Shoppers Spend $31 Bln This Holiday Season: comScore
Online spending in the United States rose 13 percent to almost $31 billion till date this holiday shopping season compared with the year-ago levels, according to research firm comScore.
Cambridge University fights censorship attempts by UK card payment establishment
UK Cards Association demands suppression of MPhil student's research exposing security flaws in UK's card authentication system.
India's Citibank fraud case: Gurgaon police arrest key suspect Shiv Raj Puri
Gurgaon police on Thursday arrested Citibank relationship manager Shivraj Puri, who alleged masterminded a major fraud in one of the bank’s branch in the north Indian state of Haryana.
Caution pulls shares lower despite robust data
U.S. stocks edged lower on Thursday as the recent rally and light volume left investors reluctant to take on much more risk before the new year, despite a solid batch of economic data.
OPEC output up slightly in December: Reuters survey
OPEC output has risen slightly in December as Nigerian supply increased, a Reuters survey found on Thursday, indicating the group has yet to boost production substantially in response to prices at a 26-month high.
RIM dismisses claims of PlayBook battery weakness
Research In Motion defended its embryonic PlayBook tablet computer against charges its battery life is shorter than that of rivals already on the market, saying power management will be comparable.
UK scientists unveil new chip to make desktops 20 times faster
In a major technological breakthrough, a team of scientists led by the University of Glasgow has unveiled an ultra-fast chip which they claim could make desktop computers 20 times faster than the current ones.
US Congress bans 'silent' cars
The US Congress has banned ''silent'' vehicles to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.
Nintendo advises parents not to buy 3DS for children below 6
Warning seems redundant when the 3DS is supposed to broaden the gaming market and is positioned at 7 to 77-years old.
Jennifer Aniston acts in ‘tasteless’ movies, says Rupert Everett
Rupert Everett rues that people become stars because of the business than for good work or acting talent
Skype Launches Video Calling On iPhone
After an outage that stranded multiple users last week, Skype pulls an ace from its sleeve to woo its disgruntled customers, launching an iPhone app with video chat capabilities.
Wall Street set for flat open after jobless claims
U.S. stocks were poised for a flat open on Thursday after data on the labor market was better-than-expected but showed the overall employment picture remained soft.
Jobless claims lowest in more than two years
New claims for unemployment benefits dropped more than expected last week to their lowest level in more than two years, suggesting the labor market recovery was gaining strength.
Sony sues to block LG from shipping phones to U.S.
Sony Corp has filed a patent infringement complaint seeking to block LG Electronics Inc from shipping smartphones such as its Rumor 2 model to the United States.
Executive MBA continues to bring high returns for graduates
Salaries and bonus amounts earned by EMBA grads in 2010 rose by 11.4 percent, according to a survey by the EMBA Council
'Top Gear' kicks off religious row over burqa
The stars of motoring show 'Top Gear', one of the BBC's biggest selling programme brands around the world, have landed in a religious row for dressing up in burkas on the Boxing Day special.
Futures little changed before data
U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Thursday as investors awaited economic data for insight on the strength of the economic recovery heading into 2011.
Carlyle sells $860 million stake in China Pacific: sources
Carlyle Group has sold a 2.5 percent stake worth around $860 million in China Pacific Insurance Co Ltd <2601.HK>, sources said, helping the buyout fund recoup its investment in what could be one of its best Asian deals to date.
Stocks eye Sept '08 high
World stocks approached their highest level since September 2008 on Thursday on optimism about global growth next year, while the dollar fell on expectations of further money printing in 2011 by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
US revokes Venezuelan envoy's visa amid feud with Chavez
In a 'reciprocal' act to Hugo Chavez's rejection of President Barack Obama's choice of ambassador to Caracas, US revoked the visa for Venezuela's ambassador in Washington.
BMW to create 1,200 new jobs in India by 2011
German luxury carmaker BMW day said it would create 1,200 jobs in the dealer and service network by 2011 in India.
World stocks eye two-year high
World stocks approached their highest level since September 2008 on Thursday on optimism about global growth next year, while the dollar fell on expectations of further money printing in 2011 by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
RIM says India tool only for consumer services access
BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion said on Thursday the network data analysis system was a tool to gain lawful access only to its consumer services including BlackBerry Messenger, and does not enable access to highly secure corporate emails on its devices.
China to end auto tax incentive
China's Ministry of Finance said Tuesday the country's purchase tax for passenger cars with engines of 1.6 liters or less will be set at 10 percent from Jan. 1, ending an incentive policy under which the level was 7.5%.
China to promote auto imports over next five years
China will actively promote auto imports over the next five years to help the country restructure and upgrade its auto industry, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) said.
Audi to invest $15.3 bln to focus on future technologies
German luxury car maker Audi is investing €11.6 billion ($15.3 billion U.S. at the current exchange rate) between 2011 and 2015 to focus on future technologies.
China gears up to tackle New Year travel acid test
With as many as 2.85 billion journeys expected in 40 days, China is gearing up to tackle the travel needs of the soon approaching Lunar New Year, a acid test to the country's transportation system.
Carlyle Group sells $860 mln stake in China Pacific: source
U.S. private equity fund Carlyle Group has sold about $860 million worth of shares in China Pacific Insurance Co Ltd <2601.HK>, a source with direct with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
Corrected: Carlyle Group sells $860 mln stake in China Pacific
(Corrects paragraph 3 to show the 57 percent stake is for Hong Kong traded H-shares and does not take into account outstanding Shanghai shares <601601.SS>)
Stock futures point to slight gains for Wall Street
Stocks were set to open slightly higher on Thursday, adding to gains from the previous session, with futures for the Dow Jones, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all up by around 0.1 percent by 0900 GMT (4 a.m. ET).