CHINA

Gold prices, headed for their strongest January in three years, rose Tuesday as fears of a Greek sovereign debt default receded, the dollar weakened and crude oil and copper prices increased.

Apple Inc overtook Hewlett-Packard Co as the world's largest vendor of personal computers in the fourth quarter for 2011, helped by increasing demand for its iPads, according to a latest report.

Twitter Chief Executive Dick Costolo said the company's recently announced online content policy was meant to be a transparent way to handle government requests for the removal of certain content and did not mean it is actively monitoring Tweets, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Millions of Indians went to the polls on Monday in Punjab and Uttarakhand where the country's ruling Congress party hopes to regain momentum after a year when its reputation was battered by corruption scandals and a slowing economy.

Honda Motor Co forecast a worse-than-expected 65 percent drop in profit for the year to March after natural disasters in Japan and Thailand hammered it harder than its rivals while the strong yen delivered an added blow.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces have taken the upper hand in escalating battles on the outskirts of the capital Damascus while top Western and Arab diplomats are seeking a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for him to go.

Honda Motor Co posted a 65 percent slide in quarterly operating profit on Tuesday and forecast the same drop for the full year, when natural disasters in Japan and Thailand hit it harder than rivals.

China's appeal of a ruling that found restrictions on exports of nine raw materials as breaking global rules has been rejected by World Trade Organization.

A senior International Monetary Fund official said on Monday that China was taking steps to reduce property bubble risks and said it has room to add fiscal stimulus if conditions worsen.

A senior International Monetary Fund official said on Monday that China was taking steps to reduce property bubble risks and said it has room to add fiscal stimulus if conditions worsen.

Chancellor Angela Merkel cemented her political ascendancy in Europe Monday when 25 out of 27 EU states agreed to a German-inspired pact for stricter budget discipline, even as they struggled to rekindle growth from the ashes of austerity.

French art database and ad specialist Artprice.com expects sales to soar this year on the back of the launch of an online auction service, its chief executive told Reuters on Monday.

Stocks fell on Monday after Greece's efforts to reach a debt restructuring with creditors stalled, hampering European leaders' push to shift the market's focus to jobs and growth.

Apple, which was left upset by how the iPhone 4S launch party in Mainland China, was spoiled by scalpers, has set up a lottery system, for the iPhone fans in Hong Kong, aimed to keep the scalpers at bay.

China lost an appeal at the World Trade Organization on Monday in a case about its export restrictions on raw materials, a ruling that could make it harder for major commodity exporters to withhold supplies on the global market.

Asia's central bankers have yet another reason to hesitate now that the U.S. Federal Reserve looks likely to keep interest rates low for longer.

The Sudan military rescued 17 of the Chinese workers who were abducted from their camp in South Kordofan on Saturday. They were reportedly taken to a safe place, but at least 29 workers are still being held.

Starbucks Corp will open its first coffee shops in India in August or September, a year later than originally planned, and aims to have 50 outlets by year-end through a tie-up with the Tata group, the country's biggest business house.

Hong Kong shares snapped a six-session winning streak on Monday, dragged down by Chinese banks and developers, as investors took profits on some recent outperformers while waiting to see if there will be a Greek debt-swap deal that averts a default.

Copper fell on Monday, pulling back from a four-month high as demand prospects dimmed amid a lack of progress in talks to avoid a disorderly Greek default, tempting investors to cash in on January's rally.

India and China are following dramatically different trajectories in their paths to prosperity.