JAPAN

Controversial documentary film The Cove, which deals with the grizzly business of dolphin hunting, will be made available to Japanese viewers online via a popular video sharing website.

Japan's Fujitsu Ltd and Toshiba Corp unveiled plans on Thursday to merge their mobile phone businesses in October to create Japan's second-biggest cellphone maker in a rapidly shrinking market.

Asian shares fell and the euro slipped on Thursday as short covering rallies ran out of steam, but some analysts said global markets may have finally found support after a heavy selloff in May.

I believe markets and investors in particular are uncertain and have doubts or questions about European banks and that has been a wave in the last 4-6 weeks. The sooner European banks can on a coordinated basis ... publish results -- and I'm talking results of stress tests -- the better.

Japan's Fujitsu Ltd and Toshiba Corp have agreed to merge their mobile phone businesses as early as October, and they are expected to announce the deal on Thursday, the Nikkei business daily reported.

Asian shares rose on Wednesday, led by electronics makers and resource stocks, after successful European debt auctions boosted hopes for global growth and lifted commodity prices.

Gold firmed on Wednesday on bargain hunting driven by persistent worries that debt problems in Europe were worsening, but rising stock markets could still spur a shift to riskier assets.

The euro steadied near a two-week high against the dollar on Wednesday, as investors in Asia hesitated to chase its short-covering rally further, while higher yielding currencies stalled after rallying alongside stocks.

Electronics hardware makers on Tuesday showed off snazzy new devices enabling motion-sensing play and 3D effects, intensifying a battle to introduce video-gaming to a new generation of casual users.

Oil rose above $77 on Wednesday to reach the highest level since mid-May, tracking a recovery in global stock markets as risk appetite returns with easing concern about Europe's economy.

Sony Corp will launch its motion-controlled gaming system on September 15, getting to market weeks ahead of a rival platform from Microsoft Corp as it makes the jump into one of the hottest trends in gaming.

Japan's Nintendo Co Ltd on Tuesday took the wraps off a new version of its DS handheld device that can play games and show movies in 3D without glasses, as the hardware wars with Microsoft Corp and Sony Corp heat up.

Japan's Nintendo Co Ltd on Tuesday took the wraps off a new version of its DS handheld device that can play games and show movies in 3D without glasses, in an effort to revitalize demand.

Foreign investors reduced purchases of long-term U.S. securities in April but remained net buyers, while China raised its U.S. Treasury holdings for a second straight month, the Treasury Department said Tuesday.

Asia's stock market rally paused on Tuesday and the euro sputtered after five days of gains as it struggled to break through a resistance after a downgrade of Greece's credit rating reminded investors that Europe's debt crisis was not over.

Oil was slightly higher above $75 on Tuesday as prospects for rising demand in emerging economies offset concern about the impact of Europe's debt crisis.

Asian stocks slipped on Tuesday, snapping a five-day winning streak, as worries about Europe's debt problems returned after Greece was downgraded to junk status, a move which also stymied the euro's rally.

Asian stocks slipped on Tuesday, snapping a five-day winning streak, as worries about Europe's debt problems returned after Greece was downgraded to junk status, a move which also stymied the euro's rally.

Spain said on Monday that foreign banks were refusing to lend to some of its banks in the latest twist to the euro zone debt crisis, but denied it was on the brink of seeking a Greek-style European financial rescue.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Monday, adding to last week's gains and tracking gains in global equities, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.6 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.4 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.6 percent at 0821 GMT.

World stocks headed for a fourth straight day of gains on Monday as investors banked on global economic recovery to trump concerns such as euro zone sovereign debt in providing a positive backdrop for corporate earnings.