Air China, which posted bigger-than-expected 2008 losses, returned to profit in the first quarter of 2009, helped by an exceptional gain and lower fuel costs.
The new head of Hong Kong's Catholic Church Thursday pledged to defend human rights and urged China to allow greater religious freedom in his influential new role as a bridging figure for Sino-Vatican ties.
President Barack Obama outlined his plan for long overdue high-speed rail on Thursday that would rival air travel, create jobs and help curb the U.S. transportation system's appetite for oil.
Oil edged higher toward $50 a barrel on Thursday but gains were limited as mixed data from the United States and China reminded investors that any signs of economic recovery were still tentative.
China insisted on Thursday that six-party disarmament talks remain the way to defuse conflict over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, despite Pyongyang abandoning the process and expelling U.N. inspectors.
World stocks eked out small gains on Thursday as mixed data from China and the United States reminded investors of the fragility of rebounding economies and markets.
China struggled out of the gate this year with its weakest quarter on record, but a pick-up in March showed the world's third-largest economy was on track for stronger growth in coming months.
Brewing giant SABMiller sold less beer than expected in the first three months of 2009 as economic conditions worsened and demand fell in most of its markets, sending its shares lower in early trade.
Asian stocks pulled back from a six-month high on Thursday, while the safe-haven yen jumped against major currencies after China posted its slowest quarterly growth ever in a reminder of the frailty of the global economy.
South Korea's LG Display Co Ltd posted a second straight quarter of losses due to weak LCD prices, but forecast a pick-up in prices and shipments as the industry recovers from a steep downturn.
Asian stocks pulled back from a six-month high on Thursday, while the safe-haven yen gained after China posted its slowest ever quarterly growth in a signal of the frailty of the global economy.
Oil fell back below $50 a barrel on Thursday, after surging more than 2 percent as equity markets rallied on signs the U.S. recession was easing, boosting hopes of a demand recovery in world's top energy consumer.
China's economy slowed in the first quarter to its weakest pace on record, but an improvement in data for March offered tentative signs that the worst may be over for the world's third-largest economy.
China's economy slowed in the first quarter to its weakest pace on record, but an improvement in data for March offers tentative signs that the worst may be over for the world's third-largest economy.
China's annual gross domestic product growth slowed in the first quarter to 6.1 percent from 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.
The Treasury Department on Wednesday declined to label China a currency manipulator, retreating from tough talk last year when a campaigning Barack Obama said Beijing had kept its currency's exchange rate unfairly low.
The Treasury Department on Wednesday declined to name China a currency manipulator, backing down from tough talk last year when Barack Obama, then campaigning for president, said Beijing was keeping its currency unfairly low.
The Obama administration wants to ensure that legislation being crafted by Congress to fight global climate change does not violate international trade rules and backfire on U.S. exports, the top U.S. trade official said in a letter to a Republican lawmaker.
The global car industry is showing no convincing signs of recovery yet as sluggishness in developed economies has deeply dented demand, a Hyundai Motor Group vice chairman said on Wednesday.
North Korea has ordered U.N. inspectors to leave its Yongbyon complex, after saying it would quit international nuclear disarmament talks and restart the plant that makes bomb-grade plutonium.
China's muted response to North Korea's nuclear brinkmanship reflects the dilemmas dogging Beijing as it seeks to coax Pyongyang back to disarmament talks while fearing for the health of Kim Jong-il and his regime.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul called on Wednesday for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, hoping that a U.S.-Russian pledge to join forces to eradicate nuclear weapons will encourage the region.
