GERMANY

Severe seasonal melting has reduced ice floes, floating chunk of ice, in the Arctic Ocean to the thinnest on record, according to researchers. Changes in sea ice thickness and extent also have direct consequences for the ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean, the researchers said.

Gold prices held steady on Thursday, as optimism for a solution to the Eurozone crisis underpinned sentiment, while tight physical supply in Asia continued to lend support.

The Black Death, the worst plague in Europe's history, killed between 30 million and 50 million people in the 14th century. Now, after analyzing dozens of skeletons, scientists claim to have cracked its genetic code. They say simple antibiotics available today can beat the disease.

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, whose 81-day detention earlier this year caused an international outcry, has been named the art world's most powerful figure in a new ranking.

Scientists have managed to map the entire DNA of the Black Death's bubonic plague from the teeth of four 650-year-old skeletons, the remains of victims buried in London's plague pits.

Apple Inc debuts its fifth generation iPhone this week minus its visionary leader for the first time. But CEO Tim Cook may already be thinking ahead to his greatest challenge: repositioning the company's fabled marketing apparatus to safeguard the brand.

Forced by civil war from his post as governor of Afghanistan's central bank, Mir Najibullah Sadat Sahou was granted political asylum in the United States in 1992 after fighters in his native country seized his home.

Einstein fled Germany for the U.S. in 1933 when Adolph Hitler became the Chancellor.

The Americans continue to struggle to score.

More good news out of Europe continues to provide the fuel to drive the current risk-asset rally.

Over two dozen new free-floating brown dwarfs (sometimes described as failed stars), including a lightweight youngster only about six times heavier than Jupiter, residing inside two young star clusters have been discovered by astronomers.

Barclays Capital said the pace of iPhone 4S roll-out is fastest in the iPhone's history and points to a big December quarter push for Apple Inc.

The final qualifiers of the Euro 2012 Group games were played out on Tuesday. Here's a round-up of who has qualified, who hasn't and what they have to do to qualify.

Germany completed a perfect record in the Euro 2012 Qualifiers with 10 wins from as many games after defeating Belgium in Dusseldorf on Tuesday.

When Samsung and Google last week decided to delay the unveiling of the Galaxy Nexus Prime smartphone and the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, reports surfaced that it was out for Apple's dead CEO Steve Jobs.

The United States stormed to gold in the women's team event at the world gymnastics championships on Tuesday to emphatically put down a marker for next year's London Olympics.

Slovakian lawmakers late Tuesday rejected their governing coalition's bid to expand the Eurozone's bailout fund, toppling the government but heightening prospects a new coalition can push the measure through this week.

Europe's banks will have to achieve a significantly stronger capital position under a quick-fire regulatory health check and may need to raise some 100 billion euros ($137 billion), banking and regulatory sources said on Tuesday.

Samsung and Google delayed the release of their new products following the death of Steve Jobs out of respect for the legendary man that changed the landscape of the technology world forever.

U.S. stock futures are slightly down as investors await the results of a key Eurozone vote and Alcoa’s (NYSE:AA) earnings report.

Gold eased 1 percent early Tuesday, giving up some of the previous day's gains, as stocks and the euro were pressured by waning optimism over a new plan to tackle euro zone debt, and ahead of a vote in Slovakia to ratify changes to the bloc's rescue fund.