British oil giant BP Plc has disclosed that American and Asian regulators have asked it for details after the European Commission launched a probe last year into alleged manipulation of oil prices.

BP, Europe's second-largest oil firm, made the revelation in its annual report released on Thursday. In May last year, investigators from European commission had raided offices of the company in connection with a probe of suspected price manipulation.

Chinese Government will give priority to generating jobs and economic growth below the official target of 7.5 per cent might be considered acceptable, the company's Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said.

At a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Mr. Lou said growth of 7.2 per cent or 7.3 per cent would be consistent with the government's goal of 7.5 per cent; and added that the key was employment and not the exact level of growth.

Apple Inc is reportedly hiring engineers from rival smartphone makers like HTC Corp. to build up teams in China and Taiwan as it is preparing to launch a wider range of devices in the two countries.

People familiar with the matter said that Apple's hiring binge reflects its need for more engineers to work with Asian suppliers on developing various components for its widely popular iPhones and iPads. One of those people added that the company has already added hundreds of engineers and operations staff in China since mid of 2013.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has directed the country's law enforcement to ensure terrorists responsible for the recent attack on passengers at train station are punished in accordance with the law, Xinhua news agency has reported.
 
Citing authorities, the state-run news agency said President Xi Jinping has urged law enforcement to investigate and solve the case at the earliest and "punish the terrorists in accordance with the law."
 

The drought in the Southeast Asia would likely disrupt water supply, hike food prices, and drag pace of economic growth down, experts have warned.
 
Southeast Asia has been under the intense pressure of the Northeast Monsoon that brings dry & stable air from the South China Sea and decreases the possibility of rainfall.
 
Winston Chow, a professor of geography at the National University of Singapore, acknowledged that February was the driest month for the country. What made it abnormal was the length of the dry spell.
 

Two Filipino women, viz. Teresita Sy-Coson and Vivian Que-Azcona, made it to Forbes' 2014 list of Asian region's 50 most powerful businesswomen.

Teresita Sy-Coson is the daughter of business tycoon Henry Sy Sr. It is the third year in a row when Sy-Coson has been adjudged as one of the 50 most powerful businesswomen in Asia. Sixty-three-year-old Sy-Coson is the chairperson of Banco de Oro Universal Bank and the vice chairperson of SM Investments Corp.

Reversing previous Japanese administration's decision to "escape from nuclear," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe-led government has unveiled plans to restart several closed nuclear reactors and build more. 
 
Naoto Kan, predecessor of Mr. Abe, had declared the datsu genpatsu - "escape from nuclear" - policy in wake of the Fukushima disaster. Mr. Kan has committed to eliminate nuclear power before 2040.
 

 In a bid to offer NFC services beyond national borders, telecom operators from four Asian countries have announced the formation of the Asia NFC Alliance.
 
The Asia NFC Alliance, which was announced on Tuesday at MWC 2014, includes Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom, Hong Kong's HKT, Japan's KDDI, and South Korea's SK Planet. 
 

South Koran device maker Samsung has recently introduced the second-generation edition of its Galaxy Gear smartwatch which was launched barely six months back. The refreshed wearable device announced by Samsung comprises not one but two units --- the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches.

The new 68-gram Gear 2 and the 55-gram Gear 2 Neo smartwatches were announced by Samsung last week; a couple of days ahead of the 2014 Mobile World Conference which kicked off in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, February 24.

At least eighteen people were killed in air attacks on suspected terrorists' hideouts by Pakistani fighter jets on Sunday, military officials confirmed.
 
The air attacks were launched on suspected hideouts of fighters in volatile tribal areas on the Afghanistan border after Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif authorized the country's army to launch raids against fighters. The destroyed facilities were reportedly being used to make explosives and train suicide bombers.