A statement from Pyongyang on Thursday said its military had been given final approval to launch a nuclear strike against the United States following Washington's decision to move an advanced missile defence system to the Pacific island of Guam.

Tensions between North and South Korea continued to escalate Wednesday, with the North blocking the entry of South Korean workers into a joint industrial zone.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook has apologised to Chinese consumers after state media accused the technology giant of "arrogance", double standards, and of "throwing its weight around" with regards to its customer service and returns policies.

Boeing and China Eastern Airlines have celebrated the delivery of the 1,000th Boeing airplane for China, one of the world's "most dynamic markets for commercial airplanes".

Qantas Airways has won final approval from Australia's competition watchdog for its partnership with Emirates.

Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry has posted record quarterly profits helped by growing demand for iPhones and iPads.

China is set to become the world's biggest online market with online sales forecast to exceed $420 billion annually by 2020.

Manufacturing activity in China picked up speed in March after expanding at its slowest pace in four months in February, an initial HSBC survey has shown.

China's Suntech Power, one of the world's biggest solar-panel makers, has gone bust.

It is often said that you either love it or hate it but New Zealanders clearly have a passion for Marmite - the spread they affectionately call 'black gold'.

China's quality watchdog the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China has said in a statement on its website that carmaker Volkswagen AG will recall 384,181 vehicles in the country to fix a long-standing gearbox problem.

David Beckham has arrived in Beijing to begin his new role as a special ambassador for Chinese football, according to reports.

India's reserve bank has lowered its benchmark repo rate, the rate at which it lends to commercial banks, by 25 basis points in a bid to jumpstart the country's economy.

Japan's tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant has been hit by a power failure, affecting its cooling systems for spent fuel ponds.

Eurozone finance ministers have asked Cyprus to rethink plans for a one-off tax of 6.

European plane maker Airbus has announced it has received a record order from Indonesia's Lion Air for 234 medium-haul A320 jets.

Danish toy maker Lego has announced plans to build its own factory in China to serve the rapidly growing Asian market.

Tokyo stocks fell 2.