AUSTRALIA

The Australian stock market fell, to record the first weekly decline after three of gains, as the prospect of further interest rate hikes in China saw investors err on the side of caution.

The Australian share market pared early losses to close around 0.2 per cent higher, as investors snapped up bank stocks and other cyclicals with attractive dividend yields.

US Treasuries holders’ ability and willingness to buy more Treasuries or decision to sell existing holdings will determine the long-term interest rates of the US government, which in turn influences the cost of capital for the US private sector.

Dan Dorrow of Faros Trading continues to expect the Australian dollar to perform well on the strength of Asian economies.

Chevron Corp , the second-largest U.S. oil company, sees better earnings in the first quarter than in the previous quarter as rising energy demand boosted oil prices and most refining margins.

Teen YouTube sensation Rebecca Black sings gleefully about the weekend in her Web video hit Friday, -- and now the 13 year-old has something even more exciting to crow about.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Tasty Baking, Global Crossing, American Medical Systems Holdings, RAM Energy Resources, and VIVUS. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Sina, Medivation, Energy Conversion Devices, JetBlue Airways, and Netflix.

NYSE Euronext's board on Sunday rejected an unsolicited takeover bid by Nasdaq OMX Group Inc and IntercontinentalExchange Inc, and affirmed its plan to merge with Deutsche Boerse AG.

Red Bull's World champion Sebastian Vettel took his second pole of the season for the Malaysian Grand Prix after finishing ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in a closely contested qualifying session at Sepang.

International law firm Dechert LLP is serving as co-counsel to NORMA Group AG, a German-headquartered global industrial manufacturer and portfolio company of global private equity house 3i Group plc, on its initial public offering on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

From business ventures in the railway sector to space tourism, Richard Branson is known for exploits in the travel and tourism industry.

An NYSE Euronext merger with Nasdaq OMX makes little strategic sense whether the Big Board were the buyer or the seller, and antitrust regulators would likely block it, according to a source close to NYSE.

Deutsche Boerse has no plans to raise its $10.2 billion bid for NYSE Euronext , confident the benefits of its deal will trump a higher offer from rival U.S. exchanges, a source familiar with the deal said.

Rio Tinto is close to securing a majority of Riversdale Mining , after receiving acceptances ahead of its target level, just before a key deadline on its A$3.9 billion ($4 billion) bid.

The Australian share market closed higher for a sixth consecutive trading day with activity subdued after the Reserve Bank (RBA) left interest rates unchanged.

Australia intends to reject Singapore Exchange Ltd's proposed $7.8 billion bid for Australia's ASX Ltd on national interest grounds, underscoring the political challenges facing other cross-border exchange deals.

Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara has relinquished his role as the captain of the ODI and T20 teams, but will continue as Test captain on a temporary basis till a suitable replacement is found.

Australia plans to reject Singapore Exchange Ltd's proposed $7.8 billion bid for Australia's ASX Ltd on national interest grounds, underscoring the political challenges other major cross-border exchange deals are facing.

Australia intends to reject Singapore Exchange Ltd's proposed $7.8 billion bid for Australia's ASX Ltd on national interest grounds, underscoring the political challenges other major cross-border exchange deals are facing.

After India's sensational World Cup triumph, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has deemed skipper MS Dhoni the best captain he has played under in his 22-year career in cricket.

Kofax Plc said completion of the sale of its non-core hardware business has been delayed by around two months. Jefferies & Co. said the delayed hardware business sale does not impact its investment case.