Tokyo

By Kevin Buckland & Netty Ismail

The euro dropped to a four-week low against the dollar as Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis blamed creditors? insistence on additional austerity for the impasse over the release of financial aid.

Japan will announce a $100 billion plan to invest in roads, bridges, railways and other building projects in Asia, a report said May 19, weeks after China outlined its vision for a new infrastructure development bank in the region.

A fire at two adjacent hostels in Kawasaki, southwest of Tokyo, claimed the lives of at least four people on Sunday. Their identities were not immediately known.

Nineteen others were injured and sent to hospital. About 60 people are believed to have been staying at the two wooden hostels when the fire broke in one of them.

Following a meeting between Bulgarian Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova and Kihachiro Nishiura, President and Representative Director of Japan-Southeast Europe Business Association (JSEEBA) on Monday, it emerged that Bulgaria will have a tourist information centre in Tokyo.

A Lufthansa flight from Istanbul was diverted over a bomb scare before being allowed to continue on its way after a search of the aircraft May 10.

One of Russia's oldest symphonic groups, the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia, is scheduled to perform at the ?? Sanat Cultural Center in Istanbul on May 5. 

Obama tells Abe his country will "defend Japan"

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Barack Obama has accused China of "flexing its muscles to advance its maritime claims against Asian neighbors," Reuters reported.

TOKYO - Serbian former football player Dragan Stojkovic has been decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, the Japanese government stated on Wednesday.

Stojkovic is among more than 50 recipients of this decoration from Japan and Serbia, who were selected for their contribution to the relations between the two countries.

A fifth of Japan's electricity supply should come from nuclear power generation, the country's industry ministry said April 28, despite widespread opposition in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.

The Apple Watch goes on sale around the world on April 24, the final stage of a protracted launch of Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook's first new product, capping months of publicity and a frenetic two weeks of pre-orders.