Jijo Jacob

China's vice-like grip on world rare earths supply is forcing next generation carmakers to look for alternative technologies that don’t rely on these metals. At the forefront of such efforts is world's largest carmaker Toyota, according to ETF Database.

Abdullah al-Attiyah, who spearheaded the Gulf state's crude output expansion in the 1990s and, more significantly led the country's emergence as the LNG capital of the region, has stepped down as the energy minister following his appointment as the Chairman of the Emir's court.

Japanese Economics Minister said on Thursday China probably has sailed past Japan to emerge as the second biggest economy in the world after the United States, according to a Reuters report.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve, which meets next week, is unlikely to curtail its plan to buy $600 billion of Treasury securities by June despite the stronger tone of the incoming economic data, research firm Capital Economics said in a note on Wednesday.

Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to expand 5.4 percent in 2011 and 5.7 percent in the following year, Nordea Bank said on Wednesday.

Mortgage applications in the U.S. rose during the week ended January 14 as interest rates dipped to lowest levels in a month, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said on Wednesday.

Germany raised its official growth forecast for 2011 from 1.8 percent projected in October last year to 2.3 percent, signaling Europe's largest economy is poised to drive global recovery this year.

China's consumer price index (CPI) dipped to 4.6 percent in the last year, according to a report by Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV, BBC reported.

Even as the U.S. and China are preparing for what is termed as the most important heads of state level meeting in a decade, Japan has come out strongly for healthy ties between the world's two largest economies which happen to be political adversaries as well.

Things are looking different for eternal romancer and alleged chronic sex offender Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, whose wily ways to keep himself out of law's long arms are equally matched by his scornful defiance of morality and integrity.

AMD has launched G-Series, its latest addition to the Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) family, Betanews has reported.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has pledged to make as much as 6 million barrels per day of surplus crude production capacity available in the event of a strong rise in demand or sudden disruption in supply, a Platts release said on Tuesday.

Taiwan tested as many as 19 air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles even as Chinese President Hu Jintao was due to meet President Obama for a summit meeting.

Gilts and short sterling futures slid on Tuesday after data showed UK consumer price inflation rose faster than forecast in December, fuelling concerns the Bank of England may be forced to raise interest rates sooner than expected.

ARkStorm is a hypothetical winter storm scenario created by USGS's Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project for Southern California (MHDP) where experts have tried to forecast and assess the scientifically plausible physical event of a disastrous storm and the consequential secondary hazards as well as physical, social, and economic consequences.

The People’s Bank of China could hike interest rates in the first quarter of the year, an adviser to the central bank said on Tuesday.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) issued a statement over the weekend saying a phenomenon called atmospheric river (AR) caused disastrous high winds and rains in northern California in October, but the information inadvertently touched a sensitive chord among anxious residents, triggering a flare-up of fears about massive natural calamities waiting in the wings.

Iran has long struggled to secure funding to develop its oil and gas resources as several western oil giants have pulled out of the country following the tightening of international sanctions. The troubles are only worsening, with even Asian oil companies finding it difficult to raise funds for its South Pars development.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, who will arrive in the U.S. on Tuesday for a state visit, rejected Washington’s demand for an appreciation of the Chinese currency, and debunked what he called was a “zero-sum Cold War mentality” while calling for broader cooperation with the U.S. on a range of issues. The focus during the three-day state visit, and beyond that, for that matter, will be on if Washington is prepared to act more sternly to make the Chinese let their currency appreciate.

Astronomer Parke Kunkle's debunking of astrology and the viral wave of theories and anti-theories about the 13th zodiac sign Ophiuchus confounded the followers of astrology the world over, but also dealt a lethal blow to astrologers who withdrew to their shell groping for answers. But now astrologers are striking back.

U.S. inflation increased a marginal 0.5 percent in December on a seasonally adjusted basis, helping annual inflation rate to rise to a seven-month high, while core prices nudged up by 0.1 percent.

Embattled Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi could face a prostitution investigation, Italian media reported on Friday, a day after a constitutional court nullified a law that would have protected the premier from trial over charges of corruption and tax fraud.

The pep talk and horoscope agonies surrounding the so-called new zodiac sign Ophiuchus is unwarranted and misplaced. First and foremost there is nothing exactly new about Ophiuchus, the 13th zodiac sign - it was revealed and discussed years ago. Second, the whole exercise of looking up to the celestial position to know one' fate is just another anomaly in an otherwise scientific age. And finally, if you still think stars and their position do matter to what happens in your life, horos...

Apple's iOS App Store and other similar app stores act as checkpoints and are therefore 'dangerous, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has said.

Shell is putting up four Nigerian onshore oil blocks for auction as the oil major focuses on transferring some assets in Nigeria to local companies, Platts reported on Thursday, quoting sources close to the process.

2010 was a “wonderful year” for energy investors, as more than 65 percent of oil and gas stocks delivered positive returns over the year, IHS Global Insight has said in a report released on Thursday.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) for finished goods rose a seasonally adjusted 1.1 percent in December, marking a sixth week of rise, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Thursday.

Hotz burst into the intriguing world of hacking at the age of 17 when he cracked open the iPhone, a device which caught the imagination of the world, and immediately became a pin-up boy attracting rock star fan following.

China will grow slower in 2011 due to the unwinding of fiscal stimulus and the restrictions placed on overheating sectors, the World Bank said in a report.