Canada and Saudi oil set for refinery showdown

As a test of wills between OPEC nations and US shale drillers fuels a global oil market slump, a brewing battle between Canadian and Saudi Arabia heavy crudes for America's Gulf Coast refinery market threatens to drive prices even lower.

McDonald's runs out of French fries in Venezuela

Forget the French fries. How about a side of yuca with that BigMac?

Honey, there is a tooth in my chips

A human tooth was served with French fries at a McDonald's in Japan last year, reports said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of recent woes involving contaminated nuggets and a chip shortage.

Offering a better quality of community funding

This year promises to be even busier than last for 64-year-old Suzhou resident, Wang Jihua.

Sinopec reveals social aspect of Fuling project

Sinopec Group, Asia's largest oil and gas refiner, has released an environ-mental, social and governance report on its shale gas development, the first of its kind in China.

Suning centers lend a helping hand to rural farmers

Wu Zhuang, a 49-year-old farmer from Jiangsu province, has proved what many previously thought impossible.

IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Service sector offsets weak factory output

Steady growth in China's service industry looks to have helped counter the weakening in manufacturing activity during 2014, increasing policy makers' confidence to accelerate structural reforms this year, analysts said.

Iron ore inventories drop as steel mills replenish holdings

Iron ore inventories at ports in China, the largest importer of the steel-making raw material, fell to their lowest level in almost 11 months on Tuesday, as mills replenished holdings after prices fell and local output slowed during the winter.

Kaisa bonds fall on payment fears

Bonds of Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd fell to record lows on Tuesday amid speculation the Chinese developer will miss more debt obligations this week as Standard & Poor's cut its credit rating to selective default.

Economists warn against lending to nation's less-developed provinces

Bloomberg economists are warning banks and finance organizations against lending to customers from less-developed provinces in China as they carry higher risks of debt default.

US lifts ban on Ireland's beef

The United States, the world's biggest beef consumer, is lifting a ban on imports from Ireland more than 15 years after mad cow disease spurred restrictions of supplies from Europe.