Japanese shares retreated to one-week lows on Thursday as doubts over an interim U.S.-China trade deal lifted the safe-haven yen, while Line Corp and Z Holdings surged on news that the Yahoo Japan operator was in merger talks with messaging app firm Line.

Annual profits at China's Ningbo S-Power International Logistics Co are down a sharp 40% year-on-year, and export orders have also fallen at a similarly dizzying rate.

LONDON, Nov 14 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From tagging photos on Facebook to driving with Google Maps, people should join forces in "data unions" to demand payment for letting online tools collect their data, according to an economist advocating for radical reforms to improve society.

* Company blacklisted by U.S. in October for Xinjiang involvement (Adds company comment, share price fall)

Brazilian electronics and appliances retailer Via Varejo SA posted a net loss of 383 million reais ($92 million) in the third quarter, it said in a securities filing on Wednesday, compared with a loss of 83 million reais a year ago.

India's dependency on cash may slow the country's transition to digital payments despite large numbers of internet and mobile phone users.

Democratic lawmakers tried their hand at reality television with mixed results on Wednesday as they presented arguments to the American public for the impeachment of a former star of the genre, Donald Trump.

LONDON, Nov 14 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From tackling diseases to improving transport, technology like data and artificial intelligence has unleashed a wave of opportunities, but those still exclude society's most vulnerable citizens, according to a leading human rights researcher.

China will lower the minimum capital ratio requirement for some infrastructure investment projects, state television CCTV said on Wednesday, citing a cabinet meeting chaired by premier Li Keqiang.

* Would bring Line, valued at $10 bln, under SoftBank umbrella (Adds share moves)