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<title>Sci-Edu</title><image>
<title>People's Daily Online</title><link>http://english.people.com.cn/</link>
<url>http://english.people.com.cn/images/en/top_logo_e.gif</url>
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<description>People's Daily Online</description>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/index.html</link>
<item>
<title>Interstellar dust darkens the universe</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412633</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90876/6412633.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 16:56:11 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The universe is dustier than previously thought, which is why astronomers now suggest it is twice as bright as it appears.

    Astronomers have known about interstellar dust for a while, but they haven't been able to quantify just how mu ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The universe is dustier than previously thought, which is why astronomers now suggest it is twice as bright as it appears.

    Astronomers have known about interstellar dust for a while, but they haven't been able to quantify just how much light it blocks. Now a team of researchers has studied a catalogue of galaxies and found that dust shields roughly 50 percent of their light. 

    "I was shocked by the sheer scale of the effect," said Simon Driver, an astronomer from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland who led the study. "Most people just kind of said, 'We suspect dust is a minor problem.' I spent much of my career working on deep images from Hubble and I've always ignored dust almost entirely." 

    The result will likely cause many astronomers to revise their calculations of the intrinsic brightness of many celestial objects, Driver said. Until now, many astronomers thought stars and galaxies were really about 10 percent brighter in optical light than they appeared because of dust. If the new findings are true, it turns out that objects in the sky are about twice as bright than they appear. 

    "This is a strong, clear-cut result," Driver told SPACE.com. "We've really got to take dust seriously and we've got to make large adjustments to our magnitude calculations." (A magnitude scale is used to define brightness of celestial objects.) 

    Interstellar dust is made up of lumps of carbon and silicates that form dust grains only a few thousandths of a millimeter long. It hangs out in galaxies, but generally steers clear of the space between them. 

    To calculate dust's effect, the researchers analyzed data from the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue, a collection of images of 10,000 galaxies compiled by Driver and his team using the Isaac Newton Telescope on La Palma and others. 

    They counted the number of galaxies in the catalogue that were directly facing us, and compared it to the number that were tilted 90 degrees away from us. Without dust, they reasoned, they should see just about equal numbers of galaxies in each orientation. But with dust, they would likely find fewer edge-on than face-on galaxies. Since dust lies in the disks of spiral galaxies, and not the dense central bulge, when we view galaxies from the side we are looking through thicker layers of dust, so we should see less light. In fact, the researchers counted about 70 percent fewer edge-on galaxies than face-on galaxies. 

    They used this discrepancy to quantify dust's effect by combing their counts with a model of dust distribution in galaxies developed by Cristina Popescu of the University of Central Lancashire and Richard Tuffs of the Max Plank Institute for Nuclear Physics. 

    Source: Xinhua/Agencies]]></full-text>
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<title>OLPC, Microsoft to make Windows, Linux available on XO </title>
<NEWS_ID>6412510</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90877/6412510.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 15:27:22 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Project and Microsoft plan to make both Windows and Linux available on a version of the project's XO laptop, the companies said Thursday. 

    The parties expect to deliver a dual-boot XO system in August  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Project and Microsoft plan to make both Windows and Linux available on a version of the project's XO laptop, the companies said Thursday. 

    The parties expect to deliver a dual-boot XO system in August or September that will have both the traditional Linux-based Sugar operating system of the XO and a low-cost student version of Windows XP, according to Kyle Austin, an OLPC representative. 

    OLPC Chairman Nicholas Negroponte has referred in the past to a dual-boot XO model, but this is the first official announcement of such a system. The XO was developed by OLPC for children in developing countries. 

    Microsoft said it plans to start trials of Windows on the low-cost laptop in key emerging markets as early as June. Customers will be able to choose to run the computer on either a Windows or a Linux operating system.

    OLPC is working with third-party developers to have the XO's distinctive Sugar user interface placed on top of Windows, but the dual-boot systems coming later this year will use the Windows interface for Student Innovation Suite, Austin said. 

    Microsoft and OLPC did not specify the price of the dual-boot system on Thursday.

    The availability of Windows on the system will give customers more choice in operating systems and let them use Windows-based educational software and tools, the parties said. Customers and partners worldwide have asked for Windows on the XO, they said. 

    Sugar was designed only to work with a free Linux operating system that engineers from Red Hat Inc. Eventually, the goal will be to develop versions of the laptop to run both Linux and Windows, leaving the user to decide which operating system to run when the machine boots up, Negroponte said.     

Source:Xinhua/Agencies
 
]]></full-text>
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<item>
<title>U.S.: more new Internet subscribers chose cable</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412509</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90877/6412509.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 15:27:45 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Cable companies in the United States reversed a 3 1/2-year trend in the first quarter by signing up more Internet subscribers than phone companies, according to a research report Thursday.

    The 19 largest cable companies in America ad ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Cable companies in the United States reversed a 3 1/2-year trend in the first quarter by signing up more Internet subscribers than phone companies, according to a research report Thursday.

    The 19 largest cable companies in America added 1.19 million broadband subscribers in the January-to-March period, according to a tally by Leichtman Research Group.

    Phone companies added 1.01 million DSL customer in the same period, the report said. 

    Since the third quarter of 2004, phone companies had been adding subscribers faster than cable, closing in on cable's lead in total subscribers. But that lead is now widening, with cable companies having a total of 34.7 million subscribers compared with 29.5 million at the phone companies. 

    "With telephone companies generally curtailing prior aggressive price-based offers to woo subscribers, the telcos added about two-thirds as many broadband subscribers as a year ago," wrote Bruce Leichtman, president of the firm. 

    Phone companies have moved resources into upgrading their networks rather than marketing basic DSL service. Verizon Communications Inc. is replacing its copper network with fiber, and added a net of just 4,000 subscribers to its copper-based DSL service in the first quarter. It gained 262,000 customers for its fiber-based service. 

    AT&T, the country's largest Internet service provider, is focused on raising DSL speeds in some areas so it can provide TV service over phone lines. 

    Meanwhile, cable companies are poised to boost their maximum available Internet speeds this year with a relatively cheap upgrade using new cable modem technology. 

Source:Xinhua/Agencies
 ]]></full-text>
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<title>Beijing to host AMD research center</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412508</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/6412508.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 15:26:38 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[U.S. microprocessor maker AMD will set up a joint research center in Beijing, as part of its commitment to the world's fastest growing PC market. 

    The chipmaker will collaborate with the China Electronics Standardization Institute of ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[U.S. microprocessor maker AMD will set up a joint research center in Beijing, as part of its commitment to the world's fastest growing PC market. 

    The chipmaker will collaborate with the China Electronics Standardization Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information for the project. They will use the facility to research and develop test and evaluation technologies of integrated circuit and central processing units. 

    "China is one of the engines driving AMD's global evolution and today's announcements reflect our commitment to and belief in the future of China and its strong technical community," said Dirk Meyer, president and chief operating officer of AMD. 

    "We appreciate the strategic relationships we've developed with our customers in China and look forward to further collaboration as we bring industry-leading AMD technology to business users and consumers throughout the region." 

    China is now one of the fastest growing markets of the chip maker, which had told China Daily last year that it expects the nation to become its single largest market by 2009. 

    The company has a research and development center in Shanghai and an assembly and testing plant in Suzhou, a booming manufacturing city in Jiangsu province. In 2005, it transferred its technologies in industrial microprocessors to the Peking University, as part of its cooperation with local industries. 

    The chipmaker has increased its market share in China over the past years, thanks to its achievements in broadening its relationships with PC makers in China. 

    Over the past year, all major PC makers in China like Lenovo, Tongfang and Founder have rolled out desktops and laptops equipped with AMD processors. Even Dell, the world's second largest PC maker, decided to add AMD to it vendor list last year, rather than sticking to AMD's rival Intel. 

    Computer makers like IBM, HP and Dawning have also opted for the smaller chip maker for its servers, helping the company to expand in the enterprise processor market. 

    "We expect AMD to gain market share in China this year," said Simon Ye, an analyst with U.S. IT consultancy Gartner. 

    The company also donated 1 million yuan yesterday to Tsinghua University for a scholarship, trying to help nurture tech talents in the nation. 

    Over the past week, AMD has brought its executive operating committee to China for the first time, which shows the importance it attaches to the Chinese market, the company said. 

    In addition, AMD has announced that it is donating 1 million yuan in disaster relief to earthquake-hit areas in Sichuan province.

    Source: China Daily]]></full-text>
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<title>U.S. spacecraft finds Mars colder than expected</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412506</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90876/6412506.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 15:29:28 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NASA announced on Thursday that new observations from its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter indicate that the crust and upper mantle of Mars are stiffer and colder than previously thought. 

    The findings suggest any liquid water that might  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[NASA announced on Thursday that new observations from its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter indicate that the crust and upper mantle of Mars are stiffer and colder than previously thought. 

    The findings suggest any liquid water that might exist below the planet's surface and any possible organisms living in that water would be located deeper than scientists had suspected. 

    "We found that the rocky surface of Mars is not bending under the load of the north polar ice cap," said Roger Phillips of the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado, the lead author of a new report appearing in this week's online version of Science. 

    "This implies that the planet's interior is more rigid, and thus colder, than we thought before." 

    The discovery was made using the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument on the Orbiter, which has provided the most detailed pictures to date of the interior layers of ice, sand and dust that make up the north polar cap on Mars. 

    The radar pictures show a smooth, flat border between the ice cap and the rocky Martian crust. On Earth, the weight of a similar stack of ice would cause the planet's surface to sag. The fact that the Martian surface is not bending means that its strong outer shell, or lithosphere, a combination of its crust and upper mantle, must be very thick and cold. 

    "The lithosphere of a planet is the rigid part. On Earth, the lithosphere is the part that breaks during an earthquake," said Suzanne Smrekar, deputy project scientist for Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at NASA. "The ability of the radar to see through the ice cap and determine that there is no bending of the lithosphere gives us a good idea of present-day temperatures inside Mars for the first time." 

    Temperatures in the outer portion of a rocky planet like Mars increase with depth toward the interior. The thicker the lithosphere, the more gradually the temperatures increase. The discovery of a thicker Martian lithosphere therefore implies that any liquid water lurking in aquifers below the surface would have to be deeper than previously calculated, where temperatures are warmer. Scientists speculate that any life on Mars associated with deep aquifers also would have to be buried deeper in the interior. 

    On May 25, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is scheduled to touch down not far from the north polar ice cap. It will further investigate the history of water on Mars, and is expected to get the first up-close look at ice on the Red Planet. 
 
Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<title>Mystery: optimists live longer, enjoy better health</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412234</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/90880/6412234.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 10:56:33 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Among the findings of various studies: Highly optimistic people have significantly lower death rates. Optimistic coronary bypass patients are half as likely as pessimists to require re-hospitalization. 

    People with positive emotions  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Among the findings of various studies: Highly optimistic people have significantly lower death rates. Optimistic coronary bypass patients are half as likely as pessimists to require re-hospitalization. 

    People with positive emotions have lower blood pressure. The most pessimistic men are more than twice as likely to develop heart disease compared with the most optimistic. 

Perhaps optimists enjoy better health and longer lives because they lead healthier lifestyles, build stronger social support networks, and get better medical care, the Health Watch article suggested. (File Photo)
    But is it optimism that makes people healthy, or do healthy people understandably have a brighter outlook? 

    To get a better handle on things, scientists have adjusted their analyses in recent years to account for pre-existing medical conditions. Studies that made these adjustments found that existing illnesses don't negate the benefits of optimism, according to the May 2008 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. 

    In one example of how humans keep their spirits up no matter what, researchers found older people suffering various illnesses still said they thought they were aging well. Another study found that the sick and disabled don't wallow in misery as is commonly believed. 

    Optimism, another study found, triggers activity in the same brain area that is known to malfunction among the depressed. 

    But why is optimism so beneficial? 

    Perhaps optimists enjoy better health and longer lives because they lead healthier lifestyles, build stronger social support networks, and get better medical care, the Health Watch article suggested. 

    Also, stress is known to kill, releasing hormones that cause deterioration of everything from your gums to your heart. Optimists might have lower levels of stress hormones. 

    Heredity could play a role, too. It is possible that genes predispose some people to optimism, and that the same genes affect health and longevity. 

    More study is needed, the Health Watch article contends, because it’s likely that multiple mechanisms are involved. 

    Source: Xinhua/Agencies]]></full-text>
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<title>U.S. lists polar bear as threatened species</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412229</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90879/6412229.html</link>
<image>
<url>http://english.people.com.cn/mediafile/200805/16/F200805161051274463143511.jpg</url>
<title>Polar bear twin cubs are seen in Vienna's Schoenbrunn zoo March 4, 2008. The male cubs were born on November 30, 2007, and left their cave for the first time today. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)</title>
<type>jpg</type>
</image>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 10:51:43 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[    "This listing will not stop global climate change or prevent any sea ice from melting," Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said while announcing the decision Wednesday. 

    The Endangered Species Act should not be "abused to make gl ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[    "This listing will not stop global climate change or prevent any sea ice from melting," Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said while announcing the decision Wednesday. 

    The Endangered Species Act should not be "abused to make global warming policies," he said.

    Kassie Siegel, a lawyer with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the group does not accept Kempthorne's view. 

    The act requires federal agencies to take steps to reduce or eliminate those impacts on threatened species, she said. "There is no exemption for greenhouse gas emissions." 

    If the government fails to address global warming, "we can and will go to court to enforce the law," she said.

    The decision comes three years after environmental groups petitioned to have the polar bear listed under the Endangered Species Act. 

    The listing of "threatened" means a species is at risk of becoming endangered within the foreseeable future. A species is listed as "endangered" when it is at risk of becoming extinct, according to the act. 

    "Although the population of polar bears has grown from 10,000 in the 1960s to 25,000 today, our scientists tell me that polar bears could become an endangered species in the next 30 years," Kempthorne said. 

    In an interview, Kempthorne said the next step is for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which administers the act, to designate "critical habitat" for the polar bear, which will likely happen under the next administration. After that, a recovery plan will be developed, he said, adding that he could not provide specifics. 

    He said the decision to list the animals as threatened was "forced" by science and the Endangered Species Act, which he called "inflexible." 

    The Department of Interior will issue a rule stating that anything allowed under the Marine Mammals Protection Act, including arctic oil and gas production and exploration, will be allowed under the new listing. The only exception: polar bear hides collected in sport hunts in Canada can no longer be imported into the United States. 

    Reed Hopper, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, which defends property rights, said the decision "is exactly what the environmentalists have been looking for." 

    "It opened the door to them to create a hook to bring legal challenges to virtually any carbon-emitting activities," including livestock and energy production, and manufacturing, he said. 

    Kempthorne said the decision precludes such an argument. "It's not going to be up to the agency," Hopper said. "It's going to be up to the courts."

    Source: Xinhua/Agencies]]></full-text>
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<item>
<title>CBS to buy CNET for bigger Internet presence</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411863</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90858/90864/6411863.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 08:30:53 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[U.S. broadcaster CBS announced Thursday to buy online media company CNET for 1.8 billion dollars in a deal that would give the traditional television network a major presence in the rapidly growing Internet marketplace. 

    "There are v ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[U.S. broadcaster CBS announced Thursday to buy online media company CNET for 1.8 billion dollars in a deal that would give the traditional television network a major presence in the rapidly growing Internet marketplace. 

    "There are very few opportunities to acquire a company like CNET Networks," said CBS CEO Leslie Moonves in a statement. "CNET will add a tremendous platform to extend our complementary entertainment, news, sports, music and information content to a whole new global audience." 

    The deal would instantly give CBS a top 10 presence on the Internet, and also help CNET appease its shareholders who have been frustrated about the company's stock performance and business execution. 

    "We're thrilled to join CBS and combine our interactive media experience with CBS's world-class content," CNET CEO Neil Ashe said in the statement. 

    The deal, which has been approved by CNET board of directors, is subject to regulatory scrutiny and shareholder approval. The two companies expect it to close in the third quarter. 

    The CBS move follows a string of similar acquisitions by traditional media companies of online ones, as these established media giants seek ways to tap into the lucrative Internet advertising business. 

    The San Francisco-base CNET was originally started in 1992 as a television company, but quickly moved on to the online world as the Internet began to take off in the mid-1990s. Since then the company has established itself as the premier site for technology news, reviews and information online.    
 
Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<item>
<title>Billionaire launches bid for control of Yahoo</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411860</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90858/90864/6411860.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 08:30:36 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Voicing disappointment over Yahoo. Inc.'s refusal of Microsoft takeover bid, billionaire investor Carl Icahn on Thursday launched a bid for control of the internet giant. 

    Icahn said he took the move because Yahoo's board "completely ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Voicing disappointment over Yahoo. Inc.'s refusal of Microsoft takeover bid, billionaire investor Carl Icahn on Thursday launched a bid for control of the internet giant. 

    Icahn said he took the move because Yahoo's board "completely botched" takeover talks with Microsoft Corp. 

    In a letter to Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock, Icahn said he had snapped up 59 million Yahoo shares and was seeking permission from the Securities and Exchange Commission to amass up to 2.5 billion dollars in Yahoo's stock. Yahoo's market value was nearly 38 billion dollars this morning. 

    "It is unconscionable that you have not allowed your shareholders to choose to accept an offer that represented a 72-percent premium over Yahoo's closing price of 19.18 dollars on the day before the initial Microsoft offer," Icahn wrote. 

    "I and many of your shareholders strongly believe that a combination between Yahoo and Microsoft would form a dynamic company and more importantly would be a force strong enough to compete with Google on the Internet." 

    He added that he hoped Yahoo would listen to its shareholders and "move expeditiously" to close a deal with Microsoft, which earlier this month withdrew a 47.5-billion-dollar offer for Yahoo after they failed to agree on a price. 

    Sources close to Icahn said the billionaire had nominated a 12-people slate to unseat Yahoo's board of directors, a move that surprised some major shareholders, who had been told by Icahn's allies just a day before that he intended to put forward only a few names to serve as agitators. 

    The candidates include Icahn, former Viacom Inc. Chief Executive Frank Biondi Jr., Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and New Line Cinema co-chairman Robert Shaye. Yahoo didn't immediately comment. Its annual meeting is scheduled for July 3. 

    Yahoo shares gained 50 cents to 27.64 dollars in early trading on Thursday. They had tumbled to 24.37 dollars the first trading day after Microsoft walked away.     
 
Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<title>Missing biodiversity target puts people at risk, warns WWF</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411789</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90878/6411789.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 08:18:42 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Future generations face hunger, thirst, disease and disaster if people carry on trashing the environment, the conservation organization World Wildlife Fund WWF) cautioned on Thursday. 

    The stark warning came as WWF launched its 2010  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Future generations face hunger, thirst, disease and disaster if people carry on trashing the environment, the conservation organization World Wildlife Fund WWF) cautioned on Thursday. 

    The stark warning came as WWF launched its 2010 and Beyond: Rising to the Biodiversity Challenge report which contained the latest Living Planet index - the internationally agreed way to measure progress toward the global target of reducing biodiversity loss by 2010 - and which revealed a continuing decline in biodiversity. 

    Food, clean water, medicines and protection from natural hazards are important ingredients in maintaining our security and quality of life, the Swiss-based organization said in a statement. 

    If they are to be maintained, the species, natural habitats and ecosystems that support them need to be protected, it said. 

    In 2002 the world's governments set themselves a target to achieve a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at global, regional and national levels by 2010. 

    However, the 2010 and Beyond: Rising to the Biodiversity Challenge report showed governments were not on track to meet the 2010 target and that environment ministries cannot reverse this trend without integrated support at the highest level. 

    According to the WWF, the reason governments are failing to meet their biodiversity targets is because they haven't provided adequate financial and technical resources and have failed to develop economic incentives and other measures to preserve biodiversity. 

    The organization called on all the governments that signed the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2002 to do what as they promised: implement the Strategic Plan by establishing national targets and allocating sufficient financial, human and technical resources. 
 
Source: Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>CBS to buy CNET for bigger Internet presence</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411784</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90877/6411784.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 08:17:42 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[U.S. broadcaster CBS announced Thursday to buy online media company CNET for 1.8 billion dollars in a deal that would give the traditional television network a major presence in the rapidly growing Internet marketplace. 

    "There are v ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[U.S. broadcaster CBS announced Thursday to buy online media company CNET for 1.8 billion dollars in a deal that would give the traditional television network a major presence in the rapidly growing Internet marketplace. 

    "There are very few opportunities to acquire a company like CNET Networks," said CBS CEO Leslie Moonves in a statement. "CNET will add a tremendous platform to extend our complementary entertainment, news, sports, music and information content to a whole new global audience." 

    The deal would instantly give CBS a top 10 presence on the Internet, and also help CNET appease its shareholders who have been frustrated about the company's stock performance and business execution. 

    "We're thrilled to join CBS and combine our interactive media experience with CBS's world-class content," CNET CEO Neil Ashe said in the statement. 

    The deal, which has been approved by CNET board of directors, is subject to regulatory scrutiny and shareholder approval. The two companies expect it to close in the third quarter. 

    The CBS move follows a string of similar acquisitions by traditional media companies of online ones, as these established media giants seek ways to tap into the lucrative Internet advertising business. 

    The San Francisco-base CNET was originally started in 1992 as a television company, but quickly moved on to the online world as the Internet began to take off in the mid-1990s. Since then the company has established itself as the premier site for technology news, reviews and information online.    
 
Source: Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>Billionaire launches bid for control of Yahoo</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411776</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90878/6411776.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 08:13:15 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Voicing disappointment over Yahoo. Inc.'s refusal of Microsoft takeover bid, billionaire investor Carl Icahn on Thursday launched a bid for control of the internet giant. 

    Icahn said he took the move because Yahoo's board "completely ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Voicing disappointment over Yahoo. Inc.'s refusal of Microsoft takeover bid, billionaire investor Carl Icahn on Thursday launched a bid for control of the internet giant. 

    Icahn said he took the move because Yahoo's board "completely botched" takeover talks with Microsoft Corp. 

    In a letter to Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock, Icahn said he had snapped up 59 million Yahoo shares and was seeking permission from the Securities and Exchange Commission to amass up to 2.5 billion dollars in Yahoo's stock. Yahoo's market value was nearly 38 billion dollars this morning. 

    "It is unconscionable that you have not allowed your shareholders to choose to accept an offer that represented a 72-percent premium over Yahoo's closing price of 19.18 dollars on the day before the initial Microsoft offer," Icahn wrote. 

    "I and many of your shareholders strongly believe that a combination between Yahoo and Microsoft would form a dynamic company and more importantly would be a force strong enough to compete with Google on the Internet." 

    He added that he hoped Yahoo would listen to its shareholders and "move expeditiously" to close a deal with Microsoft, which earlier this month withdrew a 47.5-billion-dollar offer for Yahoo after they failed to agree on a price. 

    Sources close to Icahn said the billionaire had nominated a 12-people slate to unseat Yahoo's board of directors, a move that surprised some major shareholders, who had been told by Icahn's allies just a day before that he intended to put forward only a few names to serve as agitators. 

    The candidates include Icahn, former Viacom Inc. Chief Executive Frank Biondi Jr., Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and New Line Cinema co-chairman Robert Shaye. Yahoo didn't immediately comment. Its annual meeting is scheduled for July 3. 

    Yahoo shares gained 50 cents to 27.64 dollars in early trading on Thursday. They had tumbled to 24.37 dollars the first trading day after Microsoft walked away.    
 
Source: Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<title>Schools in China quake zone allowed to suspend classes</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411773</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90879/6411773.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 08:09:20 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China's Ministry of Education (MoE) has told schools in the southwest China quake zone to suspend classes according to local needs, a ministry spokesman said on Thursday. 

    Some schools in the area had been severely damaged and princi ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China's Ministry of Education (MoE) has told schools in the southwest China quake zone to suspend classes according to local needs, a ministry spokesman said on Thursday. 

    Some schools in the area had been severely damaged and principals should consider conditions before allowing classes to go ahead, MoE spokesman Wang Xuming said during a routine press conference. 

    Wang said school losses in the area had not yet been calculated and the ministry had asked local governments to compile casualty figures and assess property damage. 

    Wang said education authorities were still considering how and when to hold the annual national college entrance examination -- scheduled for June 7 to 9 -- in the affected areas. 

    The Sichuan provincial education department had suggested a suspension or postponement of the exam, but the final decision had not been made and officials were still investigating possibilities, he said. 

    Since the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Monday, China's education sector has received more than 130 million yuan (14.3 million U.S. dollars) in private donations for repairs and rebuilding in quake-hit areas. 

    Media mogul Run Run Shaw made the biggest donation, giving 100 million H.K. dollars (12.8 million U.S. dollars), followed by Ping An Insurance (Group) Company with 30 million yuan. 

    On Wednesday, the MoE and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) allocated an emergency fund of 50 million yuan to assist teachers and students. 

    Other contributions are expected to come through a campaign initiated by China Education Development Foundation, a national public funding organization supported by the MoE and MoF. 
 
Source: Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<title>Billionair investor launches proxy contest for Yahoo</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411732</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90858/90864/6411732.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 08:13:25 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Billionaire investor Carl Icahn plans to overthrow Yahoo's entire board aiming to push it back into takeover talks with Microsoft, according to media reports Thursday. 

    Icahn, who amassed about 50 million Yahoo shares this month, wil ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Billionaire investor Carl Icahn plans to overthrow Yahoo's entire board aiming to push it back into takeover talks with Microsoft, according to media reports Thursday. 

    Icahn, who amassed about 50 million Yahoo shares this month, will nominate ten new directors to replace Yahoo's current board before the nominations deadline on Thursday. 

    Icahn is moving ahead with the proxy fight in hopes of pushing Yahoo to restart talks to sell itself to Microsoft. Yet Microsoft has given no indication that it would be willing to restart talks. 

    As part of his proxy contest, Icahn is taking direct aim at Jerry Yang, Yahoo's chief executive and co-founder, who is revered inside the company and has the support of many of its employees. 

    Some analysts question whether ousting Yang would destabilize Yahoo if it were not sold and had to remain independent. 

    Big Yahoo investors have publicly chastised the company for failing to seal a buyout deal with Microsoft, which abruptly ended talks earlier this month after balking at Yahoo's 37 U.S. dollar per share asking price. 

    Microsoft had raised its initial bid to 33 U.S. dollars a share when Yang and his co-founder, David Filo, met with Ballmer and other Microsoft executives at the Seattle airport early this month. The Yahoo founders said their board had authorized an acquisition at 37 U.S. dollars a share. 

    After that meeting, Ballmer made public a letter to Yang withdrawing the offer and expressing disappointment that Yahoo did not move toward accepting it. 

    On May 3, Microsoft announced it was withdrawing its offer for Yahoo. 

    Observers have predicted that Microsoft could withdraw its bid as a bargaining tactic, in hopes that Yahoo's stock would plunge enough that its management team would finally agree to do a deal on Microsoft's terms.

Source: Xinhua/Agencies]]></full-text>
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