JAPAN

Like many other sectors, the U.S. IT jobs market has been threatened by armies of smart, skilled and English-speaking professionals from emerging market countries like India, Pakistan and Russia.

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in a in a 4-1 vote, has allowed on Thursday new reactors to be built in the country since 1978.

A global probe into whether banks colluded to set the interest rates at which they borrow money from each other has thrown into question the future of the benchmark they use to price financial products worth an estimated $360 trillion.

On the snowy fringes of Japan's Fukushima city, now notorious as a byword for nuclear crisis, Zen monk Koyu Abe offers prayers for the souls of thousands left dead or missing after the earthquake and tsunami nearly one year ago.

Sony is offering consumers the opportunity to buy PS Vita games at a discounted price if they purchase their games online through the Sony Entertainment Network (SEN) in an effort to increase sales and cut out middle men like video game retailer Game Stop.

Incoming CEO Kazuo Hirai aims to re-shape Sony Corp by linking hardware and software through online networks -- a model he used at its PlayStation unit -- dismissing any suggestion the battered brand would revert to a gadget-centered strategy under his management.

The BSE Sensex closed down 0.46 percent on Friday, reversing early gains, after data showed the country's industrial output in December slowed sharply and Morgan Stanley cut its allocation for emerging market stocks.

Apple is gearing up for the release of the new iOS 5.1 software update for its existing iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 3G/4G, iPad and iPad 2 sometime around the first weekend of March, just in time for the much-awaited launch of the iPad 3 (if rumors are to be believed).

Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba plans to take private its Hong Kong-listed unit, two sources familiar with the matter said, as part of a complex deal that would strengthen founder Jack Ma's control and give key stakeholder Yahoo cash and a direct stake in one of Alibaba's operating businesses.

Trying to track China's economic course during the Lunar New Year can leave analysts howling at the moon. January auto sales tumbled, yet oil imports were the third highest on record. A measure of factory activity picked up, but trade data was weak.

The euro and Asian shares pulled back Friday as investors remained concerned about prospects of restructuring Greece's debt and global lenders demanded more steps even after it struck a long-awaited deal on fiscal reforms.

Tadashi Shoji took New York Fashion Week 2012 attendees to another era. In the middle of Manhattan, Fashion Week guests felt like they had been swept away to another time and place. They entered Shanghai in the 1930s, surrounded by chantilly lace, chiffon, high necks, cap sleeves, tiers, velvet and embroidery.

Incoming Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai aims to re-shape the company by linking hardware and software through online networks - a model he used at the PlayStation maker's computer entertainment unit.

U.S. market regulators charged a former employee of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd with making $63,000 in illegal profits on inside information about the company's 2008 agreement to acquire Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's reworked tablet PC does not look like a copycat version of the iPad, a German court said, affirming a preliminary assessment and dealing another legal blow to Apple Inc.

Trading in shares of Alibaba.com Ltd was halted on Thursday pending an announcement regarding its parent, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, which reportedly plans to buy back the 40 percent stake in it held by Yahoo Inc.

JP Morgan has replaced Asia ex-Japan fixed income investor sales head Simon Derrick with Sharad Desai and Sudhir Goel as part of a reorganization of its business in the region, according to sources familiar with the matter.

For the Missionary Church of Kopimism, which holds the computer commands CTRL+C and CTRL+V as sacred symbols, Internet is the altar, information is holy and copying is a sacrament.

Asian shares struggled but the euro recovered on Thursday, as markets were left without a clear direction after Greek political leaders failed again to conclude a deal for a bailout package, which Athens needs to avoid a messy debt default.

The BSE Sensex dropped 0.4 percent on Thursday on concerns about earnings outlook and investors took profits after the main index rallied 15 percent over the past five weeks.

Asian shares and the euro struggled Thursday, as sentiment grew cautious after Greek political leaders failed to conclude a deal for a bailout package crucial to avoiding a messy debt default.