Russia cannot divide Europe over Ukraine, says German minister

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Thursday Russia could not succeed in breaking European Union unity on sanctions over Ukraine by using strategies such as offering to remove trade embargoes against individual EU member states. There were such attempts and they were not successful,” he said in Lithuania, where concern about neighboring Russia’s intervention in Ukraine is especially acute

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Microsoft and Yahoo amend search deal

(Reuters) – Microsoft Corp and Yahoo Inc amended a 2009 search partnership, giving Yahoo more control over how search results are displayed on desktops and mobile devices. The 10-year search partnership, crafted by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, allowed the companies to amend or terminate it after five years.

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Panasonic eyes doubling of airline Wi-Fi installation to meet demand

By Victoria Bryan HAMBURG (Reuters) – Panasonic Avionics says it will need to double the rate at which it installs Wi-Fi systems on aircraft to catch up with skyrocketing demand from airlines to keep passengers connected above the clouds. Airlines are rushing to install Wi-Fi on board, seeing not only an opportunity to meet demands from customers to be always connected, but also to make the most of advertising contracts from companies keen on access to this captive audience. Panasonic Avionics, part of Panasonic Corp, says it has won a 46 percent share of business for Wi-Fi systems since 2009, taking the lead over rivals such as OnAir, Gogo and Global Eagle's Row44

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Net neutrality row grows louder in India, Internet.org hit

A group of India's leading technology and Internet firms has pulled out of Internet.org, Facebook's flagship effort to get billions more online, in a growing debate over free access and internet neutrality in the country. Net neutrality is the concept that all websites on the internet are treated equally. The debate over access and neutrality has grabbed headlines in India this week after leading telecom carrier Bharti Airtel announced a product through which mobile “app” makers pay for data usage to allow customers to use their apps for free

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Set of all-girl quintuplets born at Texas hospital

(Reuters) – A Houston woman gave birth to five girls in four minutes by cesarean section last week and all are doing well, a Texas hospital said. All were within the appropriate weight for that gestational age and currently require only a modest support for their breathing, The Woman’s Hospital of Texas said on Tuesday in a statement.

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EU says Google hurt consumers and competitors in Internet search case

The European Union accused Google Inc on Wednesday of cheating consumers and competitors by distorting Web search results to favor its own shopping service, after a five-year investigation that could change the rules for business online. Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Google, which dominates Internet search engine markets worldwide, had been sent a Statement of Objections – effectively a charge sheet – to which it has 10 weeks to respond.

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EU charges seen unlikely to hurt Google valuation

The European Union’s charges against Google Inc for distorting Web search results to favor its own shopping service are unlikely to hurt the company’s valuation, analysts said. The charges, which come after a five-year investigation, could lead to a fine of up to 10 percent of Google’s annual sales, or about 6.2 billion euros ($6.6 billion).

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Factbox: EU charges Google in Internet search antitrust case – what next?

By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission charged Google Inc on Wednesday with cheating competitors by distorting Internet search results to favor its own shopping service, and opened a separate investigation into its Android mobile operating system. When the investigation was opened in November 2010, then Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia set out four concerns. The first, to which Wednesday’s statement of objections relates, concerns the way in which Google allegedly positions its Google Shopping service above rivals’ services, irrespective of its merits

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Highlights: EU charges Google over shopping searches, to probe Android

The European Union accused Google Inc on Wednesday of cheating competitors by distorting Internet search results in favor of its Google Shopping service and also launched an antitrust probe into its Android mobile operating system. “Today’s statement of objections on comparison shopping is of course limited.

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Under fire from U.S. group, Alibaba says fighting counterfeit goods

By Paul Carsten BEIJING (Reuters) – Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said it had a range of measures to fight counterfeits on its websites – remarks that come after a trade group requested U.S. government help in prodding the Chinese e-commerce giant into action against fake goods. In the latest flare up over the issue, the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) said in an April 8 letter to U.S

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