Beijing — While the number of Chinese social networking site (SNS) users has been steadily increasing, growth rates in the crowded market appear to have slowed, with some firms losing users and others shutting down all together.

BEIJING — Chinese 3G operators may be licking their chops as the watch more and more people fondling their flashy new iPads and iPhone 4s across China.

MADRID — Telefonica SA reached an initial agreement to buy Portugal Telecom SGPS SA's stake in Brazil's Vivo Participacoes SA after raising its bid a third time to 7.5 billion euros ($9.8 billion), a person close to the talks said.

TOKYO — Sanyo Electric Co, the battery maker acquired by Panasonic Corp, returned to profit in the first quarter and raised its profit forecasts, citing stronger earnings from solar panels and electronic components.

BEIJING — Local media is speculating that Dutch electronics giant Royal Philips Electronics is mulling whether to sell its LCD TV business in the Chinese market to Hong Kong-listed TPV Technology Limited. Philips spokesman Zhang Tonghua called the report "rumor and speculation".

Beijing — HTC Corp, a smartphone- and PC-maker based in Taiwan, is poised for growth in the mainland as its products are expected to gain more ground due to a strong distribution channels, brand positioning and premium products, said Peter Chou, its chief executive officer and president.