Asian markets fall on US wariness, Japan economic data

AIA Executive Director and Group CEO Mark Tucker, center, speaks during the trading debut of the Asian insurance unit of American International Group Inc. in Hong Kong Friday, Oct. 29, 2010. Shares in AIA Group Ltd. opened up 11.8 percent on their trading debut on Friday, ahead of market expectations, as investors piled into Hong Kong's biggest initial public offering. – AP Photo

NAGOYA: Environment ministers from around the world tried to wrap up a UN meeting to preserve nature on Friday but remained split on targets to fight losses in animal and plant species that support livelihoods and economies.

Delegates from nearly 200 countries have gathered in Nagoya, Japan, for a two-week meeting to map out goals to protect oceans, forests and rivers as the world faces the worst extinction rate since the dinosaurs vanished 65 million years ago.

The meeting has aimed to push governments and businesses into taking sweeping steps to protect ecosystems long taken for granted but are worth trillions of dollars by providing sources for food, water, tourism and industry.