IBT Staff Reporter

While the threat of credit rating downgrades hangs over Europe, a few big emerging market economies are on the upswing.

China will try a veteran dissident, Chen Xi, on charges of inciting subversion for pro-democracy essays he published online, his wife said on Sunday, days after another dissident was jailed for nine years on similar charges.

Japan will seek to buy Chinese government bonds, the Japanese government said in a statement issued after Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held talks in Beijing with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday.

The automotive industry faces a tougher year in 2012 than it has done this year, Audi Chief Executive Rupert Stadler told Reuters in an interview for release on Sunday.

The Japanese government is considering a dollar swap arrangement with India to provide emergency liquidity in case the European debt crisis reaches emerging economies, the Nikkei business newspaper said on Sunday.

Europe faces another year of dismal economic performance in 2012 that will weigh on global growth, but emerging markets and the United States should at least keep the world economy moving in the right direction.

Retailers saw a steady flow of last-minute shoppers on Saturday, the day before Christmas, putting a moderate cap on a pre-holiday season that started with a bang and has since waned.

George Eastman is best known as the inventor of photographic film and founder of Eastman Kodak Co, but his century-old legacy of entrepreneurship now rides on the lesser-known Eastman Chemical Co.

Investment in theme parks and cutting-edge attractions along the lines of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando surged during the recession, leading one developer to suggest the business is entering a new Golden Age.

European Central Bank Governing Council Member Ignazio Visco said in a newspaper interview on Saturday that the bank will be attentive to the economic cycle when setting monetary policy, suggesting rates could fall more if the euro zone economy worsens.

Get ready. The last trading week of the year will be a test for stocks to prove whether they have the strength to carry a rally into next year.

Into every family holiday gathering, a little TV viewing must fall. TheWrap's gift to you: a list of TV marathons lengthy and diverse enough to make sure everyone in the house has something to whet their appetites, TV-wise.

A gaunt and breathless George Michael tearfully thanked his doctors and fans on Friday for seeing him through a touch and go battle with pneumonia.

Country singer Taylor Swift will lead a host of musicians collaborating with Oscar-winning artist T. Bone Burnett for a companion album to the upcoming film, The Hunger Games.

Kobe Bryant plans to play in the Los Angeles Lakers' season opener against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday despite a torn ligament in his right wrist.

Mel Gibson's marriage to Robyn Gibson is officially over.

Mike Bell likens his new job at Intel Corp to piloting a glider.

It was a nude photo shoot even a father could love. Lindsay Lohan's appearance in this month's issue of Playboy has received Michael Lohan's endorsement.

Angelina Jolie didn't plan on directing a movie. But the more she learned about the 1990s Bosnia war, the more she felt responsible for bringing it home to her generation.

Anti-Wall Street protesters remained in a camp of about 20 tents in the Northern California college town of Berkeley on Thursday, a day after authorities threatened to stop overnight camping.

Actor Robert De Niro and his wife Grace Hightower have become the proud parents of a baby girl born via a surrogate, the actor's spokesman confirmed on Friday.

Oskar Schell is on a quest. The boy has found a key belonging to his father, who perished in the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. The key was in a small envelope on which the word Black was written and Oskar believes, if he can just find the lock to which the key belongs, he will discover a secret message from his dead dad.

The Colbert Nation Super PAC Presidential Primary -- can you picture it in big, bold neon letters?

An emotional Melanie Amaro won the TV singing contest The X Factor on Thursday, earning a $5 million recording contract and closing the first U.S. season of the heavily hyped Fox show.

The season finale of The X Factor enjoyed a sizable boost over last week to hand Fox an easy win Thursday night, according to preliminary numbers.

It might be more expensive, but sometimes it really pays to buy name-brand.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt, will open the Palm Springs International Film Festival January 5, organizers said Thursday.

Confession time: I love Steven Spielberg's screen adaptation of The Color Purple, but I can't defend it. The music, the cinematography, the performances, and everything else about it has been painstakingly designed to manipulate an emotional response, and even though I can see the strings, I fall for it every time.

The Los Angeles Kings gave new coach Darryl Sutter a few early scares before delivering him a triumphant welcome with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.