BEIRUT / AFP Iran and European planemaker ATR are due to sign a deal next week for the purchase of 20 short-haul passenger aircraft, an Iranian official said, weeks after Tehran finalised deals with Boeing and Airbus. ATR, co-owned by Airbus and Italy’s Leonardo Finmeccanica , in February reported preliminary orders from Iran for 20 twin-engine turboprop ATR 72-600 ...

  Bloomberg The rising number of single-person households in South Korea is helping to fuel a boom in neighborhood convenience stores, one of the few bright spots in the nation’s sluggish economy. The number of convenience stores has jumped by more than half over the past five years, to 32,000 this year, according to the Korea Association of Convenience Store ...

  Beijing / AFP Taiwan tech-giant Foxconn plans to build an $8.8-billion factory in China, state media said Saturday, amid reports its billionaire boss is cooling off on future US investments. Foxconn, a major Apple supplier, will spend the vast sum on an industrial complex in the sprawling southern city of Guangzhou. The factory will make large-screen liquid crystal displays ...