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Nippon Steel Says Prices to Stay Low Amid Competition for Orders
Nippon Steel Corp., Japan’s biggest steelmaker, expects prices to stay low this year as global producers of the metal used in cars, ships and construction continue to compete for orders amid slowing demand.
Russians Meet Assad as Europe Joins Gulf Pulling Diplomats
European Union and Persian Gulf countries recalled their ambassadors from Damascus, increasing diplomatic isolation for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as he conferred with Russian officials on a way to resolve the crisis.
GM Poised to Get Approval to Build 7 Billion Yuan China Factory
General Motors Co., the world’s biggest automaker, is poised to receive approval to build a 7 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) factory in China, according to a provincial government statement.
Hong Kong to Face Skilled Labor Shortage as Population Ages
Hong Kong will face a shortfall of 22,000 workers with higher education by 2018 as the city’s population ages, the government said in its first forecast for a shortfall since it began the study in 1988.
Toyota Adds to Japan Exodus
Japanese-based automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan are shifting more production to blunt the impact of the strong yen
VW Considers Malaysia Expansion
Volkswagen AG is considering expanding production in Malaysia and has sent senior executives, including management board members, to review Proton Holdings Bhd.’s operations for a potential partnership, a person familiar with the matter said.
A Big Profit Surge for Lenovo
The world's second-biggest maker of PCs posts a 54 percent increase in earnings as orders for office computers jump
China Inflation Accelerates to 4.5%
China’s inflation unexpectedly accelerated in January on the boost to spending from a weeklong holiday, limiting room for monetary easing as Europe’s debt crisis damps exports and the property market cools.
Easing the U.S. Visa Hassle for Tourists Who Shop
Retailers have successfully lobbied to get travel rules relaxed for the Chinese and Brazilians

China economy

Asia giants join Iran diplomacy as sanctions hurt trade (Reuters)
Reuters - China said on Friday it would send a senior official to Tehran to discuss Iran's nuclear standoff with the West, and India indicated it would also weigh in, as Asia's two giants seek to head off new sanctions already playing havoc with trade.
China premier meets govt-installed Tibetan cleric (AP)

AP - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told a government-installed Tibetan cleric Friday to uphold national unity in a meeting amid recurring anti-government unrest in Tibetan communities.
GM gets environmental OK for new China plant (AP)

AP - General Motors Co. has won approval from environmental authorities in central China for a new $1.1 billion assembly plant, though the company says it has not yet decided on the plan.
China probes "bouncing" boiled eggs (Reuters)
Reuters - Chinese authorities are investigating eggs which bounce after being boiled and may make men sterile, state media reported Friday, in the latest food safety scare to hit the country.
China economy shows strain as policy shift eyed (Reuters)
Reuters - China betrayed signs of spluttering domestic demand on Friday as imports crumbling to their lowest in more than two years and weaker-than-forecast bank lending signaled to investors that policymakers would soon make a fresh bid to bolster growth.
Origin expects to grow China's first GMO corn in 2013 (Reuters)
Reuters - Origin Agritech Ltd said it expects the Chinese government to approve its genetically modified organism (GMO) corn for production in 2013, China's first GMO strain in commercial production, its chairman Han Gengchen said on Friday.
China jails dissident ahead of vice president's U.S. trip (Reuters)
Reuters - A Chinese court jailed a veteran dissident to seven years in jail Friday, his son said, in the latest blow to challengers of the Communist Party's rule before its next leader, Xi Jinping, visits the White House.
Hong Kong asserts identity to Beijing's dismay (AP)

AP - The argument began over the seemingly minor offense of eating on the subway, which is banned in Hong Kong. A local commuter was outraged that a girl in a tour group from mainland China spilled noodles onto the floor.
Chinese dissident sentenced to 7 years over poem (AP)
AP - A Chinese court has sentenced a dissident writer to seven years in prison over a poem he wrote urging his countrymen to gather at a public square, a human rights group said Friday.

Japan economy

Japan priest fights invisible demon: radiation (Reuters)

Reuters - On the snowy fringes of Japan's Fukushima city, now notorious as a byword for nuclear crisis, Zen monk Koyu Abe offers prayers for the souls of thousands left dead or missing after the earthquake and tsunami nearly one year ago.
Despite Fukushima disaster, anti-nuclear activists fight uphill battle in Japan (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - The triple meltdown at Japanâ€™s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant last March unleashed the largest wave of public protest the country, not known for its activism, has seen in decades.
How Japan, US may break 18-year deadlock over Okinawa base (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - This weekâ€™s US-Japanese agreement removing thousands of Marines from Okinawa breaks an 18-year deadlock over the realignment of US forces in Japan by a simple expedient: sidestepping the key obstacle that has bedeviled the issue.
Summary Box: Nissan quarterly profit rises (AP)
AP - RISING ABOVE: Nissan's quarterly profit rose 3.2 percent on healthier sales that offset production damage from flooding in Thailand and a battering from the strong yen.
U.S., Japan decouple Marines' Guam move from Okinawa (Reuters)
Reuters - Japan and the United States agreed on Wednesday to decouple the transfer of thousands of U.S. Marines to Guam from the southern Japan island of Okinawa from plans to relocate a base on Okinawa, a step forward in resolving an irritant in relations.
US, Japan closer to moving many Okinawa Marines (AP)

AP - Japan and the United States agreed Wednesday to proceed with plans to transfer thousands of U.S. troops out of the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, leaving behind the stalled discussion about closing a major U.S. Marine base there.
Japan to slash use of a heavy rare earth as China tightens grip (Reuters)
Reuters - Japan aims to cut domestic consumption of a heavy rare earth used widely in hybrid cars and electronics by 30 percent over the next two years as China keeps a tight grip on exports of the material, known as dysprosium.
Nissan quarterly profit rises despite floods, yen (AP)

AP - Nissan's quarterly profit rose 3.2 percent on healthier sales that offset production damage from flooding in Thailand and a battering from the strong yen.
Japan firms talk on system chip tie in reform drive: sources (Reuters)
Reuters - Renesas Electronics and two other big Japanese chip makers are in talks to combine their struggling system chip operations in a government-backed deal, sources said, as pressure mounts for drastic reforms to confront stiff global competition.

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Latin America economy

Chavez foe seeks public worker support for primary (AP)

AP - Opposition presidential contender Pablo Perez finished off his campaign Thursday urging public employees to join his supporters and vote in a primary election choosing a single challenger to face President Hugo Chavez.
Mexico army finds 73 Central American migrants (AP)
AP - The Mexican army says it has found 73 Central American migrants in three houses near the U.S. border and troops arrested four men suspected of planning to smuggle the people into Texas.
Smoke from dump fire blankets Jamaica capital (AP)
AP - Acrid smoke from a fire at a sprawling trash dump blanketed swaths of Jamaica's capital Thursday, and officials warned people to stay indoors to avoid exposure to potentially dangerous pollutants.
U.S. extends travel warning to Mexico over violence (Reuters)
Reuters - Spreading drug violence, kidnappings and carjackings in Mexico have led the State Department to increase the number of places it says Americans should avoid for safety reasons for the second time in less than a year.
Noriega leaves hospital in Panama, returns to jail (AP)

AP - Medical authorities in Panama say former dictator Manuel Noriega has left a hospital four days after fainting in the prison where he is serving time for murder, embezzlement and corruption.

Mideast economy

Bahrain protests seek new `Freedom Square' (AP)
AP - Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in Bahrain are streaming toward a site they seek to occupy for the one-year anniversary of their uprising in the Gulf kingdom.
Israeli reaches Chile plea deal to plant trees (AP)
AP - Chile has settled its criminal case against an Israeli hiker accused of negligently causing a fire that destroyed much of the Torres del Paine national park.
Hamas drifting away from longtime patron Iran (AP)

AP - Hamas appears to be drifting away from its longtime patron Iran — part of a shift that began with last year's Arab Spring and accelerated over Tehran's backing of the pariah regime in Syria.
Palestinian prisoner on 55th day of hunger strike (AP)

AP - In a high-stakes gamble, an imprisoned member of a Palestinian militant group has waged a hunger strike for almost two months, trying to draw attention to Israel's military justice system and its treatment of detainees who can be held without charge for lengthy periods.
Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike risks dying: hospital (Reuters)
Reuters - A Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike for 55 days to protest against his detention without trial by Israel is refusing medical treatment and his life is in danger, a hospital spokeswoman said on Thursday.

Asia Pacific economy

Pakistan Supreme Court Rejects Yousaf Raza Gilani’s Appeal
The high court on Friday rejected an appeal by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani against contempt charges, escalating a tense standoff between the judiciary and the ruling party.
Myanmar Arrests Monk Freed From Prison in January
A prominent Burmese monk who was released from prison last month was arrested again Friday in Yangon, according to a group that tracks political prisoners.
Hamza Kashgari, a Saudi Writer, Detained in Malaysia Over Twitter Posts
A Saudi Arabian writer who flew to Malaysia amid calls for his execution after he posted messages considered blasphemous will likely be repatriated, authorities said.
Mohamed Nasheed, Former Maldives President Calls for Early Elections
The former Maldives president, Mohamed Nasheed, repeated charges on Friday that he was forced from power and called for early elections to be held.
India Ink: Image of the Day: February 10
Archbishop Desmond Tutu poses with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.

Economy news

Consumer mood worsens in early February on income worries (Reuters)
Reuters - Americans turned less optimistic about the economy in early February on worries about falling income even as their outlook on the jobs market rose to a record high, a survey released on Friday showed.
Greeks strike against IMF/EU austerity before crucial vote (Reuters)
Reuters - Striking Greek workers denounced a new wave of austerity on Friday as a demand too far by the IMF and EU, but Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos told the nation it had to decide within days whether to take the pain and stay in the euro or not.
Trade deficit widens to $48.8 billion in December (AP)

AP - Monthly U.S. exports to Europe grew in December, a hopeful sign after a steep decline the previous month. But, some economists remain concerned that the region's debt crisis will still weigh on the U.S. economy this year.
Exclusive: Brazil jets deal heats up as Boeing freezes bid (Reuters)
Reuters - Boeing has frozen the price on its bid for a multi-billion-dollar Brazilian air force jet contract, sources close to the deal told Reuters, as the global race to sell military hardware to emerging economic powers becomes more competitive.
China economy shows strain as policy shift eyed (Reuters)
Reuters - China betrayed signs of spluttering domestic demand on Friday as imports crumbling to their lowest in more than two years and weaker-than-forecast bank lending signaled to investors that policymakers would soon make a fresh bid to bolster growth.
Florida offers look at problems with education law (AP)

AP - Yet when it comes to the federal No Child Left Behind law, the school hasn't lived up to expectations. Last year, 79 percent of students had to be at grade level in reading and 80 percent in math. Overall, the students exceeded those goals. But two groups — English language learners and the economically disadvantaged — did not.
Barroso expects Greece bailout package next week (Reuters)
Reuters - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso expressed confidence that a second bailout package for Greece would be finalized next week, but said Athens needed to implement structural reforms to restore confidence in its economy.
Obama call for manufacturing revival a tough goal (AP)
AP - President Barack Obama is making a strong election-year push for an economic revival "built on American manufacturing." But he faces an uphill slog, with little consensus even within his own party on how to do it.

Europe economy

Greeks strike against IMF/EU austerity before crucial vote (Reuters)
Reuters - Striking Greek workers denounced a new wave of austerity on Friday as a demand too far by the IMF and EU, but Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos told the nation it had to decide within days whether to take the pain and stay in the euro or not.
Spain approves crucial labor market reforms (AP)
AP - Spain's new conservative government approved sweeping labor market reforms on Friday as part of a drive to retool a sick economy and solve Europe's worst unemployment nightmare.
Greek coalition party to oppose austerity measures (AP)
AP - The leader of a small partner in Greece's coalition government said Friday his party would vote against the latest round of austerity measures required for a massive new bailout deal — despite having backed the measures a day earlier.
German Parliament set to vote on Greece Feb. 27 (AP)
AP - The German Parliament is set to hold a special session on Feb. 27 to vote on the second bailout for Greece, a senior lawmaker said Friday.
Barclays warns to miss profit goal (Reuters)

Reuters - British bank Barclays is set to miss a key profit target after its investment bank ended 2011 with its worst quarter for three years.
Barroso expects Greece bailout package next week (Reuters)
Reuters - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso expressed confidence that a second bailout package for Greece would be finalized next week, but said Athens needed to implement structural reforms to restore confidence in its economy.
EU asks India to help bring Iran to nuclear talks (Reuters)
Reuters - The European Union has asked India to use its leverage to bring Iran to the negotiating table over its nuclear program, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said on Friday, as Asia's third-largest economy prepares to increase trade with Tehran.
Europe needs stronger financial firewall: Obama (Reuters)
Reuters - President Barack Obama assured Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti on Thursday that the United States will do whatever it can to help stabilize the situation in the euro zone, which he said demanded a more muscular approach to fighting its debt crisis.
(AP)
AP - EU's economy chief: 'Seriously considering' separate account for Greek bailouy to repay debt.