TOKYO (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) is likely to have secured a group operating profit of about 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in April-June, thanks to solid sales and a sharp recovery from the previous year’s loss, the Nikkei business daily said on Sunday. But the automaker, which had a loss of 194.8 billion [...]

LONDON (AFP) – The euro briefly topped 1.30 dollars on Tuesday, nearing a 10-week high point as the US currency was plagued by renewed concerns over the US economic outlook. In early trading, the shared eurozone unit struck 1.3029, the highest point since May 10. It later pulled back to 1.2976 dollars, up from 1.2943 [...]

BEIJING (Reuters) – Premier Wen Jiabao said China’s economy was responding appropriately to its stable policies, adding “relatively fast” growth would help create jobs and boost domestic demand, the Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday. Ending a three-day visit to the northwestern provincial capital of Xi’an, Wen said the country’s economic performance was consistent with [...]

BERLIN – Germany’s autobahns are renowned for average speeds well in excess of 80 miles (130 kilometers) an hour. But the average dropped near zero Sunday as tens of thousands of people sat at a 37-mile table for a cultural celebration titled, appropriately enough, “Still Life.” Cars were strictly verboten. “Attention on the A40,” a [...]

CUPERTINO, California (Reuters) – A defiant Steve Jobs on Friday rejected any suggestion the iPhone 4′s design was flawed, but offered consumers free phone cases to address reception complaints that have hurt Apple Inc’s image and shares. At a rare, 90-minute press conference, the Apple chief executive asserted that reception issues were a problem shared [...]

CANBERRA (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard called an election on Saturday for August 21, with the tightly-fought poll to be decided over policies on economic management, climate and border protection. Australia’s first female prime minister was appointed three weeks ago by the ruling Labor party as the government faced electoral defeat. Since then [...]

NEW YORK – Thierry Henry is retiring from the French national team. The 32-year-old forward announced his decision Thursday at the offices of The Associated Press before a news conference to discuss his signing with Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls. A member of France’s 1998 world championship and 2000 European champion teams, Henry [...]

BANGALORE (AFP) – India’s second-biggest software exporter Infosys announced Tuesday a surprise 2.4 percent fall in first quarter consolidated net profit but raised its revenue outlook for the full year. The company said it was confident of riding out the effects of the European financial crisis and was “preparing for a high-growth path” in the [...]

Oil prices rose Tuesday as the global recovery got a boost on two fronts after weeks of mixed economic news. Benchmark crude rose about 3 percent in midday trading, a day after the quarterly company earnings season got off to a better-than-expected start. In addition, a new global forecast called for a slight improvement in [...]

HONG KONG (AFP) – Asian shares sank on Tuesday as optimism about US corporate earnings tapered off and China denied it was easing restrictions aimed at curbing its red-hot property market. The Nikkei index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange closed down 0.11 percent after a brief rally, continuing its slide from the previous session after [...]