MEXICO

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.

Mexico's peso firmed on Friday and stocks jumped as the U.S. government's stress tests eased worries about major banks and data showed employers in the United States cut fewer jobs than expected in April.

Outbreaks of the new H1N1 swine flu continue to spread across the United States, with 896 confirmed cases and more to come, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.

Mexicans were returning to normal life on Thursday after a five-day business shutdown due to the H1N1 flu virus and China eased quarantine measures, but the virus spread slowly in Europe.

Afghanistan's only known pig has been locked in a room, away from visitors to Kabul zoo where it normally grazes beside deer and goats, because people are worried it could infect them with the virus popularly known as swine flu.

Haitian officials rejected a Mexican ship carrying mostly needed food aids due to swine flu fears. The news came Wednesday as Mexico ended a five-day shutdown designed to contain the virus.

Oil production in the Gulf of Mexico, which produces about 25 percent of domestic oil production and 15 percent of natural gas output, could boom more than 1.8 million barrels per day by 2013, according to the government research, however its natural gas will likely to decrease.

The Federal Government of Mexico has used all available tools to cope with the contingency of flu outbreak and took aggressive measures to restore economy confidence, the Finance Secretary said Tuesday at a press conference.

The Mexican capital began to stir back to life on Wednesday with the streets again clogged with traffic and taco vendors working the sidewalks after authorities lifted a five-day shutdown to try to contain the deadly H1N1 flu.

Dutch biotech firm Crucell reported a surprise first-quarter profit on Wednesday, its third in a row, on strong sales of paediatric vaccines and the company, widely viewed as a takeover target, reiterated its outlook.

General Motors is set to resume negotiations with the United Auto Workers union this week and believes everything should be open for discussion, the company's chief executive said on Tuesday.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday federal health officials have found that eight prep school students in New York have contracted swine flu, the same flu that has killed more than 80 people in Mexico and infected 1,300 more.

A Texas woman with the new H1N1 flu died earlier this week, state health officials said, the second death outside of Mexico, where the epidemic appeared to be waning.

A Texan with H1N1 flu died earlier this week, state officials said, only the second death outside Mexico where the epidemic appeared to be waning.

Wal-Mart , the world's top retailer, said on Wednesday it has launched a pilot program to open convenience stores in China, seeking to boost its presence in one of the world's fastest growing retail markets.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Tuesday considered whether Chrysler LLC could move forward with its plans for a quick sale of most of its assets while rival General Motors Corp prepared to resume talks with its union and detailed a plan that could shift majority ownership control to the U.S. government.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Tuesday considered whether Chrysler LLC could move forward with its plans for a quick sale of most of its assets while rival General Motors Corp prepared to resume talks with its union and detailed a plan that could shift majority ownership control to the U.S. government.

China has tightened visa rules for citizens from the United States, which has reported the second highest number of swine flu cases in the world.