CHINA

Internet giants Google Inc and Facebook removed content from some Indian domain websites on Monday following a court directive warning them of a crackdown like China if they did not take steps to protect religious sensibilities.

China's annual economic growth could be cut nearly in half this year if Europe's debt crisis tips the world economy into a recession, putting pressure on Beijing to unveil significant fiscal stimulus, the International Monetary Fund said.

The China unit of Citigroup Inc said on Monday that it has received regulatory approval to issue credit cards in China, the first non-Asian bank to receive permission.

Internet giants Google Inc and Facebook removed content from some Indian domain websites on Monday following a Delhi court directive warning them of a crackdown like China if they did not take steps to protect religious sensibilities.

Syrian forces bombarded Homs on Monday, killing 50 people in a sustained assault on several districts of the city which has become a centre of armed opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian National Council opposition group said.

General Motors aims to raise its profit margin to 10 percent over the next several years, up from the current margin of about 6 percent, Daniel Ammann, chief financial officer, told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.

Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Corp <7211.T> said it will end production at its only western European plant, in the Netherlands, at the end of this year, a move that was expected as its sales in Europe have dropped to a third of their peak.

Asian shares rose on Monday as surprisingly robust U.S. jobs data bolstered investors' risk appetite, but the euro sagged on worries over a lack of progress in Greek debt restructuring talks which are vital to containing the euro zone crisis.

Asian shares rose on Monday as surprisingly robust U.S. jobs data bolstered investor risk appetite, overshadowing worries about a lack of progress in Greek debt restructuring talks that are vital to containing the euro zone crisis.

Western and Arab states voiced outrage Sunday after Russia and China vetoed a U.N. resolution that would have backed an Arab plan urging Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to give up power, and Washington vowed harsher sanctions against Damascus.

Asian shares rose Monday as surprisingly robust U.S. jobs data bolstered investor risk appetite, overshadowing worries about a lack of progress in Greek debt restructuring talks that are vital to containing the euro zone debt crisis.

A renewed focus on Europe's banking and debt crisis may quickly sap the nascent optimism about global economic prospects that followed a remarkably solid U.S. January employment report.

China has a stake in helping the Eurozone countries get through their debt crisis, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in comments published on Sunday, pointing to Europe's importance not only as an export market but also as a source of technology.

The high-level diplomatic setback came after world leaders and Syrian opposition activists accused Assad's forces of a massacre in a sustained shelling of Homs, the bloodiest episode in 11 months of upheaval in the pivotal Arab country.

Russia and China vetoed on Saturday an Arab- and Western-backed resolution at the U.N. Security Council calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down over his bloody crackdown on a popular uprising.

China and Russia have vetoed a resolution by the U.N. Security Council calling for the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid worsening violence in that country. The resolution backed a similar resolution proposed earlier by the Arab League.

When Harper first took office in 2006, relations between Canada and China were cold,.

With worries growing over computer hacking, data theft and the risk of digital attacks destroying essential systems, western states and their allies are co-operating closer than ever on cyber security.

Russia sought to delay a U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution aimed at ending the bloodshed in Syria, warning on Saturday of a so-called scandal should the current draft be put to council members, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

U.S. fast-food giant Yum Brands Inc. plans to open 130 new KFC stores in Africa this year, bringing its presence on the continent to 1,000 restaurants, the Business Day newspaper in South Africa said on Friday, citing a senior executive.

ndia's 1.3 million-strong armed forces, hobbled by outdated equipment and slow decision-making, are undergoing an overhaul as defence priorities shift to China from traditional rival Pakistan. It took 11 years to select France's Rafale.