CHINA

Barbadian singer Rihanna has been named 'Woman of the Year' by Italian Vogue.

Asia's small, export-driven economies look most vulnerable to the threat of a deeper U.S. economic slump, which could materialize even if Washington manages to avert a debt default.

South Korea' communications regulator said Thursday hackers from China had attacked an Internet portal and blogging site operated by SK Comms, accessing the personal information of up to 35 million users in what could be the country's biggest cyber attack so far.

Archaeopteryx, the legendary winged creature long known as the oldest and most primitive bird on Earth, may not have been a bird at all, Chinese scientists reveal.

Swish bank UBS said on Thursday it has set up an asset management unit in Beijing to tap China's rapidly-growing $650 billion private equity market.

China will press ahead with diversification of its $3.2 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, and does not pursue large-scale currency holdings, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said on Thursday.

Hyundai Motor posted a 37 percent gain in quarterly net profit on Thursday, outstripping the consensus forecast, after it logged record global vehicle sales and gained market share from Japanese rivals reeling from the March 11 earthquake.

Ford Motor Co said on Thursday said it plans to invest $1 billion to build a factory in western India, doubling its investment in the country as the U.S. carmaker seeks to gain a greater share in the second-fastest growing auto market in the world.

Japan's biggest consumer electronics makers are expected to show quarterly earnings slumped due to the March earthquake, but investors will focus on whether these companies can meet their forecasts for a swift recovery, given a fragile global economy.

The source of the auto industry's growth has seen a permanent shift to emerging markets that appear promising but also hold great risks, according to an AlixPartners study released on Wednesday.

Anders Breivik butchered scores of innocent people because he wanted to draw Europe's attention to the feared 'Islamization' of the region. The mindless brutality of his killing spree shocked the world, but he has earned some fans thanks to the inhuman deed. The following are some ultra-fundamentalist positions of Breivik, taken from a 1500-page manifesto, which he released hours before the attack, titled '2083, A European Declaration of Independence.'

It is understandable that foreign investors have been losing confidence with the U.S.?s ability to deal with its debt issue

For more than three years, U.S. securities regulators investigated allegations of accounting fraud at a small telecom firm called China Voice Holding Corp, but could not make a case.

Panasonic Corp <6752.T> has decided to sell its unit's washing machine and refrigerator operations in Japan and Southeast Asia to Chinese firm Haier Group Co <1169.HK> for about 10 billion yen ($128.3 million), Japan's Nikkei business daily reported.

China is building two aircraft carriers as part of a military modernization program that is causing concern among other Asian countries, sources said on Wednesday.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao ordered on Wednesday a swift and transparent investigation into the weekend crash of two high-speed trains that has ignited public anger, and pledged the government would take "resolute" safety steps in its aftermath.

Restaurant operator P.F. Chang's posted disappointed quarterly results Wednesday, and Wall Street reacted, dropping the company's stock more than 10 percent.

Republicans and Democrats rushed to rework rival deficit reduction plans on Wednesday, but with the fate of both proposals heavily in doubt top lawmakers pursued a behind-the-scenes compromise to avert a crippling U.S. default.

Higher input costs and a strong rand led to a 63 percent drop in ArcelorMittal South Africa's first-half profit and the steelmaker forecast a difficult third quarter on Wednesday, sending its shares to a 28-month low.

Depression rates are higher in countries with higher incomes, a study found. 121 million people worldwide suffer from depression and rates are disproportionately high in countries with higher incomes. Depression significantly decreases quality of life and inherently comes with distorted, irrational, and negative thinking patterns.

Michael Phelps is used to celebrating 200 meters butterfly victories but the American's gold medal at the world swimming championships on Wednesday was particularly sweet.