CHINA

China will expand schemes that give consumers a discount if they trade in old cars and household appliances for new ones, according to Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Zengwei.

A Zimbabwean-registered cargo plane en route to Kyrgyzstan crashed on take-off in Shanghai on Saturday, killing three U.S. crew on board and triggering a fire, state media and a U.S. spokesman said.

The White House gave a mixed reaction on Friday to China's plans to cut its carbon intensity levels, welcoming the proposal but saying the world would watch whether Beijing kept its promises to tackle climate change.

Iraq aims to install four new floating oil terminals and three new undersea oil pipelines that will boost export capacity to 8 million barrels per day from a current 1.9 million bpd, a top oil official said.

The world is losing patience with Iran's behavior over its nuclear program and Tehran will be responsible for the consequences if it fails to meet its obligations, the White House said on Friday.

Finnish liberal Olli Rehn will oversee efforts to revive Europe's economy and France's Michel Barnier will have an important role reforming financial services in the new European Commission unveiled on Friday.

The IPO for Las Vegas Sands' Macau assets, set to be the world's seventh-largest this year, is likely to struggle in its market debut next Monday on high valuations and waning appetite for casino stocks.

China Pacific Insurance (Group) Ltd received approval from the listing committee of Hong Kong's stock exchange for its $3.4 billion Hong Kong IPO, said a source close to the deal on Friday.

People in China living with HIV and AIDS face widespread discrimination and stigma, with even medical workers sometimes refusing to touch them, according to a U.N. survey released on Friday.

China's Lenovo, the world's No.4 PC seller, said on Friday that it will pay $200 million to reaquire the cellphone business it sold off 1-½ years ago, as the lines blur between mobuile phones and PCs.

Subaru maker Fuji Heavy Industries continues to charge ahead in the key U.S. market with sales seen jumping by a fifth this month, but it faces a lot of work to boost its earnings power, its CEO said on Friday.

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has agreed with Ford Motor on intellectual property rights issues in its bid for Volvo, clearing a major barrier to acquire the Swedish luxury car brand, state media reported.

Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, the world's No. 5 automaker, aims to grow at twice the market rate next year in China, as consumers in the world's largest auto market snap up its affordable, quality cars.

A top Chinese climate envoy said on Friday only emissions curbs carried out under its newly announced carbon intensity targets that have international financial support will be open to outside scrutiny.

Three little letters could spell big trouble for global climate change negotiations even after China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, announced its first firm goals to curb emissions.

Japan and China agreed on Friday to conduct their first joint military training exercise, in the latest sign of warming ties between the Asian neighbors, long marked by mutual suspicion and spats over a range of issues.

Prices for benchmark European Union carbon emission permits fell 2 percent on Friday, as traders viewed the previous session's gains as short-lived.

China will step up construction of major projects related to energy conservation and environmental protection next year, the ruling Communist Party agreed on Friday.

China is estimated to have stocks of 1.2 million-1.5 million tonnes of aluminium, the vice-chairman of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, told an industry conference.

Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco), the parent of Chalco and the country's top producer of the metal, has restarted most of its idle capacity of alumina and primary aluminium, according to a company presentation prepared for a conference on Friday.

Growing military ties between China and Pakistan are a serious concern to India, Defense Minister A.K. Antony said on Friday, in the latest display of a prickly rivalry between New Delhi and its neighbors.