CHINA

Mexican Central Bank Governor and IMF-contender Agustin Carstens rebuked his European counterparts on Thursday for reneging on their promise to back a non-European to head the fund and vowed to give emerging powers more say if elected.

Pyongyang demanded today that Seoul repatriate nine North Korean nationals who defected to the South last weekend, according to Yonhap News Agency.

China must boost its cyber-warfare strength to counter a Pentagon push, the country's top military newspaper said on Thursday after weeks of friction over accusations that Beijing may have launched a string of Internet hacking attacks.

Stock index futures dipped on Thursday as global equities tumbled on worries that the lack of a deal on how to handle the Greek debt crisis could trigger disorderly market moves and crimp liquidity.

Mexican Central Bank Governor Agustin Carstens, who is contending to lead the International Monetary Fund, said on Thursday that he held fruitful talks with Chinese officials over his candidacy.

The China units of HSBC Holdings and Citigroup Inc have won initial approval to underwrite corporate debt in China, paving the way for them to be the first foreign banks to win the coveted licenses, sources told Reuters on Thursday.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Thursday following the previous session's sharp losses, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.21 percent and Dow Jones futures down 0.24 percent, while Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.08 percent at 0941 GMT (5:41 a.m. ET).

The most beautiful and the longest in a decade lunar eclipse on Thursday stared in the sky and turned the moon bloody gathering eyes of around the world. This total lunar eclipse is the first one in 2011, lasting 100 minutes. People in Israel, Pakistan, Brazil, Italy, China, Gaza, Serbia, Australia, Singapore, India were among the lucky dogs to watch the beautiful lunar eclipse. The people in the UK and other countries out og North America also witnessed the rare moment.

Ford Motor Company's passenger car joint venture in China, Changan Ford Mazda Automobile (CFMA), broke ground on Thursday on a $500 million engine factory in southwest China.

Alibaba Group said on Thursday it has reorganized Taobao, China's largest e-commerce website, into three separate companies to better capture opportunities in the industry.

In modern times, having a mistress is not uncommon anymore. However, a video, which shows a Chinese bride engaged in a fight with a man, went viral on the Internet because the man in question was the gay lover of her bridegroom.

It seems the best place for Representative Anthony Weiner to spend Lunar Eclipse 2011 is on the moon, where he would be shielded from sight.

North Korea has had enough time to develop miniature nuclear arms, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry.

Pandora Media Inc opened 25 percent above its $16 IPO price per share in its stock market debut on Wednesday as investors flocked to get a piece of the latest Internet start up, even though it has yet to turn a profit.

Today, all across the Eastern (and parts of the Western) Hemisphere, sky gazers will be treated to a rare and beautiful sight, a total lunar eclipse.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Wednesday are: Netapp, Finisar, Owens-Illinois, E-Commerce China, Carnival, J.C. Penney, Sprint Nextel, United States Steel, Baker Hughes and Southwest Airlines.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: China TechFaith Wireless, Aruba Networks, Glu Mobile, Netapp and Fundtech. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: SunPower Corp, AVEO Pharmaceuticals, BreitBurn Energy Partners, Vodafone Group and ARM Holdings.

Warner Bros Entertainment on Wednesday announced that the studio will distribute on-demand movies in China starting this summer, through an agreement with China’s YOU On Demand Holdings Inc.

In the recent Sino-Vietnamese skirmish over the South China Sea, both China and Vietnam are unclear over how much they stand to gain from the water space, but the potential costs are calculable, analysts say.

The euro came under fresh pressure in Asia on Wednesday as worry about euro zone debt intensified, prompting a move away from riskier assets which helped gold extend gains.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Tuesday are: China Ming Yang Wind Power, CLARCOR, Brunswick, La-Z-Boy and E-Commerce China Dangdang. The top after-market NYSE losers are: Emdeon, EMC, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Headwaters and Eastman Kodak.