Most of Asia's damage was done by 1.5-2 percent falls in Australia , Korea .KS11 and Malaysia .KLSE, and Europe .FTEU3 also struggled to maintain what had looked to have been a brighter start to the day. [.EU]
Car giant Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) slumped more than 15 percent after it was found to have cheated U.S. emission tests, while insurer RSA (RSA.L) dropped 20 percent after rival Zurich ZURN.VX. abandoned a bid for the firm.
There was, however, some brighter news after an unexpectedly clear election victory in Greece on Sunday and an upgrade for Portugal's sovereign rating which helped lift southern euro zone bond markets. [GVD/EUR]
