Taiwan HTC's Q2 profits pummelled amid grim Q3 outlook

TAIPEI: Taiwan's leading smartphone maker HTC said Tuesday it may swing to a loss in the third quarter after reporting an 83 percent fall in net profits in the three months to June due to higher costs and inventories.

China and European Union strike deal on solar panels

China and the European Union have reached an agreement over low-cost solar panels that should help reduce tensions between the key trading partners.

China orders audit of government debt: Reports

BEIJING: China has called for an audit of all government debt, the national auditor announced Sunday, as concerns grow over official liabilities in the world's second-largest economy.

Japan's PM calls for high-level talks with China

(Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on Friday for a leaders' summit or a foreign ministers' meeting between his country and China as soon as possible, drawing a cool reaction from Beijing which accused Japan of lacking sincerity.

Japan recovery seen intact despite likely June output fall

TOKYO: Japan's industrial production likely fell in June for the first time in five months as automakers curbed production to avoid an excessive increase in inventories, but this decline is likely to be temporary as exports to the United States remain strong.

China says it will spend $275 billion on pollution

BEIJING (AP) -- China will spend $275 billion to tackle air pollution over the next five years, a state newspaper reported Thursday, highlighting how the issue has become a priority for the leadership.

Shanghai Economy Posts Faster Growth on Services Expansion

Shanghai’s economy expanded 7.7 percent in the first half of the year as expansion for its service industries enabled China’s commercial hub to outpace the national average.

Japan's temples, universities, hospitals haunted by yen bets

KOYA (JAPAN): Ryusho Soeda, 66, has taken on a job for which his career as a Buddhist priest never prepared him: forensic accounting.

Philippine leader loses patience over corruption

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- The Philippine president said Monday three years of anti-corruption reforms have banished his country's image as the "sick man of Asia" but added he has lost patience over continuing problems such as large-scale smuggling and declared a tougher crackdown against wrongdoing in government.

Chinese economy set to turn around, no hard landing: Finance minister

SHANGHAI: China's finance minister denied that the world's second-largest economy was entering a crisis period, adding that he believed growth could even accelerate, as quoted by the official Xinhua news service in an interview.

Japan says will aim for mid-term fiscal plan by September

MOSCOW: Japan will endeavour to fashion a credible medium-term fiscal plan by the time of a G20 leaders' summit in September, Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Saturday.

China Eases Bank Loan Rules, in a Step Toward a Market-Driven Economy

SHANGHAI — China stepped up its effort to restructure its weakening economy on Friday by lifting some controls over bank lending rates.

Economy to recover slowly as RBI defends rupee: Reuters Poll

BANGALORE (Reuters) - A recovery in developed markets later this year will boost India's flagging economy, but growth will be lacklustre at best as the RBI refrains from cutting interest rates in order to keep a battered rupee currency from falling further.

I.M.F. Tells China of Urgent Need for Economic Change

WASHINGTON — China’s growth has slowed significantly in recent months. But even its current pace of expansion may not be sustainable, the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday, unless China starts making significant and systemic economic changes — and soon.

Asia Rubber-China sniffs around; Qingdao stocks down 3.4 pct

SINGAPORE, July 17 (Reuters) - China has started to make inquiries after rubber prices sank to multi-year lows, but the country's tyre makers are likely to turn to cheaper stocks in the bonded warehouses due to uncertainties over the economy, dealers said on Wednesday.

Iran’s Next President Faults Ahmadinejad on Economy

TEHRAN — Iran’s president-elect, Hassan Rowhani, painted a bleak picture of the country’s economy on Monday, blaming the departing administration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for high inflation and unemployment, and saying it “has left much work to be done.

China's Cooling Economy: GDP Fell To 7.5%, Will Drop To 6.9% Next Year

The global economy may no longer be able to rely on China to be the growth engine it’s been in the past.

India ready for investment treaty talks with US

NEW DELHI (AFP) – India is ready for talks with the United States on a bilateral investment treaty to reinvigorate commercial ties between the world's two biggest democracies, a report said on Saturday.

Japan pours on stimulus as others ponder retreat

While other central banks are coming under pressure to scale back their stimulus programs, the Bank of Japan indicated Thursday that it will continue its big bang plan for the foreseeable future.

Asian Economy's Big Move to Lure Capital Back

Southeast Asia's largest economy Indonesia surprised with a rate hike twice the size of what the market expected, which its senior central banker says will bring capital back into the country and support its flagging currency.

China to hand over documents for US accounting probes

SHANGHAI/NEW YORK: China's securities watchdog said it is ready to turn over audit documents of a Chinese company listed in the United States to US regulators, signalling the latest breakthrough in a two-year international dispute over accounting scandals.

Rupee recovers; still above 61 mark Vs dollar late morning deals

MUMBAI: After slumping to a new record low of 61.19 against the dollar in early trade, the rupee on Monday recovered a bit to 61.04 in late morning deals on suspected intervention by the Reserve Bank.

Koreas hope to reopen stalled joint factory park

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North and South Korean delegates agreed on a desire to restart a stalled jointly run factory park after overnight talks that ended early Sunday, but they couldn't immediately reach an accord to reopen the complex that had been a symbol of inter-Korean rapprochement.

Singapore unlikely to overtake Switzerland in wealth management

SINGAPORE: Singapore is unlikely to overtake Switzerland as the biggest wealth centre in the world any time soon, but it should strive to play to its strength in world of global finance, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said.

China to Resume Trading of Treasury Futures After 18-Year Halt

China will resume trading of government bond futures for the first time in 18 years to provide investors with a hedging tool and help boost the fixed-income market.

Pakistan, IMF agree to $5.3 billion bailout

ISLAMABAD (AP) -- Pakistan took a major step toward averting an economic crisis Thursday, reaching an initial deal with the International Monetary Fund on a bailout of at least $5.3 billion to help shore up the country's rapidly diminishing foreign reserves.

India might impose anti-dumping duty on US, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, major importers of solar cells

NEW DELHI: India might impose anti-dumping duty on four major importers of solar cells and modules in the country after listening to the grievances of domestic manufacturers.

China Banks’ Golden Era Fades as Crunch Raises Default Risk

Chinese banks’ valuations are close to their lowest on record as the nation’s interbank funding crisis exacerbated investors’ concern that earnings growth will stall and defaults may surge as the economy slows.

Japan business mood turns positive, BOJ may upgrade econ view

(Reuters) - Japanese manufacturers' sentiment turned positive in the three months to June for the first time in nearly two years, a closely-watched central bank survey showed, a sign the recent market turbulence has yet to hurt the feel-good mood created by the government's reflationary policies.

China canal project in Nicaragua has investors

A mysterious Chinese businessman with plans to cut a second canal across Central America said Tuesday that the ambitious project has already attracted some initial investment.