IBT Staff Reporter

China has arrested former executives at two brokerages on charges of insider trading, the securities watchdog said, as part of a crackdown on market malpractice that the new head of the agency has said will be one of his top priorities.

The Obama administration cleared the way for U.S. states to legalize Internet poker and certain other online betting in a switch that may help them reap billions in tax revenue and spur web-based gambling.

Sony Corp has agreed to sell its nearly 50 percent stake in an LCD joint venture with Samsung Electronics to the South Korean company for $940 million, as it struggles to reduce huge losses at its TV business.

China launched a super-rapid test train over the weekend which is capable of travelling 500 kilometers per hour, state media said on Monday, as the country moves ahead with its railway ambitions despite serious problems on its high-speed network.

Sony Corp has agreed to end its LCD joint venture with Samsung Electronics and will sell its stake to the South Korean company, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Sony Corp has agreed to sell its nearly 50 percent stake in an LCD joint venture with Samsung Electronics to Samsung for $940 million, the Korean firm said on Monday, as Sony struggles to staunch red ink at its TV business.

The yuan hit an all-time trading high against the dollar on Monday, guided by a stronger mid-point by the People's Bank of China, and looks set for an over-4-percent appreciation for 2011, traders said.

Japan's Fujifilm Holdings is watching developments at Olympus Corp, but it is too early to say if it will invest in the rival endoscope maker, a senior executive told Reuters in an interview on Monday.

U.S. security think tank Strategic Forecasting Inc said its website had been hacked and that some of the names of corporate subscribers had been made public.

U.S. security think tank Strategic Forecasting Inc said its website had been hacked and that some of the names of corporate subscribers had been made public.

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

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.