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• Sony Playstation Meeting Ignites Talk of PS4

  

  Sony will this month host its first major Playstation meeting in two years, sparking a flare-up in online speculation the Japanese consumer electronics giant is preparing to unveil the successor to its 70 million-selling PS3 games console. Sony declined to say whether it would release a new product at the meeting in New York on Feb. 20. "

• Beijing's Housing Market Surges in January

  

  Some 11,156 homes were sold in the capital from the beginning of the year to January 28, a 570 percent increase compared to the same period in 2012, a property agency says. However, supply could become a problem. CaiXin Online reports.

• China Factory Activity Eases in January, Misses Forecast

  

  China's official purchasing managers' index (PMI) eased to 50.4 in January, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday, missing market expectations and underscoring that the economy is making only a mild recovery from its weakest year since 1999.

• India's Bharti Airtel Profit Sinks, Misses Estimates

  

  Profit at India's top mobile network operator Bharti Airtel fell for the twelfth successive quarter, with higher costs dragging its results well below market expectations.

• China’s Workers Endure Unhappy New Year

  

  Nothing offends a Chinese employee more than cancelling the annual lunar new year party – a rare chance to eat, drink and win a free iPad or iPhone, courtesy of the boss. The Financial Times reports.

• Sharp Rebounds, Makes a Profit in December Quarter

  

  Sharp rebounded to a third-quarter operating profit on Friday, improving the bailed-out consumer electroncs maker's chances of convincing lenders and shareholders that it is a viable company.

• India’s Air the World’s Unhealthiest

  India has the worst air pollution in the entire world, beating China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, according to a study released during this year's World Economic Forum in Davos. The New York Times reports.

• EU Faces Up to China in Simmering Trade Row

  

  In September, the head of Europe's biggest employers' group presented a crystal horse sculpture to Wen Jiabao, the outgoing Chinese premier, at an EU-China business summit in Brussels. The Financial Times reports.

• Japan's PM Wows Voters with 'Abenomics'

  

  Shinzo Abe, Japan's political Lazarus, has burst from his grave at an almighty sprint. In the month since the nationalist prime minister reclaimed the office he lost in 2007 amid scandals, an election defeat and a debilitating bowel ailment, Mr Abe has been unstoppable. The Financial Times reports.

• Honda Trims Full-Year Profit Forecast on China Hit

  

  Honda Motors trimmed its annual net profit forecast by 1.3 percent to 370 billion yen after car sales have been knocked in China, and as it continues to struggle in Europe.

• Can a Rimless Blackberry Avoid Extinction?

  

  Even after Canada-based Blackberry launched it's anticipated line-up of revamped smartphones and their surprise name change, investors were unimpressed as its stock slumped 12 percent.

• Iran Oil Exports to Asia Fell by a Quarter in 2012

  

  Iran's crude exports to its biggest customer, Asia, fell by a quarter in 2012 and shipments this year are expected to drop by at least 12 percent under U.S. sanctions pressure, but ample alternative supplies will keep refiners flush with oil.

• Austerity in India: Defense and Welfare Spending to Be Slashed

  

  India's finance minister is putting welfare, defense and road projects on the chopping block in a last-ditch attempt to hit a tough fiscal deficit target by March, risking short-term economic growth and angering cabinet colleagues.

• Hackers in China Attacked The Times for Last 4 Months

  

  For the last four months, Chinese hackers have persistently attacked The New York Times, infiltrating its computer systems and getting passwords for its reporters and other employees. The New York Times reports.

• Japan Factory Output Rises at Fastest Pace in a Year

  

  Japan's December factory output rose at the fastest pace in a year and a half and firms expect further gains, raising hopes that stabilizing global demand and exports will help pull the economy from its slump.

• Is China's Newest Monetary Tool a Form of QE?

  

  Shortly after the central bank announced an addition to its regulatory tool kit, the Short-term Liquidity Operation (SLO), analysts started wondering if this meant small-scale quantitative easing. The Caixin Media reports.

• ANA Investors Look Past Dreamliner's Woes

  

  All Nippon Airways, Asia's top airline by revenue, has cancelled close to 850 flights over a 4-week period and rescheduled more than 82,000 passengers due to the grounding of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet with undiagnosed battery problems.

• Taiwan Raises 2013 Outlook After Better Than Forecast Q4 Growth

  

  Taiwan raised its economic growth forecast for 2013 on Thursday, after the fourth quarter expanded faster than expected and posted its best growth in five quarters on improved demand for the island's electronics exports and stronger consumption.

• Popular Celebrity Gravesites

  

  Celebrity gravesites become popular attractions, visited by tourists hoping to connect with their once living idol. See some of the most popular celebrity gravesites of all time.

• Chinalco Unit Drops 7% in HK Debut After $400 Million IPO

  

  Shares of Chinalco Mining Corp International, a unit of China's top aluminium group, Aluminum Corp of China (Chinalco), fell as much as 11.4 percent on their Hong Kong debut on Thursday, a week after pricing its $400 million initial public offering near the mid-point of an indicative range.