Software AG to acquire webMethods
The German software maker agreed to offer $546 million for its latest acquisition to add networking software to its product line.

Indonesian court finds Playboy editor not guilty of indecency
Islamic hard-liners protested the verdict in the case, which has highlighted a growing schism between conservatives and moderates in the predominantly Muslim country.

Discovery to start environmental cable channel
The company will rebrand its Discovery Home Channel with a name which will reflect its position as the centerpiece of an initiative called P***tGreen.

Newsmagazine plans extra online issue
The Week, a weekly newsmagazine, will publish an extra issue this month, available online only.

Clip removed, but Thailand maintains YouTube ban
The Thai government retained a ban on the popular YouTube video Web site Thursday despite the removal of a short film deemed insulting to the country's beloved monarch.
- Web crackdown blocks YouTube in Thailand

Canada announces plan to deregulate telephone industry
Overruling a parliamentary committee and the national regulator, the Canadian government has announced that it will largely deregulate the country's telephone market this month.

Investor seeks to drive out Telecom Italia chairman
Olimpia, a holding company that owns 18 percent of Telecom Italia, omitted the company's chairman, Guido Rossi, from a list of proposed board members.

DoubleClick to host ad exchange
The exchange will bring Web publishers and advertising buyers together on a Web site where they can participate in auctions for ad space.

U.S. reaches limit for high-tech visas in 2008
The immigration authorities will start rejecting applications after receiving 150,000 applications for the 65,000 available visas in one day.

Beaming up 3-d objects on a budget
Hobbyists and small businesses are starting to benefit from low-cost versions of 3-D printers and scanners.

GPS alternatives take flight
A Russian project carries wide implications for militaries by providing a satellite navigation system not controlled by the Pentagon.

Briefing: NBC to add pay TV in Europe and Asia
NBC Universal said Wednesday that it would add 20 new pay-television channels in 23 countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Nokia said Thursday that it would pay $20 million to the chip maker Qualcomm to cover patent licenses in the second quarter of 2007.

The companies have been embroiled in a series of lawsuits against each other concerning intellectual property rights and patent infringements, but Nokia said the payment was unrelated to those disputes.

Nokia said it was willing to pay fees for this new license, which relates to the European Telecommunication Standardization Institute.

However, Nokia signaled that it would be aggressively contesting the old patent license agreements with Qualcomm set to expire April 9.

The Thai government retained its ban on YouTube despite the removal from the video-sharing site of a short clip deemed insulting to the country's beloved monarch.

The site still featured at least one still frame from the contentious 44-second video, said Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, the minister of information and technology.

"That's not enough. We want the picture removed, too, before we unblock it," said Sitthichai, adding that Thai authorities have contacted YouTube to request the removal of all traces of the video.

The British Broadcasting Corp. said the government had chosen Michael Lyons as its new chairman, succeeding Michael Grade, who left in November to head ITV.

Lyons, who taught at Birmingham University, will start May 1 as head of the BBC Trust, the BBC's regulatory body. The independent trust replaced the board of governors in January following criticism that the board was too closely aligned with the corporation's management.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts made an offer to buy Singapore's MMI Holdings, a maker of computer disk-drive parts, valuing the company at about 1 billion Singapore dollars, or $660 million. KKR will pay 1.65 dollars a share, 0.6 percent lower than the last traded price of 1.66 dollars.

GOOGLE added a feature that allows users to create personalized online maps that can include notes, photos and YouTube videos. The new MyMaps service also lets users mark locations and plot routes.

Poste Italiane will begin offering mobile phone service by the end of the year using Vodafone Group's wireless network. Vodafone runs Italy's second-largest mobile network, after Telecom Italia.

Discovery Communications, the U.S. cable channel company, was to announce plans for a 24-hour network focused on eco-friendly living. The channel will be the centerpiece of an initiative called P***tGreen.

Canada said it would largely deregulate the country's telephone market, overruling a parliamentary committee and the national regulator. Local markets served by at least three operators with their own networks would be eligible for deregulation after April 18.

Lenovo Group will create a global unit to promote sales to individuals and small businesses, a company spokesman said. Executives acknowledged that the company, which bought IBM's personal computer unit in 2005, had yet to become a major competitor outside its home Chinese market.