Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten Inc said it will offer a cut-rate smartphone service for about a third of the monthly fees charged by the country's three dominant operators, adding to increasing price competition in the sector.

Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, helped by growing sales of its cancer drugs and demand for its medicines in emerging markets, but did not signal any acquisition plans following its recent failed efforts to buy rival British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L).

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) conglomerate has sold a marketing and direct mail unit to a Wisconsin businessman, according to a statement on Tuesday.

Asian shares advanced to one-month highs on Wednesday, helped by Wall Street which gained on optimism over corporate earnings and prospects the U.S. Federal Reserve will reaffirm its willingness to wait longer before raising interest rates.

Washington's city council approved a bill on Tuesday regulating app-based ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft in the U.S. capital, a council spokesman said.

Vietnam-based telecoms operator Viettel plans to invest $1 billion in a new third-generation (3G) mobile phone network in Tanzania, the office of the east African country's president said on Tuesday.

Russia's largest steel pipe maker TMK (TRMK.MM) is considering an initial public offering for its U.S. unit to help offset an expected 1-2 percentage point rise in rouble borrowing costs over the next few years as Western sanctions bite.

Tajikistan made the greatest strides in business-friendly reforms in the past year, part of an overall trend of improving business regulations across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the World Bank said in a report released on Tuesday.

The European Commission provisionally accepted the budgets of France and Italy, saying on Tuesday that no euro zone states had submitted deficit plans for next year that seriously breached EU rules for fiscal stability.

Japan's industrial output rose in September at the fastest pace in eight months in a tentative sign of recovery in factory activity, offering some relief for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he moves closer to making a decision on a second sales tax hike.

The Federal Reserve awarded $219.114 billion of seven-day term deposits to banks, a record amount, at a test auction held on Monday, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

Hedge fund manager Jim Chanos, the prominent short-seller, said Tuesday he has lightened up on some of his bets against Brazil, saying most of the country's downside risk is priced in after the sharp selloff over the past two months.

About 100,000 Hungarians rallied on Tuesday night to protest at a planned tax on data traffic and the broader course of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government they saw as undermining democracy and relations with European Union peers.

Cyber intrusions and other data breaches put the personal records of 18.5 million Californians, nearly half the state's population, at risk in 2013, a seven-fold increase over the year before, the state attorney general reported on Tuesday.

Facebook Inc warned on Tuesday of a dramatic increase in spending in 2015 and projected a slowdown in revenue growth this quarter, slicing a tenth off its market value.

General Motors Co (GM.N) will shift production of the transmission on the 2016 Chevrolet Volt from Mexico to Michigan, the automaker said.

American Express Co, the world's largest credit card issuer, said it would close its joint venture with French online start-up Vente-Privee by the end of the year.

Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) is buying online comedy service Rooftop Media, a small deal that underscores the Internet retailer's broader ambition of becoming a media and entertainment powerhouse.

Blackstone Group LP (BX.N), the world's largest private equity investor in real estate, is preparing to seek around $13 billion for its next flagship global real estate fund, in line with its predecessor fund, according to people familiar with the matter.

India's Adani has appointed Morgan Stanley to advise on the possible sale of a stake in its Abbot Point coal port in Australia, as it looks to raise funds to help finance a A$7 billion ($6.2 billion) mine, rail and port project.

Japanese telecom and media group SoftBank Corp has agreed to buy a $627 million stake in Indian online retailer Snapdeal, seeking to tap into potentially huge e-commerce growth in the market with the world's third-biggest Internet user base.

Samsung Group heir apparent Jay Y. Lee is moving to acquire small stakes in two of the group's financial firms, which analysts say will help the scion solidify control of South Korea's largest conglomerate as a succession looms.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc (VRX.TO) (VRX.N) on Monday said in a letter to Allergan Inc's (AGN.N) board of directors that it was prepared to raise its offer to at least $200 per share but stopped short of doing so.

Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd (BABA.N) executive chairman Jack Ma said he's open to working with Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on mobile payments, as China's richest person prepares to call on Hollywood this week in search of media partners.

The European Central Bank spent 1.704 billion euros last week on covered bonds under a new purchase program with which it hopes to foster lending to businesses and thereby support the euro zone economy.

News apps are helping users share information about sights and hidden gems in cities and countries around the globe so other people can benefit from their knowledge.

A Democratic U.S. Senator from Oregon supports legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and will vote “yes” to a state initiative next week that would let adults consume pot for fun, his office said on Monday.

Chiquita Brands International Inc (CQB.N) agreed on Monday to a $682 million takeover by Brazilian juice maker Grupo Cutrale and investment firm Safra Group, with the U.S.-based banana producer going private early next year at the latest.

Japanese retail sales rose 2.3 percent in September from a year earlier, government data showed on Tuesday, suggesting consumer spending is gradually picking up.

China's top trainmakers, China CNR (601299.SS)(6199.HK) and CSR Corp (601766.SS)(1766.HK), are planning to merge as the country aims to promote its high-speed train technology abroad, the China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday.