China brokerages pledge to buy $19.3 billion in shares to steady plunging market

China's top securities brokerages said on Saturday that they would collectively buy at least 120 billion yuan ($19.3 billion of shares in a bid to stabilize the country's stock markets after a slump of nearly 30 percent since mid-June.


China market meddling risks denting Beijing's international ambitions

China's response to wild swings in its stock markets risks an embarrassing setback to the country's push to internationalize its financial system, according to investors.

U.S. pushes China on ivory trade, wildlife NGOs

A senior U.S. official told China on Friday that its legal imports of ivory act as a loophole for illegal traders, and that it needs to understand the importance of wildlife NGOs.

Oil slides in thin trade on rising U.S. rig count

Oil prices dropped on Friday as a rising U.S. rig count stoked more concerns about global oversupply while an investigation by Chinese regulators into suspected stock market manipulation further unsettled the market.


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India's dominant services industry contracted for a second month in June as new business again declined, suggesting Asia's third-largest economy is struggling to maintain growth, a survey showed on Friday.
Cuba has opened 35 Wi-Fi access points nationwide, offering unprecedented online access in a country that until now has restricted use of the Internet to an elite few.
European bonds and stocks traded cautiously on Friday before a Greek referendum on EU-prescribed reforms that could determine the country's future in the euro zone and which polls suggest could go either way.
Owners of the HTC Desire Eye smartphone on AT&T with Android 4.0 and higher should finally be getting a total system update to Android 5.0 in the following days, HTC has confirmed.
Airbus (AIR.PA) signed an agreement on Thursday to set up its second plant on Chinese soil in a deal that the European planemaker hopes will lead to lucrative new plane orders.
U.S. health insurer Centene Corp will buy smaller rival Health Net Inc for $6.3 billion, underscoring the healthcare industry's rush to bulk up to negotiate better prices with suppliers and hospitals, and attract new customers.
H.J. Heinz Co on Thursday completed its purchase of Kraft Foods Group Inc, creating the third largest food and beverage company in North America and fifth largest worldwide.
U.S. stocks closed down slightly on Thursday after the International Monetary Fund warned Greece ahead of its Sunday referendum that it faces a huge financial hole, and mixed jobs data dampened the U.S. economic outlook.
The Swedish crown sank 1 percent on Thursday after Sweden's central bank surprised markets by cutting interest rates deeper into negative territory and saying it would pump more money into the economy, citing risks from Greece.
PayPal Inc said it would buy digital money transfer provider Xoom Corp (XOOM.O) for $890 million as it muscles into a growing international remittance market and expand in countries like Mexico, India and China ahead of a spinoff from eBay Inc (EBAY.O).
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