Bidders for German carmaker Opel are being pressed to make last-minute changes to their offers ahead of a meeting on Wednesday that could narrow the field of potential investors in the General Motors unit.
The German government is due to decide on Wednesday which bidder or bidders it prefers as a partner for the Opel unit of struggling U.S. carmaker General Motors, and could agree to provide aid for the firm.
Oil hovered little changed near a six-month high above $62 a barrel on Wednesday, as a jump in U.S. consumer confidence buoyed hopes that the global economy was on its way to recovery and demand for oil would rise.
North Korea defied international condemnation of its latest nuclear test by firing two short-range missiles off its east coast on Tuesday and major powers considered tougher action against the isolated communist state.
Germany pressed suitors of General Motors unit Opel to improve their offers and a fourth bidder from China emerged on the eve of a top-level meeting to decide the fate of the carmaker.
North Korea will pay a price for its latest nuclear test if it does not reverse course but the door remains open to talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear programs, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday.
Ties between the United States and China could be transformed by cooperation on climate change, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, linking environmental concerns to human rights and the rule of law.
A senior Chinese health official complained on Tuesday that his country was being unfairly demonized as a center of fake drug production and defended the government's regulatory steps as sufficiently strong.
North Korea, irked by South Korean and Japanese criticism of its nuclear test, said on Tuesday it may not support moves to curb production of nuclear bomb-making material, jeopardizing the start of global talks on the issue.
Netbook PC pioneer Asustek aims to double its market share to become the world's No.3 laptop vendor, riding the rising popularity of low-cost laptops among budget-conscious consumers during the global downturn.
Stock index futures pointed to a flat to lower open on Tuesday after a long weekend as tensions surrounding North Korea unsettled investors and hopes for a quick economic recovery in the near-term ebbed.
General Electric Co's growth will be harder to come by in coming years given the prospect the global economy may grow at a slower pace once it emerges from recession, the company's chief executive said.
Hewlett-Packard Co, the world's largest PC maker, is recalling 15,000 laptop batteries distributed in China because of a danger they could overheat, China said on Tuesday on its quality inspections web site.
Asian shares edged lower on Tuesday with stocks in Seoul down 1.2 percent after North Korea threatened to launch more missiles and while investor doubts about the world economy kept riskier assets such as the euro under pressure.
Major world economies including member nations of the the Group of 8 officially launched a partnership yesterday to accelerate the implementation of energy efficient measures in their economies.
North Korea conducted a second nuclear test on Monday that was far more powerful than its first one, triggering an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on the hermit state's defiant act and drawing condemnation from around the globe.
Asia's largest oil and gas producer PetroChina is buying Keppel Corp's 45.5 percent stake in Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC) for S$1.47 billion ($1.02 billion) and plans to make a general offer to buy the rest of the firm.
New vehicle emission standards will likely be a boon for everything from aluminum to new plastics, but the producers of lithium -- a mineral used in batteries that power new generation vehicles -- could be the big winners.
Japan said on Monday that North Korea's nuclear test clearly violated the U.N. resolution and Tokyo, already upset with a rocket launch by the isolated country last month, would seek decisive action.
Asian and European foreign ministers held talks in Vietnam on Monday that were quickly overshadowed by North Korea's nuclear test and outrage at the trial of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday rejected a Western proposal for it to freeze its nuclear work in return for no new sanctions and ruled out any talks with major powers on the issue.
President Barack Obama said on Monday that nuclear and missile tests conducted by North Korea were a grave concern to all nations and a legal violation that warranted action by the international community.
