THAILAND

The 2011 flooding in Bangkok has forced several popular tourist destinations to close, however the vast majority remain open for business.

The current economic rebound could be short-lived, given the continued strength of the yen currency, the global economic slowdown and the floods in Thailand.

Chemicals company BioAmber Inc filed with U.S. regulators to raise up to $150 million in an initial public offering of common shares.

Mizuho will cut 3,000 jobs as Japanese banks battle weak demand for credit at home and a tough global growth environment, which saw half-year profits at the lender and smaller rival Sumitomo Mitsui fall by a quarter.

Sony Corp will boost its image sensor production capacity by 50 percent within two to three years starting next spring, the company said on Monday.

Japan's economy rebounded from an earthquake-triggered recession in the third quarter by expanding 1.5 percent, a pace that is likely to slow down though as a strong yen and weak global growth darken the outlook.

Japan's economy rebounded as expected in the third quarter from a recession triggered by a devastating March earthquake on robust exports and consumption, but persistent yen strength and sluggish global growth cloud its outlook.

A sugarcane farm in the Philippines has been in James Ford's family for generations. It was the family business on his mother's side, and with the farm recently changing hands from one aunt to another, there was an opening for Ford to come and manage it.

After the announced drawdown of troops from the Middle East, the Eurozone crisis, and a G-20 summit that lacked spectacular developments, the Obama administration is hoping enhanced economic ties with the Pacific Rim will open a fruitful venue for enduring growth.

Shares of Nvidia, the PC chip graphics pioneer, appeared poised to gain at least 2 percent Friday after third-quarter earnings blew past Wall Street estimates.

Nvidia Corp's third-quarter results beat estimates as the chipmaker refocused on smartphones and tablets in a tepid personal computer market, although its revenue forecast was a bit lower than expected.

PC shipments may be crimped by as much as a fifth in the first three months of 2012, hurt by the shortage of hard disk drives after the Thailand floods, said IDC.

Shares of Nvidia, the PC chip graphics pioneer, jumped four percent after the graphics chip designer’s third-quarter earnings blew past Wall Street estimates.

Shares of Apple, the No. 1 vendor of tablets, fell as much as 3.3 percent Thursday amid concerns shortages or floods in Thailand may depress iPad2 shipments.

Tropical bacteria produces a previously-unknown toxin that shuts down its hosts years, sometimes decades, later, researchers found.

Shares of Nvidia, the PC chip graphics pioneer, were unchanged Thursday as investors awaited third-quarter earnings that may shed light on the company’s product transformation.

The flooding in Thailand highlights an even larger problem facing the nation: Bangkok is sinking.

The impact of Thailand's floods on Honda Motor Co <7267.T> extended to a fourth continent even as Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> showed further signs of recovery from the disaster.

Cisco Systems Inc forecast revenue and earnings above Wall Street expectations as demand from government and enterprises for its network equipment remained resilient despite global economic troubles.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: ChinaCast Education, PriceSmart, Sanderson Farms, Alaska Communications Systems Group, Crimson Exploration, and Cisco Systems. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Neurocrine Biosciences, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Pegasystems, Rovi, OPNET Technologies, and Oclaro.

A key gauge of Japan's corporate capital spending fell more than expected in September and manufacturers expect a further drop this quarter as business confidence sags in the face of the strong yen and slowing global growth.