CHINA

Greece's prime minister won the backing of his Cabinet Wednesday to hold a referendum on a 130 billion euro bailout package but will find the stunned euro zone leaders who engineered the deal last week harder to convince.

Lenovo Group Ltd, the world's No.2 PC brand, posted a better-than-expected 88 percent rise in second-quarter profit, helped by acquisitions and an increase in sales in emerging markets such as China.

The glamorous and easy-going Riviera resort of Cannes turns into a fortified camp this week as French police prepare for the arrival of world leaders for a G20 summit set to be hijacked by fears that a euro zone crisis relief plan is unraveling.

Lenovo Group Ltd, the world's No.2 PC brand, posted a better-than-expected 88 percent rise in second-quarter profit, helped by acquisitions and an increase in sales in emerging markets such as China.

Lenovo Group Ltd, the world's No.2 PC brand, posted a better-than-expected 88 percent rise in second-quarter profit, helped by acquisitions and an increase in sales in emerging markets such as China.

Asian shares fell and the euro stuck near 3-week lows against the dollar on Wednesday, as investors shed riskier assets after Greece's shock call for a referendum stoked fears about the viability of a European debt deal struck just last week.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou fought off a barrage of criticism to win the backing of his Cabinet Wednesday to push ahead with a speedy referendum on the European debt bailout deal.

So much for euphoria.Having soared just days ago on a pledge by European leaders to prop up euro zone banks and stem the spread of a festering debt crisis, world stock markets and the euro came crashing back to earth this week as Greece's government hovered near collapse.

Greece's shock referendum spells at least 10 more weeks of deep freeze for global investment and that hiatus may be enough to tip the world economy back into recession this winter.

Appcelerator raised $15 million in its latest round of funding, making the developer the largest third-party app publisher for both iOS and Android platforms.

Washington has been applying the pressure on the UN Security Council to level new sanctions on Tehran as fears arise that Israel will conduct a unilateral strike against Iran's suspected nuclear facilities, the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, reported.

Fears grew at the time that the disturbances were largely organized by youths using their mobile phones.

French banks and lenders exposed to Greece and other weak euro zone countries slumped on Tuesday after Greece's leader said he would put a bailout plan to a referendum, raising the risk of a disorderly default.

The Greek government faced possible collapse on Tuesday as ruling party lawmakers demanded Prime Minister George Papandreou resign for throwing the nation's euro membership into jeopardy with a shock call for a referendum.

The pace of growth in U.S. manufacturing slowed last month, though improvement in October new orders suggested stable but slow growth for the U.S. economy.

China has successfully launched an unmanned spacecraft, a small step into achieving their larger space exploration goals.

South Africa's rand weakened against the dollar on Tuesday as a Greek plan for a referendum on a bailout package raised worries that the euro zone debt crisis is far from over.

South African stocks ended sharply lower on Tuesday, extending the decline to two days as investors worldwide offloaded risky assets after Greece's shock move to hold a referendum on a rescue deal.

The indifference shown by the majority of India's deep-pocketed corporates toward Formula One has baffled team bosses who expect them to warm to the sport following the success of last weekend's inaugural Indian Grand Prix.

Singapore Airlines announced on Tuesday that its new long-haul budget carrier Scoot will takeoff in 2012.

The pace of growth in the U.S. manufacturing sector unexpectedly slowed in October, in line with trends in China, Britain and Canada in data reported on Tuesday.