One in five white people carries a gene fault which could raise their risk of high blood pressure, research suggests. The STK39 gene variant was found after scanning the entire genetic code of hundreds of people in the US and Europe. Those with the variant had raised blood pressure compared with those carrying other versions. [...]
There is no doubt that 2008 was the year of the smartphone. The last 12 months has seen the launch of iconic devices such as the iPhone 3G, Google G1, Blackberry Storm and Nokia N97. It also saw the emergence of the electronic ecosystems needed to get the most out of such handsets. But all [...]
Arnold Schwarzenegger classic The Terminator is one of 25 films being added to the US National Film Registry. The move will preserve the films – which include home movies and documentaries from the 1920s – and protect them from deterioration. Other films on the list include the original 1933 version of The Invisible Man and [...]
Mortgage lenders often require homeowners in flood-prone areas to carry special insurance. Should banks make companies buy recession insurance from governments before they can borrow? That is one idea proposed by the International Monetary Fund on Monday as a way to help situations like the current one where economic uncertainty is so high that companies [...]
Israel says it is ready for "long weeks of action" as it continues its fiercest air assault on Gaza for decades to stamp out militant rocket attacks. Palestinian officials say 10 people died in the latest attacks, taking the death toll to over 360 since Saturday. Four Israelis have died in rocket fire. Israeli Interior [...]
Madonna’s "Sticky & Sweet" concert tour was the biggest-grossing music tour of 2008 in North America, raking in $105.3 million, concert tracking magazine Pollstar said on Monday. The Material Girl, whose 58-show world tour finished in Brazil last week, was closely followed by another solo diva — Canadian-born Celine Dion, who made $94 million in [...]
The pound has hit a new record low against the euro as the grim outlook for the UK economy continues to put downward pressure on the currency. Weak house price data and figures showing that homeowners are choosing to repay their mortgages rather than spending, pushed the currency lower. Low trading levels in the foreign [...]
Beyonce logged a third week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," a tune from her latest chart-topping album. Rapper T.I.’s "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna held at No. 2, and Lady GaGa’s "Just Dance" featuring Colby O’Donis at No. 3. Kanye West’s "Heartless" jumped [...]
Export-reliant Asian economies showed more signs of weakness on Friday, with Japan’s industrial output diving at a record pace and South Korea warning it faces an "unprecedented crisis" as global demand wilts. Even the once unstoppable Chinese economy is feeling the strain, with companies recording a sharp slowdown in profit growth in the first 11 [...]
When the International Olympic Committee ordered federations and Olympic committees around the world to boost drugs tests ahead of the Beijing Games, few would have predicted only six positive tests at the Olympics. Even IOC President Jacques Rogge, weeks before the Games when dozens of athletes across the world were being suspended for testing positive [...]
Employees of Yomiuri Land in Santa Claus outfits enjoy a ride at an amusement park in Tokyo December 7, 2008. The park’s employees will be dressed as Santa Claus until Christmas day. Source:REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao
