CHINA

About 300 survivors of a deadly outbreak of SARS in China in 2003 are now suffering from serious after-effects, possibly due to aggressive hormone treatment to save their lives, the Beijing News said on Friday.

Oil rose to above $79 a barrel on Monday, the highest in more than a month, as colder weather across the United States and signs of economic recovery helped boost the fuel demand outlook.

China Eastern Airlines said on Monday it had agreed to buy 16 Airbus A330 planes, giving a boost to the European planemaker as companies compete to gain a foothold in the fast-growing market.

The Chinese government is highly concerned by fast-rising property prices in some cities and will work to combat speculation, Premier Wen Jiabao said in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday called on Hong Kong to handle political reform effectively, just as opposition democrats in the city planned fresh protests at the slow pace of change.

Japan's prime minister, who has promised to forge a new place for east Asia in international diplomacy, opened three days of talks in India on Monday focusing on engineering a further thaw in relations and boosting trade.

Oil hit a four-week high above $78 a barrel on Monday as colder weather across the United States and signs of economic recovery helped boost the outlook for fuel demand.

Tighter security measures at U.S. airports following an attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound jet could dampen enthusiasm for air travel, hurting the airline industry just as it seemed poised to recover from a period of bruising losses, some industry experts say.

There is no reason for China's yuan to depreciate against any currency, including the dollar, euro or yen, an adviser to its central bank said on Monday, highlighting the polarised nature of debate on the currency.

Russia on Monday inaugurated a new oil export terminal at Kozmino port in its far east. Opening the terminal, Russian PM Vladimir Putin said, It is an important event for Russia and a strategic project, which enables us to enter the growing markets of the Asia-Pacific region.

Japanese shares hit a four-month high, leading gains in Asian stocks on growing investor optimism about the global economy, while the U.S. dollar held firm against the yen and euro.

China needs to keep its economic policies flexible to fight against excessive surges in asset prices and hot money inflows, a central bank adviser said over the weekend.

Asian stocks rose on Monday on increasing optimism about the global economy, with Tokyo shares hitting their highest in four months, while the U.S. dollar gained against the yen and held firm against the euro.

Shares of International Business Machines Corp have significant room for growth and merit trading at a higher multiple, financial weekly Barron's said in its Sunday edition.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday struck a defiant note about the country's controversial exchange rate policy, saying the government would not give into foreign demands to let the yuan rise.

A group of financiers is trying to put a U.S. mattress maker now under bankruptcy court protection into play by encouraging Chinese bidders to top an already arranged offer for Simmons Bedding Co. , the Wall Street Journal reported late on Saturday.

A U.S. human rights activist trying to raise global attention about the suffering of the North Korean people has crossed into the reclusive state, other activists and South Korean media said on Saturday.

China on Friday defended the role played by premier Wen Jiabao at climate change talks in Copenhagen this month after a barrage of international criticism blaming China for obstructing negotiations.

China's most prominent dissident, Liu Xiaobo, was jailed on Friday for 11 years for campaigning for political freedoms, with the stiff sentence on a subversion charge swiftly condemned by rights groups and Washington.

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that disappointment over the outcome of the Copenhagen climate change summit was justified, hardening a widespread verdict that the conference had been a failure.

(James Saft is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own)