GOLD

South African share prices rose on Wednesday with investors snapping up stocks they felt had been over-sold and as positive sentiment seeped back into global markets after Europe said it would protect the region's lenders from the euro zone crisis.

Zimbabwe's economy will grow at a slower pace in 2012 than this year as politics puts a drag on full recovery and inflation should stay in single figures, partly due to prudent fiscal policy, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said on Wednesday.

Former Big Brother contestant gets completely naked on Bailando por un Sueño, Argentina's version of Dancing With the Stars

Gold rose on Wednesday after dipping below $1,600 an ounce as stock markets appeared to have found their footing, but traders said the metal's correlation with volatile equities could trigger more selling.

Carpathian Gold Inc. is taking out a line of credit with Macquarie Bank Ltd. for $75 million to $97 million, the Toronto-based mining company said Wednesday.

Brigus Gold Corp. said Wednesday that an independent analysis of its northern Saskatchewan project indicates a net present value of $144.3 million assuming a gold price of $1,250.

Guyana Goldfields Inc. said Wednesday it signed a stability agreement with Guyana to develop its Aurora Gold Project.

Klondex Mines Ltd. said Wednesday it has drawn $5 million from a $20 million gold-backed debt facility to fund continued exploration and development at its 100 percent-owned Fire Creek gold property in the Battle Mountain-Eureka Trend of northern Nevada.

Industrial commodity prices ended several days of losses on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve said it would take measures to prevent the economy from sliding into recession, although copper and crude oil held near multi-month lows.

Gold prices hovered in a tight range Wednesday as strong physical buying offset renewed optimism among stock investors that Europe might yet avert a sovereign debt-induced recession.

Canada's North American Palladium said it plans to expand its flagship mine in Northern Ontario and expects capital expenditure for the first phase of the project to be around $75 million.

Gold fell more than 1 percent on Wednesday, extending the previous day's hefty losses, as rising equities diverted some interest from the precious metal, and as investors remained wary of buying into the market after its recent sharp volatility.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Tuesday are: Lithia Motors, Ennis, Freeport-McMoran Copper, Dycom Industries and Concho Resources. The top after-market NYSE losers are: Accuride Corp, Lexington Realty Trust, Strategic Hotels, Precision Drilling and HHGregg.

Asian smartphone makers have a chance to exploit a rare letdown from pacesetter Apple Inc. after the new iPhone 4S failed to wow fans and investors, leaving Android rivals better placed to grab market share.

American astronomer Adam Riess initially thought his Nobel-prize winning discovery that the expansion of the universe is speeding up was a mistake.

The Dodgers center fielder had a special year.

Hank Williams Jr. says the comparison between Obama and Hitler was misunderstood, and claims the Tea Party gets away with more.

The hairy crazy ant is invading the southern states of the U.S. from Texas to Florida.

Gold price declines turned into a gold price plunge in midday trading Tuesday as stock exchanges pared losses, U.S. Treasuries fell and the dollar reversed its earlier gains to turn modestly lower.

Gold prices turned lower on Tuesday, surrendering early gains as it was caught up in hefty losses across the financial markets due to heightened concerns over the prospect of a Greek default.

Apple is slated to announce its next flagship smartphone -- the iPhone 5 -- on Tuesday, capping months of speculation and anticipation with a roll-out that's expected to define the industry. But no one smartphone can deliver everything.