Verizon acknowledges ongoing BlackBerry outages, says fix pending

Verizon Wireless acknowledged that BlackBerry users on its network have been facing delays and outages with e-mail and the data transfers this week, saying that fixes to its network were in the process of rolling out. The company said it was working alongside BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. to investigate the underlying cause of the outage.

"BlackBerry customers have been experiencing an issue with some delays," Verizon spokesman Ken Muche said. "We have escalated it with tech folks at RIM and our company on the network side."

A number of users online, many of whom say they're from California, have reported trouble receiving e-mail and surfing the Web on their devices.

Two days ago, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton joined the chorus of frustrated users when he tweeted that he would switch to a different carrier if Verizon didn't "get your BlackBerry issues fixed ASAP! Grrrr!"

Similar reports could be found across Twitter and in the blogosphere.

Verizon's Muche said the company didn't yet have a final analysis of the problem. Asked if the outage affected systems on which the upcoming Verizon iPhone would run, he said, "I haven't seen any evidence of that at all. I want to make sure that our root cause analysis is completed before I can give a definitive answer either way."

Verizon hasn't yet said if it will offer affected users a credit for the service interruption they experienced.

Caterpillar 4Q Profit Surges On The Improved Demand; Results Beat

Caterpillar Inc.'s (CAT) fourth-quarter earnings soared as the heavy-machinery maker saw demand recover from the slumping levels a year earlier.

The results beat analysts' expectations, sending shares up 2.8% at $98.45 in premarket trading. The stock through Wednesday's close is up 79% in the past year.

For the new year, the company said it expects earnings near $6 a share and affirmed its October revenue view, while analysts forecast $5.86.

Chairman and Chief Executive Doug Oberhelman said "continued growth in developing countries, improving economies in North America and Europe, strong demand for mining products and the need for our dealers to add to inventories and replenish rental fleets should all contribute to higher sales in 2011. The increases are likely to be mitigated somewhat by small declines in later cycle industries, such as turbines and marine engines."

Strong earnings reports and recent forecasts from several United States. manufacturers suggest an industrial rebound remains robust--which bodes well for equipment makers such as Caterpillar. The company's performance improved sharply last year as construction and mining companies replenished equipment after cutting back in 2009.

Caterpillar embarked on several significant acquisitions last year, including its $7.6 billion deal for mining-equipment company Bucyrus International Inc. (BUCY) in Nov.

Caterpillar reported a profit of $968 million, or $1.47 a share, up from $232 million, or 36 cents a share, a year earlier. The prior year included 5 cents in charges.

The world's largest manufacturer of bulldozers, excavators, wheel loaders and other construction machinery, reported revenue surged 62% to $12.81 billion after tumbling 39% a year earlier.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters most recently forecast earnings of $1.27 on revenue of $11.63 billion.

Machinery and engine sales surged 69% after sliding 41% a year earlier.

The company forecast $3 billion in capital expenditures for this year, with more than half earmarked for the United States.

Marvel Comics kills of legendary Fantastic Four superhero The Human Torch

Marvel Comics is making a bold statement by killing off one of their original comic book superheroes nearly 50 years after his first appearance.

Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, sacrifices himself to the Earth from an army of Negative Zone monsters in Fantastic Four #587 on sale beginning Wednesday.

Series writer Jonathan Hickman decided months ago to kill off one of the superhero team's four core members, which also include Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman.

Hickman wanted to delve into the three remaining members' broken psyches and how they can recover from such a devastating loss.

Marvel revealed issue #588, which follows the team after the death of the Torch, will be the series' finale issue. What happens with the three remaining FF members following their comic’s cancellation has yet to be revealed.

Created by the legendary team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Fantastic Four debuted on newsstands in November 1961 as Marvel Comics' first comic book. The series changed the public's perception on comic superheroes by introducing characters with flaws and having to deal with both villains as well as every day life moments like mail and rent.

All may not be lost for fans of The Human Torch. Many a comic book character has come back from the nether regions.

Original X-Men Jean Grey "died" in 1980 only to return five years later. And in 1992 Superman was "killed" off to come back from over a year later.

Only time will tell if comic book readers will read the words "Flame on!" from the favorite hot-headed hero again.

Harley-Davidson Rallies as The Loss Shrinks

Harley-Davidson Inc.'s fourth-quarter loss narrowed sharply as the motorcycle maker posted sharply lower restructuring-related expenses and its financial-services business returned to the profitability.

The adjusted loss wasn't as wide as analysts had feared and revenue beat estimates, prompting a rally in Harley shares Tues.

The company has been recreating itself as a smaller manufacturer, aiming to increase its presence outside the United States. as economic weakness has curbed demand for its high-end bikes. Harley last month introduced the first 2 motorcycles from its India factory, as it tries to expand in one of the world's fastest-growing two-wheeler markets and lower manufacturing costs.

The financing unit has been a bright spot in recent quarters as credit quality has improved. Harley tightened its lending standards in early 2009, making fewer loans to subprime borrowers and requiring larger down payments. In the latest quarter the segment posted a profit of $43.5 million, compared with a prior-year loss of $7.1 million.

Harley reported a loss of $46.8 million, or 20 cents a share, compared with a prior-year loss of $218.7 million, or 94 cents. Excluding items, restructuring-related and debt extinguishment charges, the loss was 18 cents. Revenue increased 20% to $917.1 million after plunging 40% a year earlier.

Gross margin rose to 29.6% from 20.3% amid a favorable product mix and currency fluctuations.

Harley-Davidson motorcycle shipments grew 24% from a year earlier after falling 53% a year earlier.

The company forecast 2011 motorcycle shipments of 221,000 to 228,000 up from 210,494 in 2010. For the current quarter it sees shipments of 51,000 to 56,000 motorcycles in line with 53,674 reported a year earlier.

It also projected 2011 capital spending of $210 million to $230 million, compared with capital spending of $170.8 million last year. It also lowered its costs estimates for its restructuring program begun in 2009 by $10 million to $25 million.

David Guetta 'Had A Blast' Filming With Web Sensation Keenan Cahill

When will David Guetta begin recording with the U2? We can't confirm just yet, but on Tues (January 25), the French hitmaker added yet another name to an already stellar list of collaborators. Only this time, he's not pairing up with Akon, Black Eyed Peas or Madonna, but Internet sensation Keenan Cahill.

In just over a year, the Chicago 15-year-old has become a Web phenomenon by filming himself lip-synching pop songs from his bedroom. Ke$ha, Usher, Willow Smith, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Pink are just a few artists who have gotten the Cahill treatment; his deliveries of "Like a G6," "Only Girl (In the World)" and "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" have more than seven million views. Thus far, his version of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" is the most popular, with more than 27 millions views.

Late last year, Cahill appeared on "Chelsea Lately," where the bespectacled teen gave host Chelsea Handler his digits and premiered his clip of 50 Cent and Jeremih's "Down on Me," in which Fif appears. He also appeared on MTV's New Year's Eve special donning 2011 shades in a vid set to Pink's "Raise Your Glass."

Cahill premiered his latest achievement, featuring David Guetta, on Tues, set to a medley of Guetta's hit songs ("Sexy Chick," "Memories," "When Love Takes Over," "Gettin' Over You" and his BEP classic "I Gotta Feeling"). When MTV News caught up with Guetta last week, he had just returned from Chicago after filming the clip with Cahill in his bedroom, and he was still beaming from the experience.

"I had a blast," Guetta said. "I went to Chicago, and we just shot that video. It's really cool. It's really funny, and he's a really clever kid. Keenan is really a YouTube phenomenon. It's unbelievable. He's only fifteen, and he really knows what he's doing. His expressions are really funny and interesting."

"I was behind him. Sometimes I was there, sometimes I wasn't. It was about him, really. I think that's better like that," he said. "I just wanted to show support, and I thought it was a cool thing. I'm sure people are going to love this."

And if Cahill weren't big enough already, Guetta certainly knows a place where he is set to become a whole lot more famous.

"I'm sure people are going to love this. Probably, he's going to become really big now in France," Guetta laughed.

Deadly Blast Strikes in the Moscow’s Main Airport

An explosion rocked an international terminal of Moscow’s busiest airport on the Monday afternoon. There were conflicting reports on the number of dead and injured, but the toll appeared to be rising rapidly. The authorities were seeking to determine the cause.

Moscow police were put on terror alert, the RT TV station reported.

Russia’s Interfax Agency initially reported that the blast in the airport, Domodedovo, killed as many as ten and left many more injured. Russia’s Investigative Committee said there were at least 20 casualties, without differentiating between injured and dead. The Health Ministry reported that 31 peoples had been killed and 130 injured, according to Ria Novosti.

A spokeswoman from the airport said the explosion occurred in the arrivals hall.

Russian news agencies, citing witnesses, said airport halls were filled with so much smoke that it was difficult to count the dead. International arrivals were being diverted to nearby, according to local news media reports.

The explosion occurred at 4:32 p.m. local time, according to RT TV.

The airport, southeast of the capital, is Russia’s largest hub for international travelers, with more than 20 million passengers passing through last year.