International News - Page 13

NASA bids goodbye to Russian space taxis, partners with Boeing, SpaceX to fly astronauts

Boeing was awarded $4.2 billion to SpaceX's $2.6 billion. SpaceX is run by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, also the chief executive officer of electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors.

Right buy at right time: Microsoft acquires Minecraft maker Mojang for $2.5 bn

Minecraft is the top paid-for app both on Apple Inc's iOS and Google Inc's Android systems and helped Mojang, which employs just 40 people, bring in 2.05 billion crowns ($287 million) in revenue in 2013

Get this: Samsung accuses LG execs of vandalising washing machines

LG denied Samsung's claim and said the executives inadvertently damaged the doors of two washing machines in one store because the model in question had weak hinges.<br />

There are now 300 billionaires in China, thanks to real estate boom

The number of billionaires in China has touched 300 by the end of 2013 mainly due to real estate boom, according to a new annual ranking of the wealthiest individuals in the communist nation, world's second largest economy.

Middle East tensions keep oil above $98, $85/barrel not too far

Oil prices on both sides of the Atlantic are down about 2 percent to 3 percent this week, dragged down by high global supplies at a time when demand is weak.<br />

`Apostle of risk', Fiat executive Marchionne takes on wheel at Ferrari

The question is whether the 62-year-old Italian-Canadian, whose pedigree is in the mass-market world of Fiat and Chrysler, can maintain the cachet of the Ferrari brand.

Apple Watch beats expectations, but here's why it's a missed opportunity

Apple chief executive Tim Cooks got a standing ovation Wednesday morning in Cupertino, when he announced the "next chapter in our story" at a special event that also launched the iPhone 6 in two sizes.

Every time you use your iPhone to make purchases, banks will have to pay a fee

The introduction of the new payment service comes at a time when the U.S. mobile payments market is expected to see steep growth: Forrester Research forecasts U.S. mobile payments will reach $90 billion in 2017, a 48 percent increase from 2012.

Amazon slashes Fire Phone price to 99 cents. Yes, 99 cents!

The 32GB version will now be available for 99 cents with a two-year contract, a year of Amazon Prime membership and various other cloud services

Chasing e-commerce: With the new 'buy' button, Twitter is turning into a shopping mall

The facility, with some tweets from test partners featuring a "Buy" button letting users buy directly from the tweet, will be rolled out for a small percentage of users in the US users.

Facebook becomes 22nd largest company globally as market cap crosses $200 bn

The company's stock closed at $77.6 on Monday - a new all-time high - giving it a market capitalisation of $200.26 billion, media reports said.<br />

US probe: GSK's China unit faces more than just bribery charges

GSK confirmed it had conducted an investigation into procurement practices in consumer healthcare in China, but said it did not find any "unethical conduct".<br />

Jaguar launches its cheapest car, XE sports sedan, aimed at women and youth

Jaguar said on Monday that the XE sports sedan, to be priced at 27,000 pounds in Britain, would be the first model in the XE series. A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is expected to follow.

Morgan Stanley agrees to pay $95 million in mortgage-debt settlement

The settlement, disclosed in court papers filed Monday in New York federal court, follows years of litigation by investors over allegedly false and misleading statements over the soured securities.

Big iPhones, smart watches: Will Apple hold an industry-reshaping event today?

Apple's Jobs was famous for surprising fans with unexpected products at the end of his presentations. Could Cook preserve the tradition with a peek at a long-awaited Apple television, a rumored bigger iPad or a completely unexpected product?

Over 1 bn videos viewed everyday on Facebook, mostly driven by mobile

Social networking giant Facebook said that more than one billion videos are viewed everyday on its platform, with over 65 percent of it being consumed on mobile phones.

Electrolux to buy GE Appliances in $3.3 bn deal

GE confirmed last month it was in talks to sell its appliances division as part of its effort to focus on selling more complex and profitable industrial equipment.<br />

Bricks over Barbie: Lego becomes world's largest toy maker, overtakes Mattel

Danish toy maker Lego has taken the top spot as the world's biggest maker of toys by sales, overtaking Barbie doll-maker Mattel, its first-half results showed on Thursday.

Singapore companies have 'opportunities' in India's mfg, energy sectors, says expert

Singapore companies have opportunities in residential, commercial, water management, educational and healthcare segments as India proceeds with its planned development of 100 smart cities.

Top 3 percent in US hold nation's wealth, income, says survey

The gap between the richest Americans and the rest of the nation widened after the Great Recession, a survey by the Federal Reserve showed on Thursday, suggesting deepening US income inequality.

Smooth take-off: Boeing beats Airbus on jet orders, remains world's largest plane maker

Boeing is targeting 715-725 deliveries in 2014.

Celebrity photo scandal: Apple to add security alerts for iCloud users

Apple will alert users through email and push notifications when someone tries to change an account password, restore iCloud data to a new device, or when a device logs into an account for the first time, Chief Executive Tim Cook said.

BP termed`grossly negligent' in 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, may be fined $18 mn

a ruling that could add nearly $18 billion in fines to more than $42 billion in charges the company took for the worst offshore environmental disaster in US history.

ECB cuts interest rates to record lows to battle eurozone deflation threat

The ECB cut its main refinancing rate to 0.05 percent from 0.15 percent.

US banks to be required to hold 'liquid' assets to fund 30 days of operations

The Federal Reserve and two other agencies moved toward adopting rules Wednesday that will subject big U.S. banks for the first time to so-called "liquidity" requirements.

Samsung unveils Galaxy Note 4 but there's little to excite new users

The new Galaxy Note 4 features a crisper, 5.7-inch display in a metal frame, reflecting Samsung's latest design strategy to keep pace with rivals including Apple Inc, which is expected to launch its first large-screen phones next week.<br />

From 'bucket list' to 'to-do list': Malaysia Airlines tweaks insensitive PR campaign

Malaysia Airlines launched the campaign asking Australian and New Zealand customers to describe "What and where would you like to tick off on your bucket list, and explain why?"

China services activity rebounds but property remains a worry

China is determined to achieve its 7.5 percent economic growth target for 2014 to keep employment stable and rein in financial risks

Apple's iPhone 6 set for a gloomy launch after 'iCloud' nude celebrity photo leaks?

In the wake of the breach, cybersecurity experts and mobile developers have called out inadequacies in Apple's and, more generally, cloud-services security.