CHINA

Japan and North Korea are to hold their first governmental-level talk for the first time in four years on Aug. 29, the Japanese government announced.

Market researcher Gartner Group (NYSE: IT) said global smartphone sales eased 2.3 percent in the second quarter to 419 million units, accounting for a record 36.7 percent of all mobile phone sales.

Taiwan and Japan have an awkward relationship that is compromised and complicated by various intractable issues - namely, Mainland China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and has compelled most nations of the earth to deny diplomatic recognition of the island.

Shares of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, have recovered lost ground and are trading not much below their record high of $644 set on April 10. Despite a setback when third-quarter earnings fell shy of estimates last month, they could set another record again this week.

Most of the Asian markets rose Tuesday amid hopes that the Bank of Japan will soon announce stimulus measures to regain the economic growth momentum.

Asian shares steadied Tuesday with investors staying sidelined ahead of more figures from Europe and the United States later in the day, after recent data showed the euro zone's debt woes were eroding business activity globally.

Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC), the lender divesting assets to raise capital, said Monday it has agreed to sell Merrill Lynch's International Wealth Management business outside the U.S. to Swiss private bank Julius Baer Group Ltd.

British musicians The Who, One Direction and the Spice Girls highlighted the 2012 Olympic closing ceremony. Here are some pictures from the last night in London.

The U.S. won a total of 104 medals -- the most of any country at the London Summer Olympics -- including 46 gold, 29 silver and 29 bronze. China was second, with 88 medals, while Great Britain was third, with 65. The games ended Sunday.

U.S. stock index futures point to a lower open Monday as investor confidence was dragged down by concerns about the weakening of the global economy following the fragile gross domestic product growth in Japan in the second quarter.

Kevin Durant and LeBron James were on their game on Sunday against Spain.

While the London 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony has yet to air, all the athletic competitions were completed Sunday by about 1 p.m. EDT, allowing for a final medal count. Read on to see which countries came out ahead this year.

The Arab League has indefinitely postponed a meeting to discuss the Syria crisis, suspending the effort to find a replacement for former United Nations envoy Kofi Annan.

As London gears up to host the Closing Ceremony of Olympics 2012, here's a random selection of golden moments that had adrenalin rushing and fans awestruck.

Asian stock markets ended with gains last week as sentiment continued to improve on hopes that the European Central Bank would shortly take policy action to lower the peripheral bond yields of struggling nations such as Italy and Spain.

It was the second-to-last day of the Olympics, and it was an eventful one.

London will celebrate a momentous Olympics with a start-studded closing ceremony.

Asian markets gained this week on buoyed investor confidence with indications of an improving U.S. economy and the hopes of an announcement of stimulus measures by China to regain the economic growth momentum.

Chinese conglomerate Wanxiang Qianchao Co. (Shanghai: 000559) is offering a $450 million lifeline to struggling battery manufacturer A123 Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: AONE), but the deal is facing right-wing opposition in the U.S.

A woman in China who went to Changsha Central Hospital was in for a surprise when she sought help for an itch in her left ear. Doctors removed a spider from her ear canal that had been living inside her for five days.

Blizzard Entertainment, the developer behind PC gaming sensations “Diablo” and “World of Warcraft,” has warned players that personal information may have been leaked. The company was recently targeted by a network hack, but no financial information is believed to have been stolen.