Webwire: Vodafone fights new India tax claim; Google cuts its losses on Clearwire

Vodafone challenges new India tax demand

Vodafone has initiated another tax battle with the Indian government, this time over “transfer pricing issues” in a tax demand covering a transaction between Vodafone India and other Vodafone group companies.

Wall Street Journal

Google to sell out of Clearwire at 90% loss

Shares in US wireless broadband operator Clearwire slumped 6.8% on Friday, after Google revealed it plans to sell its 6.5% stake in the operator for $1.60 per share – less than a tenth of the price it paid for them.

Bloomberg

Swastatika buys 15% of Smartfren Telekom

Indonesia's PT Dian Swastatika will pay 1 trillion rupiah ($111 million) in convertible bonds for a 15.4% stake in CDMA-based carrier PT Smartfren Telekom.

Jakarta Post

Android exploit lets hackers control phones

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered an exploit in the Android OS enabling malicious hackers to take control of a user's phone, if they click on a web link in a spoofed email or SMS.

TODAY Online

Apple pays $50m for mobile search start-up

Apple will buy Chomp, an Australian mobile search engine start-up, for a reported $50 million.

Sydney Morning Herald

Wikileaks suspect's court-martial begins

Bradley Manning, the US army intelligence analyst accused of transferring thousands of classified or confidential documents to Wikileaks, has deferred a plea in his first court-martial hearing.

Reuters

Hollywood cheered by streaming growth

Hollywood studios are becoming encouraged by the growing proliferation of movie and TV streaming services, believing that more competition makes it easier to get a better content deal.

New York Times

UPC Ireland posts strong fixed sub growth

Irish cable TV and broadband provider UPC Ireland lifted its broadband subscriber base by 28% and its telephony subscriber base by 68% during 2011.

Irish Times