FACTBOX - Al Qaeda and the Mideast: Analysts' views

FACTBOX - Al Qaeda and the Mideast: Analysts' views

FACTBOX - Al Qaeda and the Mideast: Analysts' views

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 12:46 AM PDT

Following are analysts' views:


Most Greeks think IMF help will hurt country- poll

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 12:46 AM PDT

ATHENS (Reuters) - More than half of Greeks think that resorting to the International Monetary Fund for aid to exit a debt crisis will hurt their country, an opinion poll showed on Friday.


Bombs in Iraqi town kill seven -- police

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 12:46 AM PDT

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Seven people were killed and 10 others wounded when six roadside bombs exploded early on Friday in Iraq's western Anbar province, police said.


'Heightened anxiety' after Thai attacks

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 11:56 PM PDT

Riot police in Thailand have stepped back from immediate confrontation with red-shirt anti-government protesters in Bangkok's city centre.


Thai police confront red shirts after grenade attack

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 12:13 AM PDT

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Hundreds of Thai riot police confronted anti-government protesters in Bangkok's business district on Friday, a day after grenades killed at least one person and wounded 86, but later pulled back without violence.


South Korea won't retaliate alone for ship sinking

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 12:13 AM PDT

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea on Friday gave the clearest signal to date it had no plan to launch a revenge attack if it turns out, as widely suspected, North Korea sank one of its navy vessels last month near their disputed border.


US sex abuse lawsuit names Pope

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 11:24 PM PDT

A man who says he was the victim of an American paedophile priest is bringing a lawsuit against the Pope and the Vatican in a US federal court. His lawyer, Jeff Anderson, called on the Catholic Church to release any files it has on abuse cases involving priests.


Whale poo could help oceans absorb CO2-scientists

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 11:23 PM PDT

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Whale droppings have emerged as a natural ocean fertiliser which could help combat global warming by allowing the Southern Ocean to absorb more carbon dioxide, Australian scientists have have found.


Israel PM seeks new plan as U.S. envoy visits - report

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 11:23 PM PDT

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed Palestinian statehood with temporary borders, to sidestep a deadlock over settlements ahead of talks on Friday with a U.S. envoy, a newspaper said.


South Korea won't retaliate alone for ship sinking

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 10:10 PM PDT

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea on Friday gave the clearest signal to date it had no plan to launch a revenge attack if it turns out, as widely suspected, North Korea sank one of its navy vessels last month near their disputed border.


Icelanders begin volcano clean-up

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 09:48 PM PDT

People living in the shadow of the Icelandic volcano are returning to their homes to begin the clean-up process.


Oil workers missing as rig sinks

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 09:43 PM PDT

An oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico which caught fire after an explosion on Tuesday has sunk, the US Coast Guard says.


'Drug lord' arrested in Mexico

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 09:45 PM PDT

One of Mexico's most wanted men, Gerardo Alvarez Vasquez, has been arrested after a bloody shoot-out in Mexico City.


Venezuela's two-tier health system

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 09:34 PM PDT

Public hospitals in Venezuela are missing out on equipment and trained physicians because funds are being poured into Cuban-run clinics instead.


Belgian PM offers to stand down

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 09:50 PM PDT

Belgium's Prime Minister Yves Leterme has tendered his resignation after one of the ruling coalition's main partners withdrew from the government.


Thai police pull back after confronting protesters

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 09:36 PM PDT

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Hundreds of Thai riot police confronted anti-government protesters at a barricade in Bangkok's business district on Friday, a day after grenade attacks in the area killed three people, but later pulled back without violence.


Thai police pull back after confronting protesters

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 08:11 PM PDT

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Hundreds of Thai riot police confronted anti-government protesters at a barricade in Bangkok's business district on Friday, a day after grenade attacks in the area killed three people, but later pulled back without violence.


Microsoft profit soars thanks to Windows 7

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 05:57 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO: US software giant Microsoft on Thursday said that revenues surged to a record high in the recent quarter as Windows 7 operating system succeeded where its predecessor failed. Microsoft reported that its net profit in the quarter ending March 31 climbed 35 percent to 4.01 billion dollars. The firm's revenue hit a record 14.50 billion dollars in the quarter, up six percent over the same period a year ago. "Windows 7 continues to be a growth engine, but we also saw strong growth in other areas like Bing search, Xbox Live and our emerging cloud services," said Microsoft chief financial officer Peter Klein. Microsoft said revenue from its Windows computer operating system was up 28 percent over a year ago, driven by strong demand for the latest version, Windows 7. "Business customers are beginning to refresh their desktops and the momentum of Windows 7 continues to be strong," chief operating officer Kevin Turner said. Strong profit due to droves flocking to Microsoft's new operating system is a strong sign of the pent-up demand created when people shunned its predecessor Vista. Microsoft released Windows 7 to the world in October as it tried to regain its stride after an embarrassing stumble with Vista. While computer users may not give much thought to operating systems that serve as the brains of their machines, the programs are at the heart of Microsoft's global software empire. Microsoft operating systems run more than 90 percent of the world's computers. The failure of Vista to catch on hurt Microsoft competitively, giving Apple the opportunity to woo PC users to Mac. Apple reported stellar quarterly earnings this week, citing factors that included lots of people buying Macintosh machines for the first time. Microsoft apparently learned a lesson from Vista and worked closely with computer makers, users and software developers while crafting Windows 7. Some say consumers snatching up Windows 7 or machines pre-loaded with the software is a sign that the economy is on the mend. "Microsoft is a phenomenal bellwether for technology spending," analyst Rob Enderle said. "If they go up, it is one of the strongest indications that the tech market is improving." Windows 7 is installed on more than 10 percent of computers worldwide, making it the fastest selling operating system in Microsoft's history, according to Klein. Data released by industry-tracker IDC shows that personal computer sales rebounded at the end of last year and that momentum has carried into 2010. Further good news for the technology industry came in the form of computer chip titan Intel nearly quadrupling its profit in the first three months of this year. "We are encouraged by improving market conditions taking shape," Klein said during an earnings webcast. Wall Street had anticipated strong earnings from Microsoft since computer sales appeared to be picking up. "Increased earnings in an improving but still troubled market is always good news," Enderle said. "But we are not out of the woods yet." March was the 10th consecutive month of slight gains in search share for Bing, which Microsoft unveiled in June accompanied by a 100-million-dollar advertising campaign in a bid to challenge search juggernaut Google. Bing's share of the US search market rose to 11.7 percent in March from 11.5 percent in February, according to Web analytics firm comScore. Google remained the overwhelming leader of the lucrative US search and advertising market with 65.1 percent in March. Microsoft saw online advertising revenue climb 19 percent and expects its growth to outpace the overall market. Klein said the benefits of a deal to use Bing for searches on Yahoo! should begin kicking in later this year. Yahoo! and Microsoft unveiled a 10-year Web search and advertising partnership in July that set the stage for a joint offensive against Google. Microsoft is still losing more money than it makes in online operations, spending a lot of cash to gain ground in search advertising, according to financial analyst blogger Henry Blodget. -- AFP


Honda doubles operating profit

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 06:00 PM PDT

TOKYO: Japanese automaker Honda Motor doubled its operating profit in the year to March thanks to demand in emerging markets and the cheap yen, a report said Friday. Honda's year-on-year operating profit shot up roughly 90 percent to 360 billion yen (3.9 billion dollars) for the previous financial year, the business daily Nikkei reported, without citing sources. The figure exceeds previous expectations for a profit of 320 billion yen, it said. The report comes as its rival Toyota struggles over a mass recall crisis that led to ratings agency Moody's on Thursday downgrading the beleaguered automaker. Honda has a high operating efficiency and the brand's popularity in emerging markets has been boosted through strong sales of motorcycles, the report said. The cheap yen against the dollar has pushed up profits by more than 10 billion yen, it added. Company officials were not immediately available for a comment. Honda said last month it would build a second motorcycle factory in India, employing about 2,000 people, to meet surging demand. Japanese automakers and their rivals are competing for a slice of the fast-growing market in emerging nations such as India and China, where a burgeoning middle class is boosting spending on cars, motorcycles and other goods. -- AFP


Grass-roots warming summit calls for greenhouse cuts

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 06:39 PM PDT

TIQUIPAYA, Bolivia (Reuters) - Big polluting countries must aggressively cut greenhouse gases and listen to ideas from small nations to reverse global warming, activists and left-wing leaders concluded on Thursday at a meeting billed as an alternative to the failed Copenhagen summit.


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