Vodafone's fiscal-year net loss of '17.2 billion ($32.2 billion U.S.) included one-time charges of '23.5 billion ($44 billion) from write-downs that reduced the asset value of business operations in several countries. The company said revenue increased 10 percent year over year, to '29.4 billion ($55.1 billion).

China enacts Internet copyright regulations

BEIJING -- Internet pirates will face fines of up to 100,000 renminbi ($12,500 U.S.) for unauthorized use of copyrighted material on the Internet under new Chinese regulations.

Starting July 1, uploading or downloading copyrighted material from the Internet will require the copyright holder's permission, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported last week. The new regulations also ban the use, production or importation of devices capable of evading copyrights.

U.S. industry groups such as the Business Software Alliance, the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America have long pressured the Chinese government to improve its record on fighting the use of pirated software and media.