CHINA

Yum Brands Inc , the parent of the KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut fast-food chains, reported higher-than-expected quarterly sales, boosted by growth in China, helping to send its shares up 4.9 percent in after-hours

Gold rallied above $1,500 an ounce for the first time on Wednesday, extending this week's record run as investors hedged growing inflation risks and bought into a broad commodities rally as the dollar slumped.

Gold rose above $1,500 an ounce on Wednesday for the first time ever as the dollar wilted, oil rose, worries over the U.S. economic outlook boosted demand for the metal as a haven and rising inflation lifted Asian demand.

Oil prices rallied 3 percent on Wednesday as U.S. crude oil inventories fell for the first time in seven weeks and the dollar weakened further, fueling investor appetite for riskier assets.

Brent and U.S. crude oil futures rallied more than $2 on Wednesday, with Brent over $123 a barrel, helped by a weekly draw in U.S. crude inventories that confounded expectations for a stock build, and by a weaker dollar.

China has spent tens of billions of dollars buying into energy resources from Africa to Latin America to slake the unquenched thirst for fuel from its growing industry and burgeoning cities.

Yemen has been struck by fresh new violence, one day after a summit in the United Nations failed to reach a consensus on the nation’s crisis.

Cyberspace is likely to be a key battleground for states in the 21st century but recruiting those with the technical skills to fight there and retaining their loyalty will be a tough task.

Gold hit record highs above $1,500 an ounce on Wednesday as fears over the U.S. economic outlook boosted its appeal as a haven from risk, while Asian buyers sought protection from rising inflation.

Gold prices soared above $1,500 an ounce on Wednesday, setting a new all-time record, even as the precious metal sustained a superb run banking on its value as the preferred safe haven investment in uncertain times.

Foreign companies bidding for public projects in China, valued at $1 trillion a year, face a sharply tilted playing field, a European Union business lobby said Wednesday, citing favoritism and corruption as influencing the award of contracts.

Gold shot up above $1,500 an ounce on Wednesday for the first time ever as worries over the health of the global economy boosted the metal as a safe haven.

U.S. stock markets gained for the first time in four days on Tuesday as stronger-than-expected report on new home starts and encouraging quarterly results from Johnson & Johnson helped lift the markets.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: CDC Corp., Nanometrics, Intel, Yahoo!, and Hologic. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Cree, TriMas, Ceradyne, ViroPharma, and Veeco Instruments.

Japan's exports fell in March at a faster pace than economists expected, in a sign that shipments will continue to weaken and hurt economic growth after last month's earthquake and tsunami sparked a nuclear crisis and disrupted supply chains for many manufacturers.

Luxury car makers that have learned the ropes in the familiar markets of Europe and the United States are having to adapt to new ways in China, but with the market expected to boom, they have little choice but to get on board.

Japan's exports fell in March from a year earlier at a faster pace than economists expected, in a sign that shipments will continue to weaken and hurt economic growth after last month's earthquake and tsunami sparked a nuclear crisis and disrupted supply chains for many manufacturers.

U.S. stocks rose Tuesday, clawing back some of the previous day's losses as positive earnings news helped buoy shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 65.16 points, or 0.53%, to finish near the day's highs at 12266.75. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index added 7.48 points, or 0.57%, to 1312.62 while the Nasdaq Composite gained 9.59 points, or 0.35%, to 2744.97. The gains came one day after the Dow fell 140 points on credit-ratings firm Standard & Poor's decision to lower its ...

Canadian e-reading service provider Kobo Inc said on Tuesday it closed a C$50 million ($53 million) investment round aimed at speeding up expansion and new product development.

Brent crude oil futures fell below $120 on Tuesday for the first time in two weeks, pressured by concern over the economic outlook and the risk that high prices could erode demand.

Donald Trump’s promise to make foreign countries pay up has become a cornerstone of his unofficial 2012 presidential campaign.