Japan

Twitter on Friday took a stand for online privacy by backing a Firefox web browsing feature that lets people signal that they don't want their Internet activity tracked. Nonprofit foundation Mozilla added a "Do Not Track" option last year that tells websites when visitors don't want online behavior noted by…

The government on Friday urged businesses and consumers in the western part of the country to cut power use by at least 15% this summer to cope with shortages after the shutdown of all of Japan's nuclear reactors following the Fukushima crisis. The government said that it aimed to avoid…

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 hit the Kanto region on Friday, shaking buildings in Tokyo. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, and no tsunami warnings were issued after the quake which struck at 5:19 p.m. The epicenter was at a depth of 50 kilometers…

Atlanta's Brandon Beachy pitched a complete game shutout to guide the Braves to a 7-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday and top spot in the National League East division. Beachy (5-1), who has won five straight decisions, pitched his first complete game. He had no walks and six…

Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka's latest rehab start for minor league side Triple-A Pawtucket was his longest. Matsuzaka allowed five runs -- four earned -- in 6 2/3 innings Thursday against the Durham Bulls. He threw 64 of his 95 pitches for strikes while allowing seven hits. The Japanese…

Jesse Joensuu scored with 9 seconds left to give Finland a 3-2 victory over the United States on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the world ice hockey championships, and Michal Handzus scored the winning goal late in the third period in Slovakia's 4-3 victory over Canada. In the semifinals on…

Gay rights campaigners in Japan hit out Thursday at Takeshi "Beat" Kitano after the award-winning actor-director compared same-sex marriage with bestiality. Kitano, whose yakuza gangster films are popular around the world, enraged activists with his comments on a popular current affairs show as guests were being asked for their opinions…

The Indiana Pacers showed more balance, toughness and togetherness than Miami, throttling the Heat 94-75 on Thursday to take a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals. Roy Hibbert had 19 points and 18 rebounds, George Hill scored 20 and Danny Granger 17 for the Pacers, who were…

Leading Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo has developed its first smartphone specially designed for elderly users, as the company bids to tap into an aging consumer population. The touch-screen handset, to go on sale by August, will show large fonts and icons with simplified steps for emails and taking pictures,…

Hosts Japan are hoping home advantage in the final Olympic women's volleyball qualifying tournament starting Saturday will help them secure a berth at London 2012 as they bid to end a 28-year medal drought. Eight countries -- Japan, Cuba, Peru, Russia, Serbia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand -- will play…

A new Vocaloid character named Mayu was announced by Exit Tunes, a Japanese record label that produces Vocaloid albums, during their live event at Saitama Super Arena on May 6. Mayu dresses in goth-loli style, wearing a black dress with red ribbons and a beret that with a speaker attached.…

Japanese online giant Rakuten announced Thursday it was leading a $100 million investment in Pinterest, a fast-growing U.S. bulletin-board style social media website. Rakuten said it was joining with existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, and FirstMark Capital, and "a number of angel investors." "The funding will allow Pinterest…

Japan successfully put a South Korean satellite into space Friday, in its first foray into the European- and Russian-dominated world of commercial launches. The H-IIA rocket took off from the southern island of Tanegashima on schedule at 1:39 a.m., according to live images relayed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency…

Facebook on Thursday announced a price of $38 per share for its record-setting initial public offering, which gives the leading social network a market value of $104 billion. The shares will begin trading Friday under the symbol "FB" on the Nasdaq, the company said in a statement announcing the richest-ever…

Japanese star Shinji Kagawa said he wants to play in the Premier League after meeting with Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson. The 23-year-old Kagawa has one year left on his contract with two-time Bundesliga champion Borussia Dortmund but has declined the club's extension offer. Kagawa returned to Japan on Wednesday…

A box set of two cantaloupe melons has been sold at auction in Japan for one million yen, but in a possible sign of the financial times, went for less than half the all-time record. An unknown buyer snapped up the Yubari melons on the first day of the buying…

What the first round of the 2012 Asian Champions League lacked in quality, it made up for in unpredictability as three recent champions made early exits from the marquee continental club competition. A number of the usual challengers from the eastern half of the draw were markedly weaker than in…

Global children's phenomenon The Wiggles announced the end of an era on Thursday, with three of the quartet to retire from performing and a woman to don the turtleneck for the first time. The four-man Australian singing and dancing outfit, famed for their colorful jumpers or "skivvies", said three of…

Out of thin air, Facebook is evolving into a global driver of jobs and economic growth. But how big is the impact? That's a matter of much debate. The social networking giant set to launch a massive public offering this week has spawned dozens of startups and thousands of apps…

Mobile phone sales worldwide suffered a rare dip in the first three months of this year on softened demand in Asian markets, industry tracker Gartner reports. Approximately 419.1 million mobile phones were bought worldwide during the quarter in a two percent decline from the same period a year earlier, Gartner…