Opel sale on hold, GM asked to have a word with EU Commission
The EU’s Directorate-General for Competition (EUDGC) is looking at the Opel deal that should have been concluded already, and is asking questions of Germany and GM. Principally it is trying to resolve the issue of state aid; it was reported before that if Opel was purchased by Magna then the German government would provide financial assistance. However, if the bidder GM is said to have preferred, Belgian investment fund RHJ, won, then there would be no money coming from the German authorities.
The EUDGC wants to ensure that Magna was chosen for sound business reasons that had nothing to do with politics. It also wants to make sure that money promised to Magna was also clearly made available to other bidders. Lead GM negotiator John Smith said “The German Government was asked by DG Competition to communicate its position on financing availability to GM and the Opel Trust Board.” And Germany’s Economic Minister has asked GM to also tell the EU that it chose Magna based on reason and logic.
Meanwhile, GM continues to work with Magna on finalizing issues relating to the sale. No matter what happens with the EU, GM has to work with Magna right now because Magna is making decisions for Opel, such as whether to close down an Opel plant in Zaragoza, Spain. The EUDGC will want to complete its investigation in a timely manner, since having to unwind — or redo — what has taken six painful months to put together would be a massive blow to all involved.
[Source: GM Fastlane Blog via Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
Opel sale on hold, GM asked to have a word with EU Commission originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: 2009nissanmaxima, 2010 nissan, 2010nissan, a-word-with, europeancommission, from-the-german, german, gm opel, investment-fund, opel, safety, then-the-german
Wll eBay’s new investors escape the Kazaa curse?
Sep 1, 2009 Object
Filed under: Technology
The real question that I haven’t seen answered in any of the articles relating to the partial acquisition of Skype from eBay (EBAY) by a team of private investors is, who will own the underlying IP that runs the Skype P2P communications network? That question must somehow have been answered if savvy investors such as Silver Lake Partners and Netscape founder Marc Andreesen’s investment fund, felt comfortable forking over $1.9 billion to eBay. And as TechCrunch’s Mike Arrington points out, eBay did okay on this deal, emerging with a paper gain and still some share of any potential upside.
Under the covers, question still lurk, The two controversial Skype founders, Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, are embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with eBay, which originally purchased the company from the duo for $2.6 billion. Friis and Zennstrom, who once avoided U.S. soil to avoid litigation with the recording industry, claim that eBay does not own the software the powers the Skype network. Rather, they say that the software IP is merely licensed to eBay by Joltid, an entity the duo still controls. eBay’s CEO John Donohoe said today that the new Skype deal does not resolve the legal dispute, according to Dow Jones.
Continue reading Wll eBay’s new investors escape the Kazaa curse?
Wll eBay’s new investors escape the Kazaa curse? originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Wll eBay’s new investors escape the Kazaa curse?
Tags: a-friend-via, articles, ebay, entity-the-duo, investment-fund, recording, savvy-investors, skype, software, technology, underlying
Geron’s first-mover disadvantage: first-ever human stem cell study held up
Sep 1, 2009 Object
It’s not easy being first. Biotech company Geron (GERN) had to wait more than a year before getting the green light from federal regulators in January to begin the first study using human embryonic stem cell-based therapies in humans. The early-stage trial is looking at the safety of its drug GRNOPC1, which is designed to treat patients with spinal cord injuries.
Now the company, which is in the spotlight because of the groundbreaking nature of the treatment, has hit another speed bump after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration put the study on hold in August. The reason? Animals injected with the experimental drug candidate developed microscopic cysts.
Continue reading Geron’s first-mover disadvantage: first-ever human stem cell study held up
Geron’s first-mover disadvantage: first-ever human stem cell study held up originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Geron’s first-mover disadvantage: first-ever human stem cell study held up
Tags: begin-the-first, disease, embryonic-stem, geron, green, heartdisease, investment-fund, recording, skype, software, spotlight, study, study-on-hold, technology, treatment
Google mail fail bodes poorly for paid Google apps
Filed under: Google , Microsoft
Memo to the Gmail team at the Googleplex: even “free” has a price. When Gmail suffered a widespread outage on Tuesday, around 3 p.m. EST, Twitter lit up with reports of the outage, and a number of big news sites immediately posted word of the shutdown. I personally spent two hours thrashing about, trying to retrieve a few key e-mails out of my Gmail. (I have AOL accounts, too.). If I were a paying Gmail customer, I’d be hopping mad.
I just wonder what the folks down in Los Angeles County are thinking right now. They had recently decided to switch over to a suite of Google apps. (Note to Redmond: can you say “marketing opportunity”?) With wildfires raging all over the Los Angeles area and critical decisions being made at a rapid clip, loss of e-mail would be more than an annoyance. (Granted, it’s only a loss in the browser, but that’s where most people use Gmail.) And it’s entirely possible that L.A. did lose some or all of its Google (GOOG) e-mail capabilities.
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Google mail fail bodes poorly for paid Google apps originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Google mail fail bodes poorly for paid Google apps
Tags: embryonic-stem, googlemaps, googleplex, heartdisease, investment-fund, skype, some-or-all, spotlight, technology, the-shutdown-, what-the-folks
AutoblogGreen for 07.14.09
Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green
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REPORT: Daimler sells 4% of Tesla to Middle East investment fund And this after buying the stock just two months ago. |
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X Rider nabs first EPA Certification of Conformity for electric motorcycles The first in a likely long line of getting sweet ebikes on the streets. |
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Production Honda CR-Z hybrid coming to Japan in February 2010 The wait is almost over (in Japan, at least). |
Other news:
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AutoblogGreen for 07.14.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: a-friend-via, a-likely-long, a-pump-near, entry, hybrid-coming, investment-fund, middle-east, news
