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Google not sure about China problems
After blaming an internal technical glitch, Google now says it’s not sure why people in China have had trouble using its search service. Earlier Tuesday, some people in China reported being unable to perform Google searches even though they could access the Google search page at google.com.hk, where the company is directing Chinese users. Some observers thought the Chinese government had started blocking the site, but Google initially said the problems were due to a change the company had made to its servers. However, later in the day Google reversed course, saying the problem was caused by Chinese censors.
PayPal to halt service in Japan
PayPal is halting personal payment services for users in Japan from Wednesday due to new regulations that go into force the following day. Commercial payments, for example to companies for goods bought online, are not affected. Personal payments from outside of Japan to users inside the country will also continue. PayPal is being forced to temporarily discontinue its services while it applies for a government license to offer money transfer services between individuals, the company said. Such services hadn’t been regulated until now but a new money transfer law will enter into force on April 1.
Intel announces new server CPUs
Intel on Tuesday announced eight-core Nehalem-EX chips, which the company said provide performance jumps that could bring critical infrastructure computing to mainstream servers. The Nehalem-EX processors deliver up to 20 times more performance than single-core Xeon processors, said Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Data Center Group, during a launch event held in San Francisco. Nehalem-EX processors are targeted at high-end servers that require high uptime and run critical applications like databases and real-time business intelligence.
Novell owns Unix copyrights, jury finds
On Tuesday, a jury in Nevada sided with Novell in its long-running legal dispute with SCO. The jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada ruled that Novell owns Unix copyrights that SCO has tried to assert as its own. Pamela Jones, a paralegal who has closely followed the SCO v. Novell case since its beginning on her Groklaw blog, initially deemed this the end of the line. “It’s over,” she wrote on her site. However, SCO could appeal the ruling.