Vittorio Hernandez

Local stocks are managing to hold onto yesterday's impressive gains in the early session, despite US blue chip stocks easing overnight. The NASDAQ however closed firmer while European markets were lifted by upbeat corporate results.

Researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) announced on Wednesday the discovery of a material that could absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from coal-fired power plants and released upon exposure to sunlight.

Android 4.2.2 Jellybean offered many changes and improvements on its fresh release to the Nexus device and later for more Android units. However, Google has killed an app as part of the update. Adblock Plus won't be included in the update because of one reason: security issues.

Nexus devices are the first to receive the Android 4.2.2 Jellybean from Google. The update is a fresh release from Google and it features new tweaks for Quick Settings, new download notifications, new sounds, performance improvements, and increase in battery life.

Google has released a new version of Android Jellybean, 4.2.2 to several Nexus devices. The three hottest devices to receive the honors of the new version are Nexus 7, non-3G version, the Nexus 10, and the Galaxy Nexus. The new Jellybean version has added new features for convenience and efficiency.

As couples celebrate Valentine's Day on Thursday, Feb 14, one inevitable aftermath of all the romance that happens would be felt about nine months later. That means a spike in baby births in mid-November as husband and wives or beaus celebrate heart's day by going out on a date, exchanging gifts and sweet nothings, dining and drinking, and capping the night with sex that often leads to pregnancies.

Pope Benedict XVI has just thirteen days left in his eight-year reign as leader of the Roman Catholic Church. It means that Vatican City has just barely two weeks left to prepare for an expected surge in pilgrims and visitors who would attend the last papal general audience on Feb 27.

A penis that detaches and regrows has been discovered by Japanese researchers. However, the male organ was not found among humans but on a sea slug which is found in the Pacific Ocean.

The local market managed to hold fast to its gains recorded at lunch, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rising by 0.9 per cent or 43 pts to 5024.5. The XAO along with the ASX 200 index (XJO) both closed above the 5000.0 point mark; something which hasn't happened in years. In fact, today was the highest close for the XJO since September 2008.

Humour did not spare Pope Benedict XVI who announced on Monday that we would resign on Feb 28.While the news prompted Vatican officials to prepare for the process of electing a new pope through a conclave in March, meme makers, bloggers and Twitter members had a field day poking fun at the situation, even the pope's images.

The Australian sharemarket is having its best day in a fortnight, with the ASX 200 Index up 0.9 per cent or 44.8 pts to 5003.8. This is the first time the evasive 5000.0 mark has been breached by the index since April 2010. The local market is now up 7.6 per cent since the start of this calendar year. Global markets ended mostly higher overnight, with both the French and British markets the standouts after rising by close to 1 per cent.

A New Zealand MP could be stirring a hornet's nest or even spark calls for a jihad over his proposal to ban young Muslims from flying on Western airlines.

The rise of demand for 10-inch tablets is unpredictable. Ever since Samsung and Google released Galaxy Note 10.1 and Nexus 10, more and more users want to own such portable devices.

For the past couple of months, Samsung Galaxy S4 had been under the heat of rumours and expectations of what's hot about its upcoming flagship device. A complete set of preliminary specifications and comparison of the Galaxy S4 had leaked out, and surprisingly, the device has only four-core processors unlike the ZTE Nubia Z7 which has eight-cores.

Google search is facing a porn-generating bug that shows when users are searching for an equation or string. Google search engine has been trusted by millions of worldwide and it can help a user find almost anything in the cyber world, from dictionaries to stories, images to videos, celebrities to scandals, and knowledge satisfying answers.

With just a day to V-Day, the apparent loneliness of people with no special someone or significant other is highlighted. Given a choice, most people would rather be in a relationship than remain unattached, especially every Feb 14.

Fr. Thomas Henry Byrne, an 81-year-old retired priest from Perth, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges of assault and injury to his neighbor over a parking bay dispute.

Even if the subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Securency, is figuratively and literally making money for the RBA, the central bank is dumping half of its share in the troubled company for $65 million.

Day 2 of the year of the year of the snake. With most regional indices offline to celebrate the Lunar New Year activity was stilted for much of the day, although volumes improved over the course of the afternoon.

Call it an April Fool's joke, but beginning April 1, 2013, Qantas is cutting the luggage weight allowance of its business class passengers to a maximum of 52 kilogrammes from 96.

"Enough is enough," Sydney residents are telling future brides and grooms who plan to hold their wedding and reception at McKell Park in Darling Point. The park has become a very popular place for couples to say "I do" that residents elevated the matter to the New South Wales Supreme Court to settle the matter.

Members of Britain's Royal Academy of Engineering urged governments to be prepared for solar superstorms to protect their citizens.

Residents of San Antonio de Platina in Brazil were treated to a rain of spider over the weekend.

The Australian share market is slightly firmer at lunchtime in the East, despite falls on European and US markets overnight as investors booked profits in the absence of market moving economic, political or corporate news.

Apple is developing new versions of iPhone, iPad, and computers such as iMac and Macbook but also wrist-watch like devices. The maker of iOS is currently improving many aspects of their mobile devices including the camera, Retina display, OS, and security strategies.

The first thing that comes into mind when February approaches is the day of love, Valentine's Day. And once the calendar shifts to this month, it places pressure on people to have a date at least if they are single and unattached.

The world was caught by surprise when Pope Benedict XVI decided to step down as the Catholic Church leader. User from social media such as Facebook and Twitter were stunned by this unexpected move from the Pope which he announced on Monday.

Valentine's Day being considered by many people as a day for romance, a vital human organ - the heart - has become the symbol of this red-letter day. Thus, it is not unusual for lovers to say that in affirming their love for one another, they give their hearts to each other.

he fate of the World Youth Day is once more in question with the sudden announcement on Monday of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. His surprise move comes just months before the Rio de Janeiro in Brazil hosts on July 23 to 28 the religious pilgrimage usually held every three years.