CHINA

Stocks rose on Thursday, putting the S&P 500 on the cusp of finishing out the year higher as another decline in jobless claims pointed to further improvement in the labor market.

Following are brief profiles of the 15 teams in the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Western Conference ahead of the 2011-12 season.

In 100 years of Chinese film, The Flowers of War is the first major title to feature a western movie star. It earned a Golden Globe nomination for best foreign language film, and is China's entry for Oscars.

Pvt. Danny Chen was found dead in guard tower in Afghanistan on Oct. 3 with what the Army described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Eight of his fellow soldiers have been charged.

Chinese writer Chen Wei faces trial on Friday accused of inciting subversion for online essays advocating democracy, in the latest aftershock of a drive against dissent earlier this year, his wife and defense lawyer said.

The fact is everyone in the financial services or wealth management business has thought about what they feel the markets will do next year. Following are the 10 market predictions for 2012 from Oliver Pursche, co-portfolio manager of GMG Defensive Beta Fund.

Beijing criticized a decision by Europe's highest court to allow airlines to be charged for carbon emissions on flights to and from the European Union, with state media warning on Thursday it could spark a trade spat and the foreign ministry urging talks.

China further tightened rules on microblogs on Thursday, requiring new authors on seven websites in southern Guangdong province to register their real names, state-run Xinhua news agency reported, in a move users decried as ineffective.

Maria de Nazare, a 23-year-old Brazilian woman has given birth to conjoined twins with one body and two heads- a case of rare conjoined anomaly known as dicephalic parapagus.

China slammed Hollywood actor and Batman star Christian Bale Wednesday for creating news after he was roughed up by security guards as he attempted to visit a blind legal activist whose detention has sparked a domestic and international outcry.

Shares of troubled search engine and media developer Yahoo surged nearly 6 percent late Wednesday after a report the company may unload its stake in China’s Alibaba Group for about $17 billion.

China has a one-child policy, while surrogacy is illegal.

Gold lost early gains Friday, along with stocks and the euro, as an unexpectedly high number of Eurozone banks queued up for low-interest loans reminded investors of just how widespread Europe's sovereign debt crisis has become.

North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week's death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said.

Tourism is a plague that threatens to destroy culture and society.

Batman star Christian Bale should feel embarrassed for trying to visit a prominent Chinese human rights activist detained in his home in eastern Shandong Province while he promoted his latest film, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

Due to Kenya’s soaring unemployment rate, the men are easily fooled into this trap.

The world learned of Kim Jong Il's death on Monday, two days after the North Korean leader died of a heart attack. His death immediately placed his son, Kim Jong Un, into the spotlight, as he went from being a Respected General in North Korea to a Great Successor.

The United States has removed Baidu Inc, China's largest search engine, from its list of notorious markets for piracy in a nod to the firm's efforts to clean up its music offerings.

RadarOnline reported via a Star magazine exclusive that the Kardashians' products are made in sweatshops with the use of child labor.

The winter solstice begins (for most) Dec. 22, 2011. Many in the Northern Hemisphere regard it as the start of winter and shorter days, but what time does it begin, what does it mean for the different hemispheres, and how did the tradition get started? Find out everything you need to know about Winter Solstice 2011 and how to prepare for it here.