EBay eyes use of Bitcoins in online commerce

Under efforts to expand its PayPal payment system, eBay was also watching Bitcoins, the e-commerce platform's Chief Executive John Donahoe told British business daily Financial Times.

In an interview published Monday, Donahoe described digital currencies generally as a very powerful thing in future. Initially, however, eBay was focusing on incorporating reward points from retailers' loyalty schemes into its PayPal wallet, he noted.

'There is a limit to how many cards you will carry, or remembering what points you have or don't. But in a digital wallet, you can put 50 different loyalty cards,' Donahoe said.

The very same technology could accept digital currencies such as Bitcoins, he added.

Bitcoins, which started circulating in 2009, are a form ofelectronic moneythat is independent of the traditional banking system and central bank oversight. In recent years, Bitcoin has garnered attention from venture capital firms and investors who believe the virtual currency could become the future of online payments. However, Bitcoin has also gained a reputation for facilitating drug deals and money laundering.

Nevertheless, earlier this year Germany became the first country in the world to accept Bitcoin as a private currency, and last week the first Bitcoin ATM was inaugurated in Vancouver, Canada.

EBay has in recent years sought to bring more large retailers on to its e-commerce platform, which started as an auction side for small traders. Therefore, the firm has formed partnerships with loyalty programs, allowing customers to collect points when they spend their money through eBay.

The platform's efforts may raise the possibility that virtual currencies such as Bitcoin may one day move beyond the niche role they currently have.

Late Zurich Insurance CFO not subjected to ‘undue pressure’

Former Zurich CFO Pierre Wauthier was found dead on August 26 at his home in Walchwil, Switzerland, in what police said was an apparent suicide. He left behind a typed note, blaming the insurer's then chairman Josef Ackermann for putting him under pressure and describing his strained relationship with the former head of Deutsche Bank.

As a consequence, Ackermann resigned while denying the allegations, saying it would not have been possible to carry out his duties with the required resolve under the given circumstances.

Two independent probes by auditing firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Zurich securities law company Homburger were unable to provide any proof of Ackermann's alleged improper behavior.

The two firms had conducted interviews and scoured scores of emails and other correspondence for evidence that Wauthier was placed under undue stress at work.

Looking ahead is the name of the game

'Two investigations directed by Swiss financial regulators found no indication that Pierre Wauthier was subjected to any undue or inappropriate pressure, and furthermore, the presentation of the financial figures was confirmed as appropriate,' Zurich Insurance said in a statement on Monday.

Ackermann had been reported to have clashed with Wauthier in the run-up to a second-quarter earnings report in mid-August. Ackermann had insisted on changes to the presentation, leading the insurer to signal a lack of progress on business targets.

Observers said Zurich had been eager to get the results of the probes out as quickly as possible in a bid to draw a line under the controversy before November 14 when it was due to report third-quarter results.

Vodafone shares surge on AT&T takeover rumors

At the London Stock Exchange, Vodafone shares surged more than 2 percent in early trading Friday, after Bloomberg reported that ATT was exploring strategies for a potential takeover of the British mobile operator.

Citing sources familiar with the situation, Bloomberg business news agency said Thursday the US-based phone company was intensifying work on which Vodafone assets it would retain after a deal, and who could buy others.

While the companies hadn't entered formal negotiations, ATT was already formulating a strategy for Vodafone's operations in Europe, where mobile broadband adoption was lagging behind the United States, Bloomberg quoted the unidentified sources as saying.

A takeover or a merger between ATT and Vodafone would create the world's largest telecommunications operator by sales with a market capitalization exceeding $250 billion (181 billion euros). With more than 500 million wireless subscribers worldwide, the company would be able to challenge Google and Apple when negotiating handset subsidies, Bloomberg noted.

ATT's Chief Executive Randall Stephenson already said last month that there was a huge opportunity in Europe to invest in mobile broadband. For Vodafone, a tie-up with ATT could create new chances, too, as its growth in Europe has stagnated in recent months due to saturated mobile markets and EU regulation imposing caps on wireless roaming charges.

The American firm was also examining UK mobile operator EE, which is a joint venture between France's Orange and Germany's Deutsche Telekom, as an alternative to a Vodafone takeover, the sources told Bloomberg.

Global factory output gaining

Purchasing Managers Indexes (PMI) published on Friday pointed to gradual gains in global economic activity among thousands of manufacturers. US output was fastest since April 2011. China's official PMI topped expectations.

New export orders in China, Japan, South Korea and India expanded simultaneously, a trend which economists said was due partly to a gradual improvement in Europe.

'Overall, the data is positive for global demand,' said Radhika Rao, a Singapore-based economist. There were reasons to be 'cautiously optimistic,' she said.

Zhang Liqun, an economist with the Chinese think-tank Development Research Center, said China's PMI of 51.4 for October indicated a 'preliminary stabilization in the economy.'

China's PMI in September had been 51.1. Anything over 50 signals expansion.

South Korea's PMI pointed to factory activity expanding in October – for the first time in five months. Taiwan, a key supplier for global technical chains, was at its fastest since early 2012.

US index surprises

The US purchasing managers index rose for a fifth straight month to 56.4 in October, up slightly from September and defying analysts' forecasts of an overall decline.

The US index's three components – new orders, production and employment - all remained moderately in growth territory.

Robert Kavciv, an economist with BMO Capital Markets, said the US manufacturing sector had staged a strong comeback, despite the shutdown 'drama' from October 1-16 as President Barack Obama was challenged by hard-line Republicans in Congress.

Britain's PMI for manufacturing stood at 56 in October, according to the data company Markit.

It was a further sign that important export markets were 'either growing or at least improving,' said Christian Schulz, senior economist at Berenberg.

Manufacturing activity also picked up somewhat in Canada and slightly in Brazil

Katie Price thinks she’s Whitney

Katie Price thinks she's Whitney Houston when she's drunk. 
The former glamour model - who has made several attempts to launch a music career - has a karaoke machine in her house and admits her nights out always end with her singing her favourite tracks by the late pop diva.
She told Britain's OK! magazine: 'I do the same routine at the end of every night. I'll go, 'Ooh I've got goosebumps coming!' 
'And I'll always sing five Whitney Houston songs, I love it. I've got a karaoke machine at my house and all my friends are like, 'Oh no, Kate!' because I make them all sit there and watch me. 
'I say to my manager all the time: 'Come on, let me record music!' It's not that I'm going to do it for a career, I'm not a pop star, but I always wanted to be a model or a pop star, and in my head I'm Whitney Houston when drunk.
Katie - who has children Harvey 11, Junior, eight, and Princess, six, from previous relationships, and two-month-old Jett with current husband Kieran Hayler - recently admitted she is so comfortable with her spouse she is happy to fart in front of him.
She said: 'I really feel complete with him, protected and looked after. That feeling of insecurity I've always had with other men, I don't have with Kieran. I feel more content now than I've ever been.
'And a confession: I'm so relaxed with him that I even fart when he's in the room. I've never done that in front of a man before! OK, so it's not going to make it inside a Valentine's Day card but it shows how relaxed I am with him

Celebrities bid farewell to Breaking Bad

By: Salma Tantawi

Recently winning ‘best drama series’ at the 2013 Emmys, Breaking Bad has aired its very last episode last night, September 29.

The show’s cast, including main actor Bryan Cranston who played the role of Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with Stage IIIA lung cancer who turns to making meth for a living.

"Well, this is it. The last episode ever of Breaking Bad. Thank you for sharing this ride with me. Without you we never would have lasted." Crasnton said to his Twitter followers.

Hashtags bidding the drama show goodbye, such as #goodbyebreakingbad managed to trend worldwide as well as breakout as a trending topic across the internet as celebrities joined in congratulating the cast.

TV show host Ellen DeGeneres wrote "#BreakingBad ends tonight. No more murderous drug dealers and horrifying criminals. I miss it already"

Vince Gilligan, the show’s creator, admitted he was very emotional writing the final scenes of the show.

"I actually teared up when I wrote that," Gilligan told The Canadian Press in an interview on Friday "That was kind of a tough moment emotionally because I was saying goodbye to these characters. I knew I'd never write another episode of `Breaking Bad' again. That was a big moment. That was a tough one."

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to produce TV sitcom

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are to produce a TV sitcom. 
The Hollywood actors - who wrote Oscar-winning 1997 film 'Good Will Hunting' together - have teamed up once again for 'More Time With Family', a 30-minute per episode series which has been picked up by the US television network CBS, Variety has confirmed.
The show is based on Tom Papa's stand-up piece, which follows a man who ditches his career to spend more time with his family but, after returning from spending time on the road, he realises no one pushed him into making that life-changing decision. 
The programme will star Papa and will be co-written by 'King of Queens' Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith, as well as have snippets of Damon's life experiences intertwined within the script. 
Damon, 42, and Papa, 44, reportedly came up with the idea for 'More Time With Family' after previously working together on 'Behind the Candelabra' and 'The Informant'.
The pair presented the thought to Affleck, whose production company Pearl Street Films is making the venture into TV projects, before the three of them met with a number of writers before settling on Yuspa and Goldsmith and signing a deal with 20th Century Fox.