CHINA

The world's richest economies are set to grow faster this year than forecast a month ago, although the latest Reuters economic outlook showed the upturn will be feeble in comparison to resurgent emerging market peers.

North Korea's top nuclear envoy arrived in Beijing on Tuesday as Pyongyang said it was willing to step up talks with China on resuming stalled disarmament-for-aid talks.

Coca-Cola Co reported a quarterly profit in line with analysts' estimates as strong volume in China, India and Brazil offset a decline in North America.

Iran began making higher-grade nuclear fuel on Tuesday, state television reported, and the Pentagon said the United States wanted a U.N. Security Council resolution on Iran within weeks over its nuclear program.

The world's richest economies are set to grow faster this year than forecast a month ago, although the latest Reuters economic outlook showed the upturn will be feeble in comparison to resurgent emerging market peers.

President Barack Obama's vow to get tougher on countries such as China that undervalue their currencies has heightened attention on whether the Treasury Department will formally label China as a currency manipulator in a semi-annual report due in April.

Globally renowned commodities expert and investor Jim Rogers says world's focus in the coming years is going to be on agricultural commodities and food prices. According to him, the prices of agricultural commodities and food are going to continuously rise in the coming years. Commodity prices are going to shoot up. The challenge is that people are eating more foods these days. But the supply of food products is coming down, he said.

Coca-Cola Co reported a quarterly profit in line with analysts' estimates as strong volume in China, India and Brazil offset a decline in North America.

Oil rose above $72 a barrel on Tuesday due to a weaker U.S. dollar and robust buying interest as investors looked for bargains following last week's price slide to near two-month lows.

Swatch Group, the world's largest watchmaker by sales, said it is aiming for its best year ever in 2010 after seeing a strong pick-up in sales in January and February, easing worries that a flagging economic recovery might hit demand.

Google Inc has sent a cease and desist letter to the operators of a Chinese search website whose logo bears a close resemblance to its own.

Nissan Motor Co , Japan's third-largest automaker, returned to quarterly profit on Tuesday and lifted its outlook for the second time, as brisk global sales signal the worst may be over for the auto industry.

China plans to crack down on the online gambling industry, including the banks and websites that support it, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement posted on its website.

A consortium led by Walt Disney Co is in advanced talks to buy into China's largest in-bus digital media and advertising company, a deal that could offer the U.S. entertainment giant a new platform to promote Mickey Mouse in China, three sources told Reuters.

A Chinese-born engineer was sentenced Monday to more than 15 years in prison for hoarding sensitive information about the US space shuttle with the intent on giving it to China.

International pressure for new sanctions against Iran grew on Monday after Tehran announced more moves to expand nuclear fuel production and enrichment plants, heightening Western fears it wants to make atom bombs.

Australia's BHP Billiton named Chris Campbell as president of the firm's iron ore business on Monday, the second major management reshuffle among top miners in the country focused on soaring demand from China.

Electric cars must be backed by smart power networks if they are to help the world's climate problems, environmentalists warned on Monday as European ministers prepared to debate a strategy for the sector.

China's third-largest online game operator NetEase.com said it has suspended new user registration for World of Warcraft in China and will reapply for a license to operate the expansion pack of Activision Blizzard's hit game.

China has closed what it claims to be the largest hacker training website in the country and arrested three of its members, domestic media reported on Monday.

A senior Chinese envoy was in North Korea to prod the reclusive state back to stalled nuclear talks while the South sent a team across the border on Monday for talks to restart tourism projects halted due to political wrangling.