WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar is lower as commodity prices fall following weak Chinese economic data.
At 0630 AEST on Thursday, the local unit was trading at 70.00 US cents, down from 70.48 cents on Wednesday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open slightly higher despite Wall Street falling after data showed the feeblest Chinese factory activity in more than six years.
At 0645 AEST on Thursday, the share price index futures contract was up 11 points at 5,006.
ELSEWHERE:
WOLFSBURG - Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn has resigned over a pollution cheating scandal that has sparked a US criminal investigation and worldwide legal action with unfathomable financial consequences for the auto giant.
PARIS - Fitch Ratings is threatening to downgrade Volkswagen's credit rating over a worldwide pollution cheating scandal, placing it under review until the scale of the company's woes becomes clear.
FRANKFURT - German public prosecutors have launched a preliminary criminal inquiry into the pollution cheating scandal that has engulfed auto giant Volkswagen.
BEIJING - A key measure of manufacturing in the world's second largest economy fell to a new six-and-a-half-year low in September, financial publisher Caixin says.
LUSAKA - Swiss mining giant Glencore, hard hit by collapsing commodity prices, has notified the Zambian government that its Mopani copper mine will lay off nearly 3,800 workers.
SEATTLE - Boeing has announced a record order by a group of Chinese firms for the purchase of 300 aircraft worth some $US38 billion ($A53.63 billion).
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