JAPAN

Most Asian markets rose Wednesday but investors remained watchful about the the debt crisis looming over the euro zone.

The Chinese government has spent billions to buy Japanese stocks as the euro zone crisis lingers, in an effort to diversify its investments, the AFP reported.

South Korea announced it will halt imports of Iranian crude oil as the European Union's ban on insuring oil shipments from Iran comes into effect toward the end of the month.

According to the Economic and Social Research Institute's latest Perinatal Statistics Report, Ireland's birth rate increased nearly 30 percent over the past ten years, equating to about 17,000 more births in 2010 than ten years prior.

Nissan Motor Company (Tokyo: 7201) CEO Carlos Ghosn was the highest-paid CEO in Japan in the last fiscal year with a salary and bonus totaling 987 million yen ($12.5 million), according to Reuters.

A new study says the swine flu pandemic of 2009 might have killed as many as 579,000 people. The original count, compiled by the World Health Organization, put the number at 18,500.

Asian Stock markets mostly declined Tuesday as market participants continued to doubt the ability of European leaders in tackling the debt crisis at a European summit later this week.

Most Asian markets fell Tuesday as investor sentiments continued to be dragged down by concerns over the debt crisis looming over the euro zone.

Most Asian markets fell Monday as investor sentiment continued to be dragged down by concerns over the looming debt crisis in the euro zone.

In the 1950s, a consumer who wanted to buy eyeglasses borrowed $40 from the bank. Fast-forward to 2012: how about using your digital wallet to buy those glasses with your mobile phone? Maybe later this year.

The market sentiment is likely to remain subdued in the coming week as increasing expectations of a further global slowdown and economic headwinds from the euro zone will continue to weigh.

UNESCO's World Heritage Committee meets this week to select new additions to the World Heritage List. But with little money and over 900 sites already, is the World Heritage emblem now just a fancy name for a lame duck?

Japan's economy appears to be weakening in the April-June quarter as business conditions deteriorate and exports flatten off, suggesting that the recovery may have lost momentum.

Most Asian markets fell this week as investors were worried after the U.S. Federal Reserve refused to announce a further round of quantitative easing and the HSBC Flash Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) indicated that China's manufacturing activity was faltering.

A roundup of the latest news as Manchester United look set for an active summer in the transfer market.

Just weeks after E3 2012, Nintendo has announced its next release in its family of gaming products. Fans may be awaiting more information on the Wii U console, but the company has just unveiled its Nintendo 3DS XL handheld, a follow-up to the three-dimensional portable gaming device.

Four years ago, for every five shipping containers that Asia sent to the U.S., America sent back only two, resulting in gluts of empty containers at U.S. West Coast ports and a widening trade deficit with countries like China and Japan.

Asian stock markets declined Friday, following a slump in the Wall Street overnight, as weak manufacturing reports from Europe, China and the U.S. dampened hopes for a global economic recovery.

Most Asian markets fell Friday due to investor concerns following indications of a faltering U.S. economy and the downgrading of global banks by Moody's Investor Service.

Asian shares fell Friday and the safe-haven dollar hovered near its highest in a week-and-a-half after weak manufacturing data from the United States, Europe and China heightened fears over the outlook for global growth.

Japan's gaping trade shortfall with the EU could exacerbate its fiscal woes by worsening its debt situation and subjecting Japanese government bonds to rising yields in the face of mounting market fears and increasing skepticism among U.S investors.