JAPAN

The biggest U.S. Internet service providers urged regulators to adopt a conservative definition of broadband, arguing for minimum speeds that were substantially below many other nations.

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co Ltd agreed on Thursday to buy U.S. drugmaker Sepracor Inc for $2.6 billion, giving the Japanese firm a big, local sales force in the world's largest drugs market.

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co Ltd agreed on Thursday to buy U.S. drugmaker Sepracor Inc for $2.6 billion, giving the Japanese firm a big, local sales force in the world's largest drugs market.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday, following a four-day losing streak.

Asian shares edged up on Thursday as a surge in the volatile Shanghai market helped underpin indexes around the region, offsetting a rocky start to the month on worries the global economic recovery is losing steam.

Japan's Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co Ltd plans to offer about $2.7 billion to acquire U.S. drugmaker Sepracor Inc, a source said, in a move that it would give it a much needed U.S. sales force.

(Changes to megabits from megabytes in paragraph 5)

Peace, love, and music. Throw in some mud and an enormous little Japanese town in late July, and there's a spectacle to be held.

European shares closed lower for a third straight day on Wednesday, with financial stocks suffering the most, as investors took profits after a strong run in recent months.

Maruti Suzuki India (MRTI.BO), the country's top car maker, is confident of maintaining profits and growth despite increasing competition, including from Tata Motors' (TAMO.BO) Nano, the world's cheapest car.

Manufacturers from several countries including the United States produced some upbeat news on Tuesday, indicating that a recovery from the deepest global downturn since World War Two is slowly gaining traction.

Japan's incoming government sought to reassure security ally Washington on Wednesday that no upheaval was in store for U.S.-Japan relations, as the country groped toward a rare handover of power.

Toyota Motor Corp, the world's largest carmaker, will ask Japan's new government to extend the deadline for subsidies on purchases of new environmentally friendly cars by two years from the original schedule of March 2010, a Toyota executive said on Wednesday.

Japan's Nikkei stock average slid 2.5 percent on Wednesday, dragged down by exporters hit by a stronger yen amid renewed worry about the health of the U.S. financial system.

Oil rose above $68 a barrel on Wednesday, after a 3 percent drop in the previous session, as data showing a fall in U.S. crude stocks raised expectations of demand growth in the world's biggest energy consumer.

World stocks fell close to 1 percent on Wednesday after an overnight sell off on Wall Street, with both Asia and Europe rattled by concerns over the sustainability of this year's equity rally.

Asian shares pulled back on Wednesday after revived worries about the health of U.S. banks slammed Wall Street, even as upbeat Australian growth figures reassured investors on the economic recovery's staying power.

Oil edged above $68 a barrel on Wednesday, reversing part of the previous day's slide of 3 percent, after industry data showed a sharp fall in U.S. crude stocks, boosting hopes of a demand rebound in the world's top energy user.

The biggest U.S. Internet service providers urged regulators to adopt a conservative definition of broadband, arguing for minimum speeds that were substantially below many other nations.

Oil edged above $68 a barrel on Wednesday, reversing part of the previous day's slide of 3 percent, after industry data showed a sharp fall in U.S. crude stocks, boosting hopes of a demand rebound in the world's top energy user.

China, India, the United States and Germany are looking to replace old coal-fired energy plants, helping make up for slack overall global demand, Hitachi Power Europe's business development manager said.