AUSTRALIA

Asian stocks made a cautious advance on Monday following a recovery on Wall Street, with gains for oil prices shoring up demand for energy shares.

When movie director Roger Spottiswoode ventured to China two years ago to scout locations for The Bitter Sea, a drama set in the 1930s, he was surprised at the lack of suitable buildings from the period.

Southeast Asian nations plan to sign a charter in Singapore next week aiming for lofty goals in areas such as free trade and human rights even as the 40-year-old group wrestles with how to handle the divisive issue of Myanmar. The West has urged the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) to put more pressure on Myanmar's junta after its crackdown on pro-democracy protests, but the group's principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs is likely to prevail.

Qantas Airways Ltd, Australia's largest airline, on Wednesday agreed to buy up to 188 new narrow-body planes worth more than $12 billion at list prices to defend its domestic routes and expand into Asia.

Tom Cruise's Lambs got slaughtered at the worldwide box office.

Asian stocks sank on Monday with Tokyo's Nikkei hitting its lowest level in about 15 months as investors dumped Japanese exporters on the back of a surge in the yen to an 18-month high versus the dollar.

Chinese resource firms are unlikely to launch a counter-offer for Rio Tinto, but may hope to team up with BHP Billiton to clinch the deal, bankers said on Friday.

Australia raised its key interest rates by a quarter percentage point Wednesday, its second hike in 2007, to contain inflation.

AGL Energy Limited on Monday announced to build another wind farm at South Australia costing $166 million.

China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) and U.S. private equity firms offered up to A$3 billion ($2.75 billion) on Monday for Australia's Nufarm Ltd, a deal that would create the world's largest generic farm chemicals firm.

Asian stocks eased on Monday with financial shares extending their slide as persistent credit worries offset a positive U.S. employment report, which showed twice as many jobs as expected were added last month.

Mazda Motor Corp., the Japanese affiliate of Ford Motor Co., announced on Friday that its July-September period net profit soared 29 percent to 26.6 billion yen due to strong sales overseas.

Mazda Motor Corp posted a 1.5 percent rise in quarterly operating profit as a weaker yen, cost cuts and sales growth offset a cutback in shipments to North America, and kept its full-year profit forecast unchanged.

Japan ordered its naval ships on Thursday to withdraw from a refueling mission in support of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan as a political deadlock kept the government from meeting a deadline to extend the activities.

The dollar touched an all-time low against the euro on Wednesday, while Asian stock markets marked time as many investors sat on the sidelines ahead of a widely expected interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Asian stock markets were subdued on Wednesday while the dollar wallowed near a record low against the euro with investors reluctant to take big positions ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates.

Asian stocks and oil prices retreated from their peaks on Tuesday and the dollar halted its slide as investors held their fire ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve policy meeting, where an interest rate cut is widely expected. European stocks also looked set for a weaker start,

Expectations of a U.S. interest rate cut this week boosted world stocks for a third straight session on Monday and sent the dollar to record lows, while surging energy and gold prices buoyed emerging markets.

EBay division Skype and mobile phone group 3 have launched a mobile handset that allows Skype users to make free Internet calls to each other while on the move.

Asian stocks rose to a fresh life high on Monday as investors bet there will be a U.S. interest rate cut this week, which sent the dollar to a record low against the euro and a basket of major currencies.

Asian indexes were mixed Thursday, with financials dropping in Japan after Mizuho Financial Group reported losses related to U.S. subprime markets, while South Korean shares jumped on Samsung Securities a day after the brokerage firm announced strong earnings.