China probing hack of German PCs
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao this week described reports of Chinese hackers breaking into German computers as a matter of “grave concern” and said his country will work with Germany to resolve the matter.
At a press conference with Wen here this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said China must “respect a set of game rules” and protect intellectual property rights to improve relations with industrialized countries.
The two leaders were responding to a report in the German press that Chinese hackers had infected German government computers with spyware.
A spokesman at the German Federal Ministry of the Interior declined to comment on the alleged hacking incident. But he said the federal government is “making a huge effort to ensure that government systems remain protected from outside attacks.”
Yahoo seeks dismissal of torture lawsuit
Yahoo Inc. this week asked a California federal court to dismiss a lawsuit brought against the company by jailed Chinese dissidents.
The lawsuit, filed in April, alleges that Yahoo and its Yahoo Hong Kong Ltd. subsidiary violated a series of U.S. and international laws by providing information to the Chinese government that led to the plaintiffs’ arrest and torture.
Among other things, Yahoo’s filing contends that the suit involves a Chinese political case and is not within the jurisdiction of U.S. courts.
Yahoo also argued that the company and its Chinese subsidiaries must comply with Chinese laws.
Briefly Noted
A senior executive at Deutsche Telekom AG this week confirmed that the Bonn telecommunications firm is in talks with Apple Inc. regarding selling the iPhone mobile device in Germany.