CHINA

This is the full text of U.S. President Barack Obama's speech to both UK houses of parliament.

Southeast Asia is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most powerful economic juggernauts, driven by fast growth and strong monetary policies by local central banks.

Take a look at the world's five tallest buildings: Burj Khalifa, Taipei 101, Shanghai World Financial Center, International Commerce Center (Hong Kong) and the Petronas Towers.

Ethnic Mongolians have staged a rare protest demonstration in northern China after a shepherd was killed, according to the US-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre. (SMHRIC).

According to the latest statistics of the US Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, L.A. was the 2nd most preferred US destination by overseas travelers in 2010 surpassing Miami which claimed the spot in 2009.

Oil prices rose to their highest level in two weeks on Wednesday as U.S. inventories of distillates fell unexpectedly, trumping a sharp rise in gasoline stocks.

Oil prices rose to their highest level in two weeks on Wednesday as U.S. inventories of distillates fell unexpectedly, trumping a sharp rise in gasoline stocks.

Oil turned higher on Wednesday with Brent crude climbing above $113 a barrel after weekly U.S. government inventory figures an unexpected draw in stocks of distillates, which include heating oil and diesel

ZTE Corp, China's No.2 network equipment maker, plans to launch LTE devices in the United States along with smartphones based on Microsoft's Mango operating system to expand its U.S. footprint.

The next chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will likely be one of two candidates, France Finance Minister Christine Lagarde (who has officially announced her interest in the job) and Mexico’s central bank governor Agustin Carstens, who is also lobbying for the sought-after position.

Dollar Gold Prices hit a three-week high of $1528 per ounce on Wednesday morning in London, while commodities - like global stock markets - failed to add much to the gains they made Tuesday after Goldman Sachs issued a bullish note on natural resources.

The Supreme People's Court - the highest court in Mainland China - has ordered lower courts to suspend death sentences for two years, but only in cases that does not call for immediate execution.”

Japan's economy is already showing signs of recovering from a slump that followed a devastating earthquake in March, Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said on Wednesday while stressing that the central bank would remain vigilant about economic risks.

Buoyant commodities demand from emerging economies is straining tight supplies and putting more pressure on producers to ramp up output, Glencore's chief executive said on Wednesday.

ZTE Corp, China's No.2 network equipment maker, plans to launch smartphones based on Microsoft Corp's Mango operating system in Europe in the third quarter of this year, executives said.

Three nuclear reactors at a Japanese nuclear plant suffered meltdowns within days, the plant’s operator told Reuters on Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors are investigating allegations that former employees of Avon Products Inc bribed foreign officials, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Federal Reserve should begin raising U.S. interest rates and the European Central Bank should pause its monetary tightening cycle, the OECD said on Wednesday.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Velti, China-Biotics, Oncothyreon, Synovis Life Technologies, and Inter Parfums. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Park Sterling Bank, Charming Shoppes, Books-A-Million, CoStar Group, Exterran Partners, and Compuware.

China asked Foxconn Technology Group and other Taiwanese firms to pay more attention to safety, after a deadly blast at a Chinese factory making iPads for Apple.

In a budge to deepen its economic ties with Africa, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is on a six days long visit to Africa from Monday. India, trying to emerge from the shadow of rival China by is offering $5 billion to help the continent rich with minerals and commodities, Reuters reported on Tuesday.