Firm Pays Off Disappointed Bald Man

(NEWSER) - Hapcheon residents think they live in the unluckiest town in earth. When Japan occupied the tiny South Korean farming community during World War II, it sent locals to work in munitions factories—in Hiroshima. Thousands of Hapcheon residents died instantly when the bomb dropped. The rest were shunned when they returned to Korea, facing a life of poverty and loneliness. Now, they want Japan to pay them for that emotional pain, the LA Times reports. More»

He cried harassment but lost in court

(NEWSER) - Just about everyone has been tagged in at least one awkward Facebook photo, but not everyone has brought a lawsuit against an uncle for uploading such a photo. Minnesota's Aaron Olson did just that. His uncle posted childhood photos of Olson, including one in front of a Christmas tree, along with teasing comments. Olson was so miffed he sued his uncle for harassment—and lost the case, reports Above the Law blog , which rounds up coverage. More»

Ex-chairman, others implicated in $1.5B loss dating to '90s

(AP) - Japanese prosecutors today arrested three former Olympus executives, including the company's ex-chairman, over their alleged roles in orchestrating a cover-up of massive losses at the camera and medical equipment maker. Former chair Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, along with executives Hideo Yamada and Hisashi Mori, were arrested on charges of violating securities and financial laws, prosecutors said. Four consultants at other companies linked to Olympus were also arrested. Olympus as a corporation could face charges, too. More»

Anthony Bologna accused of violating protesters' civil rights

(NEWSER) - Two of the women pepper-sprayed in the face by high-ranking NYPD officer Anthony Bologna last fall are taking him to court. The women say Bologna violated their civil rights, and they're seeking unspecified damages, Reuters reports. A YouTube video of the penned-in women being pepper-sprayed received more than 1.5 million hits and helped draw attention to the Occupy Wall Street movement. More»

Rising yen, falling international demand, led to 2.3% contraction

(NEWSER) - Economists were expecting the Japanese economy to contract in the last quarter of 2011, but not this badly, reports the BBC . Japan's gross domestic product shrunk 2.3% in the last three months of the year, much worse than the 1.4% economists were predicting, due to the yen rising 7% against the US dollar since April, the effects of last March's earthquake and tsunami, and the general worldwide economic slowdown. More»