Tokyo – Japan’s Canon Corp cut its operating profit outlook for the second quarter in a row, below analysts’ estimates, warning that sales of its signature high-end cameras will fall this year for the first time since their launch in 2003. The world’s largest camera maker said it now sees global economic gloom squeezing sales of its digital interchangeable-lens cameras to 8 million through December from 8.2 million last year. Demand from camera buffs will stay weak in Europe, and fail to recover as quickly in China as Canon had expected.
NSA eavesdropped on 35 world leaders
WASHINGTON: US spies eavesdropped on the phone conversations of 35 world leaders after White House, Pentagon and State Department officials gave them the numbers, The Guardian reported on Thursday. A classified document provided by fugitive intelligence leaker Edward Snowden said the National Security Agency worked closely with the “customer” departments of the US government to secure the phone numbers of leading foreign politicians.
Twitter sets $17 to $20 per share range for IPO
NEW YORK: Twitter has set a price range of $17 to $20 per share for its initial public offering and says it could raise as much as $1.6 billion in the process. The pricing is relatively conservative considering that Twitter is poised to pull off the year’s hottest IPO. Twitter Inc. said in a regulatory filing Thursday that it will put forth 70 million shares in the offering. If all the shares are sold, the underwriters can buy another 10.5 million shares. At the $20 share price, Twitter’s market value would be around $12.5 billion, roughly one-tenth of Facebook’s current valuation. Twitter’s value is based on 625.2 million outstanding shares expected after the offering, including restricted stock units and stock options.
Smith ton takes puts South Africa on top
DUBAI: Graeme Smith hit a sedate century to strengthen South Africa’s grip on the second day of the second and final Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Thursday. The South African skipper was unbeaten on 107 for his 27th Test century — his fourth against Pakistan — as the Proteas reached 198-4 at lunch, having a lead of 99 over their rivals’ first innings total of 99. With Smith was AB de Villiers on 26 as the two added 64 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket stand after South Africa resumed at 128-3. Smith, overnight 67, anchored the innings and reached his century with a straight drive off Saeed Ajmal for only his sixth boundary. It took Smith 204 balls to reach the milestone.
North Korea says will return six South Koreans across border
SEOUL: North Korea will return six unidentified South Koreans across the two countries’ heavily-militarised land border, it said in a surprise announcement Thursday. The South’s Unification Ministry said it had been informed the transfer would take place on Friday, but was given no details of the identities of the people being returned. “We just received a sudden notice from North Korea that it would send back six South Koreans tomorrow,” a ministry official told AFP.
Richie Benaud stable after car crash
SYDNEY: Legendary cricket commentator Richie Benaud was in a stable condition in hospital Thursday after driving his vintage car into a brick wall. The former Australia captain, who has worked in the commentary box since retiring from Test cricket in 1964, was driving to his Sydney home on Wednesday when he mounted the curb and hit the wall. The 83-year-old, who is due to commentate on the Ashes series against England for Australia’s Channel Nine starting next month, suffered chest and shoulder injuries. A Nine statement said he was expected to be hospitalised for several days.
Over 50 suspects arrested during Karachi raids
KARACHI: Rangers and police personnel Thursday arrested more than 50 suspects during targeted operations in different areas of Karachi, DNA reported.
Hundreds of millions of emails, messages monitored by US
WASHINGTON: The US National Security Agency has monitored hundreds of millions of email and instant messaging accounts around the world, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The NSA’s monitoring systems focus on data crucial to government security in the United States and in allied nations, the report added. The Post based its report on information it received from senior intelligence officials and on top secret documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Election tribunals yet to decide 400 complaints
ISLAMABAD: Four months since they were set up, none of the 14 election tribunals across the country has adjudicated upon a single complaint against alleged poll rigging in the 2013 general elections. Some 400 such complaints are pending in the tribunals. The law requires the tribunals to decide the cases within 120 days, but this has never happened in the electoral history of the country. This time there were hopes that the cases would be adjudicated upon within the stipulated period as the tribunals comprised retired judges who were to hear the cases on day-to-day basis free from the pressure of routine judicial workload.
Zardari to formally launch political activities tomorrow
ISLAMABAD: Five weeks after completion of his five-year term in the Presidency, Asif Ali Zardari is formally starting his political activities from Larkana with a meeting of the PPP leaders belonging to Sindh on Thursday (tomorrow), Dawn has learnt. When contacted, spokesman for the former president Farhatullah Khan Babar confirmed that Mr Zardari had invited the office-bearers of the party’s chapters from various divisions in Sindh at a dinner in Larkana on Thursday evening.
