Raymond Ronamai

Apple Inc's new 4G-equipped iPad will cement the company's market dominance, and ward off competition from a slew of Windows 8-based tablets due later this year, while a cheaper iPad 2 will see stronger demand, said analysts.

Mukesh Ambani retained the top spot among Indians on Forbes' annual list of the world's billionaires on Wednesday with a net worth of $22.3 billion. He is the richest Indian.

Gadget lovers in India can now own an iPad 2 for 24,500 rupees, with Apple Inc slashing its price worldwide on Thursday following the launch of a new third-generation, 4G-ready tablet.

A pregnant Jessica Simpson has taken a page from Demi Moore's celebrity playbook in a nude cover photo for the April issue of Elle magazine, and the singer and actress has confirmed the baby will be a girl.

Leading U.S. software and technology companies on Wednesday pressed President Barack Obama's administration for quick action on a new Indian government policy that they said threatens U.S. exports to the fast-growing economy.

The weeks before the Union budget are days of wishful thinking for the common man. It is always the expectation that the threshold and tax exemption limits will be increased. This year is no exception, and the common man would definitely be happy if his wishes are met.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will present the annual budget in parliament on March 16. The Direct Taxes Code (DTC) will be in focus this year. What is your budget wishlist for this year?

Apple Inc's latest iPad sports a crisper display and an array of technology advances that, while less than revolutionary, may prove enough for now to keep rivals like Amazon.com Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd at bay.

Apple Inc is betting a 4G-equipped iPad will tempt more U.S. consumers to pay extra to watch high-quality video on the go, and in turn, give Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc a revenue boost.

It's not all doom and gloom for India's embattled airline sector. IndiGo, a low-fare carrier launched in 2006, has climbed to second place in market share at the expense of Air India and Kingfisher Airlines (KING.NS) and is the only one of India's six main carriers making a profit, for now at least.

Congress party is trailing in fourth place at the time of filing this article, as counting of votes got underway in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, a stunning blow to Rahul Gandhi who had staked his political future on reviving his party's fortunes in the state.

Few close observers of the Syrian conflict believe the uprising that began nearly a year ago is anything like over, and nor do they believe that President Bashar al-Assad can use the siege of Homs as a springboard to regain full control of the country. Yet some experts believe the authorities' brutality will lead to a drawn-out Bosnia-style war.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao cut his nation's 2012 growth target to an eight-year low of 7.5 percent and made boosting consumer demand the year's first priority as Beijing looks to wean the economy off its reliance on external demand and foreign capital.

The Union budget has always provided major policy direction which has been anxiously awaited by the common man and the industry. But over the years, the tax system has become more crystallised and yet expectations have not ceased. Check out expectations of Budget 2012-13.

Roger Federer swatted aside Andy Murray 7-5 6-4 to win the Dubai Championships on Saturday, the Swiss maestro's 72nd tour title, as he abandoned the baseline to dominate from the net.

Syrian forces bombarded parts of the shattered city of Homs on Saturday and for a second day blocked Red Cross aid meant for civilians stranded for weeks without food and fuel in the former rebel stronghold.

Facebook Inc will add banks in coming weeks to help underwrite its initial public offering, two sources familiar with its plans said on Friday.

A faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility on Thursday for the killing of a Chinese woman this week, saying it was in revenge for China's killing of Muslims in its troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he had received grisly reports that Syrian government forces were arbitrarily executing, imprisoning and torturing people in the battle-scarred city of Homs after rebel fighters had fled.

New initiatives don't always succeed first time. The government's auction of 5 percent of Oil and Natural Gas Corp, the energy group, could have flopped had it not been for last-minute intervention from state-owned Life Insurance Company of India. But if Delhi learns the right lessons, the auction route could yet be an effective way of selling stakes in state-run firms.

The BSE Sensex ended flat in a short special trading session on Saturday as investors remained cautious ahead of results of state elections due this week.

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian and two of her sisters, Khloe and Kourtney, have been slapped with a $5 million lawsuit alleging they and the makers of QuickTrim diet pills falsely touted the product's effectiveness for losing weight.

Sri Lanka beat Australia by nine runs despite Dan Christian's hat-trick in a dramatic one-day international on Friday to book their place in the final of the Tri-series against the hosts and send India home.

American journalist Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were buried in the Syrian city of Homs where they were killed in shelling eight days ago, according to videos posted on the Internet.

The BSE Sensex was on track for its second weekly fall in a row as the market seesawed on Friday after a muted response to a government stake sale in Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC.NS) raised concerns about divestment programmes.

Defeated Syrian rebels left their shattered stronghold in Homs on Thursday after a bloody 26-day army siege aimed at crushing a symbol of the year-long revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

Data protection agencies in European countries have concluded Google Inc's new privacy policy is in breach of European law, EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said on Thursday.

North Korea has agreed with the United States to suspend major elements of its atomic weapons programme in a surprise breakthrough that could pave the way for the resumption of long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks with the secretive state.

India's exporters have begun receiving the first rupee payments from Iran, Indian government and trade sources said on Thursday, kicking off a mechanism to skirt Western sanctions which have made doing business with Tehran tougher.