Biz Watch

Sunday, Nov. 16, 2003

Nokia's Business Boom
For Nokia, the world's largest mobile-phone maker, this might shape up to be an explosive Christmas season. Consumer groups in Germany and Belgium warned that the batteries in some of Nokia's most popular phones can short-circuit, overheat and even blow up. The announcement, made after extensive testing by Belgium 's Test-Aankoop association, set off a storm; consumers flooded the group's switchboard reporting their own mobile problems. The firm insists its batteries are safe and says many that the Belgians tested were counterfeit.

Consumer groups say it's impossible to tell the difference between real and fake batteries, but they've agreed to further tests. Compounding the firm's woes, hackers cracked the copy-protection codes for the month-old N-Gage phone/video-game gadget — meant to

INDICATORS
red cadillac
Detroit 's Big Three automakers — General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler — reached trade agreements with China that will allow the export of thousands of vehicles over the next two years to the world's fastest-growing car market

Strike Up The Broadband
T-Online, Europe 's largest Internet service provider, posted a quarterly net profit of —3 million — the first since it floated in April 2000 — thanks to a rapid increase in the number of its broadband subscribers.

Candid Camera Phones
South Korea 's government called on cell-phone manufacturers to fit picture phones with an audible beep that would sound each time an image was snapped, to prevent illicit shots being taken.

be Nokia's answer to Nintendo's Game Boy Advance — allowing proprietary games to be downloaded via the Internet. Pictures of the games being played on a phone made by Nokia's rival Siemens quickly showed up on a Siemens fans' website. Nokia plans to track down the hackers — so look for more explosions to come.

Family Values Vs. Share Value
Call it a family feud: At the BSkyB shareholders' meeting last Friday, Daniel Summerfield of U.S. pension fund CalPERS and British fund USS demanded that 72-year-old chairman Rupert Murdoch resign because of his recent installation of his 30-year-old son James as chief executive. Critics say BSkyB is a family affair too close to the elder's News Corporation. Murdoch Sr. allowed that there was "a suspicion of possible nepotism" but said he's not leaving. "You have an arrogance ... that is completely appalling," said another investor, who envisioned decisions "being made over breakfast."

But BSkyB won all resolutions. James can serve on the board, and a payout to ex-boss Tony Ball passed. The only father/son crack appeared when senior said BSkyB will miss a goal of €575 revenue per customer. "We don't see any reason to change those targets," James retorted. Is that any way to talk to your FA — chairman? — By Mark Halper

Stock Went Bipolar, Too
U.S. drugs giant Merck called an end to clinical trials of its anti-depressant drug aprepitant — six years in the works — after tests showed it failed to treat depression effectively.

The Bottom Line
	There is, in this affair, neither chance nor coincidence; everything was meticulously planned, organized, then executed
		JUDGE MICHEL DESPLAN, announcing 30 corruption convictions for former Elf chiefs and associates