SHANGHAI, June 30 (Reuters) - Asian shares rose and a gauge of global equities hovered near record highs on Wednesday after rising consumer confidence in economic recovery boosted the Nasdaq index to its highest-ever closing level.

BEIJING, June 30 (Reuters) - China's factory activity expanded at a slightly slower pace in June, as high raw material costs and port disruptions in the export province of Guangdong affected business activity.

SINGAPORE, June 30 (Reuters) - The dollar clung to recent gains on Wednesday as virus woes raised concerns in a market already on edge ahead of U.S. jobs data seen as crucial to the Federal Reserve's monetary policy outlook.

China's economy has grown by 189 times over the past 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), a Chinese official said Monday at a press conference in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese factory activity likely expanded at a slower pace in June, hit by a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the major export province of Guangdong, a Reuters poll showed on Monday, though quick containment indicates economic disruption is easing.

MELBOURNE, June 29 (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped for a second day on Tuesday on worries about slower fuel demand growth as outbreaks of the highly contagious COVID-19 variant Delta sparked new mobility restrictions around the world.