CHINA

Asian shares fell on Thursday amid disappointment that robust Chinese growth data offered few surprises, but the dollar gained some respite as an expected shift to higher-yielding currencies failed to materialize.

China's economic growth picked up as expected last quarter as a potent cocktail of breakneck investment and buoyant bank lending more than made up for a slump in exports, the government said on Thursday.

Geely Holding's attempt to buy Ford Motor Co's (F.N) Volvo car unit is in danger of stalling over disagreements about intellectual property rights, a source close to the talks said on Wednesday.

Chinese President Hu Jintao has told his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama that closer cooperation on fighting climate change could help improve overall ties between the world's top two greenhouse gas polluters.

Chinese solar panel maker Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd (STP.N) said on Wednesday it will begin shipping a new solar system for large-sized projects next year, betting that the U.S. solar utility market will heat up.

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to meet his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao on Saturday, hoping to douse an escalating verbal duel between the Asian giants centered around their decades-old border dispute.

China's army will recruit 130,000 graduates from Chinese universities and colleges this winter to raise the quality of the armed forces and help solve the job crisis facing graduates.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates pressed Japan on Wednesday to implement quickly a deal to reorganize the U.S. military presence in the country, an issue that could test ties with Tokyo's new government.

The Founding of a Republic has become the highest-grossing Chinese film in China's box-office history, earning 406 million yuan ($58.4 million) since its September 16 debut, a China Film Group spokesperson told the Xinhua News Agency.

Nissan Motor Co unveiled a sketch of its first all-electric light commercial vehicle and Toyota Motor Corp introduced an electric car concept, underscoring carmakers' drive into zero-emissions vehicles.

China on Wednesday voiced confidence that the economy has recovered from the global financial crisis, sending its clearest signal yet that it might gradually unwind its ultra-loose pro-growth policies.

Japanese automakers such as Honda and Nissan want to reduce their reliance on the U.S. market, where weak demand and a falling dollar have slashed profits, even as a poor turnout at their flagship auto show highlights the challenges at home.

Profit taking in technology stocks pushed Asian shares slightly lower on Wednesday, though they remained near a 15-month high, while some stability in the U.S. dollar and a rise in inventories knocked oil below $79 a barrel.

Talks on a new U.N. climate deal stumbled on Tuesday when European Union finance ministers failed to agree funds for poor countries and India reiterated demands for aid to help curb its emissions.

The United States should get its own carbon-emitting house in order before looking to slap tariffs on energy-intensive goods from developing countries like China and India, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on Tuesday.

U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has been invited to Taiwan in what would be Washington's first high-level visit to the island since 2000, officials said Tuesday.

The United States wants any bilateral contacts with North Korea to result in the resumption of stalled six-country nuclear negotiations, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia said on Monday.

The United States wants to stick to a deal on realigning U.S. troops in Japan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday, giving Japan's new government little room to move on an issue that could test ties.

The Obama administration on Monday said it would renew economic sanctions on Sudan, but also offered Khartoum new incentives to end violence in Darfur and the semi-autonomous south ahead of crucial polls next year.

Coca-Cola Co reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue, hurt by declines across all its businesses, and said a weak economy would keep consumers under pressure next year, sending shares down 2.4 percent.

Coca-Cola Co reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue, hurt by declines across all its businesses, and said a weak economy would keep consumers under pressure next year, sending shares down 2.4 percent.