CHINA

The sign in a boutique selling glass hand-crafted on the Venetian island of Murano betrays an uncertain grasp of English. But the owner is very sure who is to blame for the tough times confronting the 700-year-old local glassmaking industry.

China's industrial output is expected to grow 11 percent for 2012, easing from an estimated 13.9 percent in 2011, China's industry minister said on Monday.

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival will be officially launched on Jan. 5. However, tourists have already begun flocking to visit the sculptures.

The yuan closed up against the dollar on Monday after hitting an all-time high in intraday trading, guided by a stronger mid-point by the People's Bank of China, and looks set for an over-4-percent appreciation for 2011, traders said.

China reportedly tested its latest super-speed train over the Christmas weekend. The new train is believed to be capable of a maximum speed of 500 km per hour.

China has arrested former executives at two brokerages on charges of insider trading, the securities watchdog said, as part of a crackdown on market malpractice that the new head of the agency has said will be one of his top priorities.

Sony Corp has agreed to sell its nearly 50 percent stake in an LCD joint venture with Samsung Electronics to the South Korean company for $940 million, as it struggles to reduce huge losses at its TV business.

China launched a super-rapid test train over the weekend which is capable of travelling 500 kilometers per hour, state media said on Monday, as the country moves ahead with its railway ambitions despite serious problems on its high-speed network.

The yuan hit an all-time trading high against the dollar on Monday, guided by a stronger mid-point by the People's Bank of China, and looks set for an over-4-percent appreciation for 2011, traders said.

As Congress debates the Stop Online Piracy Act and Go Daddy suffers for its early support, many Americans still don't know exactly what SOPA bill is or how it would affect their day-to-day lives. Here, read a complete and easy-to-grasp guide of the controversial bill and why it's so dangerous, from why it's supported to the threat of censorship it poses.

NORAD teamed up with Google Earth once again in 2011, tracking Father Christmas' progress around the world as volunteers fielded 100,000 calls. As NORAD reports a record holiday, find out how the Santa Tracker got started, and check out 2011's best Google Earth videos tracking Santa's progress, from the Great Wall and Taj Mahal to Hilo, Hawaii.

China will try a veteran dissident, Chen Xi, on charges of inciting subversion for pro-democracy essays he published online, his wife said on Sunday, days after another dissident was jailed for nine years on similar charges.

Japan will seek to buy Chinese government bonds, the Japanese government said in a statement issued after Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held talks in Beijing with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday.

The automotive industry faces a tougher year in 2012 than it has done this year, Audi Chief Executive Rupert Stadler told Reuters in an interview for release on Sunday.

Europe faces another year of dismal economic performance in 2012 that will weigh on global growth, but emerging markets and the United States should at least keep the world economy moving in the right direction.

Europe faces another year of dismal economic performance in 2012 that will weigh on global growth, but emerging markets and the United States should at least keep the world economy moving in the right direction.

Must Watch Christmas Images, Traditions From all Round the World; What is Santa Called in Other Countries [PHOTOS]

Investment in theme parks and cutting-edge attractions along the lines of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando surged during the recession, leading one developer to suggest the business is entering a new Golden Age.

The myth-builders of North Korea... those who ensure the divine aura of the dictatorial Kim dynasty never fades... have a new task. They must raise Kim Jong-Un - the third son of former ruler Kim Jong-il and his heir apparent - to the status of a quasi-god, so as to make the unelected leader's governance unchallenged.

In response to a recent allegation that the Kardashian fashion products in China are made in child slave labor sweatshops, the family has claimed that the reports are untrue.

Yahoo Inc's board of directors has agreed to keep exploring a plan to split off the Internet company's Asian assets in a complex deal valued at $17 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.