CHINA

The Philippines wants to develop a natural gas field in a disputed area of the South China Sea that is also claimed by China.

A high-profile protest by Chinese villagers against the alleged corruption of local officials has produced a result: Two former village officials from Wukan, near Hong Kong, have been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and ordered to return stolen funds.

French spirits group Remy Cointreau expects full-year core profit growth of at least 15-18 percent, thanks to booming demand for premium cognac in Asia and notably China.

LANDesk Software, the venerable desktop management systems developer, said it had acquired private Managed Planet to bolster its play into ‘’Big Data” and analytics.

China is still friendly with North Korea, despite the latter being roundly condemned by the international community. History plays a role, but Beijing is getting something out of it too - just how much, though, remains to be seen.

The unnamed source said the North had almost completed preparations for the nuclear test, which if it went ahead would draw strong international condemnation and further isolate the impoverished state from its sole major ally, China.

Chinese scientists have cloned a genetically modified sheep containing a good type of fat found naturally in nuts, seeds, fish and leafy greens that helps reduce the risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease.

The latest rumors indicate that Apple's MacBook Pro series laptop will receive liquidmetal chassis, improved battery and 4G Lter support. Ivy chips and Thunderbolt features are confirmed to be coming in the next Mac device and at the same time reports say that the 17-inch model can be dropped this time to keep Apple's production streamlined.

Delphi Automotive Plc (DLPH) reported earnings per share of $1.04 for the first quarter of 2012 on Tuesday, up 247 percent since last year, and beating analyst predictions as revenue and income rose for the automotive electronics supplier.

With the iPhone 5 release date still unconfirmed, rumors are spreading that Apple is planning a nano version of its next-generation smartphone, due to be released most likely in June or September 2012.

Gold prices steadied near $1,640 an ounce in Europe on Tuesday as a softer tone to the dollar arrested the previous session's slide, but traders largely stuck to the sidelines ahead of a key monetary policy meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir said on Tuesday that Sudan has declared war on his country.

Air travel between India and the Persian Gulf will likely have to be postponed or re-routed during that period.

The inevitable passing of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, the radicalization of the Tibetan diaspora and the fervor of the international campaign to free Tibet are bound to keep the Himalayan dispute on the world's front pages. Many Nepalese recognize that an independent Tibet would leave their country without a border with China. They believe such a situation would allow India to tighten its grip.

According to a latest report, Chinese parts vendor TVC-Mall has begun selling iPhone 5 home buttons in both black and white on its Web site, which contradicts earlier rumors regarding an oval shaped home button or the lack of a home button at all in the next iPhone.

An old Chinese woman with bunch of empty beer bottles was stopped at the Sha Tau Kok border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen for smuggling more than 200 iPhone 4S into China hidden inside the bottles. The Chinese custom officials at the Sha Tau Kok border caught the woman who claimed that she was taking the empty beer bottles from recycling.

Asian stock markets pared earlier losses and ended with gains Tuesday as investors turned their attention on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, which kicks off today, for any hints at monetary easing.

Ever since Japan began challenging the United States as the leading automobiles and consumer electronics manufacturer in the 1980s, a debate has been raging over whether America's days as the preeminent manufacturing nation in the world are coming to an end. It would only intensify in the next two decades, when another Asian giant, China, emerged as a manufacturing power.

Close on the heels of India testing Agni-V, its first long-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile, Pakistan has alerted India of its plans to conduct a similar launch very soon.

Ever since the new iPad was released, tech fans have turned their attention to Apple’s next forthcoming innovation: the iPhone 5. The Cupertino-based company’s next generation smartphone isn’t expected to launch either this June or October, and the rumor mill has been churning with speculations and expectations.

Mexican immigration to the U.S., considered the largest wave of immigration in history from a single country to the states, has dropped sharply and may have reversed due to the weak U.S. jobs market, stricter regulation on border crossing and rising deportations.