Germany's planned cuts to subsidies for photovoltaic solar energy installations could take effect as early as July, people familiar with the matter have said.

ASML said it expects first-quarter net sales this year of about 1.4 billion euros (US$1.88 billion), and said the company has the potential for 2011 sales of more than five billion euros. Sales in 2010 rose to 4.51 billion euros.

Apple acknowledged that it still can't make enough iPhones to meet demand, and the addition of the Verizon iPhone will simply add to the crunch.

So far, this week's visit by President Hu Jintao has pretty much followed the same script. Supreme Leader denies his country engages in such practices, then promises it will stop them in its own sweet time, without any more meddling interference from Imperialist Running Dogs."

Just more than a week after Goldman Sachs offered its most prized clients a chance to invest in Facebook, the firm on Monday withdrew the opportunity from clients in the US because of worries that the deal could run afoul of securities regulations.

Nokia will terminate its free service of music downloads for mobile phones, Ovi Music Unlimited, in the UK and 26 other countries. The service allows Nokia mobile phones' customers to download unlimited music for free. By the end of the year, the service will be discontinued in all but six countries.

Jobs, 55, has suffered in the past decade from two serious medical conditions. In 2004, he disclosed he had surgery to remove a rare form of pancreatic tumor. In 2009, he had a liver transplant.

Foreign direct investment in China hit a record US$105.7 billion last year, highlighting growing confidence in the economy even as Beijing seeks to rein in growth. China attracted US$14.03 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in December alone, up 15.6% from a year earlier.

Shares of Elpida Memory were up 2.3% in early Tokyo trading after business daily Nikkei reported in an unsourced story that the chipmaker plans to raise DRAM prices by about 10% as early as this month.

AUO CEO LJ Chen will be allowed to travel outside the US for the first time since criminal price-fixing charges restricted his movements. While in Taiwan Chen will not be allowed to meet with any of his co-defendants, some of whom may be there at the same time.

Steve Jobs said in an email to all Apple employees that the board of directors has granted him a medical leave of absence. Jobs will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company. COO Tim Cook will be responsible for all of Apple's day to day operations.

Singapore's exports rose at a slower pace in December, ending a year in which shipments jumped the most since 2003 as the global economic recovery boosted demand for the island's goods.

China's President Hu Jintao has said the international currency system was "a product of the past." He also implicitly criticized the Federal Reserve's recent decision to pump 600 billion dollars into the US economy, a move criticized as weakening the dollar at the expense of other countries' exports. The comments came ahead of a state visit to Washington on Wednesday.