CHINA

Global Internet sensation Susan Boyle competes in the final of Britain's Got Talent on Saturday amid signs she is struggling to cope with her sudden rise to stardom and constant media intrusion.

If Thais are chili aficionados in the south, gourmands in the center, and food daredevils in the northeast, then those in the north, an area ruled for centuries by warring empires, are culinary mixologists.

U.S. retail giants in home furnishings, food and clothing are expected to push into emerging markets such as Mexico, Brazil and China, once the U.S. economy and cash flows improve, executives said.

China has undergone dramatic changes since the army crushed student-led pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

The Agricultural Bank of China is set to open in New York and London, building a round-the-clock commodity trading team and taking global Beijing's ambition to be a major force on commodity markets.

Spanish wind turbine maker Gamesa sees a sector recovery in 2011, but net profit will decline in 2009 on weaker-than-expected sales, according to embargoed comments from Chairman Guillermo Ulacia to reporters on Thursday.

The Australian dollar surged to a eight-month high on Friday on the back of rising raw material prices, while crude oil matched a six-month high above $65, up some $4 this week on hopes that a global economic recovery will spur energy demand.

Dell Inc, the world's No.2 PC brand, aspires to be the leader in the Asian market in three years if the economy picks up, a senior executive said on Friday.

The yen rose on Friday, helped by the biggest monthly spike in Japanese industrial output since 1953, while crude prices eased from a six-month high but were still up around $3 this week on expectations of increased demand.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will discuss with top Chinese officials how to boost global economic growth as well as the importance of flexible exchange rates for smoothing imbalances, a senior U.S. Treasury Department official said on Thursday.

South Korea and the United States raised the military alert level for the peninsula on Thursday after the communist North warned the truce ending the Korean War was dead and it was ready to attack.

Q-Cells has no plans to further beef up its balance sheet at the moment, as recent steps have secured its mid-term financing position, the company's chief executive has told Reuters.

As the battle for German carmaker Opel effectively narrowed to a race between Fiat and Magna, overnight talks to shield Opel from General Motors' looming bankruptcy ended with no deal.

General Motors Corp moved closer to filing the largest bankruptcy ever for a U.S. industrial company after a crucial bond exchange proposal failed, while the fate of GM's European brand Opel remained uncertain after marathon talks with German officials ended without a deal.

General Motors Corp moved closer to filing the largest bankruptcy ever for a U.S. industrial company after a crucial bond exchange proposal failed and as German officials held marathon talks to decide the fate of GM's European brand Opel.

General Motors Corp moved closer to filing the largest bankruptcy ever for a U.S. industrial company after a crucial bond exchange proposal failed and as officials in Germany neared a decision on which company would take over GM's European brand Opel.

Germany scrambled on Wednesday to put a plan in place to protect carmaker Opel from a looming bankruptcy filing by U.S. parent General Motors .

General Motors Corp moved closer to filing the largest U.S. industrial bankruptcy after a crucial bond exchange proposal failed and as officials in Germany neared a decision on which company would take over GM's European brand Opel.

General Motors Corp moved closer to filing the largest U.S. industrial bankruptcy after a crucial bond exchange proposal failed and as officials in Germany neared a decision on which company would take over GM's European brand, Opel.

Germany aims to narrow the field of bidders for General Motors unit Opel on Wednesday and reach a deal to provide the carmaker with temporary financing should its U.S. parent file for bankruptcy.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will meet top Chinese government officials including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing early next week, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.