JAPAN

A school cafeteria in China's Shandong province may have attempted to serve whale meat to students -- an illegal act that came to light when the whale's carcass was discovered in the kitchen. It has since disappeared, and so has the cafeteria's manager

Apple's senior VP of industrial design Jonathan Jony Ive, who was also Apple founder Steve Jobs' closest friend and confidant, was asked by The Telegraph what project he would like to be remembered by. Even though Ive is behind some of Apple's most courageous product designs, the design guru actually said Apple's current project could be his finest hour.

Do host cities make money?

2012 will be a historic moment in the shift of global power from the West to the East. According to expert estimates and figures on military spending, in 2012 Asia's spending on defense will eclipse Europe's for the first time in the modern era.

Hazard to sign for United, Kagwa bid lodged and more speculation involving Manchester United's transfer targets.

The meteoric rise of a natural, healthy alternative to sugar - a holy grail for the food industry - might just be a little too good to be true. In two years stevia, a plant used for centuries by Paraguay's Guarani Indians, has shot to prominence in products by Coca-Cola, Danone and Merisant.

Japan Tobacco Inc. (Tokyo: JT) is buying all outstanding shares in Belgian tobacco company Gryson NV from its parent GT&Co BVBA for ?475 million ($596.3 million), the company announced Thursday.

The common currency was punished overnight as sentiment regarding Greece turned from bad to worse.

Asian markets fell Thursday on increasing concerns about the debt crisis looming over the euro zone as national leaders were unable to present specific steps to overcome the situation in Europe.

The Philippines is getting ships and assistance from other countries as it faces off against China, but it's still a far cry from matching Beijing's military capabilities

Investors on Wednesday eagerly snatched up a new two-year German bond with a zero-percent coupon, meaning investors were willing to pay to loan money to Europe's strongest economy when expected inflation is factored in. The yield ended at 0.07 percent.

The Indian rupee descended to the all-time-low of 56.04 per dollar Wednesday even as the Reserve Bank of India and the Indian government said that they were monitoring the situation closely and taking corrective measures.

Futures on major U.S. stock indices point to a lower opening Wednesday ahead of new home sales data for April and a European Union summit.

Market sentiment continued to be negative as a report quoting former Greek prime minister Lucas Papademos stated that Greece was considering preparations to leave the euro zone. Greece will hold fresh elections June 17.

Asian stock markets declined Wednesday as renewed concerns of Greece's probable exit from the euro zone dampened sentiment.

Japan reported Wednesday a rise in trade deficit in April compared to a year earlier as the nuclear energy crisis has resulted in the increase of oil and gas imports.

Comments regarding a rebound in the Chinese economy from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development lifted stocks earlier Tuesday and kept Asian and European bourses in the green. The comments came after Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said last weekend his government would focus more on growth than inflation.

A year after a deadly tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri, killing hundreds, residents remembered the first anniversary with a sunrise service for medical workers and volunteers and survivors who were mobilized into action.

iPhone 5 rumors are heating up if Apple hopes to release the smartphone between June and October. The latest report comes from 9 to 5 Mac, which says it has independently heard that Apple is testing multiple versions of its sixth-generation iPhone, but the displays are not only bigger, but sharper, too.

Days after France attempted to ban a genetically-modified strain of maize created by the controversial agricultural company Monsanto, based in St. Louis, Mo., the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) rejected France's grounds for banning the maize, even though France believes the corn is harmful to the environment.

The 2,080-foot Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest freestanding tower, opened to the public on Tuesday.