| * China trade shows signs of recovery * Asian stocks still in the doldrums; China data looms * China fines milk formula makers in pricing probe * Bank of Korea: better times ahead * Weak real dents Vale profits * Barack Obama cancels Russia summit over Snowden * Russia: tech leaders mobilise behind Navalny * Sanofi takes China scrutiny 'seriously' * Rio scraps Pacific Aluminium unit sale Markets: mixed China trade shows signs of recovery
China's exports and imports grew strongly in July, a sign that the economy may be stabilising after a shaky first half of the year.
http://on.ft.com/194zwBa Fears rise of Egypt camps crackdown
Egypt's military-backed authorities blamed their Islamist opponents for the failure of international mediation efforts to defuse the country's political crisis and warned that its decision to break up Islamist protest camps in Cairo was "final and irreversible".
http://on.ft.com/1ccqvLg Asian stocks still in the doldrums; China data looms
Asian stocks found a tentative footing early on Thursday, having suffered their biggest one-day slide in a month, though investors were nervous ahead of a slew of Chinese data as a troubling slowdown in the world's second-largest economy has rattled global markets recently.
http://reut.rs/13OwM6J China fines milk formula makers in pricing probe
Chinese regulators have fined six baby formula manufacturers more than $100m for price fixing, in a major escalation of their actions under the country's anti-monopoly law.
http://on.ft.com/13EZvOX Bank of Korea: better times ahead
The Bank of Korea held rates steady on Thursday at 2.5 per cent – the third hold in a row. So far, all as expected. But the statement from the bank was a fair bit more optimistic than in previous monetary policy minutes.
http://on.ft.com/194RVho Weak real dents Vale profits
Profits at Vale, the world's largest producer of iron ore, plunged more than 80 per cent in the second quarter after currency losses and lower sales led to one of the company's worst results in a decade.
http://on.ft.com/1etKWiD Barack Obama cancels Russia summit over Snowden
President Barack Obama has cancelled talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that were due to be held next month, highlighting the deteriorating relations between the two world powers following the saga of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
http://on.ft.com/1cvD1Vt Russia: tech leaders mobilise behind Navalny
Businessmen in Russia tend to steer clear of politics fearing reprisals from the Kremlin. But in a landmark event more than thirty top managers from Russian internet companies have declared their support for Alexei Navalny's campaign to become mayor of Moscow.
http://on.ft.com/1cKhYNt Sanofi takes China scrutiny 'seriously'
Sanofi says it takes "very seriously" allegations about its China operations following a local media report that a whistleblower alleged the French pharmaceutical company paid Rmb1.69m ($276,000) in bribes to 503 doctors in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou in 2007.
http://on.ft.com/13lTkLZ Rio scraps Pacific Aluminium unit sale
Rio Tinto has scrapped plans to sell its Pacific Aluminium division, blaming tough market conditions after reporting first-half underlying earnings down almost a fifth on last year.
http://on.ft.com/13IvkX6 Emerging Markets
MSCI Emerging Market Index up +0.37% at 941.33 Europe
FTSE down +0.44% at 6,540
RTS up +0.02% at 1,302
Warsaw Wig up +1.59% at 49,074
FTSE 300 Eurotop up +0.48% at 1,223 Americas
DJIA down -0.31% at 15,471
S&P 500 down -0.38% at 1,691
Bovespa up +0.05% at 47,447 Asia
Nikkei 225 down -1.59% at 13,606
Topix down -1.36% at 1,140
Hang Seng up +0.31% at 21,656
Shanghai Composite down -0.09% at 2,045
MSCI Asia ex-Japan up +0.40% at 434.86
CNX Nifty up +0.84% at 5,566 Currencies
€/$ 1.34 (1.33)
$/¥ 96.28 (96.29) Commodities
Brent Crude (ICE) down -0.29 at 107.15
Light Crude (Nymex) down -0.01 at 104.36
100 Oz Gold (Comex) up +3.90 at 1,290 | 
