CHINA

Russia is unlikely to support new U.N. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program until after the U.N. atomic watchdog's latest study of Iran's activities, which may not be completed until December, the French foreign minister said on Thursday.

The luxury unit of Nokia has started selling a phone designed jointly with Ferrari for about 18,000 euros ($25,400) at its stores in London, Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore, it said on Thursday.

The Internet in China is not as restricted as sometimes believed in the West, with most controls actually coming from sites practicing self-censorship, an academic who studies the Chinese Web said on Thursday.

The U.S.-sponsored meeting of major emitting countries is aimed at supporting and accelerating the U.N. process on climate change, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insisted on Thursday.

China Shenhua Energy, the country's biggest coal producer, raised 66.58 billion yuan ($8.9 billion) in China's largest domestic IPO after pricing the share offer at the top of an indicative range.

The United States rejected on Wednesday Iran's claim that its nuclear program is a "closed" matter and said it would keep pushing for fresh U.N. Security Council sanctions that are resisted by China and Russia.

Cisco Systems Inc said on Tuesday that it will cooperate with the Haier Group, China's largest manufacturer of household appliances, to build networking systems for home and individual users, as well as expanding the Chinese and international markets.

China Shenhua Energy, the courntry's largest coal producer, has attracted a record 2.67 trillion yuan (US 355.6 billion) in subscriptions for its A-share innitial public offering (IPO),according to the China Securities Journal.

Top U.S. nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill said on Wednesday North Korea could move ahead to "disable" its nuclear arms programmes by the end of this year, adding it was important to remain focused.

Russia unveiled its first all-new airliner since the fall of the Soviet Union on Wednesday, hoping to curb dependence on oil and gas exports and restore pride in its teetering aviation industry.

Armed with pruning clippers, a worker in a white lab coat snips a plastic Hello Kitty play set into lentil-sized bits that will be bathed in chemicals simulating gastric acid.

China's huge Three Gorges Dam hydro-power project could spark "catastrophe" unless accumulating environmental threats are quickly defused, senior officials and experts have warned, according to state media.

The cries of tens of thousands of people led by Buddhist monks, who are staging anti-junta protest rallies in Myanmar at the risk of a government crackdown, has reached the ears of the US President George W. Bush, who is expected to take up the issue in his speech Tuesday to the General Assembly and urge the U.N. to uphold its pledge to fight for freedom and impose new sanctions against the repressive military regime in Myanmar.

Japan's parliament on Tuesday installed Yasuo Fukuda as the new prime minister of the world's second largest economy, setting the stage for the seasoned moderate to form a cabinet that must confront a feisty opposition keen to force an election.

Shares in China Construction Bank (CCB) closed 32 percent higher on their Shanghai debut on Tuesday, beating other big Chinese lenders' first-day gains and boosting hopes for future large Shanghai share offers.

Singapore lender DBS Group's chief executive resigned on Monday, after a run of bad news battered the company's share price, leaving an unfulfilled quest to make the bank a big Asian player.

Investors cashed out of China Eastern Airlines on Monday, sparking a 10.5 percent drop in its shares as hopes waned that Cathay Pacific Airways would unveil an alliance with Air China to buy part of the Shanghai-based carrier.

Developing and industrialized countries are continously working hard through negotiations, in Doha, to reach a new International Trade Agreement (ITA). However, there is increasing recognition that even if there was free trade between nations, many countries

Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Alan Mulally said on Monday that the No. 2 U.S. automaker was keeping its target to return to the black by 2009, although the world economy might be hurt by the U.S. mortgage crisis.

Dell Inc, the world's No.2 personal computer maker, said it would sell its latest range through China's largest electronics retailer, GOME Group, aiming to improve on its single-digit mainland market share.

With General Motors Corp facing the prospect of its first strike in almost a decade, the $50 billion question for the struggling automaker is how badly it wants to buy peace with its major union.