CHINA

Copper prices are expected to remain high in 2012 as China's economic growth boosts the metal's performance, according to Intierra Resource Intelligence,, a research firm.

The U.S. would like to ultimately recharge talks on disarmament, a process that would involve as total of six nations -- North Korea, South Korea, U.S., China, Russia and Japan.

Gold rose to a three-month high on Thursday and headed for its biggest one-week rally in a month, spurred on by the strength in the euro following Europe's bailout deal with Greece, ahead of an options expiry later in the day.

Indian gold imports in 2012 could fall by a fifth for the first time in three years to 770 tonnes as investors chase better accruals from equity markets and other financial instruments, possibly ceding the position of top consumer to China.

A Shanghai court has rejected a request by a Chinese technology firm that the sale of Apple Inc's iPads be halted across the affluent Chinese city, a source with direct knowledge of the ruling said on Thursday.

President Barack Obama has made a proposal to lower the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 35 percent in an attempt to ensure that companies will be paying less in taxes for the U.S. to remain competitive globally. The proposal could intensify the tax-reform debate with the Presidential election approaching.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a lawsuit against the chairman and the former Chief Executive Officer of Puda Coal Inc alleging them of defrauding investors by selling stakes in the firm which they had turned into an empty shell company.

A target of less than 8 percent growth for China could be set by Premier Wen Jiabao amid the risk of financial instability, according to a report.

Hewlett-Packard and Dell Inc are keeping a close eye on a big jump in wages for workers that assemble Apple Inc's iPhone in China, and could be forced to nudge up prices for their own products if labor costs keep rising.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces rained rockets and bombs down on opposition-held neighborhoods of the city of Homs, reducing buildings to rubble and killing more than 80 people, including two Western journalists.

Hewlett-Packard and Dell Inc are keeping a close eye on a big jump in wages for workers that assemble Apple Inc's iPhone in China, and could be forced to nudge up prices for their own products if labor costs keep rising.

Gold jumped to a three-month high on Wednesday, reversing early losses after bullish technical factors triggered fund buying, and platinum prices hit their highest in five months on supply worries.

China issued a formal complaint to Japan on Wednesday after Nanjing severs ties with Nagoya.

Tibet's prime-minister-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay, urged Tibetans to not celebrate Losar, the Tibetan New Year, amidst a rash of self-immolating monks and rising tensions with the Chinese government. However, traditional and spiritual rituals continued as planned.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd resigned on Wednesday after a row with fellow party member Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Taiwan and China are engaged in a kind of “metaphysical battle” for Lin’s identity.

Microsoft Corp has asked EU antitrust regulators to intervene in a patent dispute with Google Inc and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc as it stepped up its battle against Google.

ASUS has delivered its promise to launch a tool that unlocks the bootloader of the Transformer Prime Eee Pad.

Stocks fell on Wednesday with the S&P 500 stalled near a 10-month-old high after weak data on Europe's business activity raised concerns about a recession.

Russia has thwarted efforts by the West to officially condemn and sanction Syria and force Assad to step down

Counterfeit drugs pose a significant threat to public health, but sales of fake drugs grows steadily.