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.
Workers began culling 17,000 chickens at a wholesale poultry market in Hong Kong on Wednesday after a dead chicken there tested positive for the deadly H5N1 avian virus, a government spokesman said.
Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC) completed its swap of common stock and notes for preferred shares as part of its efforts strengthen its capital base ahead of Fed's 2012 stress test.
Hackers in China broke through the computer defenses of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last year and were able to access information about its operations and its 3 million members, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
China became the world's top patent filer in 2011, surpassing the United States and Japan as it steps up innovation to improve its intellectual property rights track record, a Thomson Reuters research report showed on Wednesday.
Google appears poised to go after the Apple iPad. Schmidt described the iPad as amazing, according to The Telegraph, and said the late Steve Jobs should be credited with creating the tablet craze. Many tablets already use Google's Android operating system, but Google doesn't sell its own hardware as a signature product.
China urged the United States on Wednesday to halt anti-subsidy investigations into Chinese tires and other products since Washington does not recognize China as a market economy.
North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week's death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son Kim Jong-un will be at the head of the ruling coterie.
The outlook for Europe looks gloomy especially after the European Central Bank (ECB) warning that risks to euro area financial stability increased considerably in the second half of 2011, as the sovereign risk crisis and its interplay with the banking sector worsened in an environment of weakening macroeconomic growth prospects.
Global stocks and commodities fell Wednesday as investors shrugged off heavy European Central Bank lending and eyed a troublesome U.S. earnings report.
The International Business Times has compiled comprehensive profiles of the top seven Republican presidential candidates, with complete rundowns of their political positions, from Rick Santorum on abortion to Newt Gingrich on taxes. These profiles will be updated as the primary campaign continues.
Europe's highest court will on Wednesday deliver a final ruling in a case over airline emissions that has triggered tit-for-tat legislation in the U.S. Congress and drawn a threat from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
China became the world's top patent filer in 2011, surpassing the United States and Japan as it steps up innovation to improve its intellectual property rights track record, a Thomson Reuters research report showed Wednesday.
North Korea's new young leader will have to share power with an uncle and the military after the death of his father Kim Jong-il as the isolated country shifts to collective rule from strongman dictatorship, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters.
The Chinese box office is on track to break the U.S. equivalent of $2 billion by the end of the year, according to a recent report from the country's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Chinese low-end smartphone maker Xiaomi has received $90 million in B-round venture capital funding from investors such as IDG Capital, Temasek Holdings and Qualcomm Inc, the 21st Century Business Herald reported on Wednesday.
The United States has removed Baidu Inc, China's largest search engine, from its list of notorious markets for piracy in a nod to the firm's efforts to clean up its music offerings.
China's Premier Wen Jiabao has told the nation's banks to clean up lending policies that have left some businesses struggling with excessive borrowing costs as slowing export growth and other pressures eat into profits, state newspapers said on Wednesday.
A 67-year-old man from Las Vegas was charged on Monday with shooting at the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles in a violent outburst that left no one injured, authorities said.
No doubt 2011 was a major year for technology in part because it touched everyone differently. Following are some of the highlights and lowlights of the year:
The $8-billion, multi-year contract provides a big boost to Lockheed, while Japan seeks to replace its aging fleet of Boeing F-4 jets.
Joe Wiesenfelder doesn't blame General Motors for Saab Automobiles' bankruptcy filing. Wiesenfelder, a Cars.com analyst who has been covering the ups and downs of Saab for more than a decade, can understand the backlash, though.
