WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has hit a four week high following the release of some strong Chinese manufacturing data.
At 0630 AEDT on Thursday, the local unit was trading at 78.96 US cents, up from 78.88 cents on Wednesday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open lower following falls on Wall Street which dipped from record highs following mixed earnings reports.
At 0645 AEDT on Thursday, the March share price index futures contract was down 16 points at 5,902.
ELSEWHERE:
BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has welcomed as a "starting point" reform pledges made by Greece in return for a four-month extension to its bailout program.
BRUSSELS - The European Union unveiled plans for a continent-wide single energy market to reduce its uneasy reliance on Russian supplies and cut a massive annual import bill of some 400 billion euros ($A581.28 billion).
WASHINGTON - Sales of new US homes were basically flat in January, evidence that recent job gains and relatively low mortgage rates have yet to spur the real estate market.
COPENHAGEN - Lego has continued to capture the imagination of children after new figures showed the world's best-selling toy firm boosted sales and profits.
FRANKFURT - The German chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors are projecting a drop in sales this year as falling oil prices weigh on chemicals prices, the VCI industry federation says.
PARIS - French insurance group AXA, number two in Europe after German giant Allianz, has posted a 12 per cent profit surge in 2014 to 5.02 billion euros ($A7.27 billion).
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia - Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj will pardon three foreign mining executives, including an American jailed on tax evasion charges, media reports and aides say, as he seeks to encourage overseas investment in the vital sector.
PARIS - European SIM maker Gemalto says it has suffered hacking attacks that may have been conducted by US and British intelligence agencies, but denies any "massive theft" of encryption keys that could be used to spy on conversations.
NEW YORK - A US federal jury says Apple should pay nearly $US533 million ($A675.41 million) to resolve claims that the payment system tied to its iTunes product infringes on patents issued to a business named Smartflash.
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