Nov 12 (Reuters) - Manulife Financial ( MFC ) reported

a rise in third-quarter profit on Wednesday, as the Canadian

insurer was helped by a strong performance in its Asia unit.

The company's core earnings came in at C$2.04 billion

($1.45 billion), or C$1.16 per share, in the three months ended

September 30, compared with C$1.83 billion, or C$1.00 per share,

a year earlier.

($1 = 1.4024 Canadian dollars)