"The hybrid bet is a turning point,'' said a person with direct knowledge of Toyota's plans. ``It will be a litmus test for Toyota's future and success in India.''

Some Chinese traders expect more Russian coal to flow into China in the fourth quarter when utilities in the northern region build stocks for the winter heating season.

The onshore yuan opened at 6.82 per dollar and touched a low of 6.8308, the weakest level since Sept 2020, while its offshore counterpart fell to a near two-year low of 6.852

China's economy narrowly avoided a contraction in the second quarter as widespread lockdowns and a property crisis took a heavy toll on consumer and business confidence.

Officials in western Sichuan province have maintained their ban on industrial facilities using power until Thursday, when rain has been forecast, a report on Sunday said

"We can expect more geopolitical contestation in the Asia-Pacific," he said, adding that Singapore would try its best to avoid being caught up in the "major power rivalry".

Japan is considering extending the range of its missiles from 100 kilometres to 1,000 kilometres to boost its ability to strike back against China, the Yomiuri daily said.

The Philippine ambassador in Washington said his country is talking to the US about buying heavy-lift Chinooks, after Duterte scrapped a $227m Russian deal to avoid Ukraine sanctions

For a period on Friday solar accounted for about 40% of power on the national market, over coal at 38%, according to the report, which said this is the future under renewables.

Russia claims to be the only country that can do a complete transfer of technology in hi-tech defence equipment, the report said

Extreme temperatures in July caused direct economic losses of 2.73 billion yuan ($400 million), affecting 5.5 million people and 457,500 hectares of land

A Shanghai court gave Xiao Jianhua 13 years in jail, while his Tomorrow Holdings group was hit with a record 55-billion-yuan fine ($8.1 billion) for illegally siphoning public money, bribery