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TOP STORIES

Japan's Aso rules out bilateral trade deal with U.S.

TOKYO - Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso ruled out the chance of opening up talks for a bilateral trade deal with the United States, stressing that such a deal would do no good to his country. (JAPAN-US/TRADE (UPDATE 1), moved, by Leika Kihara, 327 words)

China warns U.S. not to open Pandora's Box, unleash trade ills on world

BEIJING - China warned the United States not to open Pandora's Box and spark a flurry of protectionist practices across the globe, even as Beijing pointed to U.S. goods that it could target in a deepening Sino-U.S. trade dispute. (CHINA-USA/TRADE (UPDATE 1), moved, by Se Young Lee and Yawen Chen, 718 words)

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MARKETS

Asia shares sag on lingering tech woes, yen lower

TOKYO - Asian stocks sags after a tech-led retreat on Wall Street while the safe haven yen is broadly lower against the dollar amid perceived progress on North Korea issues. (GLOBAL-MARKETS/ (WRAPUP 2, PIX), updating throughout the day, by Shinichi Saoshiro, 544 words)

Dollar holds firm vs yen on hopes of detente in East Asia

TOKYO - The dollar holds firm against the yen, making its biggest daily gain in more than a half year, helped in part by hopes of detente in East Asia. (GLOBAL-FOREX/, updating throughout the day, by Hideyuki Sano, 511 words)

Gold prices inch up on buying after steep fall

BENGALURU - Gold prices inch up on buying after the bullion hits a one-week low and posts its biggest one-day percentage fall in nearly 9 months in the previous session. (GLOBAL-PRECIOUS/ (UPDATE 1), updating throughout the day, by Swati Verma, 304 words)

Oil prices rise as OPEC seen continuing supply cuts through 2018

SINGAPORE - Oil prices rise as the producer cartel OPEC and other suppliers look set to continue withholding output for the rest of the year and potentially into 2019. (GLOBAL-OIL/ (UPDATE 1, PIX), updating throughout the day, by Henning Gloystein, 407 words)

ECONOMY

China's manufacturing growth seen picking up slightly in March

BEIJING - Growth in China's manufacturing sector likely picked up slightly in March as authorities lifted winter industrial pollution restrictions and steel mills cranked up production as construction activity swings back into high gear. (CHINA-ECONOMY/PMI (CORRECTED, PREVIEW), moved, 406 words)

Australia job vacancies climb to fresh record in Feb qtr

SYDNEY - Job vacancies in Australia climbed to their highest on record in the three months to February, a seventh straight quarter of solid gains that augured well for continued growth in hiring. (AUSTRALIA-ECONOMY/VACANCIES, moved, 160 words)

Japan retail sales rise in Feb, suggest growing consumer confidence

TOKYO - Japan's retail sales rose in February as shoppers spent more on food, drinks and clothes, suggesting rising wages and a tight labour market are supporting consumer confidence. (JAPAN-ECONOMY/RETAIL (UPDATE 2), moved, by Stanley White, 391 words)

China's leaders approve rules to rein in $15 trillion asset management sector

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials have approved new regulations for the country's $15 trillion asset management sector, the establishment of a financial court in Shanghai and plans to deepen reform. (CHINA-ECONOMY/REGULATION (UPDATE 2), moved, 434 words)

Vietnam's agriculture, manufacturing help drive Q1 GDP growth

HANOI - Vietnam's economy posted its strongest first-quarter growth in 10 years, expanding 7.38 percent annually in January-March and backed by strong growth in manufacturing and agriculture, the country's statistics office said. (VIETNAM-ECONOMY/GDP (UPDATE 1), moved, by Mai Nguyen, 367 words)

Japan offers N Korea summit, Pyongyang discussing meetings with Japan -Asahi

TOKYO - Japan has sounded out the North Korean government about a bilateral summit, and Pyongyang has discussed the possibility of a leaders' meeting with Japan, Japan's Asahi newspaper said. (NORTHKOREA-MISSILES/JAPAN (UPDATE 2), moved, 459 words)

Shanghai oil futures sink below U.S. market; down 10 pct since Monday launch

BEIJING/SINGAPORE - Shanghai crude oil futures opened the morning session down nearly 2 percent, putting the new market at parity with U.S. prices as state oil majors and local traders continued to place bearish bets, traders said. (CHINA-OIL/FUTURES (UPDATE 1), moved, by Josephine Mason and Henning Gloystein, 238 words)

COMPANIES

Japanese drugmaker Takeda shares tumble as company considers bid for Shire

TOKYO - Takeda Pharmaceutical shares sank to their lowest level in almost a year after Japan's largest drugmaker said it was considering a bid for London-listed Shire that could top $40 billion. (SHIRE-M&A/TAKEDA PHARMA (UPDATE 1), moved, 243 words)

GM Korea to ask GM to roll over debt, cut interest rate -source

SEOUL - General Motors' South Korean unit plans to ask its U.S. headquarters to roll over a debt of 988 billion won owed by the loss-making unit and coming due in April, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. (GM-SOUTHKOREA/ (UPDATE 1), moved, 229 words)

SoftBank eyes 25 pct stake in Swiss Re worth $9.6 bln -Bloomberg

TOKYO - Japan's SoftBank Group Corp is looking to buy a 25 percent stake in Swiss Re AG worth about $9.6 billion as the firms' talks over a potential deal advance, Bloomberg reported. (SOFTBANK GROUP-SWISS RE/, moved, 118 words)

Mobis shareholders balk at Hyundai Motor Group overhaul plan

SEOUL - Investors wiped almost $2 billion off the market value of South Korea's Hyundai Mobis amid concerns a proposed restructuring of Hyundai Motor Group would benefit the controlling family ahead of shareholders. (HYUNDAI MOBIS-BOARD/STOCKS (UPDATE 2), moved, by Hyunjoo Jin and Joyce Lee, 441 words)

Sunac China's annual profit more than triples, debt ratio falls

HONG KONG - Sunac China, the country's fourth-largest property developer, said that core profit more than tripled, helped by a big jump in revenue. (SUNAC-RESULTS/, moved, 149 words)

China's Sunac washes its hands of embattled Leshi with $2.6 bln charge

HONG KONG - Sunac China, the country's No. 4 developer, said its investment in Leshi Internet Information & Technology Corp Beijing was a failure and would book a $2.6 billion charge, sending shares in the embattled tech firm sliding. (SUNAC-RESULTS/OUTLOOK (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved, 320 words)

Ex-boss of China's Anbang Insurance pleads for leniency in trial for economic crimes

SHANGHAI - The former chairman of China's Anbang Insurance Group Co Ltd requested leniency at the end of his high-profile trial in Shanghai for alleged economic crimes, including fraud and embezzlement involving more than $10 billion, according to court statements. (CHINA-ANBANG/TRIAL (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved, by John Ruwitch, 603 words)

Taiwan's Formosa buys naphtha; premium highest since Dec

SINGAPORE - Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemical Corp has bought naphtha this week at about $11 a tonne above its own price formula on a cost-and-freight (C&F) basis, making this the highest premium it has paid since December, traders said. (NAPHTHA-TAIWAN/FORMOSA, moved, 150 words)