CHINA

Figuring out what the People's Bank of China is doing can be as perplexing as parsing a statement from Alan Greenspan, the notoriously opaque former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman.

While Lady Gaga and Katy Perry rocked at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night, they have also been blacklisted in China, finding themselves on a new banned list of artists for their vulgar lyrics.

Cuban hurdler Dayron Robles was stripped of gold and glory at the world athletics championships on Monday in a twist every bit as dramatic as Usain Bolt's disqualification from the blue riband 100 meters sprint the night before.

The United Nations warned Monday of a possible resurgence of the bird flu virus, reports the Associated Press.

LDK Solar Co Ltd suffered a quarterly loss as a sharp drop in solar wafer prices forced it to write down millions of dollars in inventories, but forecast revenue for the current quarter above estimates on stabilizing prices.

In seeming disregard, or perhaps in spite of it, Ai Weiwei broke the conditions of his release from a detention in Beijing to issue a scathing attack on the Chinese government in an online editorial published by Newsweek.

Bank of America shares rose more than 6 percent after the banking company announced it agreed to sell Chinese Construction Bank Corp.

There's evidence that avian flu is mounting a comeback.

China's Supreme Court and prosecutors office will step up the fight against computer hacking by toughening penalties for those caught doing it, state media said on Monday.

A rise in the number of reported cases of avian flu, coupled with the appearance of a mutation that could be resistant to vaccines, has led the United Nations to warn of a potential bird flu resurgence.

Gold prices dropped sharply in holiday-thinned trade on Monday, falling as much as 2.7 percent after Wall Street stocks opened higher, deflecting interest from the safe-haven metal.

Figuring out what the People's Bank of China is doing can be as perplexing as parsing a statement from Alan Greenspan, the notoriously opaque former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman.

While American cities started limping back to normalcy from around a week-long disaster created by Hurricane Irene, on the other side of the globe one more natural disaster -- Super-typhoon Nanmadol -- left at least 16 confirmed and many others feared dead after hitting the Philippines last weekend.

Recent strikes in Indonesia by gold miners, pilots and supermarket staff over pay signal that workers have started to push for a greater share of profits in a booming economy that has drawn foreign investors partly for its low labor costs.

Record gold prices, rather than denting China's enthusiasm for bullion, have emboldened investors to plough more money into gold bars and riskier bullion-based derivatives.

Gold prices eased a touch in holiday-thinned trade on Monday as investors took bets on higher prices off the table, disappointed by a lack of clear guidance from the Federal Reserve on Friday on the options for U.S. economic stimulus.

Here is a brief rundown of important events around the world Monday morning, August 29, 2011.

Tropical storm Nanmadol headed for China on Monday, losing strength after drenching southern and eastern Taiwan, forcing evacuations, shutting businesses and disrupting transport, but causing no major damage or casualties.

Record gold prices, rather than denting China's enthusiasm for bullion, have emboldened investors to plough more money into gold bars and riskier bullion-based derivatives.

China's fast-growing consumerism and lax policing of ivory laws are the latest threats to wild elephant populations, said an author of a recent report on endangered species.

The hardline Chinese official removed last week as Communist Party chief of restive Tibet has been made head of the province in the center of contention over China's Catholics, giving him an influential role in another sensitive religious issue.