(MENAFN - AFP) US teen births have dropped to a record low, but the country still has one of the highest rates among developed nations, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

"The overall rate declined 25 percent from 41.5 per 1,000 teenagers aged 15-19 in 2007 to 31.3 in 2011 -- a record low," the CDC report said.

"The number of births to teenagers ...

(MENAFN - AFP) South Korea's Samsung Electronics said Thursday that global sales of its latest flagship Galaxy smartphone had topped 10 million units less than a month after its debut.

A company statement said the Galaxy S4 had already topped the 10-million sales mark worldwide following its April 26 launch. Its predecessor, the S3, had taken 50 days to pass the same threshold.

The ...

(MENAFN - AFP) Japan's SoftBank is preparing to hand the US government an unusual degree of influence over operation of Sprint Nextel, after security concerns raised by the proposed cross-border takeover, The Wall Street Journal reports online.

"Tokyo-based SoftBank has agreed to give the (US) federal government the right to approve one of the directors it names to Sprint's ...

(MENAFN - AFP) A handful of marines living on a World War II-era ship that is grounded on a remote, tiny reef is the Philippines' last line of defence against China's efforts to control most of the South China Sea.

The soldiers are stationed on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands aboard a former US tank-landing vessel that was deliberately abandoned there to serve ...

(MENAFN - AFP) Indonesian event organiser Risti Rahmadi wears an Islamic headscarf, uses halal lipstick and knows that it's time to pray when an app on her BlackBerry emits Koranic verses five times a day.

The 37-year-old, who in her 20s would save up for the latest Guess clothes and Revlon make-up, now strictly buys products that show she is a proud Indonesian Muslim ...

(MENAFN - AFP) Ford announced Thursday it would cease making vehicles at its unprofitable Australian plants in 2016 and axe 1,200 jobs, having produced its first car in the country in 1925.

Ford Australia chief executive Bob Graziano made the announcement as he revealed losses of Aus$141 million (US$136 million) after tax in the last financial year and Aus$600 million ...

(MENAFN - AFP) Manufacturing activity in China contracted in May for the first time in seven months, HSBC said Thursday, in another sign of the weakness of recovery in the world's second-largest economy.

The banking giant's preliminary purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 49.6 this month from a final 50.4 in April, putting it below the 50 mark that indicates contraction. ...

(MENAFN - AFP) Blockbuster features that cost $100 million or more may grab the headlines, but the area of filmmaking that is growing fastest is documentaries, say industry sources at the Cannes Film Festival.

Driving the trend, they say, is a widening demand for films that go beyond fiction and instead touch on today's realities.

Helping to meet it are the tools ...

(MENAFN - AFP) A high-powered commission said Wednesday that intellectual property theft was costing the United States the equivalent of all its exports to Asia and urged a tougher approach to China.

The 11-month study led by high-ranking former US officials said that theft of software and other US-developed products was costing the US economy more than $300 billion each ...

(MENAFN - AFP) An independent panel of experts on Wednesday recommended US approval of a new Merck sleeping pill called suvorexant, but expressed concerns over the highest dosage and risks of drowsy daytime driving.

A majority of the panel voted that the drug was safe and effective in most cases, but experts were divided on the question of approving the safety of higher ...