News Headlines - 18 December 2019

▽The legendary Nintendo PlayStation prototype is up for auction | Engadget

For years it was the stuff of legend -- a games console that incorporated both a CD drive and SNES cartridge slot made with the official backing of PlayStation and Nintendo? But back in 2015 we saw the magical prototype for ourselves and even had a play with it. Now, after years of touring the world to show off the system to classic gaming fans, the owner of what is believed to be the only remaining Nintendo PlayStation system is putting the console up for sale.

▽Apple, Google, Amazon, Zigbee partner on smart home

Amazon, Google, Apple and the Zigbee Alliance on Wednesday announced a rare partnership that’s focused on making smart homes easier for everyone.
Amazon, Google and Apple are all competing for people to buy products that work with their in home-systems and are still trying to build a solution that’s simple for everyone to use. But the competition itself has created a really confusing landscape for consumers and manufacturers of smart home products.

▽Volvo sells struggling Japan unit UD Trucks to Isuzu Motors | Financial Times

Volvo Group is selling its struggling Japanese business to Isuzu Motors as the two truckmakers seek to set up a strategic alliance, the latest in a series of partnerships sweeping through the automotive industry.
The Swedish truckmaker said that its longtime problem child UD Trucks had an enterprise value, which includes equity, debt and cash, of Y250bn ($2.3bn) but that final terms would be agreed with its Japanese rival next year.
The deal to sell its Japanese unit should boost Volvo’s operating income by SKr2bn ($210m) and its net cash position by SKr22bn.

▽14 Die as Gangs Battle in Panama Prison | Voice of America

Rival gang members opened fire in a crowded Panamanian prison killing 14 inmates and wounding around a dozen others, the government announced Wednesday.
The gun battle, involving AK-47 automatic rifles and other firearms, erupted late Tuesday in La Joyita penitentiary, one of the country's largest prisons, east of Panama City.

▽Shiori Ito: Japanese #MeToo symbol wins compensation - CNN

A freelance journalist who became a symbol of Japan's #MeToo movement has won a civil case against the high-profile journalist she accused of raping her.
In a packed Tokyo District Court room on Wednesday, a judge ordered Noriyuki Yamaguchi to pay 3.3 million yen, or more than $30,000, in damages to Shiori Ito. Ito sought 11 million yen, or more than $100,000, in damages to compensate for her physical and emotional suffering.