Sterlite Buys Asarco’s U.S. Copper Mines; Petrobras Award Tupi Rig Contracts; Russian Inflation to Hit 14% in 2008; South Korean Economy Outpaces Estimates; Toyota Sees U.S. Consumers Braking; Manufacturing Inches Up; NetSuite Snaps Up OpenAir

A stalling U.S. economy has typically been a cause for a concern among Asian exporters, which have traditionally been over-reliant on the American consumer for business.

By most technological measures, the U.S. is still way out in front. But in some key areas, like broadband technology and high-speed Internet access, much of the world has left America behind.

Surrounded by charges of tax evasion and breach of duty, Chairman Lee Kun Hee will step down from Samsung Group – parent company of 59 businesses and South Korea’s largest company.

Qatar’s Central Bank Governor, Shaikh Abdullah bin Saud al Thani, has CONFIRMED plans for a single currency among the Gulf States. It’s on track for 2010.

U.S. markets fall while China soars but is your money still better off in the Far East? Another commodity skyrockets, why this latest run-up might put blood on the streets. Tech losses continue, Nasdaq falls but one report shows the potential for massive tech rebound. Former Bear CEO cashes out, how much Jimmy Cayne lost, and what it means for the future of BSC. The first subprime accounting snafu emerges, how KPMG might be the next Arthur Andersen.