CHINA

Critics of China's foreign exchange regime have shifted their focus from the value of the yuan to the mechanism in which its day-to-day level is set, the head of the OECD said on Tuesday, a fresh sign that currency may be near its equilibrium level.

Australian iron ore miners, key beneficiaries of China's modern-day industrial revolution, on Tuesday signaled demand growth was finally slowing in response to Beijing's moves to cool its economy.

Royal Bank of Scotland is closing its equity capital market and corporate finance units in South Korea and cash equities businesses in Indonesia, Singapore and Korea, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

Australian iron ore miners, key beneficiaries of China's modern-day industrial revolution, on Tuesday signaled demand growth was finally slowing in response to Beijing's moves to cool its economy.

The chief executive of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide said oil prices would have to rise pretty significantly from current levels to put a dent in hotel demand.

Home prices in nearly half of China's major cities fell in February from the year-ago period, as Beijing showed its determination to tame the property market.

China will raise its heavily regulated retail gasoline and diesel prices Tuesday by 6.4 percent and 7 percent, respectively, marking the biggest increase in 33 months, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

India, now the world's largest arms importer, accounted for 10 percent of all weapons imported during the period, according to the Stockholm International Peace Institute.

Russia’s entreaty to its ally comes amidst reports of very heavy fighting in Damascus.

Speaking in Beijing Sunday, the IMF chief stopped short of saying the changes had eased the Fund's concern China was deliberately undervaluing its currency, a source of tension between the rising giant and Western policy makers.

CEO Tim Cook decided on a new course for the Cupertino, Calif., company regarding shareholders. We have plenty of cash to run our business, he said.

U.S. stocks were poised for a lower open on Monday, indicating equities may pull back from nearly 4-year highs after cash-rich Apple said it will begin paying a dividend and buying back stock.

As violence gripped Syria's capital, the head of the Red Cross urged Russian officials to press Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to let humanitarian-aid workers get to residents trapped by the fighting.

European markets lost ground as the lack of positive catalysts prompted a pause in the recent string of gains, while Asian stocks were mostly higher.

U.S. stock index futures slipped on Monday, indicating equities may pull back from nearly 4-year highs as investors waited to hear what Apple will do with its massive $98 billion cash stockpile.

U.S. stock index futures slipped on Monday, indicating equities may pull back from nearly 4-year highs as investors waited to hear what Apple will do with its massive $98 billion cash stockpile.

China has become less dependent on arms imports and, at the same time, has increased the volume of its arms exports, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Foxconn Technology Group, the top maker of Apple Inc's iPhones and iPads, said on Monday it had no plans to take legal action over a U.S. radio program about its activity in China, parts of which have been retracted.

Global economic growth will slow this year, with the United States looking much improved but risks still to the downside as Europe's financial markets remain fragile, the deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund said on Monday.

According to market figures released by research firm IDC, China is bound to overtake the U.S. in smartphone shipments by the end of 2012, becoming the leading market. IDC’s latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker forecast that China’s smartphone market will climb from 18.2 percent in 2011 to 20.7 percent in 2012, while U.S.’ market would drop from 21.3 to 20.6 percent over the same timeframe.

A group of 22 Chinese authors have filed a claim against U.S. technology group Apple, alleging its App Store sells unlicensed copies of their books, Chinese state media reported on Sunday.