Japan Really?

How Yahoo Would Improve Microsoft

MarketWatch  |  Mar 18, 08 6:24 PM CDT

(Newser) - Yahoo today restated its opinion that Microsoft’s $44.6 billion buyout bid underestimates the online giant’s “combination of unique assets,” but for the first time stated publicly the strengths it would bring to the Microsoft merger, MarketWatch reports. In an investor presentation for the SEC, the company argued it would take Microsoft "from sub-scale position to strong positions in search and display." More »

Tokyo Recovers, Shanghai Falls Again

Bloomberg  |  Mar 18, 08 3:30 AM CDT

(Newser) - Markets in Tokyo had an up day, recovering some of yesterday's major losses as investors speculated that Japan will stand firm in the face of an economic slowdown. Insurers led the gains on the Nikkei, which rose 1.5%. Other Asian bourses also did well Tuesday, but China was an exception, reports Bloomberg: on fears of an interest-rate cut, the Shanghai-Shenzhen CSI 300 index slumped 5.2% to an 8-month low. More »

Aussies Face Protests Over Kangaroo Cull

Sydney Morning Herald  |  Mar 17, 08 9:10 AM CDT

(Newser) - Australia is planning to cull 400 kangaroos on a military base, and Japan—oft-criticized by Australia for its whaling practices—is jumping at the opportunity to hail its neighbor as hypocritical, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Not so, says Australia’s PM. The whaling issue is subject to "an agreement between many states, and it goes to whether what is occurring is scientific whaling or not," said Kevin Rudd. More »

My Lai Massacre, 40 Years On

Associated Press  |  Mar 16, 08 1:40 PM CDT

(Newser) - More than 1,000 people gathered in My Lai today to mark the 40th anniversary of one of the most brutal chapters in the Vietnam War, the AP reports. Forty years ago, American troops entered the small village in search of Vietcong guerrillas and, unprovoked, slaughtered more than 500 people—mostly women, children, and the elderly. More »

Dextre Lives! Space Robot Gets Power

Associated Press  |  Mar 15, 08 1:46 PM CDT

(Newser) - Dextre's finally getting some juice. Astronauts aboard the international space station solved a glitch last night and got power flowing to their partially built robot, the AP reports. Now they can go ahead with a spacewalk tonight to finish assembling it. “There was obviously some real concern over the last day or two for getting that powered up,” said one official. More »

Blair Pitches Global Climate Pact

Guardian (UK)  |  Mar 14, 08 3:44 AM CDT

(Newser) - Former British prime minister Tony Blair will seek to privately broker a new international agreement to cut carbon emissions by 50% before 2050 that would include China, India and the US, reports the Guardian . Blair has been working on the project with climate change experts since he left office last summer. He's convinced global warming is the biggest threat the world faces and that action must be taken in the next two years or it will be too late to reverse the problem. More »

Smoking May Be Harmful to Your Wii

Boston Herald  |  Mar 13, 08 12:41 PM CDT

(Newser) - Here's another reason to stop smoking: It damages your Wii. Some cigarette-wielding users in Japan last month noticed that the much anticipated "Super Smash Brothers Brawl" wasn't working properly, prompting Nintendo to provide free shipping and cleanup of tar-covered disc readers, the Boston Herald reports. Nintendo says the issue affects a "very small percentage" of more than 20 million consoles worldwide. More »

Dollar Sinks Below 100 Yen

Financial Times (UK)  |  Mar 13, 08 5:10 AM CDT

(Newser) - The dollar's decline continued today, dropping below the symbolically dramatic threshhold of 100 yen for the first time in 12 years. The greenback held on just above ¥100 during the trading day in Tokyo before slumping to ¥99.80 in Europe this morning. The dollar took a pummeling across the board, trading at record lows against not only the yen but also the euro and the Swiss franc. More »

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