Unwired

As more people ditch landline phones for mobiles, America’s regulators need to respond.

IF YOU want to save money, cut the cord. In these difficult times ever more Americans are heeding this advice and dropping their telephone landlines in favour of mobile phones. Despite some of the flakiest mobile-network coverage in the developed world, one in four households has now gone mobile-only. At current rates the last landline in America will be disconnected sometime in 2025.

Good. Mobile phones offer individuals more freedom. Yet confronted by the inexorable march of progress, America’s telecoms regulators have failed to respond. In many ways the landline network is still an essential utility. Maintaining landline networks provides thousands of jobs (the landline operators support more pensioners than even the car industry does). Landlines are the platform for many public services, such as emergency response. And taxes on landlines are the basis of the complex system of subsidies to ensure universal service, meaning an affordable phone line for all.
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An astonishing rebound

Asia’s emerging economies are leading the way out of recession; now they must make their recovery last

IT NEVER pays to underestimate the bounciness of Asia’s emerging economies. After the region’s financial crisis of 1997-98, and again after the dotcom bust in 2001, outsiders predicted a lengthy period on the floor—only for the tigers to spring back rapidly. Earlier this year it was argued that such export-dependent economies could not revive until customers in the rich world did. The West still looks weak, with many economies contracting in the second quarter, and even if America begins to grow in the second half of this year, consumer spending looks sickly. Yet Asian economies, increasingly decoupled from Western shopping habits, are growing fast.
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Women’s boxing gains Olympic spot

Women boxers will have the chance to fight for gold at the 2012 Olympics.

International Olympic Committee chiefs voted on Thursday to lift the barrier to the last all-male summer sport.

Three women’s weight classes will be added to the Olympic programme for 2012 Games in London, with one of the 11 men’s classes dropped to make room.

“Women’s boxing has come on a tremendous amount in the last five years and it was time to include them,” said IOC president Jacques Rogge.
Women will fight at flyweight (48-51kg), lightweight (56-60kg) and middleweight (69-75kg).
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I4i says not out to destroy Microsoft Word

The chairman of the company that has won a landmark injunction against Microsoft says his goal is not to see Microsoft Word pulled from store shelves.

In fact, I4i Chairman Loudon Owen said he is one of the hundreds of millions of people who uses Word and the other Microsoft Office tools every day.

“We’re not seeking to stop Microsoft’s business and we’re not seeking to interfere with all the users of Word out there,” Owen said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. He added that this week’s ruling orders an injunction only against Word shipping in a form that uses I4i’s custom XML technology.
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Judge orders Microsoft to stop selling Word

A judge on Tuesday ordered Microsoft to stop selling Word, one of its premier products, in its current form due to patent infringement.

Judge Leonard Davis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a permanent injunction that “prohibits Microsoft from selling or importing to the United States any Microsoft Word products that have the capability of opening .XML, .DOCX or DOCM files (XML files) containing custom XML,” according to a statement released by attorneys for the plantiff, i4i.

Microsoft said it was disappointed in the ruling and that it would appeal the verdict.
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Louisville prez says time to move on

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — University of Louisville president James Ramsey says it’s time to move on after Rick Pitino’s public apology for sex with a woman outside his marriage.

Ramsey said Thursday that the basketball coach is “our guy” and that he believes the school will become stronger following Pitino’s expression of remorse on Wednesday.
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Braves need to make their move this weekend

One thing that has been an obvious cause for the resurgence of the Atlanta Braves recently and for the overall steady play of the Philadelphia Phillies this season — pitching. And those two pitching staffs will be on display this weekend when the two teams meet in Atlanta in a series. And be sure, this is an important series because the Braves are still within arm’s reach in the NL East.

You’ve got some strong matchups, with Joe Blanton vs. Jair Jurrjens (Friday), Cole Hamels vs. Kenshin Kawakami (Saturday) and J.A. Happ vs. Javier Vazquez (Sunday). If Atlanta is going to continue to surprise and pull off a true Cinderella season, it is going to have to match arms with other teams down the stretch. The Braves have a chance to do that this weekend at home. I’m sure they know they are lucky to miss Cliff Lee, who pitched — and won again — for the Phillies on Thursday.
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Vick, Eagles agree to 2-year deal

Quarterback Michael Vick has signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, his agent, Joel Segal, confirmed to ESPN.com.

Vick arrived in Philadelphia Tuesday morning and remained there Wednesday evening. The Eagles will hold a news conference on Friday morning to announce his signing. The first year of the deal is for $1.6 million with an option for the second year at $5.2 million, sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Vick can also earn an additional $3 million in incentives over the two years of the contract, sources told ESPN.com’s Len Pasquarelli.
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Many women ‘not on safest pill’

Many women are not taking the safest brand of the pill, say researchers.

Two separate studies in the British Medical Journal found that some oral contraceptives were linked with a higher risk of blood clot than others.
But experts stressed that blood clots are a rare side-effect of the combined pill and the risk overall is small, whichever brand is used.
Women should not stop taking it but speak to a doctor if they are worried, the Family Planning Association said.

It has been known for a long time that the combined pill, which contains both oestrogen and progestogen, was associated with an increased risk of venous thrombosis – a blood clot that forms in a vein.
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VW agrees Porsche merger details

Volkswagen (VW) and Porsche have agreed the details under which VW will merge with its German compatriot by 2011.

Under the deal, VW will initially buy a 42% stake in Porsche by the end of this year for 3.3bn euros ($4.7bn; £2.8bn).

The deal ends months of acrimony between the two firms, and concludes Porsche’s failed efforts to buy VW.
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