Vodka.com domain sells for $3 million

The billionaire Russian entrepreneur behind Russia's biggest vodka maker has paid $3 million to acquire the vodka.com domain, part of a bid to expand into the U.S. market, a broker said on Thursday.

Sedo.com, the Web domain brokering unit that is part of Germany's United Internet AG, said it had acted as the sales agent in the deal.

Conglomerate Russian Standard, controlled by Roustam Tariko, paid $3 million to an undisclosed seller in a deal completed December 4, according to a Sedo.com spokesman. A New York-based spokeswoman for Russian Standard confirmed the $3 million price tag.
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Oceans could rise by nearly 5 feet by 2100

The world's oceans may rise by up to 140 centimeters (4 feet 7 inches) by 2100 due to global warming, a faster than expected increase that could threaten low-lying coasts from Florida to Bangladesh, a researcher said on Thursday.

"The possibility of a faster sea level rise needs to be considered when planning adaptation measures such as coastal defenses," Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research wrote in the journal Science.

His study, based on air temperatures and past sea level changes rather than computer models, suggested seas could rise by 50-140 cms by 2100, well above the 9-88 cms projected by the scientific panel that advises the United Nations.

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Oracle profit rises 21 percent in second quarter

Oracle on Monday posted a 21 percent rise in quarterly profit, helped by sales of business software licenses to the customers of acquired rivals like Siebel Systems and PeopleSoft.

Net income for the fiscal second quarter rose to $967 million, or 18 cents per share, from $798 million, or 15 cents per share, a year ago. Revenue rose 26 percent to $4.2 billion.

Excluding items, the company posted a per-share profit of 22 cents. Analysts on average were expecting the world's biggest database software maker to post a per-share profit before items of 22 cents on revenue of $4.16 billion, according to Reuters Estimates.
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Skype worm on the loose

Internet security firm Websense has discovered a worm that uses Skype to propagate.

Skype is best known for allowing subscribers to make free telephone calls over the Internet. The company has more than 7 million subscribers and was acquired just over a year ago by online auction firm eBay for $2.6 billion.

Early reports indicate that the worm sends messages via Skype Chat, an instant-messenging tool. The messages ask recipients to download and run a file called sp.exe.

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Opera adds security layer

Opera Software on Monday added another security layer to its browser that is designed to alert users in real time if the site they are visiting is legitimate or a phishing site.

In a move to extend the security features of its Opera 8 browser, the free Opera 9.1 update includes technology from digital certificate provider GeoTrust and phishing information clearinghouse PhishTank.
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Dell CFO stepping down in January

Jim Schneider, Dell's chief financial officer, will step down from his position by the end of January, while the SEC continues to investigate the company's accounting practices.

Donald Carty, the former chief executive and chief financial officer of AMR--the parent company of American Airlines--will replace Schneider, Dell announced Tuesday. Carty has been on Dell's board of directors since 1992 and chaired the audit committee, which is conducting its own investigation into Dell's accounting practices.

Carty will assume the title of vice chairman and chief financial officer, keeping his position on the board. He will officially start his executive duties on January 2, with Schneider staying on until the end of the month to help with the transition, a company representative said.

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FCC vote could speed up telecom TV

Phone companies looking to compete against cable operators in the TV market could get help Wednesday in their fight to streamline the video franchise process.

During its open monthly meeting, the Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote on new rules that would make it easier for phone companies to secure local video franchise agreements, which spell out requirements for everything from equipment to environmental protections.

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