JAPAN

European and Asian stocks fell on Tuesday while government bonds and the yen rose as concerns about the U.S. mortgage market and warnings about currency borrowing prompted investors to cut back on risky assets.

The yen rose broadly on Tuesday, pulling away from multi-year lows versus the dollar and euro after Japanese, South Korean and New Zealand officials raised concerns about the low-yielding currency's recent weakness.

The world economy is powering ahead at a faster pace than expected two months ago, building up global inflationary pressures, the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.

North Korea said on Monday it would start implementing a nuclear disarmament deal struck in February and awaits a visit by U.N. inspectors now that a dispute over its funds frozen at a Macau bank had been resolved.

Nintendo Co Ltd zipped past Sony Corp. in market value on Monday and became one of Japan's top 10 issues for the first time ever as it elbowed the PlayStation maker out of its decade-long dominance in the game industry.

Japan's Honda Motor Co. has denied it is looking to buy Harley-Davidson Inc., rumors of which had sent the U.S. motorcycle maker's shares surging in New York on Friday.

Fears of rising borrowing costs hit global stocks on Monday with investors nervous about higher government interest rates and a blow-out in credit spreads.

Japanese and U.S. experts will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss technical issues relating to American beef trade, Japan's Farm Ministry said in a news release on Monday.

Asian stock markets mostly fell on Monday following a steep slide on Wall Street, but investors bought some Japanese exporters such as Canon Inc. on the back of a downtrodden yen.

Sweating, panting and some groaning, 400 Japanese worked out on Sunday with U.S. fitness guru Billy Blanks, whose military-style exercises have become a huge hit in a country where waistlines are bulging.

The fight over higher automobile fuel efficiency standards shifts to the House of Representatives this week with big car companies regrouping after a stinging defeat in Senate energy legislation.

The United States expects North Korea to shut down the reactor at the heart of its nuclear arms development program within about three weeks, top U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill said on Saturday.

Most major global equity indexes fell and safe-haven Treasuries rose on Friday as concerns lingered before the weekend that troubles in U.S. credit markets might spread.

Hundreds of Japanese companies have erected takeover defenses to protect themselves from hostile takeovers in recent months, but the courts may tear some of them down, breaching the walls of fortress Japan for outsiders to acquire underperforming firms.

Consumers in Japan may be feeling increasingly uneasy as the weakening yen and recent rises in the price of crude oil and raw material costs are making commodities in Japan more expensive.

Gas exploration talks between Japan and China over a disputed area in the East China Sea will be held next Tuesday, Japan's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Sony Corp. expects a steep increase in the number of game titles released for its flagship Playstation 3 game console, aiming to help the unit's slumping sales, according to a published report.

Sony Corp. expects at least 380 new PlayStation 3 games to hit the market this business year and says that should rev up demand for the console that has so far lost out to Nintendo's wildly popular Wii.

Morgan Stanley, a top Wall Street firm, has raised an $8 billion real estate fund through its property arm to focus on North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

From depressed investment to bulging foreign exchange reserves, Asia's economies are still deeply marked by the legacy of the financial crisis that engulfed the region a decade ago.

China decreased its holdings of U.S. government debt in April for the first time in 18 months, but this may not be the bearish signal it appears to be for U.S. Treasury bonds.