Historic Facebook debut falls flat

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.

Yahoo shares climb on report Alibaba deal near

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc shares rose as much as 6.7 percent on Friday after a report that it was close to selling part of its valuable stake in the Alibaba Group.

Mediaset fears internet challenge amid ad slump

MILAN (Reuters) - An executive at Mediaset said on Friday internet giants could challenge Italy's biggest commercial broadcaster's business model in coming years, while the advertising outlook remains grim.

Iran threatens to sue Google over dropping Persian Gulf

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Ministry threatened on Thursday to take legal action against Google for dropping the name Persian Gulf from its Google Maps and leaving the waterway between Iran and Arab states nameless, state television reported.

GM ad move followed failed Facebook pitch: sources

DETROIT/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Facebook may only have itself to blame for why General Motors rained on its IPO parade this week.

Comcast trying out Internet usage pricing, dropping caps

(Reuters) - Comcast Corp said on Thursday it will introduce a trial for usage-based billing for its Internet subscribers in a move seen to pre-empt more complaints the cable company favors its own Web video service over rivals.

Insight: Who got Facebook IPO shares? Fairness may not come into it

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lot of loyal Facebook fans and occasional investors are discovering a hard truth this week: Money and connections talk, especially when it comes to a hot deal handled by Wall Street.

Pinterest financing values company at $1.5 billion

(Reuters) - Silicon Valley startup Pinterest raised $100 million from a group led by Japanese online retailer Rakuten Inc, valuing the company at about $1.5 billion and underscoring the huge investor appetite for social-networking companies.

No respite for HP, Dell in Windows 8: BMO

(Reuters) - Microsoft's long-awaited launch of the Windows 8 OS may not change the fortunes of PC makers, BMO analysts said, lowering their price targets on the stocks of Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc.

Google revamps U.S. search

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google is revamping the way it handles searches in the United States to give users quick access to answers without leaving the page, the company said.