Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in St. Petersberg, Russia for the G20 summit which will kick off later today.

Maintaining strong and sustainable growth is expected to be one of the main talking points at the G20 summit,. 

Xi Jinping is on-record saying China supports the promotion of closer partnerships among G20 members and the strengthening of macro-economic policy coordination. 

Host Russia has outlined a strategic agenda to try to ignite a new cycle of economic growth through the creation of quality jobs and investment.

 

China-ASEAN Expo inks 19.7-bln-USD worth of deals

The just-concluded China-ASEAN Expo has witnessed the signing of business deals worth almost 20 billion US dollars.

Volume of cross border deals between Chinese companies and their counterparts from Southeast Asian countries has jumped by 30 percent from last year.

Also more money is going into the sectors of biotechnology, modern agriculture, traditional Chinese medicine, e-commerce and tourism, shunning away from traditionally favored sectors such as traditional manufacturing and mining.

 

U.S. Senate panel advances authorization for Syria strike

The U.S. Senate's Foreign Relations Committee has passed a resolution to authorize a military strike against Syria. 

The panel has voted 10-7 to pass the resolution.

The vote clears the way for a full Senate vote.

This is likely to take place next week. 

The resolution gives President Barack Obama 90 days to carry out a limited military mission against Syria.

It also forbids US troops from ground combat operations.

The vote has been bipartisan both for and against, pointing to a division among lawmakers in both the Republican and Democrat camps.

The resolution, if passed by the Democratically-controlled Senate, will still have to move through the House of Represenatives.

 

13 dead as killing spree continues in Pakistan's Karachi

At least 13 people have been killed in spurratic violence in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi through Wednesday.

The violence began in the morning after a shootout among criminals and paramilitary troops which left three people dead.

From there, random and violent acts began breaking out in different parts of the city, including kidnappings and more shootings.

Police officers are among the dead.

The city of Karachi is a major hub for imports into Pakistan.

It's also home to major crime syndicates who try to control the flow of goods and people through the city.

 

Ohio man who held 3 women captive for decade found dead in prison

An American man who held three women captive in his home in Ohio for nearly a decade until May this year, has been found hanged in jail.

Ariel Castro was found dead in his cell on Tuesday night local time at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio.

Castro had been in protective custody because of the notoriety of his case, meaning he was checked every 30 minutes, but officials added that he was not on suicide watch.

The 53-year-old was sentenced on August 1 to life in prison without parole, plus 1,000 years upon his guilty plea to 937 counts of kidnapping and rape.

 

HSBC: China's service PMI rises to five-month high

New data shows the service sector here in China has seen a five-month high in growth through August.

The HSBC Service Purchasing Managers' Index has come in at 52.8 for August.

This is up from July's reading of 51.3.

The new stats come a day after the Chinese government released its official non-manufacturing PMI, which fell to 53.9 in August from 54.1 percent for July.

Service industry accounts for about 45 percent of the economy.

It's also the largest employer in China.

 

U.S. Fed report shows "modest to moderate" growth through late August

The latest regional research report by the US central bank shows the country's economy has grown at a modest to moderate pace in July and August.

The Fed's latest Beige Book is reporting modest expansion has been seen in the areas of manufacturing, consumer spending and services activity.

It also says residential real estate sales have seen moderate growth.

The Beige Book comes out two weeks ahead of the Fed's next policy meeting.

Expectations are the Fed will start to scale back its asset purchases program at that meeting.

Samsung unveils smartwatch to power Galaxy Note sales

Samsung has unveiled a new smartwatch at the Berlin IFA consumer electronics show. 

The new gadget is meant to be a compliment to Samsung's popular Galaxy smartphone.

The new smartwatch can make calls, display messages, record videos and snap photos.

The smartwatch features a 4 centimeter screen and a basic camera, and has up to 70 dedicated applications.

The new Samsung smartwatch will retail for 299-US dollars and will go on sale later this month.