Britain’s Pearson and Germany’s Bertelsmann are to merge their publishing units, Penguin and Random House, to recover ground lost to Amazon and Apple.

The British newspaper arm of News Corp has admitted to victims that executives covered up the scale of illegal activity by destroying evidence.

"It was the kind of place you get out of and you never want to go back again," said a former reporter of the <em>News of the World</em>.

United States coach Bob Bradley, who has scowled his way through much of the World Cup, allowed himself a rare smile on Wednesday.

The television will dominate home entertainment for another year in 2010, showing more staying power than newspapers and e-readers.

So Blade has met the vice-chancellors. Not that this meeting reached the tabloids. In fact, it was a subdued affair.