JAPAN

Stock index futures pointed to a sharply lower open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 2 percent, Dow Jones futures down 1.5 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 2.2 percent at 5:17 a.m. EDT.

A former Chinese official's manifesto for a new burst of reform mixing Mao, markets and guarded political relaxation has opened a rare window into ideas shaping the country's next generation of princeling leaders.

Stock index futures pointed to a sharply lower open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 2 percent, Dow Jones futures down 1.5 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 2.2 percent at 5:17 a.m. EDT.

If the rumors are to be believed then iPhone 6 will arrive in Apple stores worldwide sometime in July 2012.

Gold demand fell in the second quarter but is still expected to rise for the full year as Asian buyers add to holdings and investors shift to it as a safe haven, the World Gold Council said Thursday.

Asian stocks fell Thursday on profit-taking by nervous investors, while the Swiss franc stayed firm after plans to curb the currency disappointed those looking for more drastic action.

Sony?s decision to cut the price of its already popular gaming console Playstation 3 has brought about a hike in sales at several retail outlets.

Lenovo Group Ltd, the world's No.3 PC brand, reported a near doubling of its first-quarter net profit, beating expectations due to acquisitions and growth in key emerging markets such as China.

U.S. wholesale prices outside of food and fuel rose at the fastest pace in six months in July as costs for tobacco and light trucks jumped, but weak consumer demand was seen keeping inflation in check at the factory gate.

Canadian manufacturing sales slid more than expected in June, while sales of existing homes were flat in July, data on Tuesday showed, offering new signals that the Canadian economy is slowing.

U.S. wholesale prices outside of food and fuel rose at the fastest pace in six months in July as costs for tobacco and light trucks jumped, but weak domestic demand was seen keeping inflation pressures in check.

Britain said on Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of children could starve to death in Somalia if the international community did not ramp up its response to the famine there.

Core producer prices rose at their fastest pace in six months in July on strong tobacco and light truck costs, though weak domestic demand was seen keeping inflation pressures under control.

Scientists dubbed a newly discovered species of eel living in an underwater cave off the Republic of Palau in the Pacific Ocean as a 'living fossil' because of its similarity to the first eels that swam about 200 million years ago.

Core producer prices rose at their fastest pace in six months in July on strong tobacco and light truck costs, though weak domestic demand was seen keeping inflation pressures under control.

Vice President Joe Biden began his six-day state visit to China, where he is expected to talk to leaders about a number of U.S.-Sino issues, including debt and Taiwan.

The Swiss National Bank stepped up its efforts to tame a runaway franc on Wednesday but stopped short of direct intervention, disappointing markets that had positioned for more radical measures and sending the currency sharply higher.

Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) made a surprising announcement on Tuesday at the Gamescom conference in Germany that the company will be lowering the worldwide price of its PlayStation 3 (PS3) by another $50.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Wednesday it may fail to achieve "cold shutdown" at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in January because of problems decontaminating radioactive water.

The euro wobbled Wednesday after French and German leaders failed to deliver a solution to the euro zone debt crisis and restore confidence after a global market rout, while Japanese shares fell, dragged down mainly by hi-tech.

As Biden arrives in Beijing, China warns the United States must shoulder its responsibilities and take steps to soothe China's concerns over the security of its U.S. government debt holdings.