CHINA

Just a month shy of her first anniversary as Brazil's President, Dilma Rousseff's tenure has been marred by a series of corruption scandals involving cabinet ministers. Rousseff has lost minister after minister to corruption scandals since last June, almost at the rate of one a month. The latest to lose his office is Labor Minister Carlos Lupi. The successive resignations point directly to the corruption that is deeply embedded in the public administration system in Brazil.

Gold prices barely moved Monday, as weak physical buying and easing investor interest offset anticipation of good economic news from the U.S. and hope that this week's big European meeting aimed at solving the debt crisis will not disappoint.

A pair of pampered giant pandas, two of the few remaining specimens of an endangered species, was welcomed to their new homes in Scotland, on Sunday. The plane - Panda Express - carrying the two animals, for whom the Edinburgh Zoo is paying $10 million to Chinese authorities, landed at 9 p.m. Beijing time, at Edinburgh Airport, after taking off from the southwestern Chinese city of Chegndu.

Asian stocks mostly ended on a positive note Monday ahead of Franco-German summit in Paris aimed at halting contagion from Europe's growing debt crisis.

China's entry into the World Trade Organization and its development over the last 10 years has contributed to global prosperity, according to former WTO Director David Hartridge.

Asian shares and the euro steadied on Monday on hopes European leaders would agree on a definitive plan to solve the euro zone's debt crisis at a crucial summit this week, with sentiment also getting a lift from Italy unveiling austerity steps.

Carbon dioxide emissions, from the burning of fossil fuels and production of cement, registered record increases last year, according to researchers with the Global Carbon Project, who reported a 5.9 percent increase.

Boeing Co launched its six-month world tour of the new 787 Dreamliner jet from Beijing, China on Dec.4, 2011.

An increasing number of foreign women, mostly from the bordering countries of Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, are being abducted and trafficked into China according to a report by the China Daily.

Japan's Nikkei stock average edged higher Monday to build on last week's hefty gains on improved sentiment about the European debt situation, but uncertainty about how markets will assess Italy's new austerity plan capped the upside.

The HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index for China's services sector fell to 52.5 from 54.1 in November, signalling its slowest rate of growth in three months and the latest in a series of data points portraying a quickly cooling economy in need of policy support.

China's new bank loans in 2012 may increase slightly from this year's quota of 7.5 trillion yuan ($1.18 trillion), but the government will maintain lending curbs on the property sector, the China Business News reported on Monday, citing an official from the China Banking Regulatory Commission .

China's services sector contracted in November, mirroring similar weakness in the country's giant manufacturing sector and underlining expectations that Beijing can ease monetary policy further to cushion the blows of the global economy.

The title of Miss Earth 2011 has been handed to Miss Ecuador, Olga Alava.

Earnings season is about a month away, but the early signals are not comforting. Companies lowering estimates outpace those raising them by the greatest ratio in 10 years -- and some sectors, such as materials, have seen a dramatic fall in expectations for the fourth quarter.

Australia's ruling Labor Party Sunday endorsed plans to open up uranium sales to India, clearing the way for talks on a bilateral nuclear agreement and resolving an issue that has caused diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

China said it was deeply concerned about a preliminary ruling by a U.S. trade body that trade practices by Chinese solar makers are hurting U.S. producers and said the decision underscored a U.S. inclination to trade protectionism.

The U.N.'s climate chief said that she believes countries can snap the deadlock that has lasted for years and sign up to fresh and binding commitments to cut greenhouse gases.

The spectacular bull run in gold prices is unlikely to end soon, with bullion retaining its appeal in 2012 due to the uncertain global economy.

China said it was deeply concerned about a preliminary ruling by a U.S. trade body that trade practices by Chinese solar makers are hurting U.S. producers and said the decision underscored a U.S. inclination to trade protectionism.

The latest news out of GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul’s camp is that he will not be attending the Donald Trump-moderated Newsmax debate on Dec. 27 in Iowa.