CHINA

Worldwide sales of gold last year soared 29 percent to a record high as two groups of investors, each with mutually exclusive views of economic and financial threats, flocked to the yellow metal and related assets.

Dressed in a black Mao-style suit, a smiling Kim resembled his grandfather Kim Il-sung as he presided over a lavish military parade in honor of the recently deceased Kim Jong-Il.

Horse races are always fun to watch, even if no money is involved, and every four years, one of our two major political parties participates in a usually futile horse race. Americans are fed daily updates on who said what and on the ever fluctuating poll numbers.

General Motors Co. posted a record profit in 2011, adding to the dramatic turnaround for 103-year-old United States automaker just two years after filing for bankruptcy and nearly collapsing. The news sent stock of the company up more than 6 percent to $26.50 at midday.

Wild price swings caused by a volatile rupee sapped Indian buying interest in gold in the fourth quarter of 2011, with imports well short of expectations and no pick up expected this year, dropping it behind China for the first time.

Xi Jinping's visit to the United States is all the rage as Washington scurries to get a better impression of the presumed successor of President Hu Jintao. However, it would be premature to judge Xi's comfortable and amicable style as a sign of any weakness.

Before leaving Thursday, Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun said China does not approve of armed intervention to force regime change in Syria, adding that the trip was intended to end the bloodshed which has ravaged the country for almost a year.

Nestle echoed the cautious outlook for 2012 of other global food makers on Thursday as it said it was banking on new markets and products to put it ahead of the field after it posted forecast-beating 2011 sales growth.

The upside potential for Facebook (and social media networks) in India is enormous.

iPad 3, Apple's next generation tablet, is expected to be unveiled in March and the excitement among Apple fans has touched a fever pitch. However, the trademark dispute between the tech giant and Proview Technology, over the name iPad could pour cold water on the excitement as it could force Apple to delay the release of iPad 3 till the matter is solved, a reliable source informed Tech & Trend.

In 1972, the Chinese economy was a shadow of the modern powerhouse it would blossom into.

The legal dispute between Apple and Proview is becoming increasingly fierce and the whole world, including Apple fans, Apple's rivals, industry analysts, tech and law experts, are wondering who will have the last laugh.

The Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE), China's biggest metals bourse, will lower trading margins for gold and revise its tiered margin system from March 1 to make it cheaper for investors to trade.

Gold prices fell on Thursday as the euro slid to a three-week low versus the dollar, pressured by news that European officials considered delaying a bailout package for Greece which fuelled fears the heavily indebted nation could face a chaotic default.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Wednesday were: ReachLocal, NetApp, Itron, Globus Maritime, GRAVITY Co, Affymetrix and Diamond Foods.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping is eager to show the world that he has what it takes to lead the world's second-largest economy once he's elected as President. Jinping's official visit to Washington on Tuesday has catapulted him into the international spotlight, thus providing the first glimpse of the man most likely to be China's next leader.

Gold demand struck 14-year highs in 2011, driven by record investment, buying in China, which could overtake India this year as the world's top consumer, and central bank purchases, which hit their highest in at least 40 years, according to a report on Thursday.

China's ministry of commerce has approved a project that allows the British oil giant to have a presence in block 43/11, a gas field in the South China Sea, the China Daily reported quoting Chen Liming, head of BP China.

Addressing a gathering of U.S. business leaders, policymakers and academics in Washington, Chinese vice-president Xi Jinpin said that more balanced economic ties are needed for the crucial task of addressing the trade imbalance between the two major economies.

Yahoo Inc's efforts to craft a complex $17 billion asset swap with its Asian partners stumbled over how to value Taobao, the fast-growing online retail business owned by China's Alibaba Group, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Retailers in more Chinese cities have been told by authorities to take the popular iPad tablet PCs off their shelves this week, media reports said on Thursday, due to a legal battle between a Chinese technology firm and Apple Inc over trademark issues.