CHINA

Thousands of corrupt Chinese government officials have stolen more than $120-billion from the mid-1990s to 2008, according to a report from China’s central bank.

The teeming Chinese metropolis of Shanghai could become the world’s largest financial center in a decade, according to a report from KPMG and FTSE.

The Philippines on Friday announced that it will send its World War II vessel to a borderline part of the South China Sea after China headed its coastal patrol vessels in the waters.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Warren Resources, MannKind Corp, Affymetrix, AutoNavi Holdings and Cathay General Bancorp. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Research in Motion, China Finance Online, Merit Medical Systems, Mitcham Industries and Motricity.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei all claim territory in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, parts of which are believed to be sitting on huge deposits of oil and gas. So where are these islands and what do they look like?

Yesterday, a highly valued client of ours posed this question to us: ”Do you think that we are headed towards a depression?” It is not clear to me what event triggered the question, but my answer was a resounding “No”.

There are a thousand reasons not to travel. Here are six reasons why you should. Why it’s essential. Why escaping somewhere, anywhere, is important, and a vital part of humanity!

The United Nations and European Union are working to push Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to halt violence.

Ahead of the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party on July 1, China has closed off the former forbidden kingdom of Tibet to foreign tourists, travel agents said on Thursday.

Pyongyang demanded today that Seoul repatriate nine North Korean nationals who defected to the South last weekend, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The most beautiful and the longest in a decade lunar eclipse on Thursday stared in the sky and turned the moon bloody gathering eyes of around the world. This total lunar eclipse is the first one in 2011, lasting 100 minutes. People in Israel, Pakistan, Brazil, Italy, China, Gaza, Serbia, Australia, Singapore, India were among the lucky dogs to watch the beautiful lunar eclipse. The people in the UK and other countries out og North America also witnessed the rare moment.

Ford Motor Company's passenger car joint venture in China, Changan Ford Mazda Automobile (CFMA), broke ground on Thursday on a $500 million engine factory in southwest China.

It seems the best place for Representative Anthony Weiner to spend Lunar Eclipse 2011 is on the moon, where he would be shielded from sight.

North Korea has had enough time to develop miniature nuclear arms, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry.

Today, all across the Eastern (and parts of the Western) Hemisphere, sky gazers will be treated to a rare and beautiful sight, a total lunar eclipse.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Wednesday are: Netapp, Finisar, Owens-Illinois, E-Commerce China, Carnival, J.C. Penney, Sprint Nextel, United States Steel, Baker Hughes and Southwest Airlines.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: China TechFaith Wireless, Aruba Networks, Glu Mobile, Netapp and Fundtech. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: SunPower Corp, AVEO Pharmaceuticals, BreitBurn Energy Partners, Vodafone Group and ARM Holdings.

Warner Bros Entertainment on Wednesday announced that the studio will distribute on-demand movies in China starting this summer, through an agreement with China’s YOU On Demand Holdings Inc.

In the recent Sino-Vietnamese skirmish over the South China Sea, both China and Vietnam are unclear over how much they stand to gain from the water space, but the potential costs are calculable, analysts say.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Tuesday are: China Ming Yang Wind Power, CLARCOR, Brunswick, La-Z-Boy and E-Commerce China Dangdang. The top after-market NYSE losers are: Emdeon, EMC, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Headwaters and Eastman Kodak.

HP's executive shakeup could have been seen from a mile away according to some analysts.