Japanese Economics Minister Akira Amari said on Tuesday he wants to hear what the Bank of Japan thinks about a sharp decline in oil prices and its impact on consumer prices, as the BOJ's 2 percent inflation goal becomes ever more difficult to reach.

No clear majority has so far emerged among EU states for a free-trade agreement between the European Union and the United States and both sides need to explain the benefits of such a deal, the EU's health chief said.

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is considering a stock split, a company executive said on Tuesday, as sliding profits put pressure on the firm to keep investors happy.

China is likely to post its weakest growth since the global financial crisis in the fourth quarter as its property market cooled, reinforcing expectations the government will have to roll out more stimulus measures to avoid a sharper slowdown.

Iran sees no sign of a shift within OPEC toward action to support oil prices, its oil minister said, adding its oil industry could ride out a further price slump to $25 a barrel.

Chinese internet heavyweight Tencent Holdings Ltd apologized on Monday for rewarding WeChat app users who sent a message with the English phrase "civil rights" with a screen full of fluttering U.S. flags.

For China's shipyards, the oil rig market that was supposed to be a blessing is in danger of becoming a curse. As crude prices slide, oil producers are slashing new project spending.

The World Trade Organization on Thursday rejected Argentina's bid to overturn a ruling in favor of the United States, the European Union and Japan against the South American country's licensing rules used to restrict imports.

Barack Obama enters the final two years of his presidency with a blemish on his legacy that looks impossible to erase: the decline of the middle class he has promised to rescue.

Oil prices fell in early Asian trade on Monday, with markets expecting gloomy Chinese economic data to be published this week.