CHINA

China and Russia, who have presented themselves as stubborn holdouts against the United States and the rest of the world on international diplomatic issues (most recently sanctions against the murderous Syrian government), have reportedly welcomed the news that North Korea will be halting its nuclear weapons testing and development programs.

India's exporters have begun receiving the first rupee payments from Iran, Indian government and trade sources said on Thursday, kicking off a mechanism to skirt Western sanctions which have made doing business with Tehran tougher.

The development comes one day after North Korea agreed to suspend its nuclear program in exchange for massive food aid.

Business at U.S. manufacturers expanded at a slower-than-expected pace in February, according to a closely watched survey of the sector released Thursday.

China is cutting the share of its reserves denominated in U.S. dollars and may be buying far more European government debt than in the past, according to data compiled by Dow Jones Newswires.

Almost all the fighters battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces withdrew from their stronghold in the Baba Amro district of the city, leaving behind comrades to cover their retreat.

Copper miner Kazakhmys posted a flat core profit for 2011 as stronger metal prices were offset by an 18 percent rise in production costs, including soaring wages for skilled workers in Kazakhstan, home to its core operations.

China welcomed the pact, but remained somewhat cautious about hopes for a nuclear-free future on the Korean peninsula.

Prospects for a strong recovery in the global economy darkened on Thursday as sputtering factory activity in Europe overshadowed more upbeat data from Asia, at a time when central banks are running out of policy options and reluctant to do more.

China's top official in Tibet has urged authorities to tighten their grip on the Internet and mobile phones, state media reported on Thursday, reflecting the government's fears about unrest ahead of its annual parliamentary session.

China's factories grew more than expected in February as new export orders for big firms bounced back, a government survey showed, while a private-sector report portrayed a different picture of smaller companies lagging behind the rebound.

Most Asian stocks declined Thursday as the lack of explicit hints about further quantitative easing from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke disappointed investors.

Workers at an electrical products factory in eastern China received a pleasant shock when they returned to their jobs after the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays.

Finnish gaming firm Rovio expects to boost growth for months to come, with expansion in Asia, to Facebook and with the launch of Angry Birds Spaces, its marketing chief told Reuters in an interview.

North Korea has agreed with the United States to suspend major elements of its atomic weapons program in a surprise breakthrough that could pave the way for the resumption of long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks with the secretive state.

Heavy fighting raged near Baba Amro in Homs Wednesday evening after elite Syrian troops attacked the rebel-held bastion that has endured 25 days of siege and fierce bombardment, activists said.

The Pritzker Prize jury went in a more political direction this year, awarding the prize Chinese architect Wang Shu the profession's highest honor, it deliver

China's 11th National People's Congress (NPC), the Chinese Parliament and top legislative body, will convene its fifth annual meeting Monday to set such key 2012 economic objectives as a lower target for economic growth, while keeping inflation steady.

Finnish gaming firm Rovio expects to boost growth for months to come, with expansion in Asia, to Facebook and with the launch of Angry Birds Spaces, its marketing chief told Reuters in an interview.

BlackRock Chairman and CEO Laurence Fink said on Wednesday he still believes U.S. equities are attractive even with their solid rise so far this year.

South Korea and certain western nations have been pressuring Beijing not to deport the North Korean defectors