JAPAN

Asian stock markets declined Friday as weak economic reports from Japan and South Korea revived concerns over the global economic growth while investors opted for caution ahead of the long-awaited speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke at the Jackson Hole symposium later in the day.

U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Friday ahead of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech at the Jackson Hole symposium where he is expected to announce another round of monetary easing.

Asian stocks declined to a four-week low on Friday as investor sentiment was weighed down by fading optimism on U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to announce more monetary stimulus at the Jackson Hole convention.

Asian markets fell Friday as investor confidence was weighed down amid increasing concerns about the global economy after data showed a fall in the industrial output of Japan and South Korea.

Asian shares fell Friday as investors cooled expectations that U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will offer any signal of a further monetary stimulus when he speaks at an annual meeting of central bankers later in the day.

China's credit risk is probably much worse than the official non-performing loan (NPL) data suggests, according to Société Générale's China macro strategist Wei Yao.

Japanese toilet company Toto Ltd. (Tokyo: 5332) debuted a poop-powered motorcycle, the Toilet Bike Neo, this week and toured it around the country.

Asian stock markets declined Thursday as the disappointing Japan retail sales data and the fading hopes for fresh measure by the Fed Reserve weighed on the sentiment.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a lower open Thursday as investors continue to have concerns about the weakening global economy and worsening economic growth momentum.

Asian shares hit a one-month low on growth concerns Thursday as investors await indications of further U.S. stimulus from the U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s on Friday. Meanwhile, the major currencies were range-bound.

Asian markets fell Thursday as investors' concerns about the weakening global economy was revived by the declining Japanese retail sales and disappointing South Korean manufacturers' confidence data.

Asian shares eased and major currencies stayed range-bound Thursday as investors avoided betting on direction before a speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, with focus on whether there will be any hint about further U.S. stimulus.

North Korean and Japanese officials meet for the first time in four years, but solutions to core issues blocking normal diplomatic relations remain far off.

Prostitution is rising to dangerous levels in Madagascar, and this has become one of the most controversial signifiers of the country's political and economic breakdown over the last three years.

Imagine some 40,000 men and women swimming in a sea of pasta sauce and you can begin to picture what it's like to attend the Tomatina Festival, the world's largest tomato fight.

The South Africa rugby head coach has changes in store for his matches against Australia and New Zealand.

The U.S. economy expanded slightly faster than initially thought in the second quarter, but the pace of growth is still too slow to create enough jobs and drive down the unemployment. Economists are forecasting even slower growth in the second half of 2012, which will probably keep expectations of additional monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve intact.

Legendary private equity investor Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (NYSE: KKR) may seek to acquire control of Japan’s Renesas Electronics (Tokyo: 6723) for a 100 million yen (US $1.27 billion) investment, which would be its largest in Japan, financial news agencies reported.

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as investors remained watchful waiting for policymakers around the world to announce stimulus measures to boost the faltering global economy.

The euro remained firm while Asian shares steadied Wednesday as investors awaited U.S. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's Friday speech.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a slightly higher open Tuesday as investors follow a waiting strategy anticipating that the Federal Reserve will soon announce stimulus measures to rejuvenate the economic growth.