CHINA

Internet search giant Google Inc. has joined India's celebration of Pongal or Makar Sankranti festival with new Doodle, which has painted kites and flying balloons on its homepage. Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India.

China said that six-party talks were more suitable than the U.N. Security Council for solving the nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Friday, days before a summit with President Barack Obama.

A U.S. military presence in the Pacific is essential to restrain Chinese assertiveness, Washington's defence chief said on Friday, describing China's technology advances as a challenge to U.S. forces in the region.

China will not bow to foreign demand for faster gains in the yuan and will stick to its gradualist approach in currency reform, senior officials said on Friday, indicating Chinese President Hu Jintao may push back if President Barack Obama presses him on the issue next week.

Chinese exporters are coping well with a rising yuan, and Beijing will stick to plans for gradual reform in the currency, a senior central bank official said on Friday.

U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Friday held out the possibility of a resumption of six-party talks if North Korea ceases provocations and meets its obligations, but said there was no sign of it changing its ways.

China must step up efforts to boost imports and push developed nations to allow more high-tech goods to be exported to the country, an assistant commerce minister said on Friday.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' call for China's military to communicate better with its civilian leaders underscores the policy disconnect in Beijing and raises questions over who really wields control in China.

A U.S. military presence in the Pacific is essential to restrain Chinese assertiveness, Washington's defense chief said on Friday, describing China's technology advances as a challenge to U.S. forces in the region.

Starbucks Corp unveiled a deal that sets the stage for the world's largest coffee company to bring its iconic cafes to India, where Western-style coffee shops are increasingly popular.

China has angered India by issuing unorthodox visas to two Indians from a border state claimed by Beijing, the latest flare-up of a territorial dispute festering between the Asian giants.

Tata Steel, the world's seventh-largest steel maker, said on Friday that it would hold on to its shares in Australian miner Riversdale, calling it a strategic stake.

The embattled Congress-led coalition government failed to announce major policy decisions on Thursday to tackle soaring food prices after days of wrangling, taking only minor measures seen as unlikely to make a major impact.

Hong Kong stocks are set to ease on Friday morning as investors take profits after three days of strong gains, and shares of materials-related companies could decline due to falling commodity prices.

Advances by China's military in cyber and anti-satellite warfare technology could challenge the ability of U.S. forces to operate in the Pacific, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday during a visit to Japan.

The Chinese government is said to be looking to prepare at least 10 million car parking spots for electric vehicles by 2020 in a new comprehensive policy due to be announced soon, a top executive at a local automaker said on Thursday.

China is a money-sucking black hole that wastes resources and chokes the natural flow of the market-driven global economy.

Gold fell on Thursday, snapping three sessions of gains as safe-haven buying subsided after successful European bond sales and a more positive economic outlook from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

China dumped plans to import several million tonnes of expensive corn and South Korea unveiled cuts in import tariffs on some products, underscoring the dilemma over how to tackle rising food prices.

At least 10 asset managers are preparing to launch yuan-denominated funds in Hong Kong to tap robust overseas demand for yuan assets amid expectations of faster yuan appreciation and broader investment channels, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

China is providing a $350 million concessionary loan to build a multi-lane toll road linking Uganda's capital with the country's Entebbe airport, 54 km (34 miles) away, Ugandan officials said on Thursday.