IBT Staff Reporter

Mortgage applications for home loan refinancing fell for a second straight week, dropping to its lowest level since early August, as rock-bottom interest rates failed to boost demand.

Beazer Homes USA Inc cut its full-year outlook for new home orders after the expiration of a federal homebuyer tax credit, saying potential buyers remain cautious amid high unemployment and continued foreclosures.

India’s budding cloud computing market is expected to touch $1 billion in the next five years, according to a survey.

More U.S. homeowners slashed their asking prices for a third straight month in August to lure buyers into a market hindered by high unemployment, a study showed on Wednesday.

Mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will not exist in their current form after a revamp of the U.S. housing finance system, a top Obama administration official said on Tuesday.

Ford Motor Co expects its sales in China to outpace growth in Chinese car market this year as it expands its dealer network, the company's local sales chief said on Wednesday.

Chrysler said on Tuesday it was set to unveil a renamed and upgraded version of its Sebring sedan as the automaker readies its first restyled vehicles since emerging from bankruptcy under the control of Fiat SpA.

World number two truck maker Volvo AB said on Wednesday deliveries of its trucks rose 62 percent year-on-year in August as global economic recovery boosted demand for commercial vehicles.

Depression is fairly common among parents of children younger than 12, with the risk being greatest in their children's first year of life, a new study suggests.

Think you're popular? Well, name a friend. It turns out that this person is probably more popular than you, a tendency that scientists might be able to use to predict the spread of disease.

One in six people who develop Parkinson's disease early (before age 40 or 50) carry a genetic mutation known to be associated with the neurological disorder, new research suggests.

Atomic bomb blast victims lucky enough to survive one cancer have a high risk of developing a second, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday, in a study that offers new insights about cancer risks from radiation exposure.

Investing in smoking cessation treatments saves lives and it may be sound fiscal policy, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

A push to protect millions of children against preventable diseases has hit financial trouble, with private donations for vaccines falling short, new figures released on Tuesday showed.

Deaths from complications during pregnancy and childbirth have fallen by a third in the past two decades but 1,000 women still die needlessly every day, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

In a taste of things to come, food scientists say they have cooked up a way of using nanotechnology to make low-fat or fat-free foods just as appetizing and satisfying as their full-fat fellows.

A recent study has found a strong correlation between the chemicals used in non stick cookware, and in microwave popcorns and high blood cholesterol in children.

You know smoking is bad, but second hand smoking is even worse as there is no idea how much smoke you actually can inhale. The worst effected in this are small children between the age of 3 and 11, a recent research shows.

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue who is still undergoing medication for breasts cancer revealed that she still deals with side effects like nausea and headaches. She has also spoken of her love for sister Dannii's son.

Lady Gaga's flowing layered dress and towering heels was not the only highlight of the MTV Video Music Award night on Sunday.

Actor and hip hop wannabe Joaquin Phoenix is making a comeback to David Letterman's Late Show after his now infamous television interview last year. The interview will air on September 22, according to a broadcaster CBS statement.

Veteran filmmaker and four times Oscar winner Clint Eastwood's latest film, Hereafter got a mixed response at the Toronto film festival.

Behind every successful woman, there is a man. Ask superstar Julia Roberts and she would swear by it. The actress all praises for her cameraman husband Daniel Moder in a recent interview has said that her husband is her Rock. He has been extremely supportive of her career throughout their marriage.

Oprah Winfrey's generosity to her audience and staff members is not unknown. In the past she has given each audience a new car, I-pads and $10,000 checks to all her staff members.

Carmakers Daimler, Renault and Nissan are redoubling their electric cars effort in the race for market share in a world of tighter emission rules.

Kia Motors, South Korea's No.2 carmaker, plans to produce 2,000 units of its new electric vehicles by 2012, an executive at its affiliate Hyundai Motor said on Tuesday.

Toyota Motor Corp will offer a plug-in version of its Prius positioned to be the cheapest green car of its kind by 2012 and could have two electric cars in the U.S. market by that time, executives said on Monday.

Toyota Motor Corp plans to introduce six new hybrid vehicles by the end of 2012 and bring an electric vehicle to the U.S. market that year also, a top research and development executive said on Monday.

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which last month completed its purchase of Volvo from Ford Motor Co, may build as many as three plants in China to make the Swedish brand, a Geely spokesman said on Tuesday.