JAPAN

The BSE Sensex ended 0.5 percent higher on Wednesday, helped by a rally in software stocks including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS.NS) and Infosys Technologies (INFY.NS) and gains in index heavyweight Reliance Industries.

Ivanplats, controlled by Ivanhoe Mines founder Robert Friedland, expects to produce platinum at negative cost at its giant Platreef complex in South Africa, potentially shaking up an industry squeezed by stoppages, rising wages and power charges.

Nissan Motor Co is on track to be the most profitable of Japan's three big automakers this year, after record car sales last year and improved market share in every major region pushed up quarterly operating profit.

Japan aims to cut domestic consumption of a heavy rare earth used widely in hybrid cars and electronics by 30 percent over the next two years as China keeps a tight grip on exports of the material, known as dysprosium.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open for equities on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.2 to 0.3 percent.

Samsung Electronics Co, the world's top television manufacturer, has seen TV sales firming up so far this year and plans to introduce cheaper TVs, as demand for lower-end models increase, the head of its TV business said on Wednesday.

Renesas Electronics and two other big Japanese chip makers are in talks to combine their struggling system chip operations in a government-backed deal, sources said, as pressure mounts for drastic reforms to confront stiff global competition.

Yahoo Inc Chairman Roy Bostock and three other directors will step down as the struggling company ploughs ahead with an internal overhaul, including discussions on dealing with its stakes in China's Alibaba Group and Yahoo Japan.

Asian shares hit their highest level in more than five months on Wednesday and the euro hovered close to an 8-week high as investors kept hopes alive for an agreement on details of a new Greek bailout package despite further delays.

The BSE Sensex climbed 0.7 percent on Wednesday, led by energy conglomerate Reliance Industries and software services exporters Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services.

Renesas Electronics Corp, Fujitsu Ltd and Panasonic Corp are in talks to merge their chip operations, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo passed two milestones on Monday: Sony's movie now has grossed $200 million worldwide and $100 million in North America.

Yahoo, No. 2 in search, shook up its board of directors a month after recruiting new CEO Scott Thompson from eBay’s PayPal unit.

Japan's Renesas Electronics Corp, Fujitsu Ltd and Panasonic Corp have begun discussions toward integrating their system chip operations, the Nikkei business daily said.

Russia won a promise from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday to bring an end to bloodshed in Syria, but Western and Arab states acted to isolate Assad further after activists and rebels said his forces killed over 100 in the city of Homs.

Lawyers for a U.S. Marine court-martialed for his role in killing Iraqi civilians in Haditha slammed the international hacking collective Anonymous as cowards on Monday after they knocked out the firm's website and published internal e-mails on the web.

Toyota Motor Corp. raised its full-year net income forecast Tuesday by more than a third, as the Japanese automaker has cut costs and spending and as newer vehicles have bumped up sales.

Iranian buyers have defaulted on payments for about 200,000 tonnes of rice from their top supplier India, exporters and rice millers said on Tuesday, a sign of the mounting pressure on Tehran from a new wave of Western sanctions.

BP said it was preparing vigorously for lawsuits related to its Gulf of Mexico oil spill, which are due to start later this month, as it unveiled a rise in fourth-quarter earnings boosted by higher oil prices and one-off gains.

Toyota Motor Corp reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly operating profit and raised its annual forecast on cost cuts and Japanese government subsidies, though this is still some way below analysts' expectations.

Toyota Motor Corp reported on Tuesday a forecast-beating 51 percent rise in quarterly operating profit, defying the impact of a strong yen and Thai floods, and lifted its cautious annual forecasts closer to market expectations.