Chocolate shortage spurs revival of cocoa

With chocolate prices surging, a former Credit Suisse Group AG banker wants to help revive cocoa farming in the Amazon basin, where the beans are thought to have evolved about 15,000 years ago.

Euro drop a big turning point for bank reserves

Central banks and reserve managers are breaking from past practice by showing little appetite to add euros as the currency tumbles.

Intel issues diversity challenge

The tech industry says it wants more diversity in its workforce, but the actual hiring does not reflect that. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich challenged his own company and the entire industry to do more.

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.