March 4, 2008 — NBC Universal said it will divide digital, research and marketing duties among three executives after the departure of integrated media boss Beth Comstock, who is headed back to parent General Electric.

Comstock returns as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, an expanded role of the position she held before moving to NBC Universal in 2005.

Comstock, whose departure was first reported in The Post, will oversee sales, marketing and digital initiatives for GE and report to Chairman Jeff Immelt.

As the head of integrated media, Comstock met with mixed reviews. She led NBC’s digital team and played a key role in developing Hulu.com, the online video venture with News Corp., which owns The Post.

She also oversaw the purchase of female-focused site iVillage for $600 million. The site is supposed to be the cornerstone of NBC’s digital properties but doubts remain about its growth.

Comstock’s departure resulted in a reshuffling of roles among NBC’s top executives. Salil Mehta, the head of business strategy and development, will head NBC’s digital media team.

Mike Pilot, president of sales and marketing, will lead the research team.

Jeff Gaspin, president and chief operating officer of the Universal Television Group, will assume oversight of iVillage on an interim basis.

Gaspin will also oversee what NBC is calling a virtual women’s network, that includes iVillage as well as cable networks Bravo and Oxygen. NBC said the platform will allow advertisers to target women across its properties.

The Football Association has appointed Stuart Pearce as one of Fabio Capello’s coaches for the England team. As expected, Pearce will continue to coach the Under-21s but will join up with the seniors after Tuesday’s match against Republic of Ireland Under-21s at Southampton.

Following next week’s friendly against Switzerland at Wembley, he will also join Capello’s backroom staff for the end-of-season friendly against France in Paris as the Under-21s do not have a match.

“From the start I made it clear to everyone that I wanted an English coach as part of my coaching team,” said Capello. “I have spoken with Trevor Brooking and Stuart Pearce about this at length and I’m very happy that Stuart is working with me. This is very important as Stuart has a lot of experience and understanding of English football. He understands what I am looking to achieve and how I want to work.

“I believe it is crucial that both of us have a close working partnership to get the best for both the England team and the Under-21s. As well as being involved in all of the planning ahead of games, he will sit next to me on the bench during the matches and have a key position around the team.”

Pearce was keen to stress that his principle focus will be the Under-21s. “It will be a fantastic opportunity and a great education for me to work with Fabio Capello and the England senior team,” he said. “We have an important qualifier on Tuesday and I will continue to be with that squad as we work towards reaching the Under-21 European Championship.

“Once Under-21 games have been played I’m looking forward to being involved with the senior team as much as possible and the friendlies at the end of the season will give me a great opportunity to work with Fabio and his coaching team.”

(03-04) 03:11 PST BEIJING, China (AP) —

China announced a double-digit boost in defense spending Tuesday as a top lawmaker warned rival Taiwan from pursuing formal independence from Beijing.

The National People’s Congress, which opens its annual session Wednesday, is being presented with a 17.6 percent increase in military spending this year over 2007, to about $59 billion, spokesman Jiang Enzhu said, adding the money would mostly go to meet payrolls and rising fuel costs.

The rise marks the 18th double-digit percentage increase in 19 years Д spending that has ramped up the People’s Liberation Army’s ability to project power and drawn calls from Washington and Tokyo for Beijing to explain the buildup.

Hours before China announced the increase, the U.S. Defense Department released an annual assessment of China’s military, citing its improving space program, the launching of hacker attacks on foreign computer networks and a growing arsenal of missiles arrayed against Taiwan.

“China’s expanding and improving military capabilities are changing East Asian military balances,” the Pentagon report said.

Jiang, the legislative spokesman, and the Foreign Ministry defended the higher military spending in separate news conferences, saying that China’s intentions were not aggressive.

“We do not seek expansion. The purpose is to safeguard our sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.

Jiang said inflation meant the added money was needed to cover higher oil prices and boost salaries of the 2.3 million-member army.

China’s military budget accounted for 7.2 percent of government spending, far lower than U.S. military spending of 16.6 percent, Jiang said.

The higher military budget is all but certain to be approved during the two-week session of the National People’s Congress.

Among the army’s primary missions is enforcing China’s claim to Taiwan, a democratically ruled island that split with Beijing in a civil war a half-century ago. China considers Taiwan a renegade province and Jiang warned Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian on Tuesday not to test Beijing’s patience.

Beijing is particularly anxious about a referendum accompanying Taiwan’s March 22 presidential election. The poll asks voters if they favored joining the United Nations under the name Taiwan Д a move China views as an attempt by Taipei toward legal independence. Beijing has said it would squelch such a move with military force.

“If the Chen Shui-bian authorities should stubbornly continue down the path, they will surely pay a dear price,” Jiang said.

He did not elaborate, other than saying the situation across the Taiwan Strait was “grim and complex.”

Also on the legislature’s agenda are a restructuring of government agencies and the announcement of senior Cabinet appointments, decisions already made by the Communist Party leadership for the party-controlled congress to publicly approve.