Global smartphone leader Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Thursday confirmed expectations for its first annual profit decline since 2011, although a pickup in the fourth quarter hinted that earnings may have stabilized in the short term.
Asia/Pacific
China bans private drivers in taxi app clampdown
China's transport ministry has banned taxi hailing apps such as Uber Technologies Inc and local rivals Kuaidi Dache and Didi Dache from using cars and drivers without taxi licenses in a bid to regulate the rapidly growing sector.
China December inflation near five-year low, more policy easing seen
China's annual consumer inflation hovered at a near five-year low of 1.5 percent in December, signaling persistent weakness in the economy but giving policymakers more room to ease policy to support growth.
Asia gains on optimism for solid U.S. jobs, euro probes new lows
Asian stocks gained on Friday on upbeat expectations for the closely-watched U.S. jobs data while the euro continued to probe fresh nine-year lows against the dollar.
China's Xi woos Latin America with $250 billion investments
Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged on Thursday $250 billion in investment in Latin America over the next 10 years as part of a drive to boost resource-hungry China's influence in a region long dominated by the United States.
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Japan is asking Britain to buy its P-1 submarine-hunting jet in a deal that could top $1 billion, a major step in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to arms exports after decades of self-imposed restrictions, people with knowledge of the proposal said.
McDonald's Japan (2702.T) has apologized to customers and vowed to ensure product safety after objects including a tooth and plastic were found recently in its food, the latest trouble for a fast-food chain hit by sliding sales and a shortage of french fries.
China's annual economic growth likely slowed to 7.2 percent in the fourth quarter, the weakest since the depths of the global crisis, a Reuters poll showed, which would keep pressure on policymakers to head off a sharper slowdown this year.
South Korea's LG Display Co Ltd plans to increase production capacity of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for TVs, seeking growth in a new technology field that its rivals have dismissed as still too expensive to succeed.
Oil prices sank to fresh 5-1/2-year lows on Tuesday, extending losses after a 5 percent plunge in the previous session as worries over a global supply glut intensified.
American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines formally launched bids Monday to wrest control of a key slot in Tokyo's Haneda Airport from Delta Air Lines as part of a fight among the carriers to stake out a greater presence in Asia.
China's services sector grew at its fastest pace in three months in December as new orders remained strong, a private survey showed, an encouraging sign of strength even as manufacturing activity slows and the property market softens.
South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd launched a lineup of high-tech premium TVs on Tuesday, calling on its original mainstay devices to help avert a second consecutive year of profit decline.
Sony Corp (6758.T) on Tuesday said sales of its PlayStation 4 video game consoles exceeded 18.5 million units as of Jan. 4, up from 13.5 million at the end of October, showing solid holiday demand and a bright spot for a company recovering from a massive cyber-attack.
