China approves Google’s Motorola buy, demands Android remain open

The United States Department of Justice approved Google’s $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility this past February, but the massive deal awaited the blessing of one more major regulatory body before it could go through. This past weekend, China’s Ministry of Commerce followed the DOJ’s lead and granted Google permission to acquire the struggling vendor. China’s MOC did have a condition Google must honor if it moves forward with the deal, however: Android must remain open-source and freely available. Google announced last August that it intended to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, and the deal is expected to close in the coming months.

Google Graph Makes Search Smarter
Google's new Knowledge Graph is a new search tool that will begin rolling out starting today, and it it's meant to help you find search results faster. When you search now for popular or well-known people, places and things you'll get a box to the left of the results explaining more about that term.

Solar Eclipse Visible This Weekend
If you live in a band across the southwestern United States, twilight will seem to come early on Sunday afternoon, well before the sun actually sets.

Watch: Grad Gadget Gift Guide
Speakers, Apple TV, Tablets: Great graduation gift ideas for tech-savvy grads.

Alibaba buys back 20 percent stake held by Yahoo for $7.1 billion

SHANGHAI/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chinese Internet entrepreneur Jack Ma is buying back up to half of a 40 percent stake in his Alibaba Group from Yahoo Inc for $7.1 billion, in a deal that moves the Chinese e-commerce leader closer to a public listing. Under the agreement, Yahoo will sell half its stake in Alibaba for at least $6.3 billion in cash and up to $800 million in new Alibaba preferred stock. ...

Yahoo to sell half of its Alibaba stake for $7.1B

Struggling Internet company Yahoo Inc. has secured a lifeline after agreeing to sell half of its prized stake in Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba for about $7.1 billion, with most of the cash going to shareholders.