CHINA

China will intensify reforms of its currency regime and allow the yuan to float more freely, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Wednesday at the end of an annual parliament session punctuated by signs of a slowing economy.

China will intensify reforms of its currency regime and allow the yuan to float more freely, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Wednesday at the end of an annual parliament session punctuated by signs of a slowing economy.

The national solar industry installed a record number of panels in 2011, more than double 2010, and is likely to see strong growth again this year, according to a new report.

China will intensify reforms of its currency regime and allow the yuan to float more freely, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Wednesday at the end of an annual parliament session punctuated by signs of a slowing economy.

Yahoo! Inc.'s (NASDAQ:YHOO) stock may be valued too cheaply by the market, according to Dan Loeb, a New York-based hedge fund manager.

Chinese state-owned firms, private corporations and wealthy individuals are buying European vineyards as they look to capitalize on a growing domestic thirst for foreign wine.

Since 2007 the FDA has been warning pet owners about products that have been causing dogs to become ill. The administration discovered that the number of complaints against a chicken jerky dog-treat product from China was once again rising in 2011. In their third caution since 2007, the FDA is continuing to investigate the illnesses as well as the origins. The FDA does acknowledge that not all of the reported illnesses may stem from the consumption of chicken jerky.

The relationship between Samsung and Apple is complicated. Even as the two tech giants continue to sue each other around the globe, a new report from iSuppli discovered that Samsung is the sole manufacturer of the Retina Display screen for the new iPad, which was unveiled on March 7 in San Francisco.

The share of power generation in the U.S. by burning coal has fallen to near a 35-year low, as electric power plants showed less interest in thermal coal due to a mild winter and a shift to cheaper gas.

Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada, embroiled in a legal fight with former partner Steve Wynn, the chairman of casino operator Wynn Resorts, used a video on Tuesday to deny claims by the Las Vegas mogul that he was unsuitable to be a company director.

The U.S., the European Union and Japan will file a complaint with the World Trade Organization, which arbitrates international trade disputes, on Tuesday over Chinese export caps on rare earth minerals used in high-tech manufacturing, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Apple announced the rollout of iOS 5.1, its latest version of the company’s mobile operating systems. As expected, updates didn’t go as smoothly as Apple would have planned. Many iOS users are being plagued with problems no sooner after they have updated their iOS devices, making us wonder when Apple will release a fix for these problems soon. The bugs are not major, but they are still being a nuisance and require attention as soon as possible

While reiterating its stance that there are no nuclear weapons activities going on in the military site of Parchin, Iran has agreed to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency team to inspect the site.

Shares of Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) rose slightly after the company sued Facebook for alleged patent infringement. Facebook denied the charges in a statement but has not filed a legal response.

The European Union, United States and Japan formally asked the World Trade Organization on Tuesday to settle a dispute with China over Beijing's restriction on exports of raw materials, including rare earth elements critical to major industries.

Amid fresh allegations that LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his 12-year-old son were brutally killed in a close range by the Sri Lankan forces, Indian Premier Manmohan Singh is struggling to contain the sentiments of opposition parties and lawmakers from regions dominated by Tamil population.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Monday were: Resolute Energy, Armstrong World Industries, Nautilus Group, GNC Holdings, Cameco Corp and Beam Inc. The top aftermarket NYSE losers were: InvenSense, Safe Bulkers, China Mass Media Corp, Yelp Inc, MarkWest Energy Partners and Sunoco Logistics Partners LP.

The U.S. will join Japan and the European Union for pressing the World Trade Organization to force China for loosening its restrictions on exports of rare-earth minerals.

Asian equities hit a one-week high on Tuesday, holding firm in the wake of recent signs of improvement in the U.S. economy, while the yen rose after the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy steady.

Amid mounting speculation of potential oil reserves in Sri Lanka's seawaters, Indian media reports have suggested that India might be looking for a greater involvement overstepping China and Russia, who are also believed to be interested in oil exploration deals with the island nation.

Two new Chinese LCD screens in Beijing's imposing Great Hall of the People will replace screens made by a Japanese competitor, in a sign of resolve to supply the world with Chinese brands and not just Made in China products.