NOKIA CEO DENIES ACQUISITION TALKS WITH MICROSOFT

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop on Wednesday responded to reports that Nokia had agreed to sell its cell phone business to Microsoft for $19 billion. “We have a great plan for our future, and we’re focused on executing that plan,” Elop told Bloombergin an interview. “The rumors are all over the place. There’s no basis for them.”

According to Bloomberg’s report, Elop claims not only that a deal hasn’t been reached, but that Nokia has never discussed a potential acquisition with Microsoft.

AMAZON BUYS UK MOVIE STREAMING/RENTAL SERVICE LOVEFILM

Amazon has just announced it has agreed terms to buy up all the remaining shares of Lovefilm it didn't already own. The British outfit operates a subscription-based movie rental and streaming service in its home market along with Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and should give Amazon a very solid base from which to build its presumably Netflix-besting ambitions. Lovefilm has been just about the closest thing Europe has had to the ridiculously successful North American movie distributor and Amazon is arguably getting in just in time, given Netflix's overtures toward expanding into the UK. Customary closing conditions will need to be met before the final stamp of approval is applied, but the acquisition is expected to complete by the end of Q1 of this year.