SOUTH KOREA

The Shanghai Composite index, which has dropped 22 percent this year, tumbled to its lowest close since December 2014.

Calls for reparations over World War II sex slaves and concerns over China’s regional actions threatened to overshadow the visit.

After sustaining an overnight rally in Asia, a sudden drop in global oil prices pushed European markets lower Monday.

Thousands of tourists were also reported stranded in South Korea as temperatures fell to record lows across East Asia.

Oil jumped 10 percent above $32 a barrel on Friday as some traders bet a steep decline had ended.

As Russian revenues from oil exports fall and sanctions over Ukraine isolate the economy, the country is realizing the need to make it easier for its companies to do business.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye also proposed a five-nation meeting, excluding North Korea, to discuss Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

The European Central Bank may “reconsider” monetary policy as early as March, its president said.

Major U.S. and European banks are looking for ways to improve margins amid falling revenues and tough market conditions.

Purchasing Sharp would allow Foxconn to offer customers like Apple, Amazon and Xiaomi a more integrated manufacturing solution.

In sync with crude oil prices, Asian markets recovered briefly Thursday morning before falling as oil prices slid again.

Word on the agreement followed the lifting of sanctions against the Islamic nation earlier this week.

Singapore reversed earlier-day losses of as much as 3 percent.

Researchers at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said Tuesday the U.S. faces challenges in securing its interests.

Japan’s national indexes, Nikkei 225 and Topix, have shed more than 20 percent since their peak last year.

As the International Energy Agency issued its warning on oil prices, the International Monetary Fund cut its global growth forecasts for the third time in a year.

Stocks around the world gained Monday on the expectation of further stimulus from China as the world’s second-largest economy posted its slowest growth in a quarter century.

Under the law, unruly passengers will be fined over $41,000 or given a five-year jail term for disturbing pilots during a flight.

Apple, Samsung, Sony and other companies use cobalt, a battery component, unearthed by very young children, according to a new report.

South Korea's capital tested the waters of the Han River after North Korea claimed it had tested a hydrogen bomb earlier this month.

China reported its economy expanded at rates of 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter and 6.9 percent all of last year.