The European Commission will be reviewing the agreement it has signed with social networking services, such as Facebook, Hyves, Tuenti, Nasza-Klasa SchuelerVZ, Hi5, Iwiw or Myvip, after a survey indicated that child protection is inadequate. In Cyprus, the percentage of children with a profile on a social networking site is much higher than the EU

Japanese cabinet ministers moved to shore up confidence in U.S. debt on Tuesday after Standard & Poor's threatened to lower its credit rating on the world's largest economy, touching a nerve with one of the largest holders of Treasuries. Asian nations have amassed trillions of dollars in U.S. debt through recycled export earnings, and have

Iran has appointed an ambassador to Egypt for the first time in 30 years as diplomatic relations are re-established following the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, Iran's Press TV reported on Tuesday. Ties between the countries — among the largest and most influential in the Middle East — were severed in 1980 following Iran's Islamic

A lawsuit that seeks to stop McDonald's from selling Happy Meals must be dismissed because parents can always prohibit their children from eating them, the hamburger giant said in a court filing on Monday. The lawsuit claims McDonald's unfairly uses toys to lure children into its restaurants. The plaintiff, Monet Parham, a Sacramento, Calif. mother

Asian stocks slid on Tuesday, falling further from a three-year high hit last week as investors took profits on risks of a Greek debt restructuring in Europe and the long-term threat of a U.S. government debt downgrade. The euro nursed heavy losses early in Asia while the yen gained across the board as worries about

Pope Benedict led Roman Catholics into Holy Week celebrations, telling a Palm Sunday crowd that man will pay the price for his pride if he believes technology can give him the powers of God. Under a splendid Roman sun, the German pope presided at a colorful celebration where tens of thousands of people waved palm

The United Arab Emirates will stop individuals and small businesses accessing the most private data services offered by BlackBerry, a UAE newspaper said on Saturday, months after resolving a dispute over its access to information. Only businesses with 20 or more subscriptions will be allowed to use high security accounts on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server,

Leading world economies agreed late on Friday to put the policies of seven major nations under a microscope as part of a plan to prevent a repeat of the global financial crisis. The pact was agreed by the Group of 20 nations after months of wrangling highlighted by China's fears that its policy of limiting