IBT Staff Reporter

The pro-democracy opposition leader and former political activist is undertaking a major tour of Europe.

Asian stocks struggled and commodities fell broadly on Thursday after the Federal Reserve ramped up monetary stimulus by expanding Operation Twist, but disappointed some investors who had been hoping for more aggressive measures.

The inexplicable death of a Nigerian resident in China has brought to light a longstanding unease between the Chinese and the ever more numerous African immigrants

Bank of America directors have reached a definitive settlement of litigation by shareholders, who accused the bank of overpaying for Merrill Lynch, a federal judge said.

Brazil, India, China and the other countries that paid into the latest European bailout fund aren't doing it for charity. Here's what they stand to gain from saving their former colonial masters.

China's attempt to manage inflation in the real estate market is putting pressure on local governments and pushing homebuyers overseas.

Why are people in China upset at their own space program?

Asian shares slipped on Tuesday as a post-Greek election relief rally quickly ran out of steam, with rising Spanish and Italian bond yields signaling that European leaders still have much to do to contain the euro zone debt crisis.

Greece's conservatives are close to forming a coalition government following their narrow election victory, a party official said Monday.

The BRICS are expected to release data Monday on their contributions to the International Monetary Fund/European bailout package at the G-20 Summit in Mexico.

Britain's goods trade deficit unexpectedly widened in April as exports plunged, raising the threat of a third quarter of economic contraction and adding urgency to new measures to foster growth as trading partners in the euro zone weaken.

-YouTube is exploring selling subscriptions to access to some of its video offerings, potentially providing a way for certain cable channels to be available outside the traditional bundles offered by cable network providers, said YouTube boss Salar Kamangar.

Authorities in the world's major economies are preparing for a possible market storm or public panic after cliffhanger Greek elections this weekend, officials said on Thursday, should radical leftists win and cast doubt on the nation's future in the euro zone.

A campaign to root out corruption in China's soccer leagues and administrative institutions appears to be effective -- but for how long?

Technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti appealed to Italy's politicians on Wednesday to back his tough economic medicine to avoid Rome becoming the next victim of the euro debt crisis, after a bailout for Spain's banks failed to calm markets.

Credit ratings agency Moody's Investors Service cut its rating on Spanish government debt on Wednesday by three notches to Baa3 from A3, saying the newly approved euro zone plan to help Spain's banks will increase the country's debt burden.

Chinese authorities are stepping up their hunt for illegal firearms as part of a broader effort to combat organized crime and illicit trade.

The U.S. singled out China on Monday in its effort to push the international community to place additional economic pressure on Iran.

By the end of this week, China may have already finished its first manned space docking and successfully sent its first woman into space.

Asian markets reversed the previous day's hefty gains on Tuesday as a European bailout for Spain's debt-stricken banks failed to convince investors that the spread of the debt crisis in Europe will be halted.

Political and economic decisions over the next week have serious consequences for the country's future.

Standard & Poor's said on Monday that India could become the first of the so-called BRIC economies to lose its investment-grade status, sending the rupee and stocks lower, less than two months after cutting its rating outlook for the country.

African governments -- and international animal-rights organizations -- contend the Chinese luxury consumer's appetite for ivory is driving a new wave of illegal killing of one of their continent's most iconic animals.

Russia and China remain opposed to any external intervention efforts int Syria by foreign countries, even as UN observers come under fire during their investigations of a civilian massacre.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, meeting in Beijing, offered statements of support for Teheran. That's bad news for American, and Western, influence in Central Asia

Stocks jumped at the open on Thursday after China's central bank cut bank lending and deposit rates, fueling hopes of simultaneous action to aid a flagging global economy.

LinkedIn confessed it had a data breach that compromised the passwords of some of its members, the social networking site said on Wednesday.

The naval standoff between China and the Philippines is winding down, but the tensions between the two countries aren't -- and Beijing, despite being vastly more powerful, hasn't come away with the upper hand

Thousands of government officials suspected of being corrupt have fled China in the past decade. They've taken billions with them, and have no intention of bringing them back