CHINA

Stocks rose for a third straight session on Thursday with financial stocks leading gains after U.S. manufacturing data and a rebound in Chinese stocks reassured investors.

China's top online auction firm, Taobao, recorded transaction volume of 80.9 billion yuan ($11.8 billion) in the first half of 2009, up 97% year-on-year, according to mid-year metrics released on Thursday, despite the slight drop in spending per order due to the economic slow-down.

Stocks advanced modestly on Thursday with financial stocks leading gains after encouraging U.S. manufacturing data and a rebound in Chinese stocks reassured investors.

A crane collapse in Shanghai on Wednesday killed four workers and injured another two, according to state news agency Xinhua.

China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC), the country's top nuclear power operator, is to start building the third phase of its Tianwan nuclear power plant in Jiangsu province from October next year, ChinaDaily reported on Thursday.

Stocks rose on Thursday after a rebound in Chinese equities and a surprising expansion in U.S. regional manufacturing offset weekly jobless claims that increased for a second week.

Macquarie Group on Wednesday unveiled separate deals in the US and China, continuing a trend of consolidation in its fund management business.

Stocks rose on Thursday after a rebound in Chinese equities and a surprise expansion in U.S. regional manufacturing overshadowed rising jobless claims.

Thanks to the relative growth of China's economy, the country's dominant search-engine company Baidu hasn't been hurting in terms of revenue and profits the last few quarters. But that doesn't mean everything has been going smoothly for Baidu, the WSJ says. The company, which has 62 percent of China's search market as of Q2, came under fire for not clearly identifying ads from search results. It also drew criticism on Chinese TV for running ads by unlicensed physicians.

Stocks rose on Thursday after a snap back in Chinese equities offset a surprise rise in weekly jobless claims and other data that showed a mixed picture of the economy.

Stock index futures pointed to a flat open on Thursday after data showed a surprise rise in weekly jobless claims for the second week running, adding to uncertainty over the economic outlook.

China's top oil refiners are set to reveal a surge in quarterly earnings on the back of fuel price increases and lower oil prices, reaping the benefits six months after Beijing shifted to more liberal fuel pricing.

South Korea, one of the world's fastest growing polluters, said on Wednesday it hopes to become Asia's trading hub for carbon emission certificates and related products under its plan for a new carbon exchange from 2011.

Stock index futures edged higher on Thursday following a rally in Chinese equities and ahead of data expected to show a dip in jobless claims after a surprise increase in the prior period.

Stock index futures briefly turned negative on Thursday after weekly data showed an unexpected rise in first-time claims for jobless benefits.

China appears committed to stronger steps to contain swelling greenhouse gas emissions, the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said after meetings in Beijing, urging practical hopes of climate treaty negotiations.

Enviro Energy International Holdings, plans to drill up to five wells of coal-bed methane/shale gas in Western China this year, and five more in 2010, a top company official said on Thursday.

A proposal by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to oversee a greenhouse gas contract on a voluntary Chicago trading exchange shows the agency is staking out its territory before Congress decides which agencies should regulate the country's burgeoning carbon market.

China's normally secretive Defense Ministry on Thursday launched a website (www.mod.gov.cn), in a new bid to allay overseas criticism over its military transparency and the build-up of its armed forces.

It just won't go away, this needling worry about the U.S. dollar losing its coveted top-dog status.