CHINA

Britain's Prudential said it would buy AIG's Asian life insurance arm for $35.5 billion, making it the undisputed foreign leader in one of the world's fastest-growing financial services markets.

China's Suning Appliance Co said it planned to open 520 stores in China this year, increasing its total number of shops by more than half in the world's third-biggest economy.

Corrects title of Akira Sasaki and changes spokesman to spokeswoman in ninth paragraph

China should build the world's strongest military and move swiftly to topple the United States as the global champion, a senior Chinese PLA officer says in a new book reflecting swelling nationalist ambitions.

Toyota Motor Corp President Akio Toyoda on Monday offered a sincere apology to Chinese consumers over its massive global recall, which has had limited impact in the Chinese market.

Toyota Motor Corp President Akio Toyoda apologized to Chinese consumers on Monday over the company's massive global recall, seeking to ease quality concerns in the world's biggest auto market.

Factory activity in Asia's main economies expanded last month, with India and South Korea growing at their fastest pace in around two years although China showed some signs of weakening.

Shanda Games, China's No. 2 online game company, said on Sunday its fourth-quarter profit rose 44 percent, as revenue jumped to a record high in China's booming online game market.

(Corrects headline, first paragraph to show that results are for Shanda Games, not for parent company Shanda Interactive Entertainment. Removes reference in second paragraph to weakest result in three quarters.)

Shanda Interactive Entertainment , China's No. 2 online game company, said on Sunday its fourth-quarter profit rose 44 percent, as revenue jumped to a record high in China's booming online game market.

Snowstorms have repeatedly battered parts of the United States this winter, making it more difficult to discern returning weakness in the economy from

Prudential , Britain's largest insurer, is in advanced talks to buy the Asian arm of American International Group in a deal worth about $35.5 billion, sources familiar with the matter said on Saturday.

Toyota Motor Corp said its president would hold a news conference in Beijing on Monday as the automaker looks to limit the damage from a massive global recall on the fast-growing Chinese market.

Toyota Motor Corp's president will hold a news conference in Beijing on Monday to explain its recent recalls, Kyodo news agency reported, citing an announcement by the automaker's local unit.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday she was encouraged by signs that North Korea may be getting ready to return to stalled talks on its nuclear program.

General Motors has approached previous bidders for its Hummer unit after a deal to sell the brand to an obscure Chinese firm collapsed.

Tata Motors, India's top vehicle maker, reported a rise in sales and margins at its Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) unit as luxury buyers returned after the global crisis, helping send its shares up more than 6 percent.

Shanghai Pudong Development Bank will raise about 40 billion yuan ($5.9 billion) by selling a roughly 20 percent strategic stake to China Mobile.

General Electric Co has seen interest from several banks to buy its stake in Garanti Bank but tough new rules for bank minority stakes might dampen appetite.

Alexei Grishin of Belarus defied low expectations and a rival's high difficulty jump as he twisted through the air in the men's aerials on Thursday to win his country's first ever Winter Olympics gold.

General Motors Co is considering two offers for its Hummer brand after plans to sell it to China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery failed