Europe weighs on NetApp's outlook, stock slumps
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - NetApp Inc on Wednesday forecast revenue below Wall Street's expectations and its chief executive warned of uncertainty in Europe, sending the data storage equipment maker's shares down 18 percent in after-hours trade. The day before, Dell Inc posted disappointing quarterly results that heightened concerns about cautious IT spending, sending tech stocks sharply lower. "The EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) story is one of uncertainty. We could be seeing a rebound or we could be seeing a strong degradation from there," CEO Tom Georgens said in a telephone interview. ...

Scotland Yard deploys mobile fingerprint devices
Scotland Yard says it's equipping its police officers with handheld fingerprint devices, something the force says will help identify suspects in a matter of seconds.

Photos: Black Hole Shreds Star
The Lyrid meteor shower was so bright that it could been during the day and night from California to Nevada.

HP to lay off about 27,000, profit slides 31 percent

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett Packard Co plans to lay off roughly 27,000 employees or about 8 percent of its workforce over the next couple of years to jumpstart growth and save up to $3.5 billion annually, sending its shares 11 percent higher. The company said the layoffs would be made mainly through early retirement and would generate annual savings of $3 billion to $3.5 billion as it exits fiscal year 2014, when the layoffs are expected to the completed. The world's No. ...

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Facebook is set to launch its initial public offering.

Hewlett-Packard's employment count over the years

Hewlett-Packard Co.'s payroll has grown over the past decade, partly because of its purchase of computer maker Compaq in 2002 and technology-services provider Electronic Data Systems in 2008.