LONDON: The People’s Bank of China said on Tuesday it was raising its benchmark one-year interest rates by 25 basis points with effect from Wednesday. Following are reactions from analysts and traders to the news. BEN SIMPFENDORFER, CHIEF CHINA ECONOMIST AT RBS: “A surprise, but welcome,... [Read More]

One of the pleasures of being a dedicated “Mad Men”  fan – and what are you doing here if you aren’t? – is connecting with other viewers whose knowledge of the show is as encyclopedic and as obsessive as your own. And no one fills that role better than Matthew Weiner, who created the show,... [Read More]

Drillers in central Switzerland have punched through a first stage of the new tunnel through the Gotthard. The 57km-long tunnel on the main north-south transalpine route by Alptransit is is set to become the longest rail tunnel in the world. The new Gotthard Base Rail Tunnel isa part of a major upgrade... [Read More]

John Henry and his Red Sox ownership team have had a bid accepted for Liverpool Football Club in England, according to Sky Sports News. The deal is not finalized yet, and Henry’s team are one of two potential buyers who have had their bid accepted. Furthers details are currently scarce. Liverpool... [Read More]

Reporting from New Delhi — When the Commonwealth Games kicked off here Sunday night, India relished the spectacle as an antidote to months of bad press over alleged corruption and mismanagement, including headlines about a collapsed footbridge, a tourist shooting and a filthy athletes’ village. India... [Read More]

A German police crackdown on protests against a rail project in Stuttgart backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel is reminiscent of Russia’s means of quelling dissent, the leader of the opposition Greens party said. “These methods aren’t the way we do things in Germany, and we don’t want them,”... [Read More]

mobile_phone Mobile phone users are being encouraged to find out if operators are doing enough to keep their calls secret. Security researchers have released tools that, they say, make it easy to see what security systems operators use to stop eavesdropping. The researchers want to expose those operators... [Read More]

jennifer lopez spielstercom The “American Idol” rumor mill keeps on spinning — fast and furiously. During the past few hours, reports began surfacing that superstar singer/actress Jennifer Lopez is close to signing a contract to join the judges’ panel on Season 10 of “American... [Read More]

You know the guy I mean. He’s the guy at the bar trying to shout substantive remarks about health-care reform over the pounding music. “This band is great!” you yell. “I think substantive cost savings over the next decade will bend the curve!” he yells back. He’s the guy who... [Read More]

Britain are on course for a top-four finish in the Olympics and second-place finish in the Paralympics, according to UK Sport’s latest Mission 2012 update. The body responsible for the majority of Britain’s Olympic sports reports the team has never been better placed to succeed with... [Read More]

Spain won the World Cup for the first time when they beat Netherlands 1-0 after extra time thanks to a goal by midfielder Andres Iniesta. Iniesta fired home the winner when he was put through in the area by Cesc Fabregas. Keeper Maarten Stekelenburg dived to his right and got a hand to the ball... [Read More]

The UK’s deep store for nuclear waste should open for business around 2040 – but spending cuts could delay the plans, and community support is vital. These are the key messages in a report from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the agency charged with managing the nation’s... [Read More]

Children should text rather than talk on their mobile phones, Australia’s radiation safety watchdog has said, noting that a child’s skull is thinner and could absorb more radiation. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPNSA) made the observation, after a study... [Read More]

US officials have shut down nine websites accused of offering free access to films, including Toy Story 3. The crackdown, which included seizing assets from 15 bank accounts, involved police, customs and the movie industry. The closure of the sites, which had 6.7m visitors combined each month, was... [Read More]

Should Spain get to the FIFA World Cup  Final, in-form striker David Villa could write a new page in the tournament’s history and over-take Raul as his country’s all-time top scorer. Whereas strike partner Fernando Torres has laboured in four scoreless appearances on his return from... [Read More]

Unlike the happy stereotypes of the 1970s wherein beauties like Hema Malini and Rekha fit in the traditional mould while sex symbols Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi pitched in to provide some Hollywood-inspired glamour, the new age heroine works hard to be an all-rounder. She can be sassy, serene and... [Read More]

icrosoft said on Wednesday it had canceled plans to sell its “Kin” phones in Europe this Fall. The company added the internal team working on the Kin phones would be combined with the group working on Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows Phone 7 software. “We will continue to work... [Read More]

Images of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Samuel Eto’o are still festooned on posters all over South Africa — but sadly for them that’s their only involvement as the World Cup reaches its final stages. Along with the likes of Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast, Lionel Messi of Argentina... [Read More]

Oktoberfest visitors ride in a roller coaster in front of Munich’s landmark Frauenkirche September 20,… The rollercoaster has come a long way since it was first patented in 1885, with the first amusement park ride of this kind appearing at New York’s Coney Island measuring 600 feet... [Read More]

Google has announced a “new approach” in its ongoing battle with China over censorship.Until recently, the firm automatically redirected Chinese users to its unfiltered search site in Hong Kong to get round censorship issues. Google has said it will now stop this after Beijing warned it... [Read More]

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, back after a refreshing holiday with family in London, will be facing the camera to shoot for a Malayalam film based on the 1999 Kandahar Air India flight hijack episode with Mohan Lal in Ooty. Bachchan flew to Coimbatore this morning and travelled to Ooty by road to join... [Read More]

Most observers are aware that Kevin-Prince Boateng was born in Germany but chose to represent Ghana at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. However, a lesser-known character, the kind of always-ready but unshowy workman for which Die Nationalelf themselves are known, could play a role in denying... [Read More]

Analog chipmakers have long been the poor cousins of digital chip giants such as Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, but they are back in the spotlight as calls for greater power efficiency get louder. Analog chips are used in products that involve real world data such as electrical input, sound waves... [Read More]

Anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight knows it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Fortunately, it’s easier than you think. By cutting just 40 to 50 calories per meal you can enhance your weight loss efforts and achieve your targets much faster.Nutritionists agree the best way to... [Read More]