Yahoo shares plunge

Yahoo shares plunged again yesterday, a day after Congress hammered top executives over the company`s cooperation with Chinese officials in the jailing of a pro-democracy journalist, reports USA Today.

Shares slumped 7.7% as Republican Chris Smith renewed a call for Yahoo to endorse his Bill banning such cooperation. Smith said he remained "absolutely bewildered and angered" that the beleaguered Internet portal had not pledged to stop the practice.

At a high-profile hearing on Tuesday, Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang and general counsel Michael Callahan apologised to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for misleading Congress about Yahoo`s role in the 2004 case against the journalist, Shi Tao.

Manhunt 2 has become the target of a ban by Target stores, says Slippery Brick. Executives for the retail company have made the decision to ban sales of Rockstar`s controversial game, which lets players control a homicidal escaped mental patient as he goes on a killing rampage.

In a statement, Target offers the following explanation for the decision: "All video games and computer software sold at Target currently carry ratings by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) - from early childhood through mature audiences.

"While Manhunt 2 was given a 'Mature` rating by the ESRB, we received additional information that players can potentially view previously filtered content by altering the game code," the company said. As a result, it has decided not to carry the game.

Gasoline pump maker Gilbarco Veeder-Root has unveiled a service that lets drivers use Google Maps at the pump to get directions to destinations chosen by gas station owners, reports Information Week.

The service, unveiled at the National Association of Convenience Stores conference, in Atlanta, is part of Gilbarco`s Applause media system, which has been incorporated in its Encore pumps with colour screens and Internet connections.

Applause is an extension of Gilbarco`s Smart Merchandising system that retailers can use to display promotions and advertisements, and offer coupons through the pump`s receipt printer.

Microsoft has showed off a new Xbox feature that will allow parents to set the amount of time that kids can play games, reports News.com.

The move is part of the company`s effort to broaden the reach of the Xbox 360 to include more families. The company also recently introduced a lower-priced Xbox 360 Arcade model that skips a hard drive, but includes a handful of casual games like Pac-Man and Uno. Microsoft is also working to expand its Viva Pinata title into a franchise of products aimed at younger kids.

"All of those things are starting to make Xbox a much broader gaming world than it was even six months ago," Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft`s entertainment and devices unit said in an interview.