CHINA

Videos of a mushroom cloud over Beijing on Monday have the Internet freaked out as concerns rise about just what caused the odd atmospheric phenomenon.

China also towed some of its fishing vessels out of the area as the storm approached but reportedly left surveillance vessels behind.

State-owned Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Company (commonly known as Beijing Automotive Group or BAIC) hired Leonardo Fioravanti, legendary designer of the Ferrari Daytona, to transform the Chinese car conglomerate into a world-class maker of luxury cars by 2025, according to Bloomberg News.

The BRICS are expected to release data Monday on their contributions to the International Monetary Fund/European bailout package at the G-20 Summit in Mexico.

Commodity prices posted a brief rally on Monday after a pro-austerity party got the most votes in Greece's weekend elections, but the market's upswing fizzled almost as soon as it began, confounding traders who might have expected developments to lift risky assets for at least a few of sessions.

Iran has been suspected of developing nuclear weapons, and the world powers in the Russian capital will spend two days trying to get Tehran to stop the enrichment and storage of uranium to 20 percent and open a secret military facility to United Nations inspectors.

This week's data releases highlight Wednesday's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) statement, which will likely present a dovish tone. However, those who are expecting for the announcement of renewed asset purchases will likely be disappointed.

Ultra Petroleum, Gentex Corp, Groupon, Peabody Energy, Nokia, AK Steel Holding, Goodrich Petroleum, Facebook and Coca-Cola Co. are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Monday.

Asian markets rose Monday as investors were relieved after the pro-bailout parties won Sunday's elections in Greece.

Stock markets in China and Hong Kong gained Monday as sentiment was buoyed after the news that pro-bailout parties in Greece gained sufficient votes to form a government.

India despite its slowing economic growth is poised to emerge as the top sixth wealth market in the world, according to Datamonitor's 2012 global wealth market report.

In the latest blow to international efforts to stem the spiraling bloodshed in Syria, the United Nations has announced it is suspending its observer mission.

China put its first woman into orbit on Saturday, one of three astronauts to attempt a critical space docking in the latest challenge for the country's ambitious space programme. A Long March rocket blasted off in the early evening from the remote Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the northwestern Gobi Desert, carrying with it the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft and the three astronauts, including 33-year-old female fighter pilot Liu Yang.

Asian markets rose this week amid hopes that central banks around the world will take coordinated stimulus measures to tackle the European financial crisis and regain global economic growth momentum.

There are fresh signs the U.S. economy may be caught in a storm fed by a floundering Europe and a slackening China. Weakening demand in both regions appears to be taking a toll on U.S. manufacturing, already the locus of a contracting workforce.

On Saturday, China will send a female astronaut into space for the first time.

The development comes as Western and some Arab nations have apparently lost hope that Russia, Syria?s strongest ally, will pressure Assad to give up power or end his crackdown on opponents.

Details of the fate of bankrupt Swedish carmaker Saab Automobile AB continue to emerge following the June 7 news that the company had been purchased by a Sino-Japanese joint venture National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, or NEVS. NEVS plans to use Saab to produce electric cars, the consortium announced Friday.

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), the world's biggest software company, is expected to make a new consumer push by announcing its own Windows Tablet for shipment next quarter, industry analysts said.

Nissan Motor Co. (Tokyo: 7201) is expected to build a 5 billion yuan ($785 million) factory in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian, an aggressive move into territory traditionally under the sway of Volkswagen AG (Frankfurt: VOW) and Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM), according to the Japan Daily Press Friday.

Poland looks to shale exploration, despite concerns over fracking.