CHINA

Asian shares inched down on Friday, tracking New York and European shares lower as weak Chinese trade data raised concerns about the global economy, while the euro eased after another sovereign debt ratings downgrade.

George Soros says he isn't a financial backer of the Wall Street protests, despite speculation by critics including radio host Rush Limbaugh that the billionaire investor has helped fuel the anti-capitalist movement.

Gap plans to focus on international expansion, closing stores in North America while opening them in Asia.

South Africa's rand turned weaker against the dollar in late Johannesburg trade, giving back earlier slight gains as fears of trade wars between China and the United States rattled investors already jumpy over European debt woes.

Resources firms such as Exxaro led South African stocks lower on Thursday as miners took a knock after weak data from China and disappointing earnings from the United States.

Gold fell nearly one percent and silver dropped three percent as precious metals followed the stocks down in a generally gloomy outlook for U.S. and European economies.

Malawi will allow Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir into the country for a regional trade summit starting on Friday and has no plans to arrest him under an International Criminal Court warrant, a senior government official said on Thursday.

Rage Against the Machine lead guitarist Tom Morello delighted Occupy Wall Street protestors at Zuccotti Park on Thursday with a rendition of This Land is Your Land.

The controversial artist and activist beat past winners Larry Gagosian and Hans Ulrich.

Safeway Inc reported a quarterly profit that beat analysts' low expectations, benefiting from higher fuel sales and cost cuts, and its shares rose nearly 4 percent.

Stock index futures fell on Thursday after weaker-than-expected economic data in China reawakened global economic worry and earnings from JPMorgan Chase.

Oil slipped Thursday, with Brent crude snapping a six-day rally, after trade data from China pointed to slower demand in the world's second-largest oil consumer.

Gold prices held steady on Thursday, as optimism for a solution to the Eurozone crisis underpinned sentiment, while tight physical supply in Asia continued to lend support.

China's trade surplus narrowed in September for a second month in a row as growth of exports and imports both fell below forecasts, reflecting global economic weakness and offering Beijing ammunition to resist U.S. pressure on the yuan.

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, whose 81-day detention earlier this year caused an international outcry, has been named the art world's most powerful figure in a new ranking.

The Apple rumor mill has started buzzing again, but this time talks are that the iPhone maker is looking to bring some stiff competition to Amazon Kindle Fire with a low-cost device allegedly to be called iPad mini.

Apple will finally release the new iPhone 4S in stores on Oct. 14. In addition to the online and physical Apple Stores, here is a list of the various retailers selling the iPhone 4S on its big launch day.

China has launched an intense lobbying effort in Washington to kill legislation that would punish it for its currency system, in the latest display of its more sophisticated approach to influence U.S. policy.

Iranian student Peyman Aref was lashed 74 times on Sunday, the same day he was freed from a one year prison sentenced.

The buzz word was definitely “9-9-9? in Tuesday’s Republican debate at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire that focused on economic issues.

BlackBerry service to Research in Motion customers in North America was disrupted Wednesday, adding to problems in the troubled developer’s European, Middle East and African markets.