Take Me Out Contestant Receiving DeathThreats Ever
Take Me Out Contestant Receiving Death-Threats Every Day
Model Damion Merry, a recent contestant on the UK dating game-show 'Take Me Out', hosted by PADDY MCGUINNESS, says he is "going through hell" and cannot return home because of the backlash he has received since appearing on ITV's hit show. Speaking to local newspaper the Weston Mercury, the 27-year-old said the public reaction has seen him receive death threats posted through the letterbox of his family's home in Weston. He said, "I've had petrol cans on top of my car and outside my parents' home in Weston as well as people sending me death threats..I recently went back to see my friends and family but now I can't stay at my family home. It started after the show and I've started to get threats pretty much every day". Damion said his main concern is the welfare of his mother, who is "petrified" by the threats, he added, "It's the worst time of my life at the moment." The model first gained notoriety on the February 4th 2012 episode of 'Take Me Out', considered by many fans to be the most awkward in the show's history. Merry had caused uproar after admitting he was only interested in one girl on the show, despite several others "keeping their lights on" and therefore signalling their desire to go on a date with him. A recent report in the UK's Daily Mirror suggested Damion was about to get married when he auditioned for the show, but the model refuted the claims, saying, "Someone has seen a picture of me simply standing outside a wedding chapel and drawn the wrong conclusion". Damion has pleaded with those responsible for the death-threats to stop, saying, "I'm having to go through hell. I just wish people would see that I'm entitled to my own life".
French Antitrust Agency Focuses on Credit Cards, M
By Heather Smith
Feb. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Payment methods, media concentration and online retailing are priorities for France’s competition regulator for 2012, with reports and decisions scheduled in each area this year.
The Competition Authority will continue efforts on payment methods, focusing now on fees associated with credit cards, automatic withdrawals and transfers, president Bruno Lasserre said today in Paris. The regulator has not decided whether to pursue sanctions to achieve this, he said.
Banks challenged a 384.9 million euro-fine ($505 million) on check fees levied in 2010, and the Paris appeals court should rule soon on their bid to overturn the penalty Replica Rolex Watches, Lasserre said. Lenders cut interbank fees on bank cards by as much as 36 percent to settle a probe last year.
The regulator, which gained merger-control powers in 2009 Replica Cartier Watches, will issue decisions this summer on Vivendi SA’s Canal Plus pay- television unit’s revisions to its 2006 deal with Television Par Satellite, or TPS, and its offers to buy channels TNT Direct and Direct Star. The authority revoked approval of the TPS merger in September after finding Canal Plus hadn’t met the conditions imposed to win the 2006 authorization.
The Competition Authority will report in June on its review of the impact of online retailers on traditional store sales, and the role third parties like shipping companies and payment processors play in influencing Internet shoppers.
In March, the regulator will deliver interim findings in its investigation into the rising cost of automobile repair and maintenance.
--Editors: Peter Chapman, Christopher Scinta
To contact the reporter on this story: Heather Smith in Paris at hsmith26@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Scinta at cscinta@bloomberg.net
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BMeg beats Barako to gain solo lead
MANILA, Philippines – B-Meg Derby Ace escaped with an 88-86 win over Barako Bull on Wednesday’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome.
Joe Devance had a game-high 26 points Watches Replica, 4 of them coming in the crucial stretch when the Llamados stole the victory from the Barako Bull Energy.
It was B-Meg’s second straight win, giving the San Miguel franchise a head start in the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup.
"As I've said before, it's a sprint, so you've got to get wins when you can," said Llamados’ coach Tim Cone in PBA.ph.
"This (2-0 win-loss card) takes a little pressure off us and sets us up in our last five games if we can split the next two," he added.
Barako Bull dropped to a 1-1 record.
Former MVP Willie Miller had the chance to tie the game Watches Replica, but missed the potential game-tying jumper in the final seconds.
Import DerMarr Johnson scored 21 points for Barako Bull, but he was held down to just 2 points in the second half.
Don Allado scored 14 for the Energy, while Mick Pennisi had 12.
B-Meg’s Denzel Bowles finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
His undergoal stab in the final 4 minutes helped Devance set an 87-83 cushion for B-Meg.
James Yap, who turned 30 on Wednesday, added 14 points for the Llamados with Pingris chipping in 9 and 5 rebounds.
Global Funds Sell Net 10.7 Billion Rupees of India
By Paresh Jatakia
Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Global investors sold a net 10.7 billion rupees ($216 million) of Indian equity derivatives on Feb. 10, according to the National Stock Exchange.
Open interest, or the number of contracts outstanding in value terms, rose 1.8 percent to 895.9 billion rupees Replica Watches, or 32.2 percent of the gross market position, according to the exchange’s website. Open interest reached a record 1.6 trillion rupees on Sept. 21, 2010.
Foreign funds bought a net 1.96 billion rupees of shares in the cash segment on Feb. 10, according to preliminary data given by the bourse.
--Editor: Hari Govind
To contact the reporter on this story: Paresh Jatakia in Mumbai at pareshj@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Arijit Ghosh at aghosh@bloomberg.net
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Coldplay Coldplay Stun At Benefit Concert As Marti
Picture: Coldplay perform live at the O2 Arena London Replica Watches, Engl....
Coldplay Stun At Benefit Concert As Martin Battles A Cold
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin is battling jet-lag and a nasty cold ahead of the band's performance with Rihanna at the Grammy Awards on Sunday (12Feb12).
The singer hit the stage for a charity gig in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (08Feb12) and appeared to be a little ill, but his show-must-go-on attitude prevailed and he croaked his way through a 90-minute I Heart Radio hits set to benefit city youth organisations.
In fact, the band pulled out all the stops at the intimate Club Nokia show, supplying fans with complimentary wristbands, which lit up to the beat of select songs, and showering them in leaf confetti. The Brits didn't hold back on their impressive light show either, suggesting their Grammys performance will be spectacular if Martin can stay healthy.
The stars came out for the special show - Martin's wife Gwyneth Paltrow took her actress mum Blythe Danner to the concert, while Nicole Richie, George Clooney's girlfriend Stacy Kiebler, Cameron Diaz, singer Cheryl Cole and actress Julianne Hough were also spotted at the concert.
The sold-out Club Nokia gig is the first in a string of U.S. concerts for Coldplay. After their night at the Grammys, they head off on tour with a return to Los Angeles planned in May (12) for three historic sold-out shows at the Hollywood Bowl.
Fees Soar 47% in Plan to Cut U.S. Patent Backlog B
By Susan Decker
(GRAPHICS: BGOV_BAROMETER_021612. Size: 3C X 4in. (146.0 mm X 101.6 mm); BGOV_LOGO_07251. Bloomberg Government logo Size: 1C X 2in. (45.9 mm X 50.8mm). Available now.)
(Editors: this Bloomberg Government feature moved earlier and is being made available to newspapers today.)
Feb. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Large companies would pay 47 percent more to seek a patent under a plan to reduce a backlog of applications at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by almost half within four years.
The BGOV Barometer shows the number of applications awaiting review, projected at 621,800 this year, would be reduced to 329,500 by the end of 2015, under the agency’s plan to use increased fee revenue to hire more examiners. Without the additional reviewers, the 2015 backlog would be 444 Herve Leger,200, according to patent office projections.
“There’s no free lunch, and no free patent process either,” Mark Chandler, general counsel for Cisco Systems Inc., said in a blog posting in support of the fee adjustments.
An efficient patent office “is vital to speedy review of patents applied for by companies like Cisco, to weeding out applications that shouldn’t result in patents, and reviewing issued patents to make sure they’re not defective,” Chandler said.
The added fees would be on top of a 15 percent surcharge that went into effect with an overhaul of the U.S. patent system in September. The changes would add almost $400 million to patent office revenue in 2013, allowing the agency to cover expenses plus put money in an operating reserve that can be tapped if there’s a drop in applications.
The patent office was given the authority to set its own fees under the legislation signed last year by President Barack Obama. The proposal gets its first public hearing today before the Public Patent Advisory Committee, an independent board that advises the agency on policy issues. If all goes as scheduled, the changes would take effect in February 2013, said Janet Gongola, the agency’s coordinator for implementing provisions of the law.
The fee increase will allow the agency to “launch a full court press to overwhelm the backlog of unexamined patent applications as quickly and responsibly as possible,” David Kappos, director of the patent office, said in a Feb. 7 letter to the advisory committee.
Fees are set based on the size of a patent applicant’s business. Large companies, typically those with more than 500 employees, currently pay $1,250 to cover the costs of filing and examination of an application, and that figure would jump to $1,840.
Changes will affect almost all the fees that cover every step of the application process as well as maintenance fees for the life of a patent. Many fees will increase, while some will go down, and the legislation created a new group covering some independent inventors and small companies that would qualify for a 75 percent reduction in their costs.
The patent office plans to hire at least 1,500 new examiners above its current 6,650 and proceed with a $2.25 billion effort to rebuild its computer and financial systems, programs that have been slowed because of funding problems at the agency.
Obama called for increasing the agency’s budget 9 percent to $2.95 billion in fiscal 2013 under the administration’s budget proposal released Feb. 13. The patent office, which is funded exclusively through user fees, would be able to keep all the money it collects under the legislation signed last year. Previously, Congress was able to shift patent revenue to other purposes and diverted about $1 billion over the last 20 years.
(For more information on Bloomberg Government, visit bgov.com.)
--Editors: Mark Rohner, Michael Shepard
-0- Feb/16/2012 19:26 GMT
To contact the reporter on this story: Susan Decker in Washington at sdecker1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Shepard at mshepard7@bloomberg.net
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No treasury job offer from Rudd – Shorten
LABOR powerbroker Bill Shorten has rejected suggestions he's spoken to Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd about the possibility of becoming treasurer in return for factional support in any leadership challenge. Replica Watches
Mr Shorten, who was one of the so-called faceless men responsible for installing Prime Minister Julia Gillard said there had been "no horsetrading" in relation to any possible leadership challenge within Federal Labor ranks.
The Workplace Relations Minister said the leadership speculation was a distraction but he would back Ms Gillard however she chose to deal with it.
Mr Shorten rejected reports he has been approached by backers of Mr Rudd and promised the position of treasurer in return for factional support.
"There's been no offer," he told ABC Television.
Mr Rudd was doing a very good job as Foreign Minister, Mr Shorten said, jumping to his defence amid heavy criticism during ABC's Q&A program.
Mr Shorten dismissed comments made by Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop that many ministers would refuse to serve under Mr Rudd as prime minister.
"It's Liberal propaganda," he said.
Mr Shorten said he was not convinced Mr Rudd would mount a leadership challenge but Ms Gillard had the numbers to survive any leadership spill.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor, when asked how long the leadership speculation should go on for, said Ms Gillard and Ms Rudd had spoken about the leadership tensions.
"That conversation has happened and will continue to happen," Mr O'Connor told ABC Television.
"We need to ensure we are united, behind the prime minister, that is critical.
"We need to ensure a unity of purpose."
Mr O'Connor said despite predictions by one Labor MP the party could not win the next election if it stood by Ms Gillard, he was confident support for Labor would rise once people understood the fundamental reforms made by the Gillard Government.
The minister said he was fully confident Ms Gillard would be the prime minister at the next election.
Italy Urged to Curb Cruise Ship Routes After Accid
By Marco Bertacche
(Adds Costa Crociere comment on Independent report in 12th paragraph. See {EXT2 <GO>} for more coverage.)
Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Pressure mounted on Italy to ban cruise ships from passing too close to its coastline more than a week after Carnival Corp.’s Costa Concordia capsized off Giglio Island, killing at least 16 people.
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, yesterday urged the Italian government to restrict large cruise ships’ access near “culturally and ecologically important areas.” Environment Minister Corrado Clini is working on new rules for routes along coastal areas and plans to meet cruise companies on Jan. 26.
Francesco Bandarin, UNESCO’s assistant director general for culture, sent a letter to Italy expressing “longstanding concern over the risk that large cruise liners pose to sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List Replica Watches,” according to a statement late yesterday.
The Concordia struck rocks near Giglio on Jan. 13 after the captain, Francesco Schettino, deviated from the planned route and instead steered close to the island, hours after the vessel left a port near Rome for a Mediterranean cruise carrying about 4,200 passengers and crew. The government led by Prime Minister Mario Monti last week declared a state of emergency for the Giglio area, which lies within a sanctuary for marine mammals such as dolphins and whales.
Italy’s Democratic Party, which backs the government, wants to ban cruise ships from “prestigious areas” such as Venice, Capri and the Tuscan islands including Giglio, said Stella Bianchi, head of environmental issues for the party, in an e- mailed statement yesterday.
‘Light’ Oil Slick
Pumping oil out of the capsized ship will likely start on Jan. 28 after divers from Royal Boskalis Westminster NV’s Smit Salvage unit started preliminary work today, Civil Protection Agency Chief Franco Gabrielli said at a press conference on Giglio today.
A “light” oil slick has been identified near the island, though it doesn’t pose a threat to the environment, Gabrielli said. The goal is to initially remove oil from the first six tanks of the stranded vessel, he said. That’s where half of the of the ship’s 500,000 gallons of oil are located.
Search operations resumed today after divers used explosives to open a breach to the third deck, which is submerged about 20 meters (66 feet), Ennio Aquilino, a fire department official, said at the press conference. Divers found another body on the third deck today after discovering two bodies on the fourth deck yesterday. The number of missing people is 23, the agency said. Seven victims haven’t been identified yet.
Underwater Ledge
Gabrielli said yesterday that the vessel, lying on its side on an underwater ledge a few meters from Giglio, is “stable” and there’s no risk it may sink.
Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman of Carnival’s Costa Crociere SpA unit, has said Captain Schettino, who was suspended by the company Jan. 19, steered the ship close to Giglio to make a “salute.” Schettino is currently under house arrest.
The ship’s path on the day it hit rocks was similar to a route taken by the same vessel on Aug. 14, 2011, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
Costa Crociere’s Fortuna cruise ship struck rocks near Sorrento, Italy, on the first Friday in May of 2005, according to Roberto Cappello, who was working as an official photographer for the company at the time, the Independent reported. A Costa Crociere spokesman said the company isn’t aware of any accident on that date.
Passenger Photos
Since the Concordia accident, several Italian newspapers have published photos from passengers that appear to show some of the cruise line’s vessels sailing close to islands or picturesque bays such as Amalfi and the island of Procida.
Ron Starzman, managing director of Watershed Management Corp. in New York, said he was aboard Costa Crociere’s Deliziosa cruise ship in September 2010 when it came close to the island of Ponza, adjacent to Rome. “The ship rotated 180 degrees, sounded the horn several times and eventually pulled out, narrowly missing some shoals” by less than 100 meters, he said by e-mail.
Costa Crociere told Bloomberg News in a Jan. 22 e-mail that while a “touristic navigation” five miles from the coast was planned for the Concordia on its Jan. 13 cruise, it was up to the captain to ensure the safety of the route. Foschi said Jan. 16 that the only time he was aware that one of his company’s ships had been allowed to sail close to Giglio was Aug. 9-10, 2011.
Costa Crociere today denied that it offered discounts on other cruises to Costa Concordia survivors, according to an e- mailed statement. The Genoa-based company offered passengers assistance to return home and plans to refund all expenses, including the cruise fare, it said. Costa is also discussing other damage claims with consumer associations.
--With assistance from Armorel Kenna and Tommaso Ebhardt in Milan, Anthony Palazzo in Los Angeles, John Simpson in Toronto and Zoltan Simon in Budapest. Editors: Dan Liefgreen, Jerrold Colten
To contact the reporter on this story: Marco Bertacche in Milan at mbertacche@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jerrold Colten at jcolten@bloomberg.net
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Swiss Stocks Drop as UBS, Credit Suisse Fall on Ca
By Adria Cimino
Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Stocks in Switzerland fell, halting a five-day rally for the Swiss Market Index, as concern mounted that European banks will have to raise further capital.
UBS AG and Credit Suisse Group AG, the country’s biggest banks Nudes oil paintings, followed a gauge of European lenders lower. Holcim Ltd. slipped after Credit Suisse cut its recommendation on the building-materials industry.
The SMI, a measure of the biggest and most actively traded companies, lost 0.5 percent to 6,026.57 at the close in Zurich. The broader Swiss Performance Index slid 0.6 percent.
“After the recent rally, the market is coming back to reality,” said Yves Marcais, a sales trader at Global Equities in Paris. “There are challenges to face in the first half of the year, such as ratings in Europe and Italian bond sales. The ghosts of the second half of last year are returning.”
France sold 7.96 billion euros ($10.2 billion) of debt oil paintings, with 10-year borrowing costs rising in the country’s first bond auction of the year. The government sold 4.02 billion euros of 3.25 percent 2021 bonds at an average yield of 3.29 percent compared with 3.18 percent for 10-year debt auctioned on Dec. 1, Agence France Tresor said.
In the U.S., the ADP Employer Services report showed that American companies added 325,000 workers to their payrolls in December, nearly double the 178,000 net hires that economists had predicted. A Labor Department report tomorrow may show that payrolls rose by 150,000 last month, not enough to prevent the unemployment rate from climbing to 8.7 percent, economists in a Bloomberg survey projected.
The Institute for Supply Management’s index of non- manufacturing industries, which accounts for about 90 percent of the economy, rose to 52.6 in December from 52 a month earlier. The Tempe, Arizona-based group’s measure was projected to increase to 53, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey.
Swiss National Bank
Central bank President Philipp Hildebrand refused to resign from the Swiss National Bank and expressed regret that he didn’t curb his wife’s currency trading.
“I acted not only according to the rules, but also in an appropriate manner,” he said in Zurich today. “I am not aware of any breach of laws. But I understand that the public is having some questions.”
Hildebrand came under pressure to explain how he can act as the guardian of the Swiss franc and allow his wife to trade the currency at the same time. His wife’s purchase of dollars in August came three weeks before policy makers announced their biggest franc intervention since the 1970s.
UBS sank 3.3 percent to 11.19 francs and Credit Suisse retreated 4.4 percent to 21.80 francs. Bank stocks in the Stoxx Europe 600 Index lost 3.2 percent for the worst performance among the 19 industry groups.
Holcim Ltd., the world’s second-biggest cement maker, decreased 1.9 percent to 51.30 francs. The building-materials industry was cut to “market weight” from “overweight” at Credit Suisse.
--Editors: Will Hadfield, Srinivasan Sivabalan
To contact the reporter on this story: Adria Cimino in Paris at acimino1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew Rummer at arummer@bloomberg.net
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S&P 500 Index Pares Decline as Financial, Technolo
By Jeff Sutherland Vests
Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index trimmed an early decline amid a rally in financial and technology shares.
The S&P 500 fell 0.1 percent to 1,312.76 at 3:16 p.m. New York time Day Dresses, after dropping as much as 0.4 percent earlier. Financial stocks rose 0.4 percent, the most among 10 S&P groups, after falling 0.7 percent earlier.
Technology stocks rose 0.1 percent as a group, helped by higher-than-forecast results from International Business Machines Corp.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jeff Sutherland at jsutherlan13@bloomberg.net
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