WINTER

Agricultural bankers and other players in the world's grain markets say fallout from the collapse of giant broker MF Global is changing cash grain trading and fueling calls for alternatives and reforms.

Google started the practice of wishing its customers on important occasions with a variety of doodles in 1998. In 1999, the search engine began its pre-Christmas doodle series called 'Winter Holidays.'

It was a Cinderella story: a pig-rearing and vegetable-growing hamlet in China's eastern Jiangsu province that transformed itself into a village boasting millionaires and expensive cars, all through plywood, ingenuity and the Internet.

The winter solstice begins (for most) Dec. 22, 2011. Many in the Northern Hemisphere regard it as the start of winter and shorter days, but what time does it begin, what does it mean for the different hemispheres, and how did the tradition get started? Find out everything you need to know about Winter Solstice 2011 and how to prepare for it here.

This year, the winter solstice will occur on Thursday, Dec. 22 and will mark the shortest day and the longest night of the year for those in the Northern Hemisphere.

Every year, the Winter Solstice falls between Dec. 20 and Dec. 23 because that is when the Earth is tilted away from the sun more than any other time. It's the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of winter.

Winter Solstice is approaching this Dec 21st-early Dec. 22. the shortest day of the year. As usual there's the pressure of too much to do during the holiday season and too little time to do it. But this year, I've started to think about next year already--It's supposed to be the end of the world in 2012 on the next solstice. I'm jammed with deadlines already. What about my bucket list?

The snowstorm could impact the mid-Atlantic and New England Christmas weekend. And, while the forecast calls for rain at the moment over major I-95 corridor cities including New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., that could still change if enough cold air seeps in before the moisture arrives.

A life-threatening and dangerous winter storm is expected to hammer New Mexico and the High Plains areas of far northeast Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas until Tuesday, weather.com reported on Monday.

A major winter storm is moving towards the U.S. Southern Plains, forecasters say. Heavy snow and blizzard conditions are expected to set in through southwestern Kansas, central and eastern Texas and Oklahoma.

A shift in the global military balance is one of the inalienable fallouts of the economic winter experienced by the Western world. While military spending in the U.S., the reigning super power, is increasingly coming under a scanner, the extended defense holiday in Europe signals that the continent’s global influence is on irreversible decline.

Depending on the local weather, tourist traffic, entertainment options and cultural experiences, a leading inspirational travel website, has announced their top five destinations for winter 2011.

The top 10 winter beauty products you need this season, plus some great holiday deals.

Nobody likes to pack - especially if you're packing the mounds of gear needed for a ski trip. To make things easier, here are some tips on what you absolutely need on and off the slopes.

The next parliament session will focus on passing the controversial Lokpal Bill, overshadowing calls for a renewed push on economic reforms

With winter snow fast approaching, many in the Northern U.S. and Canada are looking for a sunny beach to escape to. Here are ten of the most beautiful beaches in America, all just a short plane ride away.

Indian government is planning to pass anti-corruption Lokpal bill in the winter session of parliament. Anna Hazare along with his team has been pressuring the government to pass the bill.

Find out the best early winter vacation deals on airfare and cruises, before you pay too much.

Every fall, thousands of starlings put on a spectacular dance show just before dusk over the Gretna sky in Scotland in a breathtaking phenomenon called murmurations. This is when a huge flock of birds that are in migration form a magical shape-shifting flight pattern in the sky.

Scientists hypothesize that unseasonably warm temperature spikes during the past two winters may be the result of global warming.

Decorative displays of pumpkins in New York and New Hampshire lay covered in snow, as a rare and late October winter storm struck the U.S. Northeastern region on Saturday and Sunday. The snow storm also led to power outages.