Pakistan briefly bans Twitter access for "blasphemy"
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan banned access to Twitter on Sunday because of "blasphemous" material, a Pakistani official said, but normal service was resumed after 12 hours. The government did not specify which users or messages had prompted the ban on the microblogging site or why it was allowed to operate again so quickly. Any representation of the Prophet Mohammad is deemed un-Islamic and blasphemous by many Muslims, who make up the overwhelming majority in Pakistan. ... (2012-05-21T07:52:38Z)
Alibaba buys back 20 percent stake held by Yahoo for $7.1 billion
SHANGHAI/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chinese Internet entrepreneur Jack Ma is buying back up to half of a 40 percent stake in his Alibaba Group from Yahoo Inc for $7.1 billion, in a deal that moves the Chinese e-commerce leader closer to a public listing. Under the agreement, Yahoo will sell half its stake in Alibaba for at least $6.3 billion in cash and up to $800 million in new Alibaba preferred stock. ... (2012-05-21T06:53:43Z)
Kelly Brook's dress causes a stir: Twitter highlights from Cannes
The appearance of actress Kelly Brook at Cannes causes a buzz on Twitter due to her "figure-hugging dress". Reactions to Kelly Brook's dress can be found below in this latest article from Relaxnews examining social media reaction to the Cannes Film Festival. (2012-05-20T12:04:51Z)
Pakistan blocks Twitter access over "blasphemous content"
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan on Sunday blocked access to Twitter in response to "blasphemous" material posted by users on the microblogging and social networking website, a senior government official said. "This has been done under the directions of the Ministry of Information Technology. It's because of blasphemous content," said Mohammed Yaseen, chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). "They (the ministry) have been discussing with them (Twitter) for some time now, requesting them to remove some particular content," he said. ... (2012-05-20T11:35:15Z)
Facebook investors left guessing after Nasdaq glitch
(Reuters) - Individual investors were left in the dark for hours on Friday about whether their buy and sell orders for newly issued Facebook shares had actually been executed, in the latest of a series high-profile exchange glitches in recent years. Massive demand for the social networking giant's initial public offering, which set a trading volume record for U.S. market debuts, led to a 45-minute delay in the start of trading in the stock. But it was what happened after trading started that had some on Wall Street fuming. ... (2012-05-18T22:03:18Z)
SEC to look at Facebook trade glitches
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Securities and Exchange Commission will review the Nasdaq trading glitches surrounding the initial public offering of Facebook Inc on Friday, an agency spokesman said. "As is our practice, staff will review the incident with Nasdaq to determine its cause and steps that will be taken to address it," SEC spokesman John Nester said in a statement. (Reporting By Dave Clarke; Editing by Gary Hill) (2012-05-18T22:03:18Z)
Historic Facebook debut falls short of expectations
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The historic initial public offering of Facebook Inc did not go as planned on Friday, as the social networking company's sky-high valuation combined with trading glitches left the stock languishing near its offering price at the market close. Facebook shares, which opened up 11 percent, closed at $38.23 after a nail-biting last half hour of trading when the shares dipped to their $38 IPO price. Most investors had predicted a first-day pop. More than 576 million shares changed hands, setting a trading volume record for U.S. market debuts. ... (2012-05-18T21:28:44Z)
Facebook IPO averts "odd lot" question
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Facebook Inc's modest debut on Friday may have averted a potential headache for the company and regulators, and kept at bay a debate over the role of "odd lots" in the marketplace. Shares of Facebook traded as high as $45, near the price of $50 that would keep many retail investors from placing a typical "round lot" order of 100 shares, because the total cost will be $5,000 - considered a threshold for many investors. By the end of regular trading on Friday, however, the stock closed at $38.23, just 23 cents, or 0.6 percent, above its initial public offering price. ... (2012-05-18T21:02:38Z)
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