A $10 million ransom has been demanded by the group holding Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda in Syria.
The Global Slavery Index 2016, released Tuesday, found that India topped the list with the highest number of people in modern slavery.
The better-than-expected data triggered a brief rebound in the yen that pushed the dollar off its one-month high against the Japanese currency.
Japan has put its anti-ballistic missile forces on alert at least twice this year after signs of launches by North Korea.
Goh Chok Tong, Singapore’s emeritus senior minister, said China's growing presence in the region could result in “a more militarized South China Sea.”
The move is expected to improve internet speed and coverage in the Philippines while leaving room for a third player to enter the market.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.25 percent as markets pondered the Fed outlook.
The Fed chair’s rate hike endorsement Friday was just what the currency market was looking for to take the already-bullish dollar yet higher early Monday.
The French finance minister said his earlier statement that “maybe” a key article of the draft bill could be tweaked to compromise, had been misunderstood.
Shinzo Abe reportedly has told the finance minister of the country and the secretary general of his ruling party about his plan to propose postponing the tax hike a second time.
The announcement follows protests concerning the rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman by a former U.S. Marine who was arrested last week.
G-7 leaders wrapped up a summit in central Japan vowing to use “all policy tools” to boost demand and ease supply constraints.
Eight automakers said they were recalling 12 million vehicles nationwide, while recalls linked to defective Takata airbags in Japan have reached 19.6 million cars.
Germany hinted Friday that it would support the gradual lifting of sanctions on Russia ahead of a July decision to renew.
The Canadian drugmaker rejected the bid this spring, according to a source familiar with the matter.
In the face of mass protests by workers in the country, the French president said Friday his government will not “accept that there are unions that dictate the law.”
Over 300 passengers and crew were evacuated from the aircraft preparing to take off from Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
U.S. Steel is seeking to halt nearly all imports from China's largest steel producers and trading houses.
The U.S. president culminated his trip to Japan with a historic visit to Hiroshima, which was targeted by an American atomic bomb, saying: “The memory of the morning of Aug. 6, 1945, must never fade.”
Asian stocks pulled ahead on Friday after U.S. data released on Thursday showed durable goods orders, pending home sales and initial jobless claims coming in strong.
Obama becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, Japan.
The first to connect the U.S. and southern Europe, the 4,100-mile cable will be managed by Telefonica’s telecommunications infrastructure unit Telxius.