JAPAN

Asian shares fell for a second consecutive session on Tuesday as some of the confidence that fueled a recent rally was dampened by reports that highlighted the weakness in the global economy.

The Nikkei average fell 0.7 percent on Tuesday after booking a six-month closing high the previous day, with bank shares such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group taking a breather following sharp gains fueled by optimism about the U.S. banking system.

Norway opened a 560 kilometer (350 mile) hydrogen highway on Monday with more than a dozen hydrogen-powered cars rallying along a scenic route between its capital city Oslo and North Sea oil hub Stavanger.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said Monday the unemployment rate for the OECD area rose to 7.6% in March, 0.3 percentage point higher than the previous month and 2.0 percentage points higher than a year earlier.

Honda Motor Co said on Monday its new Insight model became the first hybrid to be crowned Japan's best-selling car last month.

Asian shares rose to their highest in seven months while the safe-haven dollar extended its decline on Monday, but warnings about an impending turnaround are growing amid weak corporate results and views that any global recovery will only be gradual.

Asian shares extended their rally on Monday and riskier assets such as the euro held on to recent gains, but warnings about an impending pullback are growing amid weak corporate results and views that any global recovery will only be gradual.

Asian shares extended their rally on Monday and riskier assets such as the euro held on to recent gains, but warnings about an impending pullback are growing amid weak corporate results and views that any global recovery will only be gradual.

Japan announced on Saturday its first confirmed cases of the new strain of flu -- a teacher in his 40s and two male teenage students who had spent time in Canada.

The new H1N1 flu killed its first patient in Canada, making it the third country after Mexico and the United States to report a death from the virus that has made more than 3,400 people in 28 countries ill.

Japan confirmed its first three cases of N1H1, or swine flu Friday, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency reports.

Asian countries agreed on Friday to boost drug stockpiles, share essential supplies and tighten surveillance against an H1N1 flu virus that posed an imminent health threat to the region.

A recent surge in Asian shares lost steam ahead of U.S. monthly jobs data later on Friday that may signal whether the global economy has indeed hit bottom, after stress tests on U.S. banks offered no real surprises.

Toyota Motor Corp , the world's biggest automaker, forecast a much bigger-than-expected $8.6 billion annual loss and said it would sell about 1 million fewer vehicles this year, leaving it desperately trying to cut costs in the grip of a severe market downturn.

The world's biggest automaker, forecast a much bigger-than-expected $8.6 billion annual loss and said it would sell about 1 million fewer vehicles this year, leaving it desperately trying to cut costs in the grip of a severe market downturn.

Toyota Motor Corp , the world's biggest automaker, forecast a much deeper-than-expected annual loss of $8.6 billion as sales tumble, keeping dozens of its factories underused.

Toyota Motor Corp, the world's biggest automaker, lost $6.9 billion in the fourth quarter and forecast more losses for the current year as sales tumble, keeping dozens of its factories underused.

Toyota Motor Corp, the world's top automaker, is likely to forecast a bigger operating loss of 700 billion yen ($7 billion) this financial year as global car demand stays weak, the Nikkei business daily reported on Friday.

Asian shares edged lower ahead of U.S. monthly employment data due on Friday that will provide another step in determining whether the recent signs of an improving global economy are real or just wishful thinking.

The U.S. envoy for North Korea began a swing through Asia on Thursday to seek support from regional powers to rein in North Korea, which may be preparing to rattle security with a second nuclear test.

Tonight, instead of more charts that demonstrate an increasingly broken market, or links to mainstream media sources of exponentially diminishing value, I provide a selection