JAPAN

Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig, best known for playing big screen action heroes Wolverine and James Bond, have drawn record ticket sales for their play A Steady Rain, but it drew mixed reviews on Wednesday after opening night.

Manufacturing activity surged across Asia in September as demand picked up, although plans by Japanese manufacturers for record cuts in capital spending cast doubts on the strength of a recovery in the industrialized world.

Japan's Toshiba Corp said on Thursday it has taken over Fujitsu Ltd's loss-making hard drive business as it seeks to eke out growth in notebook PC hard drives in a market dominated by bigger rivals.

Manufacturing activity surged across Asia in September as demand picked up, although plans by Japanese manufacturers for record cuts in capital spending cast doubts on the strength of a recovery in the industrialized world.

Asian shares fell on Thursday after negative news on U.S. jobs and manufacturing pointed to a patchy recovery in the world's largest economy, and as dollar weakness sparked concerns for exporters around the region.

Japan's largest retailer Seven & I Holdings on Thursday posted a 20 percent drop in first-half operating profit as it considers closing 16 percent of its supermarkets to cope with a sharp sales decline, and it kept a recently revised-down forecast.

Asian shares fell on Thursday after a surprise drop in manufacturing in the U.S. heartland cast doubts on the strength of a global recovery, while the dollar was on the back foot against higher-yielding currencies.

Citigroup completed the sale of its Japanese brokerage Nikko Cordial Securities to Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, one more step in the U.S. bank's plans to shed non-core assets.

Citigroup completed the sale of its Japanese brokerage Nikko Cordial Securities to Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group , one more step in the U.S. bank's plans to recoup losses from the financial crisis.

South Korea surpassed Japan and Sweden to take the top spot in an annual ranking of broadband quality, helped by its government's efforts to boost it as an IT world leader, a study showed on Thursday.

Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig, best known for playing big screen action heroes Wolverine and James Bond, have drawn record ticket sales for their play A Steady Rain, but it drew mixed reviews on Wednesday after opening night.

Japan's prime minister and transport minister said on Wednesday the government was ready to support Japan Airlines Corp, aiming to dispel worries over the viability of the loss-making carrier.

The U.S. economy shrank less in the second quarter than first thought but negative news on jobs and on manufacturing in the country's Midwest in September pointed to a patchy recovery from recession.

Fast uptake of free-to-air mobile TV services in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe is breathing new life into the ailing mobile TV broadcasting market, chip firm Telegent Systems said.

The U.S. economy contracted in the second quarter more slowly than initially thought, but negative news on jobs and on manufacturing activity in the country's Midwest region in September pointed to a patchy recovery from recession.

Toys R Us Inc said on Wednesday that it would hire about 35,000 seasonal workers for its U.S. stores as it prepares for the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Wall Street was set for a higher open on Wednesday as data showing the U.S. economy contracted at a slower-than-expected pace and robust factory activity from Asia gave investors more confidence about the economic recovery.

The new Broadway drama A Steady Rain, starring Hollywood stars Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig, has set the record for the highest weekly ticket sales of a non-musical play, its producers said on Tuesday.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wednesday after robust factory data from Asia and better-than-expected results from Nike encouraged investors as the quarter comes to a close.

Toyota Motor Corp said it will recall some 3.8 million vehicles in the United States because of the risk that a loose floormat could force down the accelerator, a problem suspected of causing crashes that have killed five people.

Asian shares edged higher on Wednesday looking past a surprise fall in U.S. consumer confidence and the Australian dollar jumped to a 13-month high after August retail sales data beat forecasts.