CHINA

Asian stocks rose Thursday following gains on Wall Street, with technology and consumer shares outperforming, and credit spreads tightened on optimism that central banks worldwide will have to do more to support industrial activity.

Beijing plans to restructure its $300 billion sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corporation , by spinning off its domestic investment arm, among other changes, a Chinese newspaper reported on Thursday, without citing sources.

Solar start-up Solyndra LLC, succumbing to pressure from lower-cost Chinese rivals, said it has suspended operations and plans to file for bankruptcy, 15 months after President Barack Obama visited a company factory that was to be expanded with the help of a federal loan guarantee.

Researchers have shown for the first time that a single intravenous infusion of a genetically engineered virus can home in on cancer, killing tumor cells in patients without harming healthy tissue.

China's factory activity rebounded a touch in August from a 28-month trough, but tight monetary policy at home and torpid demand abroad has dimmed chances for a sustained recovery.

The United States could be worse than 40 other countries when it comes to infant mortality.

A failed listing attempt by the operator of an ancient Chinese water town has reignited a kind of Buddhist versus capitalist debate over the merits of marrying cherished cultural and natural heritage icons with profit-minded capital markets.

A ConocoPhillips subsidiary, an oil spill by which polluted 5,500 square kilometres of water in China's northern Bohai Bay, said it had already sealed off the leaks ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline.

Chinese liquor maker Wuliangye will raise prices for its alcohol by 20-30 percent from Sept 10, the firm said, the latest company to lift retail prices amid stubborn inflation pressures.

China's automobile production will grow at an annual rate of 9.3 percent over the next few years, doubling in size by 2017, thanks to a burgeoning middle class in the outlying regions, a study showed.

Hong Kong on Wednesday sought to defuse criticism of a security clampdown during Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang's recent visit that was heavily criticised as excessive and a violation of Hong Kong's civil rights.

The asset management arm of Edmond De Rothschild Group, owned by the Rothschild Family, said it had bought more than 5 percent of China CYTS Tours Holdings Co Ltd , worth $54 million at current value, and plans to increase its stake over the next 12 months.

A Chinese tax on moon cakes is not likely to spark an uprising of the sort that earned the Boston Tea Party its place in history, but the move has left a bad taste in the mouth ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Hong Kong shares are poised to post the worst month since the 2008 financial crisis despite a third session of slim gains on Wednesday on the back of oil counters, but thin overall turnover continued to point to a lack of conviction in the rally.

Japanese trading house Itochu Corp said on Wednesday it will acquire 30 percent of Shandong Ruyi Group for roughly 15 billion yen ($200 million) , as it looks to expand in China's clothing sector.

Beijing Jingyuntong Technology will raise 2.52 billion yuan ($395 million) from an initial public offering in Shanghai after setting the price at over 50 times its historic earnings.

Chinese Internet firm Shanda Interactive said on Wednesday its second-quarter net profit fell 95 percent on increased costs.

Destitute North Korea's push to breathe new life into economic relationships with its neighbors China and Russia appears to be bearing fruit in its far north of the country where foreigners are busy helping rebuild a crumbling infrastructure.

Chinese environmental groups accused Apple Inc of turning a blind eye as its suppliers pollute the country, the latest criticism of the technology company's environmental record.

Babies born in the United States have a higher chance of dying in their first month than babies in much of the developed world, according to a new report on infant mortality rates.

Silvercorp Metals Inc., a Vancouver-based mining company, said Wednesday it purchased 2,027,167 of its common shares at an average price of $8.112 (Canadian).