According to the International Herald Tribune, “Germany said Tuesday that it would introduce a law to regulate private equity firms and hedge funds, even as it becomes increasingly isolated in efforts to win international support for reining in the booming industry. The Finance Ministry said that it hoped to come forward with a proposal by the end of May that would force investors who build up a stake of 10 percent in a German company to make their intentions clear. It hopes to make it law next year.”
In a different article, the International Herald Tribune reports that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates on Tuesday demonstrated “to hundreds of marketers and advertising agencies” in Seattle “new technology that brings interactivity to online video and the ability to preview search results, which he said would open new doors for advertisers.” According to the IHT, “Microsoft’s display of technological wizardry” had the intended effect, with many attendees saying that they “came away feeling that Microsoft would become a stronger competitor to Google and others in online ads.”
The International Herald Tribune also points out that “Yahoo, owner of the most-visited U.S. Web site, will close its online auction site in the United States after failing to match the popularity of eBay. The site will stop taking listings on June 3, and bidding will end June 16, the company, based in Sunnyvale, California, said Tuesday on the site.”
The Seattle Times writes that Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts on Tuesday “unveiled the next generation of cable modems to the public for the first time at a presentation at the National Cable and Telecommunications Show. The so-called wideband modems will allow users to download content — movies, songs, photos — at speeds of 100 megabits or more per second, Roberts said. That’s about 20 times faster than current cable-modem speeds.”
According to a different Seattle Times article, federal regulators said Tuesday that “[s]tate laws and real-estate agents’ business practices are preventing consumers from getting the full benefit of the competition that the Internet was expected to bring to the real-estate industry.”