JAPAN

Citigroup is considering the sale of several assets in Japan to raise cash besides retail brokerage Nikko Cordial which is already on the market, according to a report.

Asian shares rose to a six-month high on Tuesday after Goldman Sachs' stronger-than-expected profit signaled the worst could be behind for U.S. banks, emboldening investors to chase after riskier assets.

On Monday Citigroup Inc's and Bank of America Corp's shares saw a very positive rise and both banks expect to report first quarter profits in the same line as what was forecast last week by Wells Fargo & Co.

The Security Council on Monday unanimously condemned North Korea's long-range rocket launch nearly two weeks ago as contravening a U.N. ban, and demanded enforcement of existing sanctions against Pyongyang.

Citigroup Inc has told potential buyers of its Japanese retail brokerage arm that it may also be willing to sell its Japanese investment banking and asset management operations, sources familiar with the matter said.

Japan may reopen the world's largest nuclear plant this month on a trial basis, according to a news report Friday.

Citigroup has told potential buyers of its Japanese retail brokerage arm that it may also be willing to sell its investment banking and asset management operations in Japan, sources familiar with the matter said.

The U.N. Security Council will meet on Monday to approve a statement condemning North Korea's rocket launch and demanding enforcement of existing sanctions against Pyongyang, a Mexican diplomat said.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Monday that Group of Seven finance ministers will meet in Washington on April 24 and follow that gathering up with a Group of 20 ministerial session.

Japan said it would scrap a punitive import tariff on computer memory chips made by South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor Inc, ending a three-year trade spat between the Asian neighbours.

The value of Japanese investment trust funds rose nearly 3 percent in March, up for the second straight month, amid a recovery in global share prices and a weaker yen, a fund industry body said on Monday.

Asian stocks rose on Monday on hopes for the global economy, with Taiwan shares hitting a near 7-month closing high, while oil prices slipped below $52 after a dramatic oil demand downgrade by the International Energy Agency.

(Corrects in paragraph 8 KOSPI's closing level to 1,338.26, not 1338.16)

China's economy is showing some signs of improvement, but a big fall in wholesale prices in Japan suggested the world's second-largest economy was sliding back toward deflation.

A summit of Asian leaders in Thailand was canceled on Saturday after anti-government protesters swarmed into the meeting's venue, renewing doubts about the durability of the government.

Japan's government is finalizing plans to provide Pakistan with up to $1 billion in economic aid over the next two years, the Nikkei business daily reported Saturday.

Japan's manga-loving prime minister, Taro Aso, has long touted the importance of soft power content such as comics and anime to boost Japan's global diplomatic status.Now he's targeting pop culture's economic potential.

U.N. Security Council negotiations on how to respond to North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket are deadlocked, U.N. diplomats say.

Asian equity markets are likely to run out of steam after leading a one-month rally in global stocks, with the full brunt of the deep global recession yet to be fully felt on corporate earnings and balance sheets.

Japan's Nissan Motor Co and France's Renault said on Friday they will supply electric cars to China, the world's largest auto market.

POSCO, the world's No. 4 steelmaker, said on Friday it was in a preliminary deal with Rio Tinto for a 20 percent discount in iron ore term prices, but is seeking for prices to go down even further