CHINA

Billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros said on Thursday that the world's current currency arrangements are fraught with danger and that the world needs global regulation.

A Chinese man who formerly worked at Ford Motor Co has been arrested and charged with stealing trade secrets, including sensitive design documents, from the automaker, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Thursday its car sales in China in September rose 45 percent from a year earlier to a record monthly high of about 72,000 vehicles as stimulus policies bolstered consumer confidence.

U.S. clothing chain Gap Inc plans to open its first store in China next year as it seeks new international opportunities to counteract a protracted domestic sales slump at its main brand.

Hon Hai Group, parent of Hon Hai and Foxconn, will invest more than $1 billion to build a production facility in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, sources and the company said.

Private equity houses, including U.S. firms Blackstone and KKR, are showing greater flexibility in approaching target assets as they face more pressure to deploy their capital, an M&A banker said.

A Chinese court on Thursday handed out a further three death sentences to people convicted of violent crimes during ethnic rioting in far western Xinjiang region in July in which almost 200 people died.

Boeing Co has received no cancellations of aircraft orders from Chinese airlines , a senior executive said on Thursday, although deliveries have been adjusted as carriers trim costs to cope with weak demand.

Spanish infrastructure firm Abertis (ABE.MC) is eyeing projects in China and India to boost growth beyond its stronghold in southern Europe, but is not in a hurry for any deals, its chairman said on Thursday.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, has agreed to sell breweries in nine eastern European countries to CVC Capital Partners for an initial $2.23 billion, passing its target for divestments since its merger a year ago.

Intraday support at 0.9030 held firm in local exchange yesterday with strong Chinese Trade data giving the Aussie another boost towards 91 cents. Offshore investors took the AUD/USD to a high around 0.9150 with optimism on the global recovery, following higher than forecast U.S Retail Sales data, continuing to drive sentiment on commodities and commodity based currencies like the AUD. Underlying support for the currency is expected to continue whilst the Greenback remains weak with today's trade...

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin suggested on Wednesday that China, Central Asian nations and Russia should hold a song competition to boost cultural ties.

Shares in LDK Solar Co Ltd, a Chinese manufacturer for the solar power industry, fell as much as 4 percent on Wednesday, dragged down by the abrupt resignation of its head of manufacturing.

South African IT company Datatec posted lower first-half headline earnings, in line with its own forecast, and said it was looking to expand given the worst of the downturn was over.

South Korea's LG Display said on Wednesday that it would set up a joint venture for a proposed $4 billion LCD plant in China, as Asian panel makers rush to increase their presence in the fast-growing Chinese TV market.

Following are the negotiating positions of the top greenhouse gas emitters in the run-up to a U.N. meeting in Copenhagen in December due to agree a new pact for combating climate change

ASML's results soared above expectations as its customers in the semiconductor sector ramped up investments, and the Dutch chip equipment maker forecast a further flood of orders in the fourth quarter.

China-focused Fortune Oil Plc said on Wednesday an independent resource evaluation raised its gas resource estimate at the company's Liulin block in Shanxi Province, tripling the possible reserves to 84.8 billion cubic feet (bcf).

Smaller Letdown; Retailers drop; Big bank profit

An investor consortium led by U.S. buyout giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co announced on Wednesday that it poured a combined $160 million into a Chinese financial leasing firm to help it expand business.

A security summit between China, Russia and their Central Asian neighbors wrapped up in Beijing on Wednesday with vague promises to deepen economic cooperation but no public mention of regional flashpoints like Afghanistan.