Scandal hit MTV Russia’s movie awards ceremony when a presenter refused to announce the viewer-voted award for best movie after realising which film had won.

Vladimir Menshov, one of Russia’s leading directors, was onstage at Moscow’s Pushkin Theatre when he opened the envelope with details of the winning film - the World War II drama Svolochi, in which a group of teenage criminals is sent on a suicide mission behind German lines.

Mr Menshov gasped as he read the contents of the envelope, looked up and said: “I’m not going to hand over an award to a film that discredits my country, let Pamela Anderson (another of the evening’s presenters) do it instead”.

He then turned, dropped the envelope and stalked offstage, refusing to comment further. MTV Russia broadcast the ceremony live.

The film, directed by Alexander Atanesyan, tells the supposedly true story of a group of teenage convicts given the choice by the Soviet high command to serve severe sentences or cleanse their past crimes in a highly dangerous guerrilla mission.

It provoked a storm of controversy when it was released last year in Russia.

Russian military and security bodies were horrified by claims the story was true.

The Federal Security Service, successor to the KGB, said no such mission ever took place, and war veterans condemned it as an insult to the memory and sacrifice of real Red Army heroes.

But audiences, particularly the movie’s core teenage audience, flocked to see the film, with a title that translates to “bastards”.

It proved to be a springboard to success for a young cast of unknowns who were subsequently flooded with film and TV offers.

After the awards ceremony, Atanesyan told reporters that Menshov’s reaction had left him unmoved.

“Menshov has the right to his opinions about film and he used that right,” Atanesyan said.

The next day, MTV spokesman Vladimir Smirnov said Menshov’s reaction had been totally spontaneous and “was not part of the scenario” planned by MTV.

“Vladimir Menshov offered his own point of view on Svolochi. We treat Vladimir - one of the most well-known Russian film directors - with great respect, as well as the MTV viewers who made their choice,” he said.

“They watched the film and liked it.”

- Reuters

NEW YORK - Among consumer gadgets, watches are an odd category. The most expensive and prestigious watches aren’t the ones with the most functions or the most up-to-date chips they’re the ones that do the least, in as old-fashioned a way as possible. Just think of mechanical Rolexes.

So when a watch comes along that uses digital technology to do something new, it usually ends up looking like a gimmick. That was my first reaction to Sony Ericsson’s Bluetooth Watch MBW-100 ($399, but see below for cheaper alternatives), which alerts you to calls on your cell phone and tells you who’s calling.

But I actually warmed to it over time, and while it’s far from an earth-shattering innovation, it’s a cool idea that could be more widely adopted so far, it only works with a dozen Sony Ericsson phones that are equipped with Bluetooth chips, the wireless technology that’s usually used to connect to headsets.

As long as the watch is within about 30 feet of the cell phone, it will vibrate gently when you have an incoming call and show the number on a small but crisp digital display below the main analog watch face. If you have the number associated with a name in the cell phone’s contact list, the watch will show that name.

Press a button once to mute the phone’s ring signal, or twice to send the call to voice mail. If you want to take the call, you still have to fish out the phone, unless you’re using a headset.

Pressing another of the phone’s three buttons will start or pause the phone’s digital music player a convenient feature for Sony’s music-oriented phones, like the Walkman W810i I tried it with.

The watch can also vibrate to alert you that it’s losing touch with the phone because it’s too far away. This quickly gets annoying at home, and you can turn the feature off, but it could be a real boon if you’re traveling and prone to leaving your phone in the cab.

That’s it, really. It’s not a big feature set for a modern gadget, and it’s a far cry from some of the really geeky watches out there, like the ones that have a TV screen, a full Palm personal digital assistant, or the ones that receive news and weather reports from a wireless network.

But with watches, less may be more. The discreet digital display (which uses organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs) gave room for a handsome watch face, which is set in a stylish and very non-geeky stainless steel body, waterproof to 100 feet.

Stylish, that is, but heavy: the MBW-100 weighs 6.6 oz (187 grams), or almost twice as much as the phone it was linked to. That’s in the upper weight range of macho watches.

Probably because the battery and vibration mechanism are too big, there’s no ladies’ model, which is a bit of a pity women often carry their phones in their handbags, and would have more use for this watch than men who carry phones in their pockets.

Another downside is that the watch needs to be charged, using an adapter connected to the phone charger. It seemed to go about three weeks between charges.

Apart from the silver-colored model sold on the Sony Ericsson Web site, Fossil sells a black version with a different styling for $249. Fossil’s Abacus MobileWear brand sells another two versions through retailers like CompUSA and Amazon.com for as low as $149.

Given the small number of phones it’s compatible with, the watch is probably of limited appeal right now, but if cell phone makers could unite on a standard that would get more phones talking to watches, this technology could take the step from gimmick to “must have.” Well, perhaps “must have” is stretching it. Make that “like to have.” 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Buzz Technologies is giving its users a preview of Buzz VPC. Buzz VPC offers Office Suite, free text messaging and free VoIP.

Bangkok, Thailand (http://www.prweb.com/) February 28, 2007 — Buzz Technologies (OTC BB: BZTG.pk) is giving its users a preview of Buzz VPC. Buzz VPC offers Office Suite, free text messaging and free VoIP. With the 3G interactivity on a global level between PC, mobile and Buzz, VPC has a serious edge on other recently released application services and is set to dominate this new market.

Google Apps and Windows Live are its only two competitors, but neither offers the depth of communications available on the Buzz VPC. A demonstration is available onsite and the system will go live in the next few days.

The VPC forms part of the software covered in the contract with the Royal Thai Military Lana Centre (total Members of the Royal Thai Military exceed 300,000). Additionally, Buzz is in second-round talks with Chang Mai University, which includes three campuses that together cover about 3,490 acres of land and have 26,000 students.

Buzz has also has made arrangements with Amazon-owned Alexa and Blinkx in relation to additional search engine capabilities further improving its search function.

See it all at http://www.12buzz.com.

About Buzz About Buzz
Buzz Technology is a diverse group of telecommunications and internet related products and services aimed at the new frontier of next generation technology from telephony, fixed line and VoIP, to state of the art search engines and the delivery of information, news, entertainment and communications in new ways to new devices. Established in Asia and expanded to the USA, Buzz will continue to expand where consumers desire, introducing reliable VoIP, access to powerful, direct result search engines and technological business and home solutions based on next generation technology accomplished through in house development, licensing, acquisition, and strategic partnerships based on mutually beneficial business goals and compatibilities. Buzz is poised to take the leadership position in turnkey internet solutions in the Asian consumer market place.

The foregoing press release contains forward-looking statements based on the companys beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the company, including statements regarding the timing of the introduction of certain products. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the companys expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties which are identified and described in the companys registration statements and periodic reports on file with the SEC, some of which are beyond the companys control. Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors including, among others, issues related to the travel and transportation industries, and prevailing economic conditions in general.

In light of these risks and uncertainties, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release will in fact transpire or prove to be accurate.

Contact:
Buzz Technologies, Inc.
Sutida Suwunnavid, +667-6239-209
http://www.12buzz.com

The media conglomerate, which operates the HSN shopping network, Ticketmaster and CitySearch, said Q4 earnings rose 29% to 67 cents a share ex items, beating views by 14 cents. IAC/InterActiveCorp. () said revenue increased 8% to $1.82 bil, just shy of forecasts of $1.87 bil. The company said its search site Ask.com, which IAC wants so that it can tie together its various Internet assets, had especially strong growth in its revenue per query. Shares dipped 1.4% to 38.72.

Bankrate jumps on record quarter

The online provider of mortgage and credit card information soared 14.7% to 44.47 after it said Q4 earnings surged 80% to 27 cents ex items, its most profitable quarter and 3 cents above views. Revenue climbed 49% to $20.7 mil, driven by robust online advertising. Bankrate () raised ‘07 revenue guidance to $95 mil-$100 mil vs. views of $98.8 mil.

CDC lifts outlook on strong sales

The Chinese Internet service and online gaming firm lifted its forecast for Q4 due to stronger-than-expected software licensing and gaming revenue. CDC Corp. () expects Q4 earnings of $34.3 mil-$35 mil, above views of $32.6 mil. For the year, the company expects ‘06 sales of $307 mil-$308 mil, topping analysts’ expectations for $304.8 mil. Shares jumped 5% to 10.69.

YouTube to post Japanese warning

Google’s () video-sharing Web site, YouTube, agreed to post warnings in Japanese urging users not to post copyrighted material on its site. YouTube also said it will try to filter out copyrighted Japanese video by enlisting the help of its parent company, according to a group of Japanese TV stations. The agreement comes after YouTube deleted 30,000 Japanese files in Oct. amid copyright complaints and last week’s demand by U.S. media company Viacom () that it withdraw more than 100,000 of its unauthorized video clips. Shares edged up 1% to 471.48.

EarthLink, () a provider of broadband Internet and phone services, said it swung to a Q4 loss of 20 cents a share, missing views by 4 cents. Revenue rose 5% to $328.2 mil, below views. Losing money at its wireless joint venture affected the results. Shares fell 3.9% to $6.96.

REAL ESTATE

Equity Office buyout bid raised

Private equity group Blackstone Group boosted its bid 3% for the REIT () to $23 bil in cash, the latest volley in a bidding war with Vornado Realty Trust. () Blackstone’s offer of $55.50 a share is still below Vornado’s sweetened bid of $56, but Blackstone’s offer is all cash. Equity Office stock rose above Blackstone’s bid, indicating the price could go even higher. In Nov., Blackstone agreed to buy Equity Office for $20 bil, or $48.50 a share. Equity Office rose 1% to 56.05.

ProLogis, () an industrial REIT, said Q4 funds from operations surged 95% to $1.11 a share, 7 cents above views. The company credited increasing rents and demand. Shares rose 3% to 67.77.

MEDICAL

State to pay for Merck vaccine

The vaccine against human papillomavirus, cited as the cause of most cervical cancer, will be offered free to girls in Wash. state. About 143,000 doses of Gardasil, made by drug maker Merck, () should be purchased by late spring, state officials said. Typically, the 3-shot vaccination cost $360. Last week, Texas announced HPV vaccination would be mandatory for girls entering the sixth grade as of Sept. ‘08. N.H. was the first state to offer the vaccine for free to all girls. Merck edged up 6 cents to 44.64.

Gene test for breast cancer OK’d

U.S. health officials approved a genetic test that can provide women with early breast cancer an estimate of whether the disease is likely to return in 5 to 10 years. Dutch company Agendia made a test called MammaPrint, and the test measures the activity of 70 genes using a sample from a breast cancer tumor that has been removed. The FDA cautioned that the test is not perfect and should be used with other information.

FINANCE

MGIC to buy Radian for $5.47 bil

The mortgage insurer plans to buy rival Radian Group () for $5.47 bil. The move will let it cut costs amid shrinking demand that has been affected further by a slowing housing market. MGIC Investment () and Radian expect to close the deal in Q4. The combined company is to be called MGIC Radian Financial Group and is going to have nearly $15 bil in total assets.

ENERGY

Duke Energy Q4 EPS tops views

The company said its earnings rose 2% to 43 cents a share ex items, beating views by 3 cents. Duke Energy’s revenue jumped 34% to $4.07 bil, missing expectations of $4.56 bil. In the quarter, which CEO James E. Rogers called “lackluster,” the company completed the sale of its Commercial Marketing and Trading business and closed on its $195 mil purchase of N.C.’s Rockingham power plant. Shares fell 1% to 20.06.

Dawson tops views; shares soar

The provider of seismic data to oil and gas companies leapt 14.9% to 41.04 after it said Q1 earnings more than doubled to 71 cents a share, beating views by 13 cents. Dawson Geophysical () said revenue jumped 51% to $53.7 mil. The company said it benefited from “brisk domestic exploration activities by the oil and gas industry.”

BP finishes ‘06 on a weak note

The British oil giant, BP’s () Q4 net profit fell 22% to $2.88 bil, missing expectations, as revenue slipped 1.6% to $62.8 bil as it closed out a problem-plagued year. BP struggled last year as it was forced to shut half of a key Alaska pipeline due to corrosion, suffered production delays in the Gulf of Mexico and had its safety record blasted by a U.S. inquiry into a fatal Texas refinery blast. CEO John Browne took much of the blame and has announced he’ll retire early. BP fell nearly 1% to 63.25.

National Oilwell Varco, () a provider of oil field services and equipment, more than doubled Q4 profit to $1.35 per share, beating views by 29 cents. Revenue climbed 42% to $2.08 bil, above views. Strong demand for its rig technology products and oil field supplies helped the result. Shares rose 9.4%.

RETAIL

Wal-Mart sex-bias suit to proceed

A federal appeals court said the corporate giant must face a class-action lawsuit claiming that Wal-Mart discriminated against women in pay and promotions. The suit would cover as many as 1.5 mil current and former female workers and, if successful, could cost the company billions. The ruling upholds a federal judge’s decision. Wal-Mart rose 6 cents to 48.58.

Activist joins Home Depot board

The largest home improvement retailer, Home Depot () will give a seat on its board to Relational Investors, an investment group that wants to consider a leveraged buyout of Home Depot to generate shareholder value. The group threatened a proxy fight over the company’s direction, but under the agreement Home Depot will give a seat to Relational principal David Batchelder, who will drop the proxy challenge. Home Depot said it will oppose any move involving a sale of the company. Shares rose 0.6% to 41.27.

Urban Outfitters, () an apparel retailer, said Q4 same-store sales fell 5%. Shares rose 1.4% to 25.38.

DIVERSIFIED

Tyco beats, but offers no outlook

The conglomerate, Tyco () said Q1 earnings rose 15% to 45 cents a share ex items, edging past views by a penny. Revenue climbed 8% to $10.3 bil, above analyst forecasts. Tyco will split into 3 publicly traded companies, as it plans to spin off its health care and electronics divisions early in Q2. It didn’t issue a Q2 EPS outlook. Shares fell 1.9% to 32.59.

Emerson Electric’s Q1 tops views

The diversified manufacturer said earnings rose 15% to 55 cents a share, beating views by 2 cents. Revenue rose 11% to $5.1 bil vs. expectations of $4.99 bil. Sales from existing businesses rose 4%. Emerson () said 4 of its 5 segments had higher sales. The process management, industrial automation and network power segments reported double-digit revenue gains. Shares slid 1% to 45.12.

TRANSPORTATION

Northwest Air narrows Q4 loss

The bankrupt carrier cut its loss to $7 mil ex items, far less than the $386 mil it lost a year ago. Revenue rose 2% to $2.98 bil. Lower fuel costs and higher fares boosted results. Northwest Air will distribute about $44 mil to employees via its profit-sharing and performance-incentive payments, as well as holiday payments.

US Air () said Jan. traffic increased 4.7% on all 3 of its airlines US Airways, America West and US Airways Express. Capacity rose less than 1% as occupancy rose 2.8% to 73.3%. Shares slid 10 cents.

METALS

Metal Management falls on miss

The metals recycler, Metal Management () said Q3 earnings remained unchanged at 60 cents a share, falling short of views by 14 cents. Revenue increased 33% to $524 mil. The company blamed weak U.S. iron market demand, slower domestic stainless steel mill consumption and falling copper prices. Income from joint ventures declined to $357,000 from $3 mil a year ago. Excluding depreciation, costs of sales rose 36% to $471.7 mil. Shares fell 3% to 40.82.

GUANGZHOU: Guangzhou is a chaotic export capital in southern China that for years has been a magnet for migrant workers like Lin Mu. He arrived three years ago and began working as a motorcycle taxi driver, ferrying people to work or to go shopping.

Guangzhou, he figured, would bring him riches.

Instead, Guangzhou, one of China’s richest cities, is now essentially kicking him out.

Lin, 50, is one of the tens of thousands of motorcycle owners now considered threats to social stability. Motorcycles and motorized bicycles, primary modes of transport for migrants clawing up the economic ladder, are being banned in the name of reducing traffic and crime. Without his bike, Lin predicted he would have to move.

“It might be because Guangzhou is richer now,” Lin said, offering an explanation for the ban and then laughing at his own words. “There are no more poor people, so there is no room for motorcycles! Everyone has millions and millions!”

The Communist Party is trying to focus the expectations of the Chinese people on a better, if distant, future where everyone is more affluent and China is a true modern nation. Yet cities like Guangzhou and nearby Shenzhen that have already begun to taste real prosperity are learning that new wealth can bring new problems and not always solve old ones.

The motorcycle ban is a case in point. Guangzhou is getting richer

and, for a moment this month, even appeared to have become the first mainland Chinese city with a per capita income of $10,000. But as incomes have steadily risen in Guangzhou, so have crime, traffic and inequality. The same affluence that has attracted migrants like Lin to the city also has brought an influx of criminals, particularly since 2000. Motorcycle

gangs, thieves and muggers have sparked a crime wave.

“Crime will be a long-term problem in Guangzhou,” said Peng Peng, director of research management for the Guangzhou Academy of Social

Sciences. “As long as there is a vast gap between the rich and poor in the city, Guangzhou will suffer from crime.”

Inequality is unquestionably stark: Last week, Guangzhou had to lower its per capita income figure to $7,800 because the more glamorous $10,000 figure was calculated without including the city’s estimated three million-plus migrants. Still, problems like crime have largely diluted public sympathy. Last month, a high-ranking official in Guangzhou’s Communist Party blamed migrants for the city’s social problems and proposed a cap on the number of migrants allowed into the city in Guangdong Province.

The city has not instituted these restrictions, but the motorcycle ban is having the same affect. Thousands of motorcycle taxi riders left Guangzhou before the deadline on Monday, when the police were expected to tighten enforcement. Still others have turned over their motorcycles and motorized bicycles to government impound lots in

exchange for modest cash payments.

“A lot of people have left,” said one rider, Gong, 40, his eyes darting in search of customers as well as police officers as he and other riders idled along a major thoroughfare in the city’s Tianhe District. “We’re just biding our time until the final deadline on the

15th.”

Gong, who declined to give his full name, migrated to Guangzhou five years ago from Hunan Province, bringing his wife and child. He had earned about $250 a month on his motorcycle a healthy wage for a migrant but now he said he was not certain what he would do.

“Oh, here they come, here they come!” he said, suddenly racing off as two police officers approached on a motorbike. “Sorry, I’ve got to go.”

Crime has become a major problem in Guangzhou. Most major Chinese cities feel very safe by American standards, but Guangzhou now routinely reports more than 100,000 criminal offenses a year. Thefts, purse snatching, robberies and muggings have become common. One 2006 public opinion poll found that only 20 percent of residents felt safe. Hawkers at one pedestrian overpass in Tianhe District were selling switchblades and collapsible metal rods as self-defense weapons.

Last March, Zhang Guifang, a high- ranking Communist Party official in the city, signaled a tougher stance when he castigated police officers for their timidity and encouraged them to open fire against suspects when necessary. The police subsequently shot five mugging suspects.