SOUTH KOREA

Hyundai Motor Group chief Chung Mong-koo had his three-year jail sentence for fraud suspended by a South Korean appeals court on Thursday, leaving him free to run the world's sixth largest auto maker.

South Korea's LG Electronics Inc introduced on Wednesday an updated version of its high-definition DVD player that supports both Blu-ray and HD DVD, offering a possible solution to the format war.

The head of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group, the world's sixth-largest auto maker, should hear on Thursday the result of his appeal against a 3-year jail sentence for fraud and embezzlement.

Usually derided as teetering on the tip of irrelevance, this year's Asia-Pacific leaders' summit in Sydney hopes to rise above its reputation for glacial action and have a real impact on the course of climate change. Leaders gathered for the meeting hope to build on June's G8 summit, in which nations agreed to consider a 50 percent cut in emissions by 2050 and build momentum ahead of a U.N. climate change meeting later this month.

HSBC's purchase boost's its profile in Asia's third-largest banking market.

Baidu, known as China's Google, still intends to seek a domestic listing but is focusing for now on ramping up a fledgling Japanese service with plans to hire dozens of people in the second half.

South Korea said the remaining seven Korean church volunteers held by the Taliban in Afghanistan were likely to be freed on Thursday, a day after 12 of their colleagues were released from an ordeal of nearly six weeks.

Japan's Sony Corp unveiled 15 new flat TVs and a new remote control for the domestic market on Wednesday, as a part of a world-wide effort to win back market share during the year-end shopping season.

Taliban insurgents freed eight South Korean hostages in two separate batches on Wednesday, the first of 19 Christian volunteers the Taliban agreed to release.

Taliban insurgents will release all 19 South Korean Christian volunteers they have held hostage in Afghanistan since mid-July, South Korea ' s presidential Blue House said on Tuesday.

South Korea said on Friday it would end its effective ban on U.S. beef imports, once worth about $850 million annually, which should ease tensions in a trade dispute.

Limelight Networks Inc said on Thursday it had expanded an online media distribution deal with Microsoft Corp, sending the shares of the digital content delivery company up as much as 20 percent.

Nikon Corp's newest advanced cameras and a lineup of fresh faces will help it outrun rival Canon Inc in a scramble for loyal fans throughout Asia, Nikon executives said on Thursday.

South Korea sent its first batch of emergency aid on Thursday to relieve flooding in North Korea that has killed hundreds, and a top Pyongyang official said the North is aiming to restore basic services by the end of September.

South Korea's tax officials raided the offices of U.S. private equity fund Lone Star, seizing 11 boxes of documents and copying data related to its recent domestic deals, Lone Star said on Thursday.

Investors weighed up on Wednesday the prospects of a near-term U.S. rate cut to calm a financial storm stemming from America's faltering home loan sector, as the European Central Bank moved to soothe money markets again. Indicating liquidity problems were far from over, the ECB said it would hold a tender to add 40 billion euros in 91-day funds to the euro money market on Thursday -- a technical measure aimed at supporting the normalisation of the market.

Investors sought to gauge on Wednesday the prospects of a near-term U.S. rate cut to calm a financial storm stemming from America's faltering home loan market, as some experts said the world economy would take a hit.

U.S. private equity fund Lone Star confirmed on Tuesday it was in exclusive negotiations with HSBC to sell its 51 percent stake in Korea Exchange Bank, with a market value of $4.8 billion.

Asian companies will have a tough time raising funds and face weaker export demand if the global credit squeeze persists and a deteriorating U.S. housing market crimps consumer spending.

HSBC Holdings Plc said on Monday it was in talks to buy a majority stake in Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) worth $4.8 billion from Lone Star, the latest chapter in a lengthy financial and judicial saga.

France's biggest listed bank BNP Paribas said its exposure to subprime risk was limited and manageable as it moved to reassure investors a week after rattling markets by freezing three of its funds.