CHINA

Major emerging powers stood ready on Friday to pledge money to bolster the International Monetary Fund's crisis-fighting war chest, though Brazil was holding out for promises that their voting power at the global lender would increase.

Major emerging powers stood ready on Friday to pledge money to bolster the International Monetary Fund's crisis-fighting war chest, though Brazil was holding out for promises that their voting power at the global lender would increase.

Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI), the world's No. 1 maker of car batteries, said Friday its fiscal second-quarter profit rose but excluding one-time benefits the company's profit fell 5 percent.

Chinese experts believe that India has downplayed the capacity of its new nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni-V. Du Wenlong, a researcher at China's PLA Academy of Military Sciences has told Global Times that Agni-V is more powerful than what is claimed by New Delhi.

Asian stock markets were mostly lower Friday as weak US economic data and fears over European debt crisis weighed on the sentiment.

Apple is planning to launch MacBook Pro 2012. The device can release in May or June with rumored features including Intel Intel Ivy Bridge processor, New Thunderbolt Connector, Retina Display, Full-surface Trackpad and Surround Sound System.

German business sentiment unexpectedly rose for the sixth month in a row in April in a sign that Europe's largest economy continues to outpace peers and shrug off persistent worries about the euro zone debt crisis.

The business confidence in Germany increased in April, indicating that the country's economy is continuing to withstand the pressures of looming debt crisis in Eurozone.

China is poised to boost quotas on outbound investment schemes to $100 billion and cut barriers to moving foreign currency in and out of the country in a series of swift but small steps to crank open its tightly controlled capital account.

Asian stock markets declined Friday as batch of disappointing economic readings from the US signaled that the recovery was slowing in the world's biggest economy.

Major emerging powers stood ready on Friday to pledge money to bolster the International Monetary Fund's crisis-fighting war chest, though Brazil was holding out for promises that their voting power at the global lender would increase.

Nestle , the world's biggest food group, reported forecast-beating first-quarter organic sales growth of 7.2 percent on Friday as emerging market demand and price rises helped offset sluggish growth in the developed world.

Automaker Ford said Thursday that it plans to build a $760-million assembly plant in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou as part of expansion plans in the country.

Inside a dimly lit barn in northeast Indiana, where the air smells faintly of corn and earth, the future of China's food supply is squealing for attention.

Syria and the United Nations signed an agreement Thursday on terms for hundreds of observers to monitor a ceasefire.

With Evernote reportedly raising funding a valuation of $1 billion, could it be the next mobile app success story?

As Earth Day approaches on April 22, organizers view 2012 as a pivotal year to bring the environmental issues facing the planet to the forefront of the global political agenda.

The International Monetary Fund's bid to win a big boost in funding to handle the euro-zone debt crisis hit a speed bump on Thursday when Brazil demanded more power at the IMF for emerging economies as a condition for lending it extra cash.

The latest rumor to surface in the tech community is that the Palo Alto based company is soon to be coming out with an iPad Mini.

The 14th Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, spoke to a rapt crowd of 12,000 at San Diego University on Thursday morning. He stressed the importance of compassion and the oneness of humanity.

Johnson Controls Inc. is expected to report a 5 percent drop in first quarter 2012 earnings tomorrow due to increased commodity prices, the expense of a new metals plant and higher engineering and launch costs from new business ventures. However, revenue and operating profit for the company are expected to be up.