We are suffering downstream this failure:
http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=288689

But it's also reproducible with clean upstream sources when manually compiling:

make[4]: Entering directory `/home/pacho/libbonobo-2.24.3/tests/test-activation'
PASSED 1 of 17: Activation event source okay
Time to query '0.00050856'
PASSED 2 of 17: timed query
Waiting to see if the server erroneously quits
** Message: Activation callback successfully called on register

** (process:11764): WARNING **: Async activation error activating 'IDL:Empty:1.0' : 'System exception: IDL:Bonobo/GeneralError:1.0 : Child process did not give an error message, unknown failure occurred'
FAILED 3 of 17: async activation
** Message: Activation callback successfully called on register
Test by async query succeeded
PASSED 4 of 17: async activation
Test from id succeeded
PASSED 5 of 17: IID activation
Test from aid succeeded
PASSED 6 of 17: AID activation
Test from aid succeeded
PASSED 7 of 17: plugin activation
PASSED 8 of 17: Broken link test : Couldn't find the factory server
PASSED 9 of 17: activation server okay
Broken exe test PASSED 10 of 17: Broken exe test : Couldn't spawn a new process:Failed to execute child process "this-executable-doesnt-exist" (No existe el fichero o el directorio)
PASSED 11 of 17: activation server okay
PASSED 12 of 17: Circular link test : Location loop
PASSED 13 of 17: activation server okay
** Message: Activation callback successfully called on unregister
** Message: Activation callback successfully called on unregister
PASSED 14 of 17: Server that doesn't register IID test : Child process did not give an error message, unknown failure occurred
PASSED 15 of 17: activation server okay
PASSED 16 of 17: Server with IID but no type or location
PASSED 17 of 17: activation server okay

16 of 17 tests passed (some failures)
FAIL: test.sh
===========================================================================================
1 of 1 test failed
Please report to http://bugzilla.gnome.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=bonobo&component=libbonobo
===========================================================================================
make[4]: *** [check-TESTS] Error 1
make[4]: Leaving directory `/home/pacho/libbonobo-2.24.3/tests/test-activation'
make[3]: *** [check-am] Error 2
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/pacho/libbonobo-2.24.3/tests/test-activation'
make[2]: *** [check] Error 2
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/pacho/libbonobo-2.24.3/tests/test-activation'
make[1]: *** [check-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/pacho/libbonobo-2.24.3/tests'
make: *** [check-recursive] Error 1


Thanks