CULTURE AND SPORT

Apple fans in Japan queued to snap up the iPad 2 as the latest version of tablet went on sale after a delay caused by the March 11 quake and tsunami.

Cirque du Soleil and Michael Jackson's estate unveiled plans for a permanent show honoring the pop icon at a Las Vegas casino resort.

Heavy weapons fire pounded the Thai-Cambodian border for a seventh day as officials confirmed a 15th death in the bloody fight.

The world stands to lose 230 million hectares of forest by 2050 with drastic consequences for the climate, biodiversity and the global economy.

Luke Donald, who missed becoming World No.1, looks again for that elusive title starting Thursday at the $6.4 million US PGA Zurich Classic.

Storms spawning tornados tore through central and southern United States, causing at least 44 deaths and damaging several properties.

There will be no binding deal on emissions at this year's UN climate summit as the South African hosts and other economic powers are "not ready".

Nokia said it would cut 4,000 jobs worldwide by the end of 2012 and transfer a further 3,000 employees to consulting firm Accenture.

Libyan rebels appear to be gaining ground against Moamer Kadhafi despite a deadly attack on Misrata port by the Libyan strongman's forces.

Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony unveiled its first tablet computers in a direct but belated challenge to Apple's iPad.

A concert featuring masterpieces by famous Austrian composer W.A. Mozart will take place at the Concert Hall of Vietnamese Cultural Space in Hanoi.

Japanese retail sales dropped 8.5% in March from a year earlier as recent earthquake and tsunami dampened sentiment among consumers.

The first qualifying round of the World 9-Ball Beijing Open tournament opened in Shoho commercial centre in China on April 25.

Syria bolstered its troops in the flashpoint town of Daraa as a rights group appealed for UN intervention in a bloody crackdown.

The Ari Roland famous jazz quartet will give two performances at the Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi on April 26 and April 28 respectively.

Resurgent global food prices are again threatening to push millions of people in developing Asia into extreme poverty, says a new report from the Asian Development Bank.

Chilean shellfish farmers are facing an uncertain future after a giant wave traveled the seas and washed away their scallop beds.

Syrian troops backed by tanks rolled into the flashpoint town of Daraa Monday, killing at least 25 people, witnesses said.

The Ari Roland famous jazz quartet will give two performances at the Ho Chi Minh City Academy of Music and Youth Theatre in Hanoi.