Danny Puff

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc is selling its home networking business to Belkin, the networking giant's latest move to exit the consumer business.

The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, which Belkin said on Thursday is expected to close in March.

With the sale, Cisco sheds one of the last remaining pieces of its consumer business, following the shutdown of the Flip video camera business in 2011. Earlier this month, Cisco said it would shutter its Umi online video-conferencing service.

"Their direct consumer business had all but gone away. This was the next shoe to fall," said ZK Research analyst Zeus Kerravala.

"They made a commitment to investors that they were going to focus on their core areas," said Kerravala, who noted that the profit margins for the home networking business were lower than those for Cisco's other businesses.

The deal comes 10 years after Cisco entered the home networking business with its $500 million stock acquisition of the Linksys Group in March 2003.

Belkin, a privately held company that makes smartphone accessories and home networking products, said it would continue to maintain the Linksys brand, and that it would have a roughly 30 percent share of the U.S. home and small business networking market after the deal.

Cisco does not break out financial results for the home networking business. The Cisco business unit that includes the home networking business, as well as other networking and "emerging" technology products, had revenue of $220 million in the most recent quarter, down roughly 12 percent year on year.

Shares of Cisco slipped 3 cents to $20.99 in after-hours trading on Thursday.

(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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If you live anywhere within the northern two-thirds of the United States, you've probably noticed that it's pretty chilly outside. The plunge in temperatures over the past few days comes courtesy of an invasion of Arctic air that has been captured in a mesmerizing new animation from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The animation, made with weather data from the NOAA/NCEP Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis, begins on Saturday (Jan. 19) with very cold air seen only over the Rockies, Montana, North Dakota, the northern half of Minnesota and the northern portions of New England. Much of the eastern and central parts of the country saw weekend weather that was balmier than usual for mid-January.

Thanks to a kink in the jet stream that brought it dipping down, the cold air begins plunging southward on Sunday, mostly in the northern plains states and the Midwest. On Monday it begins to surge even farther to the south, covering the Plains, the Midwest, the Northeast and even extending into some of the southern states.

The cold surge retreats a bit later in the day, then makes another push on Tuesday, fully extending into the northern parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. The pattern repeats on Wednesday, with the cold receding much farther north later in the day, before making another southward push on Thursday.

All the back-and-forth is caused by diurnal cycle of heating and cooling, a NOAA statement explains, but "the pattern is clear: much of the U.S. is pretty cold," it notes.

The cold air is expected to retreat from the Midwest this weekend, letting warmer air force its way in, according to Accuweather.com. The collision of these air masses will bring an ice storm to the region, the site's meteorologists predict.

Snow and icy weather could hit the eastern United States starting tomorrow (Jan. 25), with temperatures finally rising above freezing over the weekend or early next week, depending on the location.

Reach Andrea Thompson at athompson@techmedianetwork.com and follow her on twitter @AndreaTOAP. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebook and Google+.

In Images: Extreme Weather Around the World Best National Parks to Visit During Winter The Coldest Places on Earth Copyright 2013 OurAmazingPlanet, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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CLEVELAND (Reuters) - The Ohio woman dubbed "the cleaning fairy" by local media because she broke into a home and cleaned it without permission, was arrested on Tuesday after police found her shovelling snow from a driveway without the owner's consent, police said.

Police in Elyria, a city 30 miles southwest of Cleveland, arrested Susan Warren, 53, on an outstanding warrant stemming from the separate incident last year where she entered a suburban Cleveland home, did some light cleaning and left a note charging the owner $75.

She could face jail time for a probation violation but no charges have been brought for the unsolicited snow shovelling, an Elyria Police Department spokeswoman told Reuters on Thursday.

Last November, Warren pleaded guilty to attempted burglary and trespassing in connection with the house cleaning incident in May.

According to Sherry Bush, the owner of the home, she called Warren to question if she had cleaned the wrong home by mistake and was told by Warren that there was no mistake, that she "does this all the time" and thought she was doing Bush a favour. Bush made the remarks on May 30 last year, in an interview on WKYC-TV in Cleveland.

Warren was arrested and given one year of probation. She violated the terms of her probation earlier this month, triggering the warrant for her arrest, according to Cuyahoga County Court records. The records did not specify what Warren did to violate the probation.

(Reporting By Kim Palmer; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Carol Bishopric)

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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Thursday it acquired text-to-speech technology company Ivona Software, a sign that the world's largest Internet retailer may be looking to develop more services similar to Apple Inc's Siri voice-based search product.

An Amazon spokeswoman declined to say how much the company paid for Ivona.

Ivona's technology already supports several features on Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet computers, such as text-to-speech, said Dave Limp, who oversees the Kindle business.

"We look forward to building great products to deliver world-class voice solutions to customers around the world," Limp said in a statement.

Apple's Siri service on its iPhone smartphones allows users to ask questions and it delivers answers, or suggests possible actions. Ivona's text-to-speech technology on Amazon's Kindle Fire HD tablets reads Kindle e-books aloud to users.

"The Ivona acquisition could provide some technology on the Kindle to compete with Siri, although I would argue that Siri has not been all that was expected of it so far," said Kerry Rice, an analyst at Needham & Co.

Ivona could also help Amazon expand its e-book market to more people with disabilities, such as the blind, Rice added.

Ivona already works with organizations that support visually impaired people, including the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

Amazon shares rose 2.2 percent to $274.15 in afternoon trading on Thursday and hit a record $276.65 in earlier action.

(Reporting By Alistair Barr; editing by Gunna Dickson; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

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LONDON (Reuters) - Double Booker prize-winning author Hilary Mantel said the characters in her historical novels about the rise of Thomas Cromwell will take the next "logical step" to a stage adaptation at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) this year.

Mantel said in a video interview on the RSC website this week that she has always longed to give "solid form" to her depictions of Cromwell, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in her "Wolf Hall" and "Bring Up the Bodies" books.

"From the moment I started writing Wolf Hall the characters were fighting to be off the page," Mantel said in the video.

The 60-year-old Mantel said she was delighted to have playwright Mike Poulton, whose works have garnered some of the theatre world's top awards, recreate her novels for the stage.

"He's the man who knows about the stagecraft," she said. "I'm the one who knows the characters inside out."

The first woman and first Briton to win the Booker twice for her novels set in Henry VIII's court said she has been inspired by the RSC since the age of 15 when she went alone to its Stratford-upon-Avon home and watched four plays in three days.

"It was a shaping experience, so it really is a dream come true for me to have the opportunity to see the RSC present my plays," she said.

Mantel is working on a third novel in the trilogy.

The RSC also said on Wednesday that David Tennant will star in the title role of "Richard II" in winter 2013, making his return five years after a turn as Hamlet which earned him a best Shakespearean performance trophy at the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards in 2009.

"Both plays will be directed by Royal Court Associate Director Jeremy Herrin, making his RSC directing debut," RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran said.

The world premiere of "Wendy & Peter Pan" by Ella Hickson and directed by Jonathan Munby will round out the winter season, the RSC said.

Tickets for the RSC's winter 2013 season, which begins in October 2013 and runs until March 2014 will go on sale for members on February 11 and for the wider public on March 18, the RSC said.

(Reporting by Paul Casciato; editing by Patricia Reaney)

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NEW YORK (AP) Juanes (WAH'-nehs) has more to say than will fit in a hit song.

The Colombian singer announced Thursday that his first memoir will be released April 2 in English and Spanish. Its titles are "Chasing the Sun" and "Persiguiendo el sol," and they'll be released on Celebra, a division of Penguin Group (USA).

A news release said the book will feature photos and "personally penned intimate details about his life." It will also include stories about "the effects of witnessing corruption and violence" in Medellin, Colombia, where Juanes grew up, as well as "the regret and remorse surrounding his father's death."

Juanes is married with three children.

He is a Grammy Award winner and has multiple Latin Grammys, including last year's album of the year for "Juanes: MTV Unplugged."

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PARIS (AP) Benjamin Millepied, the "Black Swan" choreographer who helped transform Natalie Portman into an obsessed, paranoid ballerina for the film and later married the actress, was named director of the Paris Opera Ballet on Thursday.

Millepied, 35, is a former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet who left in 2011 to create his own dance company in Los Angeles, L.A. Dance Project. He'll start at the Paris company in October 2014, when the current dance director, Brigitte Lefevre, retires.

Millepied and Portman, who have a son, met during the making of "Black Swan," Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller that stars Portman as a ballet dancer.

Portman won the best actress Academy Award or her performance in the movie.

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TORONTO (Reuters) - Shares of Research In Motion Ltd rose 3 percent on Thursday after a report quoted China's Lenovo Group as saying a bid for the BlackBerry maker was among the options for boosting its mobile business.

"We are looking at all opportunities -- RIM and many others," Lenovo Chief Financial Officer Wong Wai Ming told Bloomberg in an interview at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. "We'll have no hesitation if the right opportunity comes along that could benefit us."

Wong said Lenovo has spoken to RIM and its bankers about various combinations or strategic ventures, the Bloomberg report said.

Any bid for RIM, which Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has described as a national "crown jewel," would face a rigorous review by the government to determine whether the deal would bring a "net benefit" to Canada.

Earlier this week, RIM shares surged to a 13-month high after Chief Executive Thorsten Heins said RIM may consider strategic alliances with other companies after next week's launch of devices powered by a new operating system.

In an interview with a German newspaper on Monday, Heins said RIM's review could potentially lead to the sale of its handset business or the licensing of its software to rival smartphone companies.

Analysts expressed skepticism about a Lenovo bid for RIM.

"Anybody who's serious about buying a company doesn't go talking it up...It sounds to me like a comment made more for publicity's sake than a serious approach for RIM," said Charter Equity analyst Ed Snyder. "It is a very long shot at the best. There's so many hurdles. One is regulatory of course."

Earlier this week, Canada's Industry Minister Christian Paradis told Reuters that the Canadian government might go to the extent of even reviewing a sale of RIM's handset business, following the comments made by RIM's CEO.

"I think third parties are always interested in making acquisitions, but to conclude that they (Lenovo) are going to buy RIM is a stretch," said RBC Capital Markets analyst Paul Treiber.

ALL OPTIONS EXAMINED

RIM announced a far-reaching strategic review last May under which it was expected to examine all options, from software licensing deals to an outright sale of the company.

After the comments from Lenovo, a RIM spokesman said the company had nothing new to report on its strategic review at this time.

"We continue to examine all available options to create new opportunities, focusing on areas where we will be more effective partnering rather than going it alone, and ultimately maximizing value for all stakeholders," said RIM spokesman Nick Manning.

The company, once a pioneer in the smartphone industry, has struggled in recent years as its aging line-up of devices lost market share to Apple Inc's iPhone and devices based on Google Inc's Android operating system.

RIM hopes its new touch-screen and keyboard devices, powered by its new BlackBerry 10 operating system, will help it claw back market share.

Shares of RIM were up 3.1 percent at $17.88 in midday trading on the Nasdaq. The Toronto-listed shares were up 3.5 percent at C$17.90. RIM is a volatile stock, and moves of 3 percent and more are not uncommon.

A spokesman for Lenovo said the comments made during the Bloomberg interview were consistent with previous statements on Lenovo's M&A strategy.

"Lenovo is very focused on growing its business, both organically and through M&A. When inorganic ideas arise, we explore them to see if there is a strategic fit," Lenovo spokesman Brion Tingler said in an e-mail.

RIM shares are down almost 90 percent from an all-time high of over C$148 in 2008, but the stock has rallied in the last four months as the launch of the BlackBerry 10 devices nears. Its shares have nearly tripled in value since dipping as low as C$6.22 in late September.

(Reporting by Euan Rocha in Toronto and Sinead Carew in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty and Leslie Gevirtz)

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GWANDA, Zimbabwe (AP) In Zimbabwe as well as most parts of southern Africa, mopane worms are a staple part of the diet in rural areas and are considered a delicacy in the cities. They can be eaten dry, as crunchy as potato chips, or cooked and drenched in sauce. I decided to document the harvesting, preparation, sale and consumption of the worms, and found the preparation somewhat stomach-turning. But the worms can be mighty tasty and they're very nutritious. Here's everything you always wanted to know about mopane worms but were afraid to ask.

THE MOPANE WORM

The worm is the large caterpillar of the Gonimbrasia belina species, commonly called the emperor moth. It is known as a mopane worm because it is found chomping the leaves of mopane trees after it hatches in summer. It has also burrowed its way into literature, finding its way, for example, into the pages of Alexander McCall Smith's series about The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, set in neighboring Botswana. At least one of the characters munches on dried mopane worms.

THE HARVEST

After six weeks of rain, the mopane worms can be seen clinging to, and feeding on, the leaves of the mopane trees in rural Gwanda, an arid cattle-ranching area in southern Zimbabwe. Amanda Ncube normally fetches firewood to sell and looks after the family cattle, but when it's worm-harvesting season she joins other women and a few men in collecting the worms, which are as long as the width of two hands and as thick as a cigar. She slowly plucks them from the lower branches before climbing partway up the tree to shake off the higher ones. The more stubborn ones that cling to the leaves and branches are pried loose with a long stick. The worms excrete a brown liquid once they make contact with a human hand, leaving the pickers' hands wet and slippery. As they harvest the worms, the women and men move from one tree to another until their buckets are full. A thick slimy green fluid comes out as Ncube carefully squeezes out the entrails from a mopane worm she has just plucked from a tree. While some worms are prepared on site, other harvesters wait until they are back home where they squeeze out the entrails of the worms before leaving them to dry for a few days in the hot African sun. During harvest season, the porches of mud-walled homes are covered with thousands of worms, laid out to dry.

THE MARKET

At the local market, mopane worms are quite popular with residents who buy a cup or two of them and eat them immediately. The market is abuzz with activity, with most stalls strategically displaying the delicacy so people cannot miss them. Vendors offer free samples. The mopani worms are graded according to size and the area where they were harvested. Picky buyers ask about their provenance before buying, favoring worms from one district over another because, to the connoisseurs, worms from one area taste different from those from another.

HIGH PROTEIN

The mopane worm is a healthful and cheap source of nutrition.

A Zimbabwean nutritionist, Marlon Chidemo, says the worms are high in healthy nutrients and contain three times the amount of protein as beef. He says eating worms is less taxing on the environment than consuming beef because it takes far fewer leaves to produce worms than it does feed to produce the same amount of beef.

WORMY BUSINESS

Dried mopane worms have become a multimillion-dollar industry, even exported to countries like South Africa and Botswana. They can be found in African restaurants in Paris.

PREPARATION

Once they've been dried out, they can be eaten straight away. They can also be cooked in a spicy or peanut butter sauce and served with pap, a maize porridge.

Having grown up eating the mopane worms, I have never had the opportunity to see how they harvest and prepare them until now. While the process is rather disgusting, the worm can be a pleasure to eat as a starter or a side dish. The taste is reminiscent of salty potato chips. Malawi's first President Hastings Kamuzu Banda preferred his just like that, simply dried and then eaten as a snack like chips. Banda was known for carrying around pocketsful of worms that he would also offer to children.

A RECIPE

Here is a Congolese recipe that AP's special Africa correspondent Michelle Faul describes as "one of the tastiest" for mopane worms.

Mopani Worms for four people.

Ingredients: 500 grams dried mopane worms; three tomatoes, diced or 1 can of tomatoes; two onions, diced; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; three fresh green chilies, finely chopped; three cloves of garlic, finely chopped; tablespoon of fresh ginger, finely chopped. Soak dried worms in water for 3-4 hours to reconstitute. Fry onions in groundnut oil on medium heat until translucent. Add turmeric, chilies, garlic and ginger. Fry for about five minutes. Add tomatoes and cook on low for about 20 minutes until spices are well blended. Add drained worms and cook until they have softened a bit but still are a little crunchy. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pap, called sadza in Zimbabwe. Enjoy.

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LONDON (AP) British regulators have fined Sony 250,000 pounds ($396,100) for failing to prevent a 2011 cyberattack on its PlayStation Network which put millions of users' personal information including names, addresses, birth dates and account passwords at risk.

Britain's Information Commissioner's Office said Thursday that security measures in place at the time "were simply not good enough." It said the attack could have been prevented if software had been up to date, while passwords were also not secure.

David Smith, deputy commissioner and director of data protection, acknowledged that the fine for a "serious breach of the Data Protection Act" was "clearly substantial" but said that the office makes "no apologies" for that.

"There's no disguising that this is a business that should have known better," he said in a statement. "It is a company that trades on its technical expertise, and there's no doubt in my mind that they had access to both the technical knowledge and the resources to keep this information safe."

Smith called the case "one of the most serious ever reported" to the data regulator.

Sony, which has previously apologized for the data breach, said Thursday it "strongly disagrees" with the ruling and plans to appeal.

David Wilson, a spokesman for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., said the company noted that the ICO recognized that Sony was the victim of a criminal attack and that there is no evidence payment card details were accessed.

"Criminal attacks on electronic networks are a real and growing aspect of 21st century life and Sony continually works to strengthen our systems, building in multiple layers of defense and working to make our networks safe, secure and resilient," he said in a statement.

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Cassandra Vinograd can be reached at http://twitter.com/CassVinograd

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