The Soviet leader did not bang his shoe on the desk at the UN, says granddaughter  ,but few nations are immune to diplomatic blunders

Former Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa has died, news reports said.

After Wall Street was pummelled by a sell-off, stock markets in Asia fell sharply today, with heavy losses in Japan, where concern is high over how a fragile government will deal with weaknesses in the world’s second-largest economy.

The Nikkei 225 index closed at 13,867.61, up 176.12 points, with export-oriented and high-tech issues benefiting from the weak yen and bargain hunting.