CHINA

Rumors have abounded for months about when Apple might release its new iPhone 5 but now there's a worthy fact suggesting October is the launch date for the highly-anticipated iPhone 5 smartphone.Apple has confirmed the company will launch its first store in Hong Kong as the company seeks growth in Asia and nears release of its highly-anticipated iPhone 5.

The European Union is stockpiling rare earths, vital for many high-technology industries, to reduce its dependence on China, a spokesman for the EU industry commissioner said on Tuesday.

Australia and South Africa-listed Gold One International said on Tuesday that Namibian regulators had given the greenlight to its takeover by a Chinese consortium, removing one small hurdle to complete the transaction.

Apple will launch its first store in Hong Kong as the company seeks growth in Asia and nears release of its highly-anticipated iPhone 5.Apple's iPhone, first launched in 2007, is the world's bestselling smartphone -- owned by more than 110 global consumers and growing fast every day. The company is nearing the launch of its latest version, the iPhone 5

Hong Kong shares edged higher on Tuesday, as a late short covering rally helped snap a two-day losing streak, but strong gains in utilities names and low turnover suggest that investors remain skeptical the bounce can be sustained.

Solyndra LLC, a solar panel maker which had earlier received $535 million in federal loan guarantees, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection early on Tuesday, making it the third U.S. solar firm to succumb to pressure from lower-cost Chinese rivals.

Spot gold climbed more than one percent to a record high above $1,920 on Tuesday, as concerns about a worsening euro zone debt crisis and stalled global growth drove investors out of from riskier assets to safe havens, including gold.

China has begun work on an 18-month reshuffle of its top economic and regulatory policy officials as part of a leadership transition that will see President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao hand their posts to a younger generation.

Apple Inc said on Tuesday it will open its first Hong Kong retail store this quarter and is targeting another Shanghai store opening by the end of the year.

China's economic growth in 2012 may drop below 9 percent for the first time in a decade, a senior Chinese foreign exchange official said on Tuesday, underlining the gloom in Beijing over the deteriorating health of the global economy.

Lending more credibility to growing rumors of an early October release of the Apple iPhone 5, reports have emerged saying that Apple's Chinese subcontractors, Foxconn Technology and Pegatron Technology, have started production.

Dell Inc said on Tuesday it will partner China's top search engine Baidu Inc to develop tablet computers and mobile handsets.

China's economic growth may ease to below 9 percent in 2012, partly due to a weak global economy, a senior Chinese foreign exchange official said on Tuesday, backing market expectations that the world's No. 2 economy is set for a mild easing.

China's economic growth may ease to below 9 percent in 2012, partly due to a weak global economy, a senior Chinese foreign exchange official said on Tuesday, backing market expectations that the world's No. 2 economy is set for a mild easing.

Australian banks will need to meet new global capital rules ahead of the internationally agreed timetable under proposals made on Tuesday, although the move is unlikely to force any of them to raise any new equity immediately.

Australia on Tuesday proposed its banks conform to minimum capital requirements faster than global rules as expected, though the proposal is not seen pushing the well-capitalized banks to raise equity immediately.

The yuan's recent gains are helping to tame China's inflation but it is too early to conclude that Beijing has won its battle to cool price pressures, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said on Monday.

Nigeria's central bank plans to diversify its $33 billion in foreign exchange reserves away from the dollar by switching a tenth of the stockpile into yuan, underlining the momentum behind China's drive to internationalise its currency.

South Africa's stocks fell more than 2 percent on Monday and the rand hit one-week lows to the dollar, with further losses seen this week as worries about the global economy and euro zone debt crisis persist.

Libyan forces made ready to storm a desert town held by loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi on Monday but held off in the hope of a surrender that would avoid bloodshed.

Group of Seven financial leaders, worried about risks to global growth, are likely to agree this week to keep monetary policy accommodative, slow fiscal consolidation in countries where that is possible and implement structural reforms, a G7 source said.