CHINA

When Chinese journalist Wang Keqin found himself cornered in the countryside two years ago by police who were trying to stop him looking into a rape case involving local officials, he looked online for help.

Solar industry revenue will shrink before it begins to rise again because dramatic price declines on solar panels will outweigh corresponding volume increases, according to a new report by Lux Research.

On paper, "Moneyball" has all the ingredients of a box-office home run.

Syrian forces killed at least 19 people in raids near the Lebanon border and in the country's Sunni tribal heartland, activists said, pursuing a military campaign to crush street protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

Eight Republican presidential hopefuls duked it out on Thursday night in a Fox News and Washington Examiner sponsored debate in Ames, Iowa.The debate ranged from the recent Standard & Poor's downgrade of long-term U.S. to illegal immigration. Here are the night's winners and losers:

China's second-biggest train maker will recall 54 bullet trains used on the new showcase Beijing-Shanghai line for safety reasons, the firm said on Friday, dealing a fresh blow to the nation's scandal-plagued rail system.

Republicans Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty clashed repeatedly over their records during a presidential debate on Thursday, two days before they vie for conservative support in a straw poll that could make or break their campaigns.

The safe-haven Swiss franc nursed heavy losses in Asia on Friday, having posted record one-day falls against the euro and dollar after the Swiss National Bank threatened to step up its fight to curb the franc's strength.

The Chinese media conglomerate DMG has put together a $300 million tentpole fund to bring U.S. movies to China, TheWrap has learned.

Nvidia Corp forecast a larger-than-expected jump in quarterly revenue and its CEO said the chipmaker's mobile business was accelerating, sending its shares skyrocketing.

Chinese social networking site Renren Inc posted a small quarterly profit as online advertisement segment rose, but forecast third-quarter revenue largely below market expectations, sending its shares down 8 percent in aftermarket trade.

The number of Americans claiming new jobless benefits fell to a four-month low last week, a sliver of hope for an economy battered for days by a credit rating downgrade and falling share prices.

Syrian forces killed at least five people in an assault on two northern towns on Thursday, activists said, pursuing a military campaign to crush protests against President Bashar al-Assad despite new U.S. sanctions and regional calls to end bloodshed.

Authorities in China's southwestern city of Kunming have identified another 22 unauthorized Apple retailers weeks after a fake of the company's store in the city sparked an international storm.

While the rest of the world spirals into a debt-filled economic abyss, ultra-wealthy Persian Gulf states like Qatar and Kuwait are propped up by the high prices of crude oil and natural gas.

The newest version of Apple Inc's popular iPhone has already hit the Chinese market -- the fake market that is.

Britain is considering disrupting online social networking such as Blackberry Messenger and Twitter during civil unrest, Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday, a move widely condemned as repressive when used by other countries.

Alibaba.com, China's largest e-commerce firm, beat forecasts with a 29 percent rise in quarterly net profit, its smallest rise in about 1-1/2 years, and warned that the adverse global economic outlook could hit its second half.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Wednesday are: Demand Media, Active Network, Jaguar Mining, China Ming Yang Wind Power and Jones Group. The top after-market NYSE losers are: EnerSys, Alpha Natural Resources, Navistar International, Morgan Stanley and 7 Days Group Holdings.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Gibraltar Industries, Nara Bancorp, Bon-Ton Stores, Medivation, and Altra Holdings. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Open Text, Qlik Technologies, China Gerui Advanced Materials Group, Home Inns & Hotels Management, and Shanda Interactive Entertainment.

U.S. stock futures rose 2 percent on Thursday after a sharp drop on Wall Street overnight, limiting losses in Asian shares, though sustained gains depended on how Europe reacts to a sovereign debt crisis that is threatening its banking system.