XYDO.COM: World News

Mass protests held in Morocco

Tens of thousands take to the streets in Morocco's largest city, Casablanca, accusing the authorities of failing to deliver promised reforms.

Syria angry at Olympic ban threat

Syrian officials say the UK government "has no right" to deny their athletes access to the London 2012 Olympic games.

UN 'to meet' on Syria massacre

Britain is calling for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after a massacre in the embattled country of Syria left at least 90 people dead.

German girl 'enslaved in Bosnia'

A Bosnian couple kept a German girl as a slave and subjected her to inhumane treatment for eight years, reports from Bosnia say.

Scots to lower drink-drive limit

The drink-drive limit in Scotland will be lowered "as a priority", the Scottish government has said

Egypt's two contenders for president vie for votes

CAIRO (Reuters) - The two apparent survivors in Egypt's presidential race tried to gather support on Sunday from voters dismayed at what many see as a painful second-round choice between an Islamist apparatchik and a throwback to Hosni Mubarak's era.

Syria in New Attack Claims

Government troops shelled residential areas in central Syria on Sunday, two days after the bombardment killed at least 32 children.

Lady Gaga cancels Indonesia gig

Lady Gaga cancels a concert in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, citing "security" concerns, after protests by religious groups.

Japan: Americans held in Irish student's death

Police have detained two American men as part of an investigation into the strangling death of an Irish exchange student in Tokyo, local authorities said Sunday.

Outrage grows over Syria massacre

The US condemns the massacre in the Syrian town of Houla as the UK Foreign Secretary calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Mali rebels agree to Sharia state

Two rebel groups that seized nothern Mali two months ago agree to merge and turn their territory into an Islamist state, both sides say.

Sweden wins Eurovision contest

Swedish singer Loreen has won this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan, with UK entry Engelbert Humperdinck finishing 25th out of 26th.

Germany sets new solar power record, institute says

BERLIN (Reuters) - German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity per hour - equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity - through the midday hours on Friday and Saturday, the head of a renewable energy think tank said.

'Appalling Syria crime' condemned

International leaders condemn the reported killing of at least 90 people, including children, in the Syrian town of Houla, by government forces.

'Appalling Syria crime' condemned

International leaders condemn the reported killing of at least 90 people, including children, in the Syrian town of Houla, by government forces.

SpaceX Dragon Opens at ISS

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft rendezvoused with and was berthed to the International Space Station on

Anti-cuts protest at Clegg's home

Up to 100 anti-cuts protesters gather outside Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's home in south-west London.

Iran has enough uranium for five nuclear weapons, claims US thinktank

The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a think-tank which closely tracks Iran's nuclear program, said today that its analysis of the data recently released by the IAEA shows that Iran has produced enough low-enriched uranium in the past five years for at lease five nuclear weapons if refined to weapon-grade purity. On Friday, the IAEA reported that Iran was pressing ahead with its uranium enrichment work. IAEA report said Iran has produced 6.2 tons of uranium enriched to a level of 3.5 percent since 2007, some 759 kg more than in previous IAEA report in February. "This total amount of 3.5 percent low enriched uranium hexafluoride, if further enriched to weapon grade, is enough to make over five nuclear weapons," ISIS said in its analysis. Iran began enriching uranium to a fissile concentration of 20 percent in 2010, saying it needed this to fuel a medical research reactor. It later expanded the work sharply by launching enrichment at Fordo underground site. No agreements on scaling back the production of enriched uranium could be reached between Iran and the six major powers during the Baghdad Talks that ended on Thursday.Source: Reuters, 26 May 2012

Brother of blind Chinese activist goes missing: lawyer

BEIJING (Reuters) - The brother of blind activist Chen Guangcheng has gone missing, a lawyer said on Saturday, days after he fled his village in northeastern China to seek help for his son who has been detained in a case that has become a rallying point among rights activists. Chen Guangfu, the eldest brother of Chen Guangcheng, fled his home in Shandong province and arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to seek legal help for his son, Chen Kegui, who is being held on an attempted murder charge. He appears to have become the latest target of the government's reprisals against Chen Guangcheng's family in the wake of the blind activist's escape from his village in late April after 19 months of detention at home. Chen Guangcheng took refuge in the U.S. embassy, where he stayed for six days and sparked a diplomatic crisis between China and the United States. That crisis, which overshadowed a visit by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was finally defused last Saturday when China allowed Chen to fly to the United States to study. Chen Guangfu did not return to his hotel room in Beijing on Friday night, Shandong-based lawyer Liu Weiguo told Reuters. Zhao Wei, a Shandong supporter of Chen Guangcheng's family, was the last person to have contact with Chen Guangfu before they parted ways on Friday afternoon, Liu said. "As of now, there's still no news on Brother Guangfu," Liu said. "We're not optimistic. Guangcheng is also very worried. He's contacting friends to look (for him)." The news of Chen Guangfu's disappearance comes three days after the 55-year-old farmer and odd job laborer recounted to Reuters details of his own torture and reprisals by authorities since his brother's escape. Chen Guangfu said he was restricted from leaving his village and that police in Shandong warned him they would increase the sentence for his son, Chen Kegui, if he gave interviews. His son, Chen Kegui, 32, was charged with "intentional homicide" for using knives to fend off local officials who burst into his home on April 27, the day after they discovered his blind uncle had escaped. He could face the death penalty. His lawyers, denied access to him last week, said he did not kill anyone. Michael Posner, U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, said on Thursday the United States was closely monitoring Chen's family in China. Chen Guangcheng urged authorities in Beijing on Thursday to prosecute "lawless" officials who harassed and abused the self-taught lawyer, his family and supporters, saying such prosecutions could help China establish rule of law.

Finnish police in gunman chase

Finnish police are hunting a suspected gunmen who killed one person and injured several others in an apparently random shooting in the town of Hyvinkaa.

High Streets to share £1.2m pot

Twelve English High Streets - from Cornwall to Northumberland - will share a £1.2m pot of government cash to rejuvenate shopping areas.

Medvedev in party leadership vote

Russia's ruling party is expected to elect the Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as its new leader at a congress to be held in Moscow.

Cookie law set to come into force

Thousands of UK websites are expected to be in breach of a law that dictates what they can log about visitors.

Honduras protest at media murders

Protest have been held across Honduras demanding an end to a series of murders of journalists, amid accusations that criminals enjoy impunity.

Apple's boss rejects $75m payout

Apple's boss, Tim Cook, turns down a payout worth about $75m (£48m) that he was due from the technology giant's upcoming dividend.

Nations 'wasting time' on climate

The latest round of UN climate talks is nearing its end, with observers saying little progress has been made against a "coalition of the unwilling".

Berlusconi party girl says masqueraded as Obama

ROME (Reuters) - One of the young women who attended Silvio Berlusconi's "bunga bunga" parties told a court on Friday that she dressed up as a burlesque version of U.S. President Barack Obama to entertain the former Italian prime minister.

Vatican questions leaks suspect

The Vatican says it has detained a person it suspects of leaking a series of confidential documents and letters to the Italian media.

Lift Zimbabwe sanctions, UN urges

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay urges Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to ensure the upcoming elections will be free and fair.

Blair to appear before Leveson

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair is to appear before the Leveson Inquiry on Monday.

Bankia shares suspended in Madrid

Trading in Bankia shares is suspended amid reports that it is going to ask for a big government bailout later on Friday.

French president visits Kabul

France’s President Francois Hollande—Reuters Photo KABUL: French President Francois Hollande arrived in Kabul on Friday on a previously unannounced visit to meet French soldiers he has vowed to pull out of the war-torn country by the end of the year, an AFP reporter said. It is Hollande’s first visit to Afghanistan since taking office earlier this month. He was accompanied by French defence and foreign ministers, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Laurent Fabius, and chief of army staff Admiral Edouard Guillaud. The French head of state arrived at Kabul airport at around 8:30 am at the start of a visit expected to last only a few hours. Hollande told US President Barack Obama at the G8 summit in Camp David and made it clear at the Nato summit in Chicago that he would not renege on a campaign pledge to repatriate French combat troops a year earlier than planned. Aides said he was in Afghanistan “to explain himself” to French soldiers why he had decided to hasten their exit from the nearly 11-year war. There are currently 3,350 French soldiers in Afghanistan. Eighty-three have died since late 2001, when US-led troops invaded to bring down the Taliban regime after the 9/11 al Qaeda attacks on the United States.

Counting begins after Egypt vote

Counting begins at some polling stations after two days of voting in Egypt's first free presidential election, as the Muslim Brotherhood claims a lead.

Huawei in competition complaint

China's Huawei files a competition complaint against US firm InterDigital with European Union regulators.

US decries Pakistan doctor's fate

Pakistan on Thursday rejected U.S. criticism of the jailing of Shakeel Afridi, a Pakistani doctor who helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden, while a U.S. congressional panel cut aid to protest his imprisonment. A court in Pakistan's Khyber tribal region Wednesday sentenced Afridi to 33 years in prison for treason. He was accused of running a fake vaccination campaign to help the CIA obtain DNA samples of the al-Qaida leader and family members to confirm his presence

Microsoft wins ruling against Motorola over texting

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A German regional court ruled in a hearing on Thursday that Motorola Mobility infringed Microsoft patents by offering the option on its mobile phones to send a longer text in a batch of several messages.

Blind activist Chen gives TV interview

Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng gives his first in-depth interview to CNN.

Exclusive: Many Fidelity clients have Facebook problem: source

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fidelity Investments is working with "thousands" of brokerage clients affected by trading problems in Facebook Inc, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Russian spam mastermind jailed

A cybercrime mastermind who hijacked the PCs of more than 30 million people has been jailed for four years.

Yahoo launches visual search app

Yahoo tries to attract search queries via a new service which offers visual webpage previews rather than lists of links

China's CIC eyes up to $2 billion stake in Alibaba Group: sources

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp (CIC) CIC.UL is in advanced talks to buy an up to $2 billion stake in Alibaba Group ALIAB.UL, sources told Reuters, as the Chinese e-commerce powerhouse looks to secure the last of the funding it needs to buy back part of its stake from Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O). Yahoo and Alibaba struck a deal last week whereby the Chinese company agreed to buy back up to half of the 40 percent stake in itself held by Yahoo for $7.1 billion, valuing Alibaba at $35 billion. Alibaba is raising $4.6 billion of that target through an issue of preferred shares, bank loans and the sale of a stake to existing shareholders - Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings Pvt Ltd TEM.UL and DST Global. Another $2.5 billion in cash would allow Alibaba to fund the full $7.1 billion purchase. Sources with direct knowledge of the matter said CIC's $2 billion purchase of the Alibaba stake would help the e-commerce company complete its funding for the Yahoo purchase. Alibaba is also in talks with private equity firms that would assist in funding the remaining $500 million, sources said, including Bain Capital, Blackstone Group LP (BX.N), and Hony Capital. The sources declined to be named because the discussions were private. Alibaba, Blackstone, CIC and Hony all declined comment. Bain could not immediately be reached for comment. (Reporting by Stephen Aldred and Prakash Chakravarti; Additional reporting by Nadia Damouni in NEW YORK, Chyen-Yee Lee in HONG KONG and Gui Qing Koh in BEIJING; Editing by Denny Thomas, Michael Flaherty and Chris Lewis)

Economy shrank more than thought

The UK economy shrank by 0.3% in the first three months of the year, more than previously estimated, revised figures show.

Suu Kyi to make Thai forum visit

Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to attend the World Economic Forum in Bangkok next week, leaving Burma for the first time in 24 years.

Shareholders sue Facebook, NYSE comes calling

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The fallout from Facebook Inc's messy initial public offering widened on Wednesday as shareholders sued the social network and its bankers while a trading firm revealed a massive loss on the shares and threatened to seek "remedies." The Nasdaq stock exchange also came under further pressure as a source close to the situation told Reuters that NYSE Euronext had opened discussions with Facebook about a potential stock listing there. Nasdaq also faces litigation from angry investors. Facebook's listing, envisioned as a crowning moment for an eight-year-old company that has become a business and cultural phenomenon, has instead turned into a legal and public relations fiasco for the company and its lead underwriter, Morgan Stanley. Serious trading glitches interfered with the stock's opening on Friday, and subsequent revelations by Reuters that analysts had quietly reduced their revenue forecasts prior to the IPO have led to accusations of selective disclosure of material information. The shares closed at $32 on Wednesday, 15 percent below the IPO price. A lawsuit filed on Wednesday seeking class-action status alleged that defendants -- including Facebook, its Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and JPMorgan Chase & Co -- concealed "a severe and pronounced reduction" in revenue growth forecasts resulting from greater use of Facebook's app or website through mobile devices. It also accused Facebook of telling its bank underwriters to "materially lower" their forecasts for the company. The lawsuit said the underwriters disclosed the lowered forecasts to "preferred" investors only. "The main underwriters in the middle of the roadshow reduced their estimates and didn't tell everyone," said Samuel Rudman, a partner at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd, which brought the lawsuit. The firm is among the leading securities class actions firms in the country. "I don't think any investor in Facebook wouldn't have wanted to know that information." Andrew Noyes, a Facebook spokesman, said: "We believe the lawsuit is without merit and will defend ourselves vigorously." Morgan Stanley had no comment. It said on Tuesday that Facebook IPO procedures complied with all applicable regulations and were the same as in any initial offering. Also on Wednesday, Knight Capital Group Inc said its second-quarter results will be hurt by losses related to numerous issues during the listing. The firm, which provides electronic trading services to brokers and retail clients, foresees a pre-tax loss of $30 million to $35 million related to the IPO. The company has submitted claims for financial compensation from Nasdaq OMX and is considering all legal remedies available, Knight Capital said in a regulatory filing. Knight Capital's announcement may be a sign of things to come as other traders and investors tally up losses from the trading problems. Nasdaq OMX was also sued on Tuesday by an investor who claimed the exchange operator was negligent in handling orders for Facebook shares. Morgan Stanley said it is reviewing Facebook trades and would adjust prices for some retail customers who overpaid. A source familiar with the situation told Reuters that NYSE Euronext had opened discussions with Facebook about a potential stock listing there, and that the social networking giant was considering its options. The largest U.S. exchange later denied it was discussing a full listing transfer with the company, which became the first U.S. company to debut with a market value of over $100 billion. Wednesday's lawsuit, one of several that have been filed around the country, was brought in New York on behalf of Dennis Palkon and Brian Roffe, who said they respectively bought 1,800 and 200 Facebook shares at the IPO price, and Jacob Salzmann, who said he paid more than $123,000 on May 18 for 2,961 shares at an average $41.77 each. Research analysts at several underwriters lowered their forecasts for Facebook after the Menlo Park, California-based company in a May 9 prospectus cautioned investors about the possible impact of users shifting to mobile platforms. Facebook currently makes little revenue from mobile ads. Citing people with direct knowledge of the matter, Reuters reported this week that, during its IPO road show, Facebook advised analysts for its underwriters to reduce their profit and revenue forecasts. The lawsuit named underwriters Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Bank of America Corp as having cut their forecasts after the May 9 prospectus was filed, but that these cuts were not publicly revealed before the IPO. [ID:nL4E8GM8SK][ID:nL1E8GN0FT] The plaintiff-shareholders called the disclosures of Facebook's business risks inadequate, saying that analysts knew more about these risks and cut their business outlooks accordingly -- for the benefit of only some investors, not all. "If Facebook told analysts to materially lower their forecasts, it should have told the entire market," said Antony Page, a professor at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. "We need to know what exactly was said to the analysts, and determine how different Facebook's public story was from its private story." Regulators including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin are now looking into how the IPO was handled. The U.S. Senate Banking Committee is also reviewing the matter. "If Facebook faced a known and particularly salient risk, boilerplate language would be insufficient," said Elizabeth Nowicki, an associate professor at Tulane University Law School and a former SEC lawyer. Bank of America and Barclays Plc are also defendants in the New York case, as are Facebook Chief Financial Officer David Ebersman and several Facebook directors. Bank of America spokesman Bill Halldin, Barclays spokesman Mark Lane and Goldman spokesman Michael DuVally declined to comment. JPMorgan did not respond to requests for a comment. The case is Brian Roffe Profit Sharing Plan et al v. Facebook Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-04081. (Additional reporting by Alistair Barr in San Francisco, and Nadia Damouni and Olivia Oran in New York and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Jonathan Weber, Edwin Chan, Martha Graybow and Steve Orlofsky)

Greek euro exit too risky - Clegg

Nick Clegg is to warn of the dangers of a Greek exit from the euro and describe the response to the crisis as "woefully fragmented".

Hewlett-Packard cuts 27,000 jobs

Hewlett-Packard, the world's largest computer maker, is to cut 27,000 jobs by end of 2014 as part of a drive to "simplify" the business.

HP to lay off about 27,000, eyes over $3 billion savings

SAN FRANCISCO, May 23, 2012 (Reuters) -- Hewlett Packard Co outlined a plan on Wednesday to lay off roughly 27,000 employees or about 8 percent of its workforce, generating annual savings of $3 billion to $3.5 billion as it exits fiscal 2014. > read full story

Hewlett-Packard cuts 27,000 jobs

Hewlett-Packard, the world's largest computer maker, is to cut 27,000 jobs by end of 2014 as part of a drive to "simplify" the business.

Google did not infringe Oracle patents: jury

SAN FRANCISCO, May 23, 2012 (Reuters) -- Google Inc's Android mobile platform has not infringed Oracle's patents, a California jury decided in a high stakes trial fought by the two Silicon Valley giants over smartphone technology. > read full story

125 girls, 3 teachers poisoned at Afghan school

Some 125 girls and three teachers were admitted to an Afghanistan hospital Wednesday after being poisoned in classes, an official said.