Webwire: Samsung scotches Nokia buy rumors; Google clears French publishers

Samsung dismisses speculation it is interested in purchasing Nokia, putting an end to a short-lived spike in Nokia shares.
 
Google is clear to publish digital versions of French books after striking a deal with publishers in the country. The last lawsuit in a six year battle with the search giant has been withdrawn.
 
Sources claim Amazon will launch its Appstore in Europe this summer, its first deployment outside the US.
 
African operator Vodacom is losing ground to rival MTN due to lack of clarity over whether it or Vodafone is running the show, analysts believe.
 
Investment bank Global Investment House is cutting Bahrain operator Batelco’s rating from Strong Buy to Buy, on worries of continued pressure on domestic revenues.
 
France's Bouygues Telecom is teaming with virtual hotspot network operator Devicescape to offer free Wi-Fi services to its subscribers, in a bid to fight back against disruptive new French operator Free Mobile.
 
Android czar Andy Rubin denies he plans to leave Google to join new startup CloudCar, and revealed that there are now 900,000 Android phones activated per day.
 
Media giant Thomson Reuters has acquired mobile app design and consultancy business Apsmart, in a bid to bolster its mobile presence.