CHINA

In the end, Hope Solo is not the Brandi Chastain of the new generation of soccer fans. Solo, the goalie of the US team, allowed 2 goals in the women's soccer World Cup Finals and 3 shootout goals, as Japan beat the US 2-2 (3-1) in a shootout.

U.S. leadership could be the vital spark needed to revive moribund world trade talks, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said on Monday, decrying as defeatist the mindset of those prepared to see the deal fail.

Wildlife group Conservation International has confirmed that it's a population of 130 groups, 455 animals, which has now become the highest priority for conservation action for the species globally.

Spot gold prices touched a new record high of $1598.41 on Monday, extending the longest rally in about 40 years. The latest wind in the tail came from worsening worries of a European sovereign crisis and the painful stalemate in the US debt ceiling talks that has raised the specter of an unprecedented Treasury default.

The 'first' images of the next generation Apple iPhone, variously called iPhone 4S, 4GS and iPhone 5, have surfaced in China even as rumors fly thick and fast that Apple is laying the table for a possible launch in August or September.

China's powerful price police have an antidote for inflation woes ailing the world's second-largest economy -- strike hard at an obscure herb used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Allegations of fraud and accounting irregularities at Chinese companies are likely to continue for at least the near term and the accusations may hamper the firms' access to funds regardless of the claims' merit, Fitch Ratings said.

Japan won the Women's World Cup in stunning fashion on Sunday, outshooting the US Women 3-1 on penalty kicks, after a two surprising comebacks.

Japan beat the US in the 2011 Women's World Cup finals during a penalty kick shootout on Sunday in Frankfurt, marking its first victory over the US during the same year as a devastating earthquake hit the nation.

The U.S is seeking to add to its women's World Cup titles it won in 1991 and 1992, hoping to put down Japan as it gets there. Team U.S finished third in the past two World Cups.

To watch the US Women's World Cup team play against Japan in the FIFA finals at 2:45 pm ET on Sunday, one has several options online.

Global consumer confidence fell in the second quarter to its lowest level in a year and a half as an uncertain economic outlook, a deepening euro zone debt crisis and rising inflation made people more cautious, a survey showed on Sunday.

Samsung LED Co. Ltd. said it had filed a complaint with the U.S. fair trade commission to ban imports of LED products from Siemens' (SIEGn.DE) light bulb unit Osram and affiliates Osram Opto Semiconductors and Osram Sylvania Inc.

For those looking for real evidence of global economic recovery, here's some good news: Luxury is back.

The elusive snow leopard has been found thriving in the mountains of Afghanistan as images of several cats were caught on camera traps placed by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Deliveries for Europe’s largest car company rose by 14 percent over the same period last year, driven primarily by solid growth in Asia.

U.S. President Barack Obama has defied and angered by meeting privately with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.

A surprisingly healthy population of snow leopards has been photographed at 16 different locations using camera traps in the mountainous region of Wakhan Corrider, Afghanistan, reported the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The latest campaign finance data provides a window into the hierarchy within the still-crowded Republican presidential field.

If the Fed wades further into muddy stimulus waters, that will set the stage for a certain gold boom in the short to medium term. Historically, a dollar sell-off has been the biggest force behind a gold boom. If the Fed takes recourse to another round of easing in pursuit of its goal of propping up job creation and real growth, it will inadvertently cause a dollar sell-off and trigger, in turn, a gold super rally.

Technology giant Apple unveiled Mac OS X Lion, which the company claims is the world's most advanced desktop operating system, at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last month.