Tokyo / Bloomberg Japan’s major companies are giving lower wage increases next fiscal year as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s efforts to boost the economy falter. Toyota Motor Corp. agreed to increase monthly base salaries 1,500 yen ($13) in the year beginning April, according to a statement from the company on Wednesday. That compares with a 4,000 yen hike this fiscal ...

Beijing / AFP China’s economy will not suffer a “hard landing”, Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday, stepping up Beijing’s charm offensive to reassure investors that the government can manage slowing growth. “We have long-term confidence in the Chinese economy and this confidence isn’t without a foundation,” Li told his once-a-year press conference at the end of the National People’s ...

Islamabad / AP Turkmenistan’s president has arrived in Pakistan on a two-day visit that is likely to focus on a proposed gas pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan, Pakistan and on to India. The project, known as TAPI, is aimed at meeting the regional energy needs. Pakistani state-run TV showed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif receiving Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on Wednesday, complete with ...