CHINA

China's services sector contracted in November, mirroring similar weakness in the country's giant manufacturing sector and underlining expectations that Beijing can ease monetary policy further to cushion the blows of the global economy.

The title of Miss Earth 2011 has been handed to Miss Ecuador, Olga Alava.

Earnings season is about a month away, but the early signals are not comforting. Companies lowering estimates outpace those raising them by the greatest ratio in 10 years -- and some sectors, such as materials, have seen a dramatic fall in expectations for the fourth quarter.

Australia's ruling Labor Party Sunday endorsed plans to open up uranium sales to India, clearing the way for talks on a bilateral nuclear agreement and resolving an issue that has caused diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

China said it was deeply concerned about a preliminary ruling by a U.S. trade body that trade practices by Chinese solar makers are hurting U.S. producers and said the decision underscored a U.S. inclination to trade protectionism.

The U.N.'s climate chief said that she believes countries can snap the deadlock that has lasted for years and sign up to fresh and binding commitments to cut greenhouse gases.

The spectacular bull run in gold prices is unlikely to end soon, with bullion retaining its appeal in 2012 due to the uncertain global economy.

China said it was deeply concerned about a preliminary ruling by a U.S. trade body that trade practices by Chinese solar makers are hurting U.S. producers and said the decision underscored a U.S. inclination to trade protectionism.

The latest news out of GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul’s camp is that he will not be attending the Donald Trump-moderated Newsmax debate on Dec. 27 in Iowa.

Herman Cain has quit the 2012 presidential race, suspending his GOP primary campaign and hinting at an endorsement in the coming weeks. As the one-time Republican front-runner stepped down, however, he hinted at a Plan B to keep him in the political game, and reactions to his announcement on sites like Twitter are increasing by the minute.

The daughters of Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman have released a video in which they rap about his rivals to the beat of a Justin Timberlake song.

Earnings season is just over a month away, but the early signals are not comforting.

Canada is reviewing a policy that restricts foreign ownership of uranium mines, but there has been no decision on revising those rules at this time, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said on Friday.

U.S. International Trade Commissioners on Friday said there is a reasonable indication that the U.S. solar industry is being harmed by the alleged dumping of Chinese solar components.

Efforts to have bamboo technology in Africa.

Gordhan said that the debt crisis in Europe is harming economies thousands of miles way.

The initial signs from Myanmar, following U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's meeting with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and with the president Thein Sein, a former junta member, indicate a step in right direction.

President Barack Obama vowed to boost U.S. efforts to fight AIDS with a new target of providing treatment to 6 million people worldwide by 2013, up from an earlier goal of 4 million.

A group of students at Georgetown University started this as a homework project, but after analyzing China's huge network of tunnels for storing missiles for as long as three years under their professor, a former top Pentagon official, they made the conclusion that China's nuclear arsenal may be many times larger than previously estimated.

Employment growth picked up speed in November and the jobless rate dropped to a 2-1/2 year low of 8.6 percent, further evidence the economic recovery was gaining momentum.

Stock index futures rose sharply on Friday after a report the European Central Bank was gearing up to lend money to the International Monetary Fund in a bid to ease the Eurozone debt crisis.