Acquitted of sexual assault in Germany

GERMANY • A 26-year-old Algerian man was cleared of sexual assault after the 26-year-old victim said she could not identify him.

The man was accused of being part of a group of about 10 men who allegedly surrounded, groped and robbed the woman at Cologne central railway station on New Year's Eve.

But he was still given a suspended six-month jail term for separate charges of handling stolen goods and breaking into a car last December.

Prosecutors said they have received some 1,170 criminal complaints, including 492 accusations of sexual assault.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Microsoft to address Security Council

NEW YORK • Microsoft has accepted an invitation from the United Nations Security Council to address a special debate next week on counter-terrorism and confronting "digital terror", UN diplomats said.

It will be the first time that a technology company will address the Security Council, which has been increasingly concerned by the use of the Internet and social media to spread violent extremism.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE