By Masayuki Kitano and Hideyuki Sano SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Japanese government bonds plunged on Thursday, taking yields to their highest in a year and leading a selloff in bonds globally after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks sparked worries of a reduction in U.S. monetary stimulus. Bernanke's comments, suggesting the Fed's massive bond purchases could be scaled back in the next few policy meetings if the economy improves further, triggered a reaction across a swathe of markets, lifting the dollar to a three-year high versus a basket of currencies and the U.S. ...

By Masayuki Kitano and Vidya Ranganathan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Some Asian stock markets rose on Wednesday following a positive lead from Wall Street, with Japan's Nikkei reaching a 5-1/2 year high and staying firm as the Bank of Japan stood pat after unleashing massive stimulus last month. European stocks are expected to inch lower with markets taking a breather from a month-long rally before U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony to Congress. Financial spreadbetters expect Britain's FTSE 100 to open down 0.16 percent, Germany's DAX to open 0. ...

By Kevin Lim and Joyce Lim SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The parents of a U.S. engineer found dead in Singapore last year said on Wednesday they will not take part in the rest of a coroner's inquiry into his death, which they say was linked to a project involving the transfer of sensitive technology to China. In a statement issued through their lawyers, Rick and Mary Todd said they had lost confidence in the system investigating the death of their 31-year-old son, Shane, who was found hanging in his Singapore apartment last June. The Todds did not appear in court on Wednesday, the day after a U.S. ...

By Masayuki Kitano SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The yen edged higher on Monday after Japan's economics minister said further weakness in the yen could harm households, while Asian shares rose in response to U.S. equities rallying on upbeat economic data. The dollar fell to as low as 102.00 yen earlier on Monday, pulling away from Friday's high of 103.32 yen, the greenback's highest level versus the yen since October 2008. The dollar later pared some of its losses, and last stood at 102.69 yen, down 0.5 percent on the day. ...