Microsoft gives Yahoo three weeks

Yahoo said Microsoft's original offer undervalued the firm

Computer software giant Microsoft has given Yahoo a three-week deadline to respond to its offer to buy out the internet company for $44.6bn (£22.3bn).

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said his company would take its case directly to Yahoo's shareholders if Yahoo's directors did not respond by 26 April.

Google helping with US spy work?

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:03:33

US intelligence agencies have recruited search engine giant Google to help its agents share information about their suspects.

Under the partnership, Google is helping intelligence organizations like the National Security Agency, CIA and FBI to deviate from their current archiving systems by offering them the latest, easy-to-use technologies and supplying the necessary software and hardware.

The three intelligence agencies have reportedly created a secure internal government intranet to share data about their targets that can be accessed by colleagues on a system similar to Wikipedia called Intellipedia.

Agents have clearance to log on to the site, which is closed to public users, and access three levels of data, top secret, secret and sensitive, and sensitive but unclassified.

Google's transactions with the intelligence community have irked bloggers who criticize it for collaborating with spy agencies more closely than simply selling search equipment.

CS/FH/BGH Courtesy Presstv