Japanese stocks rose on Wednesday as investors held out hope for more robust growth after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delayed a tax hike and called an early election to seek a fresh mandate for his aggressive policies to shore up the economy.

Finland's Nokia (NOK1V.HE) announced a brand-licensed tablet computer which runs on Google's (GOOGL.O) Android platform, just six month after the company sold its ailing phones and devices business to Microsoft (MSFT.O) for over $7 billion.

Japan's Sony Corp (6758.T) said it is aiming to lift its movie and TV revenue by more than a third in the next three years as it cuts costs and invests in potential hit films, including a new Spider-Man movie.

Merger talks between Hasbro Inc and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc formally ended on Monday morning, when the toy company's board voted to walk away, according to a person with knowledge of the board's actions.

Blackstone Group LP has reached a deal to sell a Manhattan office tower for about $2.25 billion to a venture led by Canadian property investor Ivanhoe Cambridge, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the terms of the sale.

Swiss cement maker Holcim (HOLN.VX) said on Tuesday it expected to have selected buyers for assets it must divest to push through its merger with France's Lafarge LAPF.PA by the end of January.

Asian stocks sagged on Tuesday amid profit taking in Hong Kong and Chinese markets, while Tokyo shares rebounded on expectations that Japan will opt for a snap election that may lead to fresh stimulus measures.

U.S. power company NRG Energy Inc aims to grab a bigger piece of the residential solar industry by expanding its business in California, the nation's biggest solar market, and offering a new financing option to its customers.

Backers of the Keystone XL oil pipeline hope a vote in the U.S. Senate late on Tuesday will send a bill to the desk of President Barack Obama.

The Swiss National Bank faces the biggest test of its cap on the franc in two years but may find it easier to defend now than when euro zone breakup fears were rampant and the strategy unproven.

There is no trace of Shenzhen Lanhao Days Electronic Technology Co Ltd at its listed address in the beige and pink-tiled "Fragrant Villa" apartment complex in this southern Chinese city. The building's managers say they’ve never heard of it.

Many of the television shows, movies and publications produced in China each year are rubbish, and the solution is to banish decadent themes and concentrate on uplifting social values instead, a senior government minister has said.

As Takata Corp comes under scrutiny for air bag defects, bankers are weighing up the potential fallout for the Japanese family behind the 81-year-old company, and the third-generation CEO who controls it.

Russian airlines are facing a drop in passenger numbers because of the Ukraine crisis, prompting some analysts to expect fleet reductions and possible state support next year to cope with deepening losses.

Australia and India will push for a free trade pact, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday during a rare state visit to Canberra by an Indian leader.

Toyota Motor Corp on Monday said it will introduce its first mass-market fuel cell car in the United States next year, hoping to replicate the success of its Prius hybrid with a vehicle that runs on hydrogen instead of gasoline.

Gains in shares of Apple Inc could take the world's largest publicly traded company to a market capitalization of perhaps as high as $1 trillion, some of the country's biggest investors said on Monday.

Carl Icahn isn't forecasting a dramatic stock market drop quite yet but the billionaire investor is still bracing for a market sell-off in the next three to five years, he told Reuters on Monday.

Botox maker Allergan Inc on Monday accepted a $66 billion takeover bid from Actavis Plc, ending a seven-month hostile pursuit by activist investor William Ackman and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.

Japanese shares led a tentative recovery in Asian shares on Tuesday, drawing some support from two U.S. blockbuster acquisitions and anticipation of more European monetary stimulus.

President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration is expected to include some modest changes to make it easier for technology companies to retain high-skilled workers frustrated by long and unpredictable waits for green cards.

Apple Inc's app store in China now accepts payments made using China's UnionPay credit and debit cards, the iPhone maker said on Monday, making purchases easier for users in Apple's second-largest app market.

Rocket Internet (RKET.DE), the global e-commerce investor, expects to launch at least another 10 start-ups in 2015 and said it would work more closely with Facebook (FB.O) on advertising.

Singapore's second-largest taxi operator Trans-cab said on Monday it was scrapping its planned initial public offering (IPO) three days before its shares were due to start trading.

Pfizer (PFE.N) dampened investors' expectations of a renewed bid for AstraZeneca (AZN.L) on Monday by signing a major cancer drug deal with Germany's Merck KGaA (MRCG.DE), reducing the U.S. firm's need for Astra's products.

Halliburton Co (HAL.N) will buy Baker Hughes Inc (BHI.N) for about $35 billion in cash and stock, creating an oilfield services behemoth to take on market leader Schlumberger NV (SLB.N) as falling oil prices threaten to erode demand.

Dubai-based Souq.com, one of the Middle East's largest e-commerce businesses, aims for high double-digit revenue growth as it introduces "Black Friday"-type discount events to help lure shoppers from the city's retail malls.

A widening corruption scandal at state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA may change the country forever, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Sunday in her first public remarks since a sweeping police operation last week.

Emerald-colored tea bushes blanketing the rolling hills of Nandi County have long provided a livelihood for small-scale farmers, helping make Kenya one of the world's biggest tea exporters.

German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday he does not believe tighter sanctions against Russia will help resolve the Ukraine crisis even though Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday the European Union is considering further sanctions.