News Headlines - 24 November 2012

▽Masayoshi Son, Softbank Prepare for New Battle - WSJ.com

In Japan, Masayoshi Son is known as the eccentric Internet billionaire who upended the country's telecom industry. In the U.S., he is about to become the cash-strapped underdog who picked a fight with two corporate giants—AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless.

▽Hewlett-Packard: Down in the valley - FT.com

HP is vowing to focus on new technology and end the dealmaking that has put it deep in debt

▽Sumo succumbs to soccer in Japan - FT.com

It is not hard to find reasons for the lack of enthusiasm. The past few years have been disastrous for sumo’s reputation, with a series of scandals including the death during a hazing of a young trainee and revelations of widespread bout-fixing. In recent decades, young Japanese have increasingly been drawn away by baseball and soccer

▽BBC News - Namib Desert beetle inspires self-filling water bottle

A US start-up has turned to nature to help bring water to arid areas by drawing moisture from the air. NBD Nano aims to mimic the way a beetle survives in an African desert to create a self-filling water bottle capable of storing up to three litres every hour.

▽The Pacific island that never was | The Guardian

Sandy Island 'may turn up nearby' after geologists find no trace of it despite featuring on Google Earth and various maps