JAPAN

Consumer spending rebounded strongly in July to post the largest increase in five months on strong demand for motor vehicles, a government report showed on Monday, supporting views the economy was not falling back into recession.

Here is a brief rundown of important events around the world Monday morning, August 29, 2011.

Japan’s ruling party, Democratic Party of Japan, elected Yoshihiko Noda as its new head. Ever since the party took power two years ago, he will become the third Prime Minister.

Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, a fiscal hawk, will become Japan's sixth prime minister in five years after winning a ruling party vote Monday, an outcome likely to please investors worried about a bulging public debt.

There have been rumors that Sony Ericsson, Japan, is preparing to launch a new handset codenamed Nozomi in November 2011. An anonymous blogger posted on xperiablog.net that Sony Ericsson is launching Nozomi before Christmas.

Scientists provided new insights into a cosmic accident that has been streaming X-rays toward Earth since March. Two studies appearing in the Aug. 25 issue of the journal Nature revealed the information about the accident.

Tim Cook has big shoes to fill and he can't do it by just pushing out snazzier versions of the iPhone or iPad.

Chinese authorities seem to waging a war on pop music. The Ministry of Culture has handed music download Web sites a blacklist of 100 so-called offending songs that the sites must remove as they pose a threat to China's national cultural security, say reports.

A caesium fountain clock, responsible for keeping United Kingdom's atomic time is declared as the most accurate long-term time keeper in the world.

One of Britain's cesium fountain clocks, responsible for keeping the country's atomic time, is declared as the world's most accurate long-term time keeper.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced on Friday he's resigning after almost 15 months in office.

After years of headaches and heartbreak, Boeing Co. got the green light from the U.S. government on Friday to enter its 787 Dreamliner into commercial service to fly passengers.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il told his neighbor and biggest patron China on Friday that he was willing to return to stalled nuclear talks without precondition, China's Xinhua news agency reported, following a similar pledge to Russia.

The race to pick Japan's sixth leader in five years appeared on Friday to be shaping up as a battle between the most popular contender and a rival backed by a party powerbroker, although with five candidates in play, the outcome was hard to call.

The OECD is prepared to cut growth expectations for much of the world, including Europe and Japan, the organization's head said on Friday.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Friday the U.S. economy needed more stimulus to get it moving, putting in a plug for government measures shortly before the White House unveils new proposals to boost job growth.

The struggling U.S. economy expanded even more slowly than previously thought in the second quarter of 2011, but a breakdown of the growth suggested a new recession could be avoided.

Suspected but unverified for years; S-type asteroids are confirmed to be the source for most small meteorites that fall on earth, scientists have proved.

Vice President Joe Biden said on Friday the U.S. economy needed more stimulus to get it moving, putting in a plug for government intervention shortly before the White House unveils new proposals to boost job growth.

Tiffany & Co raised its full-year profit outlook as more shoppers worldwide bought its jewelry during the bridal season, helping it overcome rising gold and diamond costs and sending its shares up more than 5 percent.

The main radioactive element released from the Fukushima nuclear disaster since March equals 168 Hiroshima World War Two bombs, a news report said Thursday.