CHINA

The U.S. economy is still in a tough spot but is gradually regaining its balance after a series of policy mistakes that made the country weaker and less secure, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday. We are coming back, and we are coming back faster and stronger than most people predicted -- faster and stronger than Europe and Japan, Geithner said after meeting with steel executives and union leaders here.

PITTSBURGH, March 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner expressed confidence on Wednesday that China will decide it is in its interest to make its yuan currency more flexible, but did not say when that might happen.

Yahoo email accounts of some journalists and activists whose work relates to China were compromised in an attack discovered this week, according to rights groups and foreign correspondents, days after Google said it would move its Chinese-language search services out of China because of censorship concerns.

China's comprehensive Internet filtering regime for political, social or religious content is complex and opaque -- creating precarious conditions for providers, the U.S. Trade Representative's official said in its annual report to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday.

Australia's Macarthur Coal rejected a $3 billion bid from U.S. miner Peabody Energy Corp , saying it undervalued the growth prospects of a company that controls a third of the world's supply of a cleaner coal coveted by steelmakers.

U.S. Department of Energy announced that it will work with organizations in China on joint research initiatives over the next five years. A total of $37.5 million will be invested in the joint research, said the department, adding that around $75 million will be used for the improvement of energy efficiency, clean coal technologies, carbon sequestration and green vehicles.

European industry bodies urged European Union regulators on Wednesday to prevent unfair competition and excessive pricing of iron ore, saying it could hamper economic recovery in Europe.

(Reuters) - Chinese officials have sought to contain public outrage after workers at a hospital dumped 21 dead fetuses and infants' bodies near a river bank.

Google Inc has said it identified cyber attacks aimed at silencing opposition to a Vietnamese government-led bauxite mining project involving a major Chinese firm, and said they were similar to those at the heart of the company's friction with Beijing.

Investors cut back on equities and lifted exposure to bonds in March, signaling a degree of caution about coming months as world stocks headed for their fourth quarterly rise.

Ericsson said on Wednesday it had won a $1.3 billion network expansion contract from top Indian operator Bharti Airtel, its third major order in three days, and its largest deal in eight months.

World equities were flat on Wednesday, though they were headed for their fourth consecutive quarterly rise, while the dollar hit a three-month high against the yen and Greece's borrowing costs rose on supply plans.

World equities ticked down on Wednesday though they were headed for their fourth consecutive quarterly rise, while the dollar hit a three-month high against the yen and the Australian dollar fell.

Australia's Macarthur Coal rejected a $3 billion bid from U.S. miner Peabody Energy, saying it undervalued the growth prospects of a company which controls a third of the world's supply of a cleaner coal coveted by steelmakers.

Japanese shares rose to 18-month highs on Wednesday, continuing to eclipse their peers elsewhere in Asia, as a rebound in U.S. consumer confidence boosted hopes that a global economic recovery will prove to be sustainable.

Google Inc blamed the great firewall of China for blocking its Internet search service in the country on Tuesday, but said it did not know if the stoppage was a Chinese technical glitch or a deliberate move in their face-off over Internet censorship.

A leading sexual health said gonorrhoea risks becoming a drug-resistant superbug if doctors do no come up with new ways of treating it.

Google Inc said many users in China were blocked from using its search service on Tuesday by a technical glitch that made their search queries appear to be associated with Radio Free Asia, which is blocked by Chinese authorities.

The 'cloud' of data which is becoming the heart of the Internet is creating an all too real cloud of pollution as Facebook, Apple and others build data centers powered by coal, according to a new Greenpeace report.

Following a court's decision to send four of steel giant Rio Tinto's employees to jail for accepting bribe, the world is waiting with bated breath to see how the steel firm reacts to the Chinese government's move. The verdict has cast a cloud over China as a destination for global firms to do business. After the verdict, the Australian government and media had expressed concerns over the trial and the conviction of Rio's four employees, including its China head.

Facing enormous energy shortage, Vietnam on Tuesday signed an agreement with the US to boost nuclear energy production in the country. According to Vietnam's energy ministry, the deal will help the country to meet growing energy demand as it allows U.S. firms to help build nuclear plants in the country.