Beko fridge-freezer fires began four years ago

Some faulty Beko fridge-freezers began catching fire as long ago as 2007, the BBC has learned.

Nevertheless most consumers were only warned this week that some of their appliances were potentially lethal.

The Fire Brigade said 15 people had been injured, and one person had died, as a result of fires in London alone.

Secret agents raid Apple store webcam 'artist'

The US Secret Service has raided the home of an artist who collected images from webcams in a New York Apple store.

Kyle McDonald is said to have installed software that photographed people looking at laptops then uploaded the pictures to a website.

Mr McDonald said he had obtained permission from a security guard to take photos inside the store.

JP Morgan agrees further fraud settlement

JP Morgan Chase is to pay $228m (£143m) to settle claims it rigged auctions, its second fraud payout in a month.

The deal was reached with regulators, tax authorities and 25 US states, who accused it of fixing bids for state and municipal contracts on 93 occasions.

Facebook adds Skype video chat feature

Facebook has announced a partnership with Skype to add video chat to the social networking site.

The move is likely to be seen as a shot across the bow of Google, which recently launched a Facebook rival, Google+, also featuring video calling.

This is not the first time Facebook and Skype have teamed up - they already share some instant messaging tools.

It’s None of Our Business Whether China Wants to Buy Shares of Facebook

Last week, the story “leaked out” that a China sovereign wealth fund had expressed interest in purchasing a significant stake in Facebook. Lots of chatter then ensued about whether it was true, what it meant, and what “we” should do about it. (No, I don’t really know who “we” are.)

Allow me to be blunt on this issue: from a legal/investment perspective, I don’t give a shit if China wants to buy part of Facebook. Their motives for doing so are irrelevant as long as no laws are broken, and all the chatter about whether such a deal is a good idea is a negative influence on inward foreign investment in the U.S., and possibly corresponding deals in China by U.S. firms.

China state fund eyes Facebook stake

A state-owned fund in China is reportedly interested in buying a stake in social network Facebook, said a media report. A source told US business magazine Business Insider that China's sovereign wealth fund - the China Investment Corp - is hoping it could buy a stake in Facebook, large
enough "to matter", the Shanghai Daily reported.

Financial firm Citibank is reportedly trying to acquire as much as $1.2 billion worth of Facebook stock on behalf of two sovereign wealth funds - one from China and another from the Middle East, the daily said.

Apple consortium beats Google to Nortel patents

A group of technology companies including Apple, Microsoft and Research in Motion have paid $4.5bn in cash for a collection of strategically vital patents from Nortel in a blow to Google and its fast-growing Android operating system.

Google had opened the bidding for the remaining portfolio of the bankrupt Canadian telecoms equipment maker in April, with an offer of $900m for the more than 6,000 patents which cover wireless, 4G, data networking, internet and semiconductor technologies.