Asian shares were capped on Monday as investors' concerns about the fiscal crisis in the United States and Greece's bailout programme dented optimism over the growth prospects of the world's two largest economies, the United States and China. Adding to the uncertainty, Japan reported that its economy shrank 0.9% in July-September from the previous quarter,
More
The Greek parliament approved an austerity budget for next year on Sunday, allowing it to extend its international financial bailout and avoid bankruptcy. With backing from all three parties in conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's coalition, the bill passed by a more comfortable margin than a separate package of deficit-cutting measures on which some of
More
Superstar pianist Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish, who has already fathered a surrogate child for the pair, are expecting their second baby together in 2013 from the same surrogate mother. John, 65, and Furnish, 50, are reportedly expecting a sibling for their son Zachary in 2013. According to the Sun, the surrogate
More
Lionel Messi’s brace in Barcelona's 4-2 win over Mallorca in Spanish La Liga has taken him to 72 goals for the calendar year, one better than Pele's mark. Xavi Hernandez, Messi and Cristian Tello scored first-half goals for the Catalans before Victor Casadesus and Michael Pereira reduced the lead after the interval. Messi then netted
More
A 1932 Picasso portrait of his mistress sold for $41.5 million on Thursday at Sotheby's, helping drive a $163 million total for its sale of Impressionist and modern art which nonetheless fell short of expectations. The auction featured nine works by Picasso led by "Nature morte aux tulipes." Nearly one-third of the 67 lots on
More
Seven members of an elite U.S. Navy SEAL team, including one who participated in the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, have been reprimanded for disclosing classified material while helping produce a videogame, officials said on Thursday. All seven of the special operations forces who were punished were members of the elite
More
An Australian mining magnate who plans to build a replica of the Titanic said on Friday he is delaying a New York gala to unveil details of the project out of respect to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Billionaire businessman Clive Palmer had planned to hold a dinner aboard the former aircraft carrier USS Intrepid
More
Asian shares extended losses on Friday as markets fretted over the U.S. fiscal cliff and the risk of it tipping the world's largest economy into recession, as well as ongoing doubts about a workable bailout for Greece. After a two-day selloff, a 0.4% rise in U.S. stock futures pointed to a firm Wall Street open.
More
The trading arm of Russia's Gazprom is testing a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade route between Europe and energy-hungry markets in Asia as shrinking sea-ice opens Arctic waters to marine traffic. Gazprom is sending the LNG tanker Ob River from the world's northernmost liquefaction plant in the Barents Sea to Japan, a voyage to
More
The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly narrowed in September due to a sharp rise in exports, suggesting global demand for U.S. goods was holding up despite the debt crisis in Europe. Other data on Thursday showed a drop in new claims for jobless benefits last week, although a severe storm distorted the data. The monthly trade
More