AUSTRALIA

Asian stocks sank on Tuesday and the euro languished near a two-month low as investors took fright at the prospect of mass euro zone sovereign ratings downgrades after the outcome of a last chance European Union summit failed to convince markets.

President Barack Obama struck a pious tone on Sunday at a Christmas concert featuring teen pop star Justin Bieber and other singers that the president attended with his wife and daughters.

Australia-listed Indophil Resources, which holds a 37.5 percent stake in Southeast Asia's largest undeveloped copper-gold prospect, said on Monday it was considering also listing its shares in the Philippines, where a key shareholder is based.

Whitehaven Coal has agreed to take over Aston Resources and another miner in a $3 billion deal to create Australia's biggest independent coal miner, looking for scale as it taps into booming Asian coal demand.

The International Trade Commission this week is expected to determine if Taiwan's HTC infringed upon Apple's smartphone patents. Isn't there a more sensible way to manage the IP wars?

The dog's owner, Yumiko Shinohara, said Pusuke had a good appetite and was busy with morning and evening strolls before he suddenly quit eating on Monday, according to ABC Australia. After the dog refused to eat, it appeared to have difficulty breathing, the owner said.

Stargazers in Australia, Asia, and North America will have the best view of the total lunar eclipse that should be happening on Saturday, when the Earth will cast its shadow over the moon.

Lindsay Lohan's Playboys photos will get an early release because the cover and the photo spreads were leaked online, Hugh Hefner confirmed on Friday. Lindsay Lohan was the top search name on the Internet yesterday, Hefner tweeted. Her issue goes on sale late next week. Hot. Hot. Hot.

This will be a rare event not to miss for those living in the western third of the U.S. -- a total lunar eclipse on Saturday that's the last one the United States will see for almost three years.

Dutch architects MVRDV may describe their tower design as a pixeled cloud, but all viewers see are the Twin Towers exploding, and the striking resemblance has sparked instant controversy and threats against the designers. Though MVRDV claims the association is accidental, an earlier interview reveals Sept. 11 was a design inspiration for the team.

The total lunar eclipse will be most visible by those in the western half of the United States on Saturday, with views before dawn Pacific and Mountain Standard time. If clears skies prevail, the moon should be cast in a big shadow, appearing bright red and oversized. Beyond the U.S., those in places like Winnipeg, Guam, eastern Asia and Australia will be able to see it.

A total lunar eclipse will thrill sky-watchers early Saturday morning, Dec. 10. The best views will be the Pacific region, so, Australia, East Asia, Alaska and parts of Western Canada can expect to see the event starting at 4:45 a.m. Pacific Time. To watch the eclipse live, point your Web browser to the SLOOH space camera for real time views from telescopes in Hawaii, Austrailia and Asia.

Samsung Electronics Co won a round of its bruising global patent fight with Apple Inc on Friday when an Australian court lifted a ban on the sale of its Galaxy tablet computer in time for the busy Christmas shopping season.

A new University of Chicago study shows that rats demonstrate compassion for fellow rodent friends when one of them is trapped, even when they themselves are free and were offered food for ignoring their captured companions. The experiments present compelling evidence for rodent empathy, going against the idea that rats are greedy and selfish.

This year has been a good one for the music industry, with digital music sales witnessing a steady growth.

Sachin Tendulkar stepped on a plane on Thursday as the proud owner the highest individual score in 50-over cricket but will land on Australian soil to find that he has been robbed of the record by his one-time protege Virender Sehwag.

Samsung Electronics Co won a round of its bruising global patent fight with Apple Inc on Friday when an Australian court lifted a ban on the sale of its Galaxy tablet computer in time for the busy Christmas shopping season.

Samsung Electronics Co won a round of its bruising global patent fight with Apple Inc on Friday when an Australian court lifted a ban on the sale of its Galaxy tablet computer in time for the busy Christmas shopping season.

A French court rejected a request by Samsung Electronics Co to impose a preliminary sales ban on Apple's latest iPhone, Samsung said on Friday, as the two firms are locked in a bruising global patent war.

An Australian court on Friday lifted a ban on the sale of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy tablet computer in the country, adding to a U.S. legal victory for the South Korean technology firm in its bruising battle with Apple Inc.

EasyJet successfully tested a new ash detector system called AVOID on Wednesday that could put an end to future travel chaos in the wake of volcanic eruptions.