CHINA

For people who have stood at a monument or scanned a landscape -- the Great Wall of China, for instance, or the U.S. Grand Canyon -- and wondered how it looked 100 or more years ago, there is now an app for you.

Campaigns to protect the shark species have seen progresses last week, with the California Senate passing the ban on sales and possession of shark fins last Tuesday. In Toronto, the City Council voted unanimously to support a city-wide ban on the sales and consumption of shark fin on Friday.

Gold fell further on Monday after posting its worst closing since June last week but bargain hunters could cushion the fall, while escalating worries about Europe's ability to resolve its debt crisis sent bullion priced in euro to a record high.

As Apple Inc. is rumored to be gearing up for the major event in mid-September, the next-generation iPhone 5 could be in the hands of consumers in first week of October.

Gold in India extended losses on Monday afternoon, following similar trend overseas, although a weaker rupee kept the downside limited, dealers said.

Near the peak of General Motors Co's financial crisis, Opel workers laid a coffin at the feet of the brand's founder Adam Opel to mark what they considered the death of the brand.

European index futures tumbled on Monday, following a slide in Asian equities, and the euro slumped to a 10-year low against the yen after the resignation of a top European Central Bank official cast further doubt on the region's ability to tackle its worsening sovereign debt crisis.

The euro hit a six-month low against the dollar and a 10-year trough versus the yen, falling below key technical levels and option barriers on worries that the euro zone's support for Greece is wobbling and the country may be forced to default on its debt.

China's bank lending quickened to 548.5 billion yuan ($86 billion)in August, topping market expectations of 500 billion yuan and rebounding from July'sseven-month low, pointing to a slight relaxation in credit conditions for the nation's businesses.

The euro got off to a rocky start in Asia on Monday, falling to fresh six-month lows against the greenback and a 10-year trough on the yen as downside momentum picked up pace after several key technical levels gave way recently.

NASA is on its way back to the moon, embarking upon a new study that could help launch future manned missions one day.NASA's Grail mission launched this morning, as the Delta II rocket carrying the Gravity and Recovery and Interior Laboratory lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Saturday at 6:08 a.m. EDT amid clear skies. It is the 110th mission to the moon in history, with previous missions launched by the United States, Soviet Union, Japan, China and India.

France on Sunday staked the future of the European Union on the fate of the euro, saying the economic and political union at the heart of Europe would be at risk if the single currency were allowed to be torn apart by the region's sovereign debt crisis.

China's Alibaba Group Chairman Jack Ma said on Saturday he was not the reason for the departure of Yahoo Inc's chief executive.

China's key commodity imports, including crude oil, copper and iron ore, all climbed in August from the previous month, adding to evidence that demand in world's second-largest economy was still going strong despite the economic turmoil in the West.

China's trade surplus fell sharply in August as exports pulled back from a record high and imports jumped, indicating the world's second-largest economy is feeling the pinch from weaker global growth while domestic demand remains resilient.

The Miss Universe 2011 swimsuit presentation took place on Thursday night, as the international beauties showed their stuff in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

No sector appears immune, including technology, which is supposed to be the source of future prosperity

China and the United States should reduce trade and investment barriers to create jobs, U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke said on Friday, striking a broadly cooperative tone in his first official public address since assuming the position in August.

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO) said on Friday it will buy a near 20 percent stake in Bank of Guangzhou for about C$719 million ($722 million) to expand its footprint in China, becoming the latest foreign bank to invest in a Chinese bank before the bank does an IPO.

Now that Yahoo is searching for a new CEO and activist investor Daniel Loeb’s Third Point is trying to stir the pot, here are some things that former CEO Carol Bartz could have done to keep her job:

The global car industry descends on Frankfurt next week to show off the latest models it hopes will fend off an economic slowdown in some of its biggest markets, as government spending cuts chip away at consumer confidence in Europe.