Google, Apple, IBM shares tumble

Technology stocks tumbled overnight amid a gloomy financial outlook and uncertainty caused by a weak US economy and fears over the European debt crisis, writes V3.co.uk.

Google, Apple and IBM all saw millions wiped off their share prices. Google fell 23.65 points, Apple 15.20 and IBM 7.35 as investors reacted to an uncertain future and left the stock markets in turmoil.

Cisco (-0.67), Microsoft (-0.98), Intel (-0.96) and HP (-1.74) were all down, as Silicon Valley failed to retain its allure, many fearing an imminent double-dip recession.

Verizon Communications said it couldn't agree to a new contract with its workers, resulting in the first strike at the telecommunications giant in 11 years, reports Cnet.

The strike began yesterday as union leaders representing 45 000 workers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states decided to call a strike.

A majority of the workers are field technicians or work in call centres represented by the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Verizon Wireless customers are unaffected by the work stoppage.

A US man charged with sending more than 27 million spam messages to Facebook users has turned himself in, reveals the BBC.

Sanford Wallace, who is known as the “Spam King”, surrendered to FBI agents in California. Prosecutors allege he developed a program that breached Facebook spam filters and lured users to submit their account details.

Wallace denies the charges, which carry prison sentences of up to 10 years. He has been released on $100 000 bail.

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has returned to Twitter following a long silence, after his release from detention in June, when he was barred from giving media interviews as part of his bail conditions, notes AFP.

Ai tweeted on Saturday for the first time since he was taken into custody at Beijing's international airport on 3 April, while trying to board a flight to Hong Kong.

He posted several tweets yesterday, including: “Ten dumplings for lunch, regained three kilos.” Twitter is officially blocked in China, but many Web users still manage to access the site via virtual proxy networks.