odoxin is found in parts of the blowfish, including the liver, heart, intestines and eyes, and is so intense that a tiny amount will kill. Every year there are reports of people dying after preparing blowfish at home. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says city laws covering the serving of blowfish should be changed to reflect changing times and hope that relaxing the rules will cut prices and bring Tokyo in line with the rest of the nation. …

The dollar eased in Asian trade on Tuesday with the euro and safe-haven yen both rising ahead of key economic data due this week, including a US jobs report. The greenback slipped to 81.84 yen in Asian trade, compared with 82.28 yen in New York Monday. The euro gained to $1.3346 from $1.3325 in New York, and edged up to 109.27 yen, compared with 109.22 yen overnight in mixed trade. The yen's lure as a safe haven continued as investors …

The U.S. government now projects that the total cost to develop, buy and operate the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be $1.45 trillion over the next 50-plus years, according to a Pentagon document obtained by Reuters. The Pentagon's latest, staggering estimate of the lifetime cost of the F-35 -- its most expensive weapons program -- is up from about $1 trillion a year ago, and includes inflation. While inflation accounts …

Gold surged by Rs 129 to Rs 49,414 per 10 grams in the local market Friday as its international price improved to $ 1,665 an ounce, market sources said. According to Karachi Saraf Association official, tola (11.664 grams) price also went up by Rs 150 at Rs 57,650. Silver closed higher at Rs 925.71 per 10 grams.

The euro moved narrowly in Asia on Wednesday as investors looked for fresh trading pegs. The euro bought $1.3324 and 110.64 yen, compared with $1.3315 and 110.71 yen in New York late Tuesday. The dollar edged down to 82.97 yen from 83.15 yen in New York as Japanese exporters moved to repatriate income by the end of the current fiscal year this weekend. "There hasn't been any major news for the euro here," noted Kengo Suzuki, currency …

When Samsung Electronics rushed its first smartphone to market in a panicky response to the smash-hit debut of the Apple iPhone, some customers burned the product on the streets or hammered it to bits in public displays of disaffection. Complaints ranged from dropped calls and a clunky touchscreen to frequent auto rebooting and a dearth of applications. "It was just awful," said Kim Sang-uk, 27, who bought the Omnia in late-2009 just before …

The yen strengthened against the dollar in Thursday morning trade after Japan posted an unexpected trade surplus in February, offering some hope for its plodding economy. The dollar eased to 83.13 yen before rebounding to 83.37 yen in Tokyo, still below 83.87 yen in New York late Wednesday. The euro was changing hands at $1.3227 and 110.26 yen compared with $1.3211 and 110.22 yen on Wednesday. Japan logged a trade surplus of 32.9 billion …

Apple appears to be making less of a profit from each new iPad than it did when it launched the previous model a year ago, according to a research firm's analysis. IHS iSuppli took apart a new iPad on Friday, the day the device went on sale in the U.S. and nine other countries, and found that the components are more expensive than those of the iPad 2. The third iPad comes in several versions starting at $499, the same price as the iPad 2 …

In the currency market, the rupee ended weaker at 90.73/80 to the dollar compared to its close of 90.68/75 on Wednesday due to increased import payments, especially for oil. Dealers expect some pressure on the rupee because of rising global oil prices. Oil was trading close to $125 a barrel on Thursday. The rupee had been supported this week by remittances from overseas Pakistanis which rose 23.4 percent to $8.59 billion in the first eight …

The first privately owned passenger spaceship is on track for a test flight beyond the atmosphere this year, and nearly 500 people have signed up for rides. Another company just closed on $5 million equity financing, enough to finish building a two-seater rocketplane called Lynx. Both firms -- and a half-dozen more -- are looking at flying not just people, but experiments and payloads owned by research laboratories, businesses and educational institutes. …