IBM fined ?190 by Venezuelan authorities

Venezuela's authorities have ordered the temporary closure of several foreign companies due to tax 'irregularities' The country's Seniat tax agency ordered a 48-hour shutdown of IBM's Caracas office for what it described as 'bookkeeping irregularities related to value added tax. The company was also fined 725,000 Bolivares (?190). Other tech firms also face 24- to 48-hour closures, including Microsoft, Nokia, Ericsson and Siemens. ...more

Mac OSX launch date revealed

OSX will be launched on 24 February, according to reports today. Apple boss Steve Jobs will make the announcement at the MacWorld Expo in Tokyo, more than five weeks later than the rumoured-to-be San Francisco launch. Industry insiders suggest that Jobs will use the San Francisco expo to reveal the final shipping date. ...more

France's copyright overhaul under pressure

France's Constitutional Court has ruled that certain sections of the country's controversial new copyright law are unconstitutional. The principle effect of the court's 12-page legal review is to ensure that Apple will receive monetary compensation if it is forced to licence the DRM technology that it uses to restrict playback of iTunes Music Store downloads to its iTunes software and range of iPod portable music players. However, the court did agree that the iPod-iTunes axis violates constitutional property protections. ...more

British hacker faces US extradition

A British man accused of causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to US military computer systems has been granted bail prior to extradition hearings. Gary McKinnon, 39, an unemployed computer systems administrator from Wood Green in North London was arrested on Tuesday. He appeared in court yesterday following a request by the American authorities that he should be extradited to the United States to face charges of hacking into Pentagon computers. ...more

Tube site goes live

It's not leaves on the line this time, but the entire London Underground (LU) - online. The LU's Web site thetube.com goes live today, offering passengers the opportunity to plan journeys and buy tickets, as well as have access to up-to-date information, such as current delays and other transport news. ...more