CHINA

Reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-il plans to visit China in mid-March, Kyodo news agency said on Thursday, as Washington sees signs that Pyongyang may end a year-long boycott of international nuclear disarmament talks.

Japanese group Olympus Corp is aiming for its small, lightweight models to have 20 percent of the high-end digital camera market in three years, up from 5 percent now, its president said.

The hackers behind the attacks on Google Inc and dozens of other companies operating in China stole valuable computer source code by breaking into the personal computers of employees with privileged access, a security firm said on Wednesday.

Asian shares failed to hold on to their early gains, slipping into negative territory as worries about Greece and the outlook for the global economy made investors cautious.

The United States, France and other Western powers are preparing a plan for a fourth round of U.N. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program and hope to persuade Russia and China to back it.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton failed to win Brazil's support on Wednesday for more sanctions against Iran and said Tehran would not talk seriously about its nuclear program until the United Nations took new action.

The number of spam messages being sent globally is reaching new heights, with nearly 90 percent of all emails sent last month being illegitimate.

China's Lenovo, the world's No.4 personal computer maker, said it will develop more products this year for the mobile Internet, attempting to gain ground after a late start into the hot smartphone market.

Microsoft is still seeing a lot of interest in its Windows 7 computer software launched last year and a new budget cycle will help a gradual recovery in business spending, its chief operating officer said.

Global carmakers exporting from the euro zone ought to benefit from newfound weakness in the currency but auto executives at the Geneva Autoshow agree the 10-percent drop over the last three months is hard to handle.

Spanish police have arrested three men accused of masterminding one of the biggest computer crimes to date -- infecting more than 13 million PCs with a virus that stole credit card numbers and other data.

The president of the U.N. Security Council said on Tuesday it was ready to tackle proposals for new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, while U.S. diplomats worked to persuade China that action is needed.

When Dell Inc reported its fourth-quarter results last month, the announcement included a surprising figure -- an 81 percent jump in the PC maker's China sales during the quarter.

Chinese commercial banks absorbed about $170 billion in foreign exchange from the financial system last year, mainly through yuan-dollar swaps, state media on Wednesday cited a former official as saying.

Guarded optimism surrounds expectations for a 2012 recovery in the U.S. steel industry, as much will depend on how firm the recoveries are in the construction and automotive sectors of the economy.

Spanish police have arrested three men accused of masterminding one of the biggest computer crimes to date -- infecting more than 13 million PCs with a virus that stole credit card numbers and other data.

Tyson Foods Inc , the biggest U.S. meat producer, said on Monday it had reduced the amount of chicken it exports to Russia to about 10 percent of its total chicken exports from 26 percent four years ago as the company works to find other markets for the product.

The United States, pushing to promote global Internet freedom, on Tuesday declassified some of its initiatives on safeguarding government networks as it pursues partnerships in the effort.

The U.N. Security Council might take up this month the issue of Iran's nuclear program and Western proposals for a fourth round of sanctions against Tehran, Gabon's U.N. envoy said on Tuesday.

U.S. technology companies would face civil or criminal liability unless they take reasonable steps to protect global human rights under legislation a top lawmaker plans to propose.

U.S. technology companies would face civil or criminal liability unless they take reasonable steps to protect global human rights under legislation a top U.S. lawmaker plans to propose.