Zynga carries out planned games shutdown, including "Petville"

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Social games publisher Zynga Inc confirmed on Monday that it has carried out 11 of the planned shutdowns of 13 game titles, with "Petville" being the latest game on which it pulled the plug.
Zynga in October said it would shut down 13 underperforming titles after warning that its revenues were slowing as gamers fled from its once-popular titles published on the Facebook platform in large numbers and sharply revised its full-year outlook.
The San Francisco-based company announced the "Petville" shutdown two weeks ago on its Facebook page. All the 11 shutdowns occurred in December.
The 11 titles shut down or closed to new players include role-playing game "Mafia Wars 2," "Vampire Wars," "ForestVille" and "FishVille."
"In place of 'PetVille,' we encourage you to play other Zynga games like 'Castleville,' 'Chefville,' 'Farmville 2,' 'Mafia Wars' and 'Yoville,'" the company told players on its 'PetVille' Facebook page. "PetVille" players were offered a one-time, complimentary bonus package for virtual goods in those games.
"Petville," which lets users adopt virtual pets, has 7.5 million likes on Facebook but only 60,000 daily active users, according to AppData. About 1,260 users commented on the game's Facebook page, some lamenting the game's shutdown.
Zynga has said it is shifting focus to capture growth in mobile games. It also applied this month for a preliminary application to run real-money gambling games in Nevada.
Zynga is hoping that a lucrative real-money market could make up for declining revenue from games like "FarmVille" and other fading titles that still generate the bulk of its sales.
Zynga shares were up 1 percent at $2.36 in afternoon trade on Monday on the Nasdaq.

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Judge rejects part of Apple App Store suit vs Amazon

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday rejected part of Apple Inc's lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc's use of the term App Store, ruling Apple cannot bring a false advertising claim against the online retailer.
U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, granted Amazon's motion for partial summary judgment, which only challenged Apple's false advertising allegations. Apple leveled other claims against Amazon, including trademark infringement.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment, and an Amazon representative could not be reached immediately.
Amazon has stepped up competition against Apple in recent years, launching its cheaper Kindle tablet computer to go after the dominant iPad and trying to lure mobile application developers to its Kindle platform.
One of the first public clashes in their tussle was Apple's 2011 lawsuit.
Apple accused Amazon of misusing what it calls its APP STORE to solicit developers for a mobile software download service. However, Amazon said its so-called Appstore has become so generic that its use could not constitute false advertising.
In a legal filing last year, Amazon added that even Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and his predecessor, Steve Jobs, used the term to discuss rivals. Cook commented on "the number of app stores out there" and Jobs referred to the "four app stores on Android."
In her ruling on Wednesday, Hamilton wrote that the mere use of "Appstore" by Amazon cannot be taken as a representation that its service is the same as Apple's.
"Apple has failed to establish that Amazon made any false statement (express or implied) of fact that actually deceived or had the tendency to deceive a substantial segment of its audience," Hamilton wrote.
A trial on Apple's remaining claims is scheduled for August.
The case is Apple Inc v. Amazon.com Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 11-01327.

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China shuts website of leading reformist magazine

BEIJING (Reuters) - China shut the website of a leading pro-reform magazine on Friday, apparently because it ran an article calling for political reform and constitutional government, sensitive topics for the ruling Communist Party which brooks no dissent.
"Yanhuang Chunqiu" (China Through the Ages) is an influential Beijing magazine that features essays from reformist retired officials.
In a message posted on its official Sina Weibo microblog, the magazine said that it had been informed on Thursday that the site's registration had been canceled and that it had not been given a reason.
"The magazine is trying to find out details," it said.
Wu Si, the magazine's chief editor, did not answer calls seeking comment.
Attempts to open the website (www.yhcqw.com) bring up a cartoon picture of a policemen holding up a badge and the message that the site has been closed.
However, the article which seems to have offended the censors, written in the form of a new year's message, is still up on the magazine's microblog.
"In more than 30 years of reform, the abuses caused by political reform lagging economic reform have become daily more visible, and the factors for social instability have gradually accumulated. Promoting reform of the political system is an urgent task," the piece says.
Analysts have been searching for signs that China's new leaders might steer a path of political reform, whether by allowing freer expression on the internet, greater experimentation with grassroots democracy or releasing jailed dissidents.
But the party, which tolerates no challenge to its rule and values stability above all else, has so far shown little sign of wanting to go down this path, despite president-in-waiting and party chief Xi Jinping trying to project a softer and more open image than his predecessor.
Weibo users flocked to offer their support for the magazine and to excoriate Xi.
"People who are putting their hopes in Xi need to wake up," wrote one.
Xi, who became party boss in November, takes over from Hu Jintao as president at the annual meeting of parliament in March, part of a generational leadership change.
Last month, a prominent group of Chinese academics warned in a bold open letter that the country risks "violent revolution" if the government does not respond to public pressure and allow long-stalled political reforms.

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Smartphone, tablet pile-up may lead to grim Q1 for suppliers

Smartphone sales were explosive in 2012 and the tablet market finally came into its own after being a one-horse town since 2010. Market leaders like Apple (AAPL) and Samsung (005930) are expected to post massive results in the fourth quarter and shipments from smaller vendors have continued to grow as well, but questions surrounding how long these runs can last continue to be raised. To compound the issue, vendors may have been too aggressive with recent orders; in a new report from Digitimes on Wednesday, the site’s unnamed industry sources suggest overzealous smartphone and tablet vendors may have caused a pile-up as 2012 draws to an end, leaving the first-quarter in question for a number of suppliers.
[More from BGR: Microsoft Surface trampled at the bottom of the tablet pile this Christmas]
Smartphones and tablets have seemingly flooded the market faster than end-users bought them over the past few months, leading to a pile-up that may see orders moving into the first quarter reduced beyond what the industry might expect from typical seasonal cuts after the holidays. Digitimes says the issue is particularly bad in China.
[More from BGR: Mark Cuban: Nokia Lumia 920 ‘crushes’ the iPhone 5]
Orders began to slow down in November according to the report, and original device manufacturers in the Far East have yet to begin building up component inventories as a result. Digitimes says supply chain companies are now “conservative about their business outlooks for the first quarter of 2013 as demand for [integrated circuit] parts has been affected” by the back up.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook sees pay drop 99% in 2012

In 2012, Apple’s (AAPL) chief executive will earn about 1% of the compensation he pulled in last year, according to a regulatory filing. The CEO’s compensation will total $4.17 million in 2012, which includes a $1.36 million salary and $2.8 million in compensation related to incentive plans. Last year, the Apple boss was paid $378 million according to Bloomberg, thanks largely to $376.2 million in stock awards that will pay out over a 10-year period. The filing also reveals that CFO Peter Oppenheimer will earn $68.6 million in 2012, including $66.2 million in stock.

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Marvell seeks to overturn $1.17 billion patent verdict

(Reuters) - Marvell Technology Group Ltd said on Thursday it will try to void a $1.17 billion damages award imposed by a federal jury that found the chipmaker had infringed two patents held by Carnegie Mellon University.
In a statement, the company said it will seek to overturn Wednesday's verdict in post-trial proceedings in the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh. It also said that if necessary, it will take its case to the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington.
Marvell said it has not determined the financial impact, if any, on operating results for its fiscal fourth quarter ending on February 2, 2013.
The company's shares fell 30 cents to $7.12 in premarket trading, after sliding 85 cents, or 10.3 percent, on Wednesday.
The award is one of the largest by a U.S. jury in a patent infringement case. It followed a $1.05 billion award in August to Apple Inc against Samsung Electronics Co concerning the design of smartphones.
Marvell could also face triple damages because jurors found that the company had acted willfully, meaning that it knew it was using Carnegie Mellon patents without a proper license.
U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer, who presided over the month-long trial, has scheduled a May 1, 2013, hearing to consider a final judgment in the case.
Daniel Amir, an analyst at Lazard Capital Markets, on Thursday said the verdict will likely create an "overhang" on Marvell's shares until the case is resolved, which could take years.
"If the ruling stands, given Marvell's total cash position of $2 billion, we think this could represent a significant blow to the company," wrote Amir, who rates Marvell "neutral."
Carnegie Mellon had sued Marvell in March 2009 over patents issued in 2001 and 2002 related to how accurately hard disk- drive circuits read data from high-speed magnetic disks.
The Pittsburgh university said at least nine Marvell circuit devices incorporated the patents, and that the infringement let the Hamilton, Bermuda-based company sell billions of chips using the technology without permission.
Marvell on Thursday repeated that its chips did not infringe the Carnegie Mellon patents, and that the methods described in the patents "cannot practically be built in silicon even using the most advanced techniques available today."
The case is Carnegie Mellon University v. Marvell Technology Group Ltd et al, U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania, No. 09-00290.

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Lack of low-end BlackBerry 10 phone could be a serious stumbling block in RIM comeback bid

South Africa is one of Research In Motion’s (RIMM) top five markets in the world, and it is a decent proxy for the entire African market. Leading regional carrier Vodacom’s November smartphone statistics illustrate exactly why BlackBerry 10 cannot arrive soon enough… and why RIM badly needs a cheap new BlackBerry 10 model by spring.
[More from BGR: Apple CEO Tim Cook sees pay drop 99% in 2012]
Vodacom holds more than 50% of the South African handset market and South Africa is the largest mobile phone market in the continent.
[More from BGR: Microsoft Surface trampled at the bottom of the tablet pile this Christmas]
On November 12th, Vodacom announced that it had 2.7 million BlackBerry users on its South African network, a number that increased by 300,000 in three months. The number of Android users grew by 200,000 to 700,000 subscribers. The number of iPhone users grew by 250,000 to 500,000.
Of course, there are many ways at looking at these trends but it’s striking that the growth of the BlackBerry user base has slowed down to 12% in a quarter while Android growth is now at 40% and iPhone growth is 100%. Even though the pool of BlackBerry users is still expanding in the most important African market, we are now close to the tip-off point where the absolute number of both Android and iPhone users added each quarter is going to be larger than the number of new BlackBerry subs.
RIM announced last week that its global customer base has finally started shrinking — the BlackBerry subscriber pool dropped from 80 million to 79 million between the August and November quarters.
During the August quarter, RIM still managed to add 2 million BlackBerry subscribers. The non-U.S. BlackBerry subscriber base is still growing, but too slowly to offset the U.S. erosion. This is the trend that the Vodacom November numbers also reflect. In Africa and Asia, that BlackBerry growth slowdown is unlikely to reverse until RIM launches a cheap, sub-$250 model with the new BlackBerry 10 OS.
In South Africa, affluent buyers are now flocking under the iPhone banner, while Samsung (005930) and Chinese vendors are mopping up middle class consumers with cheap Android models. New high-end phones in the $600 range are not going to change this equation.
RIM must strike hard in the low-end market to regain its African momentum. By Easter, Android and iPhone camps will have pulled ahead of RIM in new subscriber additions at Vodacom. Next spring, South Africa could well be the most important global bellwether of RIM’s struggle to recapture subscriber growth.

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Samsung looks to address its biggest weakness in 2013

Samsung (005930) is a force to be reckoned with. Two short years ago it looked like Apple (AAPL) was set to run away with the smartphone industry, but Samsung came out in a big way and the companies now share the smartphone crown — Samsung handily out-ships Apple but the Cupertino, California-based company still pulls in more profit. There is one area where Apple reigns supreme, however, but Samsung may look to launch new attacks next year in an effort to extend its range in important secondary revenue channels.
[More from BGR: Microsoft Surface trampled at the bottom of the tablet pile this Christmas]
Samsung raked in $6 billion in profit last quarter thanks in large part to huge smartphone numbers. The company also does well in several other areas of its business, but one key aspect of its portfolio is still lacking: services.
[More from BGR: Apple CEO Tim Cook sees pay drop 99% in 2012]
When it comes to value-added services, Samsung knows it has a lot of work to do. Apple’s iTunes provides a central location for music, movies and more across all of Apple’s products, and Samsung doesn’t offer anything that even approaches it. The company is dipping its toes in the content pool, however, having launched products like Music Hub this past year, but these services aren’t nearly as refined or effective as competitive offerings.
As picked up by Engadget, Samsung looks to be focusing on this moving into 2013. We’ve heard whispers about new content services in the works for Samsung’s smartphones, tablets and other devices, and the company will also look to refine its interfaces — an all-too-important aspect of content services that has historically fallen short on Samsung devices.
Ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month, Samsung has posted a series of teaser images on its Flickr account. The pictures just offer a small taste of the major redesign Samsung has planned for the Smart Hub on its devices, and it is also part of a bigger play we’ll see unfold over the coming years: Samsung has the hardware down, and now it will refine its software and service experiences in an effort to cement its role as an end-to-end hardware, software and solutions provider.
Look for Samsung to make moves in this regard across its various device categories as the company further establishes itself as a global leader.

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Japan's space agency probes possible data leak

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's space agency says it is investigating a possible leak of data about its Epsilon rocket due to a computer virus. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency says an infected computer was disconnected from its networks after a virus was found earlier this month. It is checking to see if any data was siphoned from it. JAXA said in a statement that information about the Epsilon, due to be launched next year, its M-5 rocket and H2A and H2B rockets may have been compromised. The agency said it is tightening security to prevent any further leaks. Japan is hoping to compete with the U.S., Russia, Europe and others as a satellite launch vehicle provider and has developed the Epsilon to reduce costs and speed up launch times.

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Guard says Manning protest annoyed brig staff

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — Some workers at a Marine Corps brig housing a soldier charged with sending U.S. secrets to WikiLeaks became annoyed at a demonstration on his behalf the day before a confrontation that led to tighter restrictions on him, a former guard testified Saturday. The testimony by former Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jonathan Cline undercut government efforts to show that Pfc. Bradley Manning's tight confinement conditions were justified to prevent him from killing or hurting himself. The defense claims the nine months Manning spent in virtual isolation, sometimes without clothing, amounted to illegal pretrial punishment. Manning and his attorneys want all the charges dismissed. Cline testified on the fifth day of a pretrial hearing at Fort Meade, near Baltimore. He was called as a prosecution witness to talk about a Jan. 18, 2011, incident in which Manning hid behind an exercise machine and wept after he was scolded by another guard for failing to respond properly to a command. Later that day, the brig commander, Chief Warrant Officer 4 James Averhart, added "suicide risk" to Manning's maximum-custody conditions. That was after they had what Manning described as a heated argument about the incident. Manning testified Thursday that the guards seemed angry that morning as they escorted him in leg irons and handcuffs to an exercise room. He said their attitude made him nervous, culminating in his odd behavior. "I thought I was going to be attacked or assaulted or something like that," Manning said. Cline testified that some brig workers were annoyed that a pro-Manning protest a day earlier had closed Quantico's main gate, forcing them to take alternate routes home. Cline said he wasn't personally affected by it. Defense attorney David Coombs has implied the guards took out their irritation on Manning by bullying him. Cline and another former guard, Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Tankersly, both testified that except for the Jan. 18 incident, Manning was always compliant and respectful. Another former brig worker, Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. William Fuller, testified that Manning was often uncommunicative and withdrawn, possibly signaling a suicide risk. Fuller testified that before Jan. 18, he had considered recommending to Averhart that Manning be removed from "prevention-of-injury," or POI, status because of his improved behavior. Manning was on either POI or even more restrictive "suicide risk" status during his entire stay at Quantico in maximum custody. His behavior Jan. 18 "gave us cause for concern," Fuller said. "That kind of reset things, unfortunately." Manning was at Quantico from July 2010 to April 2011. Then he was moved to pretrial confinement at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He has been held in medium custody since arriving there. The 24-year-old native of Crescent, Okla., worked as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad in 2009 and 2010. He is charged with 22 offenses, including aiding the enemy and violating federal espionage and computer security laws. He could get life in prison. He is accused of sending to the website WikiLeaks more than 250,000 diplomatic cables, classified memos, Iraq and Afghanistan war logs, Guantanamo Bay prison records and a 2007 video clip of a U.S. helicopter crew gunning down 11 men. It was later determined that one of those men was a news photographer. The Pentagon said its troops mistook camera equipment for weapons.

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Brig counsellor: Manning's history, behaviour outweighed doctor's opinion of self-harm risk

FORT MEADE, Md. - An Army private charged with sending U.S secrets to the website WikiLeaks had a history of suicidal thoughts and aloof behaviour that outweighed a psychiatrist's opinion that he was no risk to himself, two former counsellors testified Sunday. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Jordan and Marine Master Sgt. Craig Blenis testified on the sixth day of a pretrial hearing for Pfc. Bradley Manning at Fort Meade, near Baltimore. The hearing is to determine whether Manning's nine months in pretrial confinement at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Virginia, were so punishing that the judge should dismiss all charges. The 24-year-old intelligence analyst is accused of sending hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the secret-spilling website in 2009 and 2010 when he was stationed in Baghdad. The counsellors, both of whom worked in the brig, sat on a board that recommended to the brig commander that Manning remain in maximum custody and on either injury-prevention or suicide-risk status — conditions that kept him confined to his cell 23 hours a day, sometimes with no clothing. Jordan said under cross-examination by defence attorney David Coombs that besides the mental-health report, he considered evidence that Manning had contemplated suicide six to eight months earlier after his arrest in Iraq. The evidence included a noose Manning had fashioned from a bedsheet while confined in Kuwait, and a written statement he made upon arrival at Quantico in July 2010 that he was "always planning and never acting" on suicidal impulses. Jordan acknowledged Manning had been a polite, courteous and nearly trouble-free detainee at Quantico. "Wouldn't his past six months of performance be an indicator of his potential for future behaviour?" Coombs asked. But Jordan maintained that Manning's unwillingness to converse with him and other brig staff was a warning sign he was at risk of self-harm. Jordan said he considered the opinion of the brig psychiatrist, Navy Capt. William Hocter, that Manning was no longer at risk of self-harm. But Jordan said the weight he gave to Hocter's views was diminished because another detainee had recently killed himself after his custody status was reduced on Hocter's advice. "I would consider it, but I would always consider it with care, sir," he told Coombs. Blenis, who spent more time with Manning, said Manning chose not to speak most of the time except for short, yes-or-no answers. He said Manning spurned his offers to play chess or work brain teasers by arrogantly responding, "They're a little below my level." "I've got a person not communicating with me that's sitting in his cell, not doing anything," Blenis said. He said he supported the brig commander's decision in March 2011 to strip Manning of all clothing at night and place him on suicide watch after Manning told another staffer that if he really wanted to kill himself, he could use the elastic waistband on his underwear. "If someone tells me they're going to shoot themselves in the face, I'm not going to give them a gun," Blenis said. Manning was moved in April 2011 to pretrial confinement at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He's been held there in medium custody since then. Earlier Sunday, the military judge said Manning's trial, previously set to begin Feb. 4, would be pushed back to sometime in March due to lengthy pretrial proceedings. The hearing on Manning's confinement was to recess Sunday and resume Wednesday. Manning is charged with 22 offences, including aiding the enemy and violating federal espionage and computer security laws. He could get life in prison. He is accused of sending to WikiLeaks more than 250,000 diplomatic cables, classified memos, Iraq and Afghanistan war logs, Guantanamo Bay prison records and a 2007 video clip of a U.S. helicopter crew gunning down 11 men in Iraq. It was later determined that one of those men was a news photographer. The Pentagon said its troops mistook camera equipment for weapons. The case has spawned an international support network of people who believe the U.S. government has gone too far in seeking to punish Manning, who was a low-level intelligence analyst in Baghdad.

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China's Wanda in talks with "well-known" hotels for U.S. buys

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's privately-owned Dalian Wanda Group, the world's largest movie theater owner, is in talks with "well-known" hotel chains for acquisition opportunities in the United States, its chairman said on Monday. Wanda, which also has interests in real estate, tourism and department stores, bought U.S.-based movie theater chain AMC Entertainment for $2.6 billion in September in one of China's biggest overseas entertainment investments, and an example of how Beijing is expanding its 'soft power' abroad. The company will invest $10 billion in the United States over the next decade and is in talks with famous hotel brands for acquisitions in the Washington D.C. area, New York and Los Angeles, Wang Jianlin, Wanda's chairman, told Reuters in an interview. "We are in discussions with hotel management companies in the United States and are seeking opportunities for mergers and acquisitions; and we are in negotiations with the city governments of Washington D.C., New York City and other American cities for the construction of hotels, department stores and commercial properties," Wang said. After completing the AMC buy, a studio executive said Wanda was nearing an agreement with Fox film studio to co-produce films in China. Wang told Reuters he will be working with 3-4 of the top-6 movie studios in the United States on deals to co-finance and co-produce movies. Though a cinema mogul, Wang says he does not watch movies often. As China's third-richest man, according to Forbes, Wang faced little backlash over his AMC acquisition. But other major Chinese companies have hit a brick wall of opposition when trying to buy foreign assets. Telecoms equipment makers Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp were cited in October by a U.S. congressional report as being a potential security threat.

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Nokia Siemens venderá su unidad de redes de fibra óptica

FRANCFORT (Reuters) - El fabricante de equipos de telecomunicaciones Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) dijo el lunes que venderá su unidad de redes de fibra óptica a Marlin Equity Partners. NSN no brindó detalles financieros sobre la venta, pero dijo que se completaría en el primer trimestre del año que viene. Como consecuencia del acuerdo, unos 1.900 empleados, principalmente en Alemania y Portugal, serán transferidos a la nueva empresa, informó NSN en un comunicado. Nokia Siemens Networks, que compite con Ericsson, Huawei y Alcatel Lucent, está llevando a cabo un plan de reducción de costos que incluye el despido de un cuarto de su plantilla de empleados y la venta de líneas de productos, con la meta de concentrarse en la banda ancha móvil. La sociedad entre Nokia Oyj y Siemens AG ha implicado una fuga de beneficios para los dueños de las firmas, pero la misma reportó ganancias récord en el tercer trimestre, ayudada por las ventas de equipamiento para la cuarta generación de redes de alta velocidad LTE en Japón y Corea. Se espera que la reestructuración derive en un ahorro de 1.000 millones de euros (1.300 millones de dólares) en costos para fines de este año.

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Australia royal hoax radio station to review procedures

PERTH, Australia/LONDON (Reuters) - An Australian radio station under fire over a prank call to a hospital treating Prince William's pregnant wife Kate said on Sunday it would review its procedures after a nurse's apparent suicide. New South Wales Police said they were in contact with London's police force and were ready to assist in any investigation, as the incident sparked fresh soul-searching over the behaviour of the media. Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found dead in staff accommodation near London's King Edward VII hospital on Friday after putting the hoax call through to a colleague who unwittingly disclosed details of Kate's morning sickness to 2DayFM's presenters. A recording of the call, broadcast repeatedly by the station, rapidly became an internet hit and was reprinted as a transcript in many newspapers. Public amusement at the prank turned to disgust after news of Saldanha's death swept around the globe. The station's owners pulled presenters Michael Christian and Mel Greig off the air as leading companies cancelled advertising. The station's parent company, Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), said it would fully cooperate in any investigations in a letter to the head of the King Edward hospital. "I can assure you we are taking immediate action and reviewing the broadcast and processes involved," SCA chairman Max Moore-Wilton said. "We are all saddened by the events of the last few days. They are truly tragic... The outcome was unforeseeable and very regrettable," he added. The station's presenters have come under attack from around the world on social media sites and were "extremely distressed", an SCA spokeswoman said. Both were keen to speak publicly about the incident, but were in too fragile a condition to do so, the spokeswoman added. The hospital's chairman Lord Glenarthur had described their actions as "appalling" in a letter to SCA on Saturday. Saldanha, married with two children, was originally from India and came to Britain around 10 years ago. Her husband's family in the southern Indian state of Karnataka said she had spoken regularly to them but neither she or her husband had mentioned the hoax call, they told Britain's Observer newspaper. A post mortem into the cause of her death will be held early next week, possibly as soon as Monday. An inquest will follow, and London police may want statements from the two presenters, although they had yet to make a formal request. "It's been indicated that the London Metropolitan Police may wish to speak to the people involved in the matter from 2DayFM," said New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas. "But we haven't been asked to do anything yet, and we certainly have not been asked to interview anyone, or line up any interviews for the Met," he added. The tragic fallout from the radio stunt has rekindled memories of the death of William's mother Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997 and threatens to cast a pall over the birth of his and Kate's first child. The couple's baby will be third in line to the British throne after William and his father Prince Charles. The royal family are enjoying a boost in popularity in Britain after a period when they were seen as dated and out of touch. William and Kate's wedding at London's Westminster Abbey last year rekindled public enthusiasm for royalty, which has been sustained during this year's jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth's 60 years as monarch.

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