CHINA

In Botswana, diamonds have been key to the country’s successful economy -- proof that a valuable resource is only as good as the entities that handle it.

Two of ancient India’s most important and grandest Sanskrit epics, The Mahabharata and The Ramayana, vividly describe giant, magnificent space vessels which took fantastic voyages to distant stars and planets.

The demand for gold fell to its lowest level in two years in the second quarter of 2012, as the price rise along with the economic slowdown has deterred major consumers India and China from buying the yellow metal, the World Gold Council said on Thursday.

Asian markets were mixed Thursday as investors maintained a watchful mode awaiting monetary easing measures from policymakers around the world to tackle the weakening of the global economic growth.

Asian shares steadied Thursday as investors took to the sidelines, waiting for more clues over the timing and extent of any further stimulus to tackle the euro zone's debt crisis and support global growth.

The urbanization of China has been an extraordinary, perhaps unprecedented, phenomenon.

Prominent politicians in China have been accused of participating in a sex orgy, after dozens of photos appeared on a blog site earlier this month

Apple’s iPhone 5 is rumored for a Sept.21 release date, and the Internet has not stopped buzzing about potential features, alleged leaks and speculation. Although it is nearly certain that the upcoming iPhone 5 will support 4G LTE connectivity, there is now more evidence to back up this claim.

In order to cooperate with North Korea, China must turn a blind eye to the many injustices that take place there every single day.

War with Iran would probably turn into a month-long conflict on various fronts with missile strikes on Israeli cities and some 500 dead, Israel's civil defense minister said in an interview published on Wednesday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT), the world's largest retail chain, is expected to report higher second-quarter profit as an increase in consumer spending lifted the company's revenue and offset the effect of a strong dollar.

Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), the No. 1 provider of Internet gear, is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results Wednesday that are expected to be much better than last year’s when CEO John Chambers said the company was overmanned and was in the midst of layoffs and retrenchment.

Most of the European markets fell Wednesday as investors were losing optimism on policymakers announcing stimulus measures to rejuvenate the weakening euro zone.

Some of the China's largest solar manufacturers are facing huge debt liabilities, and one of them, Suntech Power Holdings [STP.N], is potentially on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars after it disclosed potential fraud by a partner.

Japan and North Korea are to hold their first governmental-level talk for the first time in four years on Aug. 29, the Japanese government announced.

Market researcher Gartner Group (NYSE: IT) said global smartphone sales eased 2.3 percent in the second quarter to 419 million units, accounting for a record 36.7 percent of all mobile phone sales.

Taiwan and Japan have an awkward relationship that is compromised and complicated by various intractable issues - namely, Mainland China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and has compelled most nations of the earth to deny diplomatic recognition of the island.

Shares of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, have recovered lost ground and are trading not much below their record high of $644 set on April 10. Despite a setback when third-quarter earnings fell shy of estimates last month, they could set another record again this week.

Most of the Asian markets rose Tuesday amid hopes that the Bank of Japan will soon announce stimulus measures to regain the economic growth momentum.

Asian shares steadied Tuesday with investors staying sidelined ahead of more figures from Europe and the United States later in the day, after recent data showed the euro zone's debt woes were eroding business activity globally.

Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC), the lender divesting assets to raise capital, said Monday it has agreed to sell Merrill Lynch's International Wealth Management business outside the U.S. to Swiss private bank Julius Baer Group Ltd.