Asian shares mostly eased on Thursday and the yen rose after a flat day on Wall Street following encouraging home sales and durable goods data left investors cautious about chasing shares higher.
Oil fell toward $71 on Thursday, extending losses by more than $3 after touching a 10-month high this week, as rising crude and diesel stocks eclipsed healthy economic data from the United States and Europe.
The German government signaled on Wednesday talks between Berlin and General Motors over the fate of its European unit Opel are threatening to drag on, raising the prospect of weeks more of negotiation.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, Japan's biggest heavy-machinery maker, on Wednesday said it plans to start mass-production of industrial-use lithium-ion batteries in late 2012.
Tobacco use will kill 6 million people next year from cancer, heart disease, emphysema and a range of other ills, global cancer experts said in a report issued on Tuesday.
Japan's NEC Electronics Corp and Renesas Technology may receive a $2.1 billion bailout from their parent companies to bring about the merger of the two loss-making chipmakers in a sector wracked by weak demand and prices, the Nikkei business daily said.
The immediate crisis may be over but G20 policymakers meeting next week must still find a way to rebalance the global economy if the world is not to be doomed to repeat the past.
Edward Kennedy dies at 77; Exit Strategy a Must; Toyota retreats
Japan's exports slipped in July as annual drops in exports to the United States and China accelerated, in a sign that the impact of stimulus measures in major economies worldwide may be starting to wane.
Toyota Motor Corp , the world's largest automaker, said it would halt a production line in Japan as it looks to cut excess capacity to return to profitability amid an industrywide sales slump.
Asian stocks edged higher on Wednesday, with thin summer trading volumes keeping prices choppy and centered on short-term chart targets, while oil hovered near $72 a barrel, capped by a surprising rise in U.S. inventories.
Toyota Motor Corp will cut its global production capacity to match lower sales, a company source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday, with potential annual cuts of at least 700,000 vehicles identified.
A $4.6 million bid submitted through online auctioneer eBay Inc for the crypt on top of Marilyn Monroe's final resting place fell through, an attorney for the seller said on Tuesday.
A unit of Seiko Epson Corp (6724.T) agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiring to fix prices for liquid crystal screens sold to mobile phone maker Motorola Inc (MOT.N), the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.
Toyota Motor Corp , the world's biggest automaker, will cut its global production capacity by 10 percent, or 1 million vehicles, the Nikkei business daily reported.
Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) plans to raise its production in Japan for the first time in 16 months in November thanks to a recovery in auto sales driven by government incentives, the Asahi newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Asia is going to be way short of the new H1N1 vaccine to fight swine flu when the next surge of infections hits during the cold season this year, a spokesman for the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
North Korea has invited the U.S. envoy overseeing ties with the prickly state to visit for nuclear talks next month, South Korean media said on Tuesday, reaching out to Washington as the United States pushes sanctions against Pyongyang.
Asian shares slipped along with commodities on Tuesday in a reversal of the previous day's solid gains, with many investors sticking to the sidelines and awaiting more clues on whether the economic recovery is picking up steam.
A U.S. official charged with enforcing U.N. sanctions on North Korea sought South Korea's continued support during talks on Monday even as Pyongyang makes conciliatory moves after months of military grandstanding.
Honda Motor Co Ltd (7267.T) plans to develop an electric car to debut in the U.S. market by around 2015 as tighter environmental regulations push demand for zero-emission vehicles, the Nikkei newspaper said on Saturday.
Stock index futures indicated a stronger start on Wall Street on Monday, extending the previous session's gains after stronger U.S. housing data and optimistic comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke lifted sentiment.
