CHINA

China said on Wednesday it could not be any clearer in its repeated commitment to a stable exchange rate after the U.S. Congress threatened to levy duties on some Chinese exports if it fails to revalue its currency.

Members of Congress on Tuesday threatened Beijing with duties on some of its exports if it fails to revalue its currency, pressuring the Obama administration to label China a currency manipulator.

With Google expected to decide soon whether to close its Chinese search engine, students at one of the schools cited by some reports for being behind hacking attacks on the Internet giant are decidedly ambivalent.

Members of Congress on Tuesday threatened Beijing with duties on some of its exports if it fails to revalue its currency, pressuring the Obama administration to label China a currency manipulator.

Australia's Arrow Energy said on Tuesday it was in active discussions with Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina over their joint $3 billion takeover offer, prompting analyst talk of a sweetened deal.

International calls for China to allow its yuan currency to appreciate take no account of the importance of the country's stability for the region and for the world, a U.N. agency report said on Tuesday.

Many workers around the world have given up hopes of advancing in their jobs, but the bad economy is keeping them from finding new ones.

Oil demand is picking up, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said on Tuesday, which could mean OPEC does not have to take any action on supply this year.

China has become more concerned about international tensions over Iran's nuclear program, but remains doubtful that sanctions can resolve the stand-off, the Chinese foreign minister said on Tuesday.

The world may soon achieve something long dreamed of by governments and policymakers: higher economic growth without using more oil.

Once upon a time South Africa was the largest gold producer in the world. But, things have changed now it has fallen to the fourth position in the world as the mines in the country are facing severe power problems and decline in the output. A further decline in the country's mined gold output in 2009 has now relegated the country to fourth position in the world gold production stakes.

Australia circa 2050, population 35 million, climate change induced rising sea levels have flooded the Gold Coast resort region, apartment blocks are now used to grow food and people commute in monorail pods above the sea.

Power distribution problems after a devastating earthquake in Chile could cut copper output more than 25 percent in the world's top producer of the red metal, creating supply fears and lifting global copper prices.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting where policy-makers are expected to reiterate a pledge to keep interest rates very low for a long time.

Extortion by corrupt officials in Russia has got so bad that some Western multinationals are considering pulling out altogether, the head of a U.S. anti-bribery group said in an interview.

Shanghai unveils a $2.2 billion airport terminal on Tuesday, connected to the center of China's commercial hub by one of several new metro lines being built for the World Expo that opens in May.

Google should obey Chinese government rules even if it decides to retreat from the country over hacking and censorship complaints, a Chinese government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Stocks index futures edged up on Tuesday, pointing to a slightly firmer start for Wall Street, ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting where policymakers are expected to reiterate a pledge to keep interest rates low for a long time.

World stocks climbed on Tuesday while the dollar was corralled as investors bet the U.S. central bank will repeat its vow of keeping interest rates low for an extended period after its monthly meeting.

China on Tuesday shunned mounting U.S. demands for a stronger yuan, saying again that its currency is not the cause of its big trade surplus and vowing to keep the currency stable to shore up exports.

Asian shares struggled to keep modest gains on Tuesday and the dollar gave ground as investors trimmed long positions ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting expected to repeat a pledge to keep rates low for a long time.