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) German network operator Versatel has signed an agreement to sell its cable network business Versatel Kabel to Chequers Capital for EUR 66 million. The sale allows Versatel to focus on its B2B business and signals...

France - FTTC, LTE would cut fibre rollout cost by EUR 12 bln - study.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) The cost of switching to ultra-high internet services in France could be reduced from EUR 30 billion to EUR 18 billion if the country adopted a mutli-technology approach, according to a January study produced by ICT...

Romania - Cosmote Romania charges calls to Romtelecom as on-net.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Cosmote Romania will start charging calls made by Cosmote users to Romtelecom fixed numbers as on-net calls during a promotional period that lasts between 28 June and 20 August. The move is the second part of a...

France - French govt launches portal on radio emissions and health.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) French health minister Roselyne Bachelot has launched of a new government information portal on radio emissions, 'Radiofrequences, Sante, Environnement' ('Radiofrequencies, Health, Environment'), at...

Europe - TeliaSonera deploys SmartTrust for M2M services, apps.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Telecommunication technology provider SmartTrust's OTA platform has been selected by telecommunication operator TeliaSonera for management of its M2M services. These services support the operator's offerings for...

Italy - Alitalia launches mobile check-in application.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Italian airline Alitalia has recorded over 17,000 downloads for its iPhone application in its first week, making it a top-10 free application in Italy and the first in the 'travel' category. Users can consult flight...

Italy - Genoa to introduce Wi-Fi areas.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Eleven areas of the Italian city of Genoa will become Wi-Fi zones from next September. The project conceived by the capital city of the Liguria Region will be realised by Telecom Italia following a tender. The aim...

Germany - United Internet iPad rival to be called SmartPad - report.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Further details of an iPad rival planned by German ISP 1&1 Internet, a United Internet group company, have been revealed. According to a document seen by teltarif.de, the new multimedia tablet will be called the...

Russia - Norht-West Telecom reports stable growth in pay-TV subs base.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Russian regional operator North-West Telecom announced that the monthly increase in the subscriber base for its Advanced Guard pay-TV services is stable at around 1,000. The subscriber base for the service, provided...

Serbia - Mt:s provides free Exit tickets with mybel package.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Serbian mobile operator Mt:s has again partnered with the Exit Festival, the largest musical event in Serbia, which brings together international and local music stars in Novi Sad from 8-11 July. Mt:s has prepared a...

Poland - Multimedia Polska continues to buy back shares.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Polish cable operator Multimedia Polska adopted the implementation of a share buyback programme during its AGM held on 10 June. The shares may be acquired by way of a tender as well as on the regulated market over a...

Finland - Finnish operators to provide minimum 1 Mbps access from July.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) New universal service obligations for Finnish telecom operators will take effect in the beginning of July as broadband access will be considered a basic communications service from next month. Under the terms of the...

Germany - Fernseh Berlet launches new pre-paid mobile phone tariff.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) German electronics retailer Fernseh Berlet has teamed with discount MVNO Solomo to launch the new Berlet Mobil pre-paid mobile phone tariff on the network of MVNE Vistream. The new tariff charges a flat-rate 9 cents...

Germany - Mobilcom-debitel sees success with hardware-only pilot.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) German mobile retailer Mobilcom-debitel Shop has seen positive results from a pilot project in its shop in Dresden to focus on a hardware-only offer, portel.de reports. The trial commenced at start-June and will run...

Belgium - Sonus powers BICS' IP-based core network migration.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) US-based IP communications infrastructure provider Sonus Networks has completed the BICS' IP-based core network migration, an undertaking equivalent to over 10,000 E1 TDM and SIP trunks. Belgian operator Belgacom...

Liechtenstein - Liechtenstein govt eyes universal broadband access by 2020.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) The government of Liechtenstein has set an ambitious target of providing countywide broadband access by 2010. To achieve this goal, the government will prepare and implement an FTTH Strategy to develop a nationwide...

Russia - Highest internet tariffs in Far East, southern Russia.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) The lowest internet access tariffs in Russia are offered by operators in Moscow and St Petersburg. The monthly subscription rate for 2 Mbps broadband is RUB 300 in the capital and RUB 320 in St Petersburg, according...

Austria - 3 Austria unveils Holiday All Inclusive roaming package.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Hutchison 3G Austria (3 Austria) has unveiled the new 'Holiday All Inclusive' roaming bundle for customers. For EUR 15, customers get 30 voice minutes, 20 texts, 5 MMS messages and 20 MB of data. 3 Austria CEO Jan...

Sweden - Telia, Netcom offer LTE USB modem with support for 3G, 2G.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Swedish mobile operator Telia and its Norwegian sister company Netcom have launched a new Samsung LTE USB modem that also supports 2G and 3G connections. Available as of 30 June in stores in central Stockholm and...

Europe - Operators call on EC for transparency in ACTA negotiations.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Europe's communications service providers called on the European Commission (EC) and other negotiating parties of the ACTA agreement that met on 28 June in Lucerne (Switzerland) to ensure that the final agreement...

Poland - PTC, Polkomtel accused of impeding regulator investigation.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Polish competition regulator UOKiK launched an investigation of Polish mobile operators PTC and Polkomtel. The operators have been accused of impeding the investigation related to the mobile TV market. UOKiK...

Portugal - TMN brings Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Wave to Portugal.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Portuguese mobile operator TMN has launched the Samsung Galaxy S and Samsung Wave smartphones on the local market. The Samsung Galaxy S I9000 Android handset has a 10.2-in AMOLED touchscreen, integrated Swype text...

Russia - Comstar appoints board members.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Russian operator Comstar-UTS has appointed the members of its board of directors. Comstar's board now includes Ulf Backmeyer (deputy director of finance at MTS-Russia business unit), Mikhail Gerchuk (VP and CCO at...

Europe - S&T appoints Streimelweger as chairman of management board.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Consulting, outsourcing, systems integration and IT services provider S&T System Integration & Technology Distribution's supervisory board has appointed the company's founder Thomas Streimelweger as the new...

Europe - Deezer signs Smart AdServer to manage online advertising.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Europe-based technology provider Smart AdServer has signed a contract with European music site Deezer, to manage Deezer's online advertising campaigns. The campaigns will be harmonised in a site presented in five...

Italy - Vodafone Italia offers weekly data roaming plan.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Vodafone Italia introduced a new weekly data roaming plan. Customers can use up to 200MB in 50 European countries for EUR 10 per week or the same amount in major countries outside Europe for EUR 20. The mobile...

Europe - EU voice roaming rates still hover around price caps.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Most EU mobile operators are offering voice roaming prices close to the regulatory price caps, with few charging less than the legal maximum, according to the European Commission's latest review of the roaming...

Europe - Interxion's Q1 revenues rise 18 percent.(Financial report)
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) European data centre operator Interxion's first quarter revenues increased 18 percent to EUR 47.8 million from EUR 40.4 million in the year-earlier period. The company has moved to a net loss of EUR 4.7 million from...

Spain - Vodafone Spain launches BlackBerry mobile data prepay tariff.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper Europe) Vodafone Spain has launched a prepay offer for BlackBerry smartphone users. Vodafone's Blackberry prepay flat-rate plan is available for EUR 3.5 per week. User will be able to access the BlackBerry Messenger and...

UK - TalkTalk to subsidise Project Canvas boxes with broadband.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper UK) Project Canvas, the internet connected TV set-top box co-owned by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, BT, TalkTalk and Arqiva, is set to be offered for free as part of a TalkTalk broadband subscription package, when it goes...

UK - It's learning UK, BT to offer cloud-based learning products.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper UK) Educational technology provider It's learning UK has signed a contract with BT to offer joint services and software to the UK education sector specifically looking to bring a cloud-based learning service to the...

UK - BT Broadband offers internet at GBP 8.88 per month.
June 30, 2010... (From Telecompaper UK) BT Broadband is offering business broadband customers internet from GBP 8.88 a month, BroadbandChoices reported. The deal is available to new customers signing up to BT's Business eSaver phone and broadband bundle and...

Intermap introduces risk assessment portal in Europe.
June 30, 2010... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) Intermap Technologies has announced the expansion of its insurance risk management suite of products with the introduction of its Web-based risk assessment portal. This new portal includes highly accurate and...

Report warns insurers on global warming.(Report)
June 30, 2010... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) International efforts to limit global warming to no more than 2C above pre-industrial levels will not be enough to prevent changes in extreme weather events that will put the risk management procedures of the...

Catlin to form reinsurer in Switzerland.
June 30, 2010... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) Catlin Group has announced that it intends to form a reinsurance company in Switzerland to significantly expand the European-based reinsurance business underwritten by the Group. Catlin has applied to the Swiss...

Hiscox plans to reduce Syndicate capacity next year.
June 30, 2010... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) Hiscox has announced that it has published on its company website a summary of its initial 2011 business forecast for Syndicate 33. A full 2011 business forecast for Syndicate 33 will be submitted to Lloyd's by...

Consequences of crisis still being felt by insurance and occupational pensions funds says CEIOPS.
June 30, 2010... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) CEIOPS released yesterday the half-yearly report on the financial conditions and financial stability of the insurance and occupational pension fund sectors in the EU/EEA covering developments in the insurance,...

Swiss Re publishes world review for 2009 and looks forward with some optimism.
June 30, 2010... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) According to Swiss Re's latest "World insurance in 2009" sigma study, world insurance premium volume fell 1.1% on an inflation-adjusted basis. Life premiums fell 2% while non-life stagnated. Premium growth in the...