CHINA

Baidu Inc, China's largest search engine, said on Thursday it would introduce anti-piracy technology for its document and books product in May, countering criticism that the firm has been lax in dealing with copyright-infringing material.

Corrects story from March 22 to make fourth paragraph read “on a free on board basis” instead of “including the cost of insurance and freight”

Best Buy Co Inc is poised to report its third straight quarter of same-store sales declines on weak demand for televisions and entertainment software in the all-important holiday season.

U.S. stocks staged an afternoon rally Wednesday, led by materials companies, though investors continued to eye several overseas trouble spots warily.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 89 points, or 0.7%, to 12108 in late afternoon trade, led by Alcoa, which rose 3.3%. The gains were kept in check by a 1.5% decline for Bank of America, which said the Federal Reserve didn't allow it to boost its dividend. Wal-Mart Stores also was weak, falling 0.8%, as was DuPont, down 0.4%.

Shares of companies active in Wednesday's early trade are: Jabil Circuit, Cree, Adobe, Veeco Instruments, XOMA, Tata Communications, China Southern Airlines Co., Cintas, Global Industries and Northern Oil & Gas.

China is planning to build meltdown-proof nuclear plants conforming to the fourth generation technology in the wake of the Japanese nuclear crisis which highlighted the safety inadequacy of a reactor that depends on external sources of cooling.

Chinese oil demand rose more than 10 percent year-on-year in February to reach the second strongest demand level on record, as refineries scampered to pile up supplies in view of the upcoming peak demand season and adverse weather conditions.

Billionaire Warren Buffett, who is looking to invest in large countries such as China, India and Brazil, said on Wednesday he expected global output to rise significantly over the next year.

U.S. stocks pulled back in a sleepy session Tuesday as investors paused after a three day rally that helped the market regain ground after several weeks dominated by unrest in the Middle East and Japan's earthquake.

A chorus of voices from government officials around the world have condemned (or at least questioned) the decision by a handful of western countries (in tandem with some Arab allies) to launch air strikes on military targets in Libya.

A private lending sector, largely unfettered by government intervention, is booming in China.

The Euro price of Gold Bullion today slipped back to last week's finish just below €32,000 per kilo - reversing Monday's 1.0% rise - as the single currency hit new 6-month highs to the Dollar above $1.4240.

Hewlett-Packard Co said on Tuesday it is assessing the impact to its business of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan earlier this month and that its office in Sendai, near the quake's epicenter, remains closed.

The president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has written a lengthy a column in The New Vision newspaper of Uganda in which he condemned the western alliance’s military strikes on Libya. He also proposes a resolution to the Libyan crisis through the auspices of the African Union.

U.S. firms are increasingly vexed over growing Chinese red tape that prevents them from expanding quickly in China's vast market, a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce showed on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks surged on Monday as sentiment was buoyed after Japan made progress in its battle to control radiation leaks at a crippled plant, and AT&T announced that it will buy T-Mobile USA from German company Deutsche Telekom to create the largest mobile provider in the United States.

China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it did not accept accusations from Google Inc that the Chinese government was making it difficult for Gmail users to use the service in the country.

U.S. firms are increasingly vexed over growing Chinese red tape that prevents them from expanding quickly in China's vast market, a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce showed on Tuesday.

China's exports of rare earth metals burst through the $100,000-per-tonne mark for the first time in February, up almost ninefold from a year before, while the volume of trade stayed far below historical averages.

Global miner Rio Tinto said on Tuesday its first-quarter iron ore production would be hit by a string of cyclones that swept through its mining operations in Australia last month.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed back above 12000, boosted by a major telecommunications deal and a jump in energy stocks as oil prices leapt.