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NICOSIA, April 11- Cyprus has allowed bank transactions of up to 300,000 euros domestically and raised the threshold for company payments abroad, partly easing capital controls in place since March 28 to avert a bank run, the finance ministry said on Thursday.

SEOUL, April 11- South Korea's central bank surprised markets by holding interest rates steady on Thursday, resisting political pressure for a cut and opting to further assess the effects from the government's stimulus steps and the impact of tensions with North Korea. Governor Kim Choong- soo is due to hold a news conference from 11:20 a.m..

SINGAPORE, April 12- London copper fell on Friday but was set to close the week up by more than 2 percent on modest seasonal strength in consumer demand in China, but gains were capped by fitful growth prospects in Europe and the United States.

*Ruling only impacts Vale for 1996-2001 taxes. *Decision may raise risk for Brazil multinationals. RIO DE JANEIRO, April 11- A Brazilian Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday will trim global miner Vale SA's 30.5 billion real disputed tax liability by about 5 percent while leaving the bulk of the debt up to future decisions by Brazil courts, company documents show.

April 10- AMR Corp's American Airlines, moving to gain more business travelers, on Wednesday said it plans to expand service from Los Angeles by adding flights to nine cities this year.

This includes 1.3 million vehicles in the United States. -Toyota Motor Corp is recalling about 1.73 million vehicles produced between November 2000 and March 2004, including 580,000 vehicles sold in North America and 490,000 vehicles sold in Europe.

WASHINGTON, April 11- The World Bank said on Thursday it would lend between $3 billion to $5 billion annually to India under a new four-year plan that focuses development projects on the country's poorest states.

April 11- Rite Aid Corp posted its second consecutive quarterly profit on Thursday, as the third-largest U.S. drugstore chain filled more prescriptions and sold more generic drugs, which carry higher profit margins.

*Yum Brands falls on avian flu sales impact. NEW YORK, April 11- U.S. stocks were set to inch higher at the open on Thursday, indicating the Dow and S&P may continue to scale historic highs after data showed new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week.

April 11- Rite Aid Corp posted its second consecutive quarterly profit on Thursday, as the third-largest U.S. drugstore chain filled more prescriptions and sold more generic drugs, which carry higher profit margins.

LONDON, April 11- The opening up of China's $3 trillion mainland share market, one of the world's last big investment frontiers, is setting the stage for a huge shake up of equity indices and global fund flows.

*Japanese parts maker Takata says supplied the problematic airbags. *Takata says also supplied the airbags to foreign carmakers. TOKYO, April 11- Four Japanese automakers including Toyota Motor Corp, and Nissan Motor Co are recalling 3.4 vehicles sold around the world because airbags supplied by Takata Corp are at risk of catching fire or injuring passengers.

April 11- Rite Aid Corp posted its second consecutive quarterly profit on Thursday, as the third largest U.S. drugstore chain filled more prescriptions and sold more generic drugs, which carry higher profit margins.

*China copper output seen up in Q2 on Sterlite shutdown. SINGAPORE, April 11- London copper drifted on Thursday, with consumers reluctant to chase prices that hit two-week highs earlier in the week given global oversupply, but growing optimism over China's economic revival after lending surged in March cushioned prices.

China same-store sales drop 13 pct in March. *Troubles in China may go deeper than bird flu- analysts. April 11- Yum Brands Inc, the biggest foreign fast-food chain operator in China, is in danger of breaking its 11- year streak of double-digit profit growth as it scrambles to deal with food scares and bird flu in its most lucrative market.

SEOUL, April 11- South Korea's central bank surprised markets by holding interest rates steady on Thursday, resisting pressure from the new government for a cut and signalling it was not ready to reduce rates any time soon. The Bank of Korea kept its base rate steady at 2.75 percent.

NEW YORK, April 10- A former KPMG senior audit partner who resigned after admitting to passing on inside information about corporate clients Herbalife Ltd and Skechers USA Inc was betrayed by the golf partner he had been tipping, the auditor's lawyer said.

SEOUL, April 11- North Korea, which has suffered chronic food shortages for decades, has had a surge in agricultural production due to a new pay-based incentive system for farmers last year, a pro- Pyongyang newspaper reported on Thursday, citing farm managers.

April 10- First Solar Inc this week cast itself as a formidable survivor of solar industry turmoil, but some in the market expressed doubt that the company would be able to meet aggressive goals for cost reductions, technology advances and contract wins.