CHINA

The rising tide of stocks last year further erased the damage of the 2008 financial crisis and buoyed worldwide personal wealth to a new record high.

(Reuters) - Tobacco will kill nearly six million people this year, including 600,000 non-smokers, because governments are not doing enough to persuade people to quit or protect others from second-hand smoke, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

Nokia, the world's biggest phone maker by volume, warned on Tuesday that sales and margins would fall well below its previous guidance and dropped its full-year outlook, sending its shares down 12 percent.

Unrest among ethnic Mongolians in northern China is deepening, a week after the accidental killing of two Mongolians in separate incidents have sparked unprecedented protests.

Swatch Group, the world's largest watchmaker, will struggle to meet its 2011 sales guidance of 7 billion Swiss francs ($8.23 billion) if the franc remains at such high levels, Chief Executive Nick Hayek said.

German carmaker Volkswagen formally launched its bid for MAN on Tuesday, in a move toward creating Europe's biggest truckmaker.

Energy-related carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2010 were the highest in history, according to the latest estimates by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

China has detained scores of people and temporarily shut down hundreds of factories in a massive crackdown on industrial activities causing widespread lead poisoning, Channelnewsasia reported on Tuesday. Lead poisoning has been a chronic concern in China, as unprecedented economic boom brought in its wake heightened industrial activity.

The euro hit a three-week high versus the dollar on Tuesday on a report that Germany could make concessions on efforts to put together a bailout for Greece, while Japanese shares rose on data suggesting industrial activity has begun to recover from a March earthquake.

The annual ranking of the cities with the most billionaires have been released by Forbes based on the reporting of a number of journalists across the globe.

The Hangover Part II bested the comedy-debut record set by The Simpsons Movie ($74 million) in 2007 to become the best comedy sequel which has grossed $118.1 million in its first four days of domestic release since May 26, 2011.

China has raised power prices for industrial, commercial and agricultural users in some regions by about 3 percent in an attempt to ease what threatens to be the worse power shortage in seven years in the world's second-largest economy.

In a country where being connected is seen as crucial, Ushi, China's answer to LinkedIn, expects explosive growth over the next few years in the world's largest Internet market.

The sophisticated cyberattack into U.S. defense contractor LockHeed Martin Corp. highlights the grave threat cyber criminals pose to companies, especially weapons manufacturers.

China's Supreme Court has ordered to impose harsher penalties, which include death sentence to people who have violated the food safety, as the government struggles to clean up the food supply.

World's largest defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp., which became the victim of a sophisticated cyber attack last week, has quelled fears that its sensitive data have been compromised.

Qualcomm is best positioned to take advantage of strong secular growth trends in 3G, smartphones and tablets.

Tao Gang, vice-president of Sinovel Wind Group Company Limited, the largest turbine manufacturer in China, said on Monday the company has developed a 6MW wind turbine prototype that can be used in onshore, offshore and inter-tidal wind farms, a Xinhua report said

British chip designer ARM Holdings Plc, which licenses its chip technology to other makers, will take any plan by Intel Corp to make chips for rivals very seriously, a top executive said on Monday.

Ushi, China's answer to LinkedIn, hopes to have 10 million users in two years and to raise $5 million in its next round of fundraising, its chief executive said on Monday.

Luggage maker Samsonite, backed by private equity firm CVC Capital Partners , moved closer to a $1.5 billion Hong Kong initial public offering, setting an indicative range for the deal on Monday as it bet on booming Asian demand for global consumer brands.