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The German and French leaders meet on Monday to discuss ways to boost growth in euro zone states struggling to overcome the sovereign debt crisis and rising unemployment, and finalise a deal to increase fiscal coordination within the currency union.

Hungary is willing to discuss any issues at talks with the International Monetary Fund from which it wants to secure a funding deal, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Sunday.

Has the U.S. stock market's gyrations left you feeling a little perplexed? Then consider the stocks of large-capitalization companies with demonstrated business models. And here are five.

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the sovereign credit rating of Hungary to “junk” status, making it the third rating agency to do so.

A rating downgrade on Friday left Hungary's debt rated junk across the board, underscoring investors' doubts about the government's willingness to change its controversial policies in return for aid to stave off a financial crisis.

The euro is likely to survive 2012 despite the debt crisis in the euro currency zone, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Friday.

Byron Wien, vice chairman at Blackstone Advisory Partners issued his list of surprises for 2012 on Wednesday. The tradition of giving his views on a series of economic, financial market and political surprises for the coming year started in 1986.

Greece, deeply mired in its own financial crisis, has been highly dependent on Iranian oil because Teheran has offered debt-ridden nations attractive credit terms.

Dysfunctional politics threatens to deliver a protracted period of slow global growth, possibly lasting well beyond 2012, which will only deepen the political and economic problems for the West.

This year there were several legal cases that tugged on the heart strings of America and those outside the nation. There was public outcry when Casey Anthony was acquitted of the murder of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. Don't forget the Jerry Sandusky-Penn State scandal and disgraced public figures such as Rod Blagojevich and Dominque Strauss-Kahn.

The year 2011 was the year of the protester. What will 2012 bring?

Jamaica's opposition People's National Party (PNP) secured an upsetting 41- to 22-seat victory over the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) in Thursday's general elections, dispelling polls that had claimed the election would have been too close to call.

Opinion polls suggest that JLP and PNP are running neck-and- neck.

The U.S. Treasury again shied away from labeling China a currency manipulator on Tuesday, but it rapped the country for not moving fast enough on exchange rate reforms.

While the threat of credit rating downgrades hangs over Europe, a few big emerging market economies are on the upswing.

While the threat of credit rating downgrades hangs over Europe, a few big emerging market economies are on the upswing.

The Egyptian economy, battered after months of uncertainty and violence that has followed the political upheaval in that country, is hovering dangerously close to crisis status.

In a sign that Canada's resistance to paying into an IMF bailout fund for Europe might be fading, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Thursday the idea would be generally supported if all the Group of 20 nations agreed to pay in more.

The outlook for Europe looks gloomy especially after the European Central Bank (ECB) warning that risks to euro area financial stability increased considerably in the second half of 2011, as the sovereign risk crisis and its interplay with the banking sector worsened in an environment of weakening macroeconomic growth prospects.

Asian stocks and the euro edged up on Tuesday, but sentiment remained fragile on concerns that efforts to contain the euro zone debt crisis were faltering and tougher rules to strengthen banks' capital would further undermine their profits.

Despite vast oil reserves, Nigeria has been plagued by poor infrastructure, decades of official corruption and mismanagement of its economy.

After standing by her husband after he was arrested for allegedly trying to rape a New York hotel chambermaid in May, Anne Sinclair, the wife of shamed former IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has been voted Woman of the Year in a new French poll.

European leaders have not done enough to deal with the region's debt crisis and should probably use the International Monetary Fund to more closely monitor countries with the biggest problems, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Sunday.

Gold prices hovered in a tight range Monday as doubts that Eurozone banks have enough access to cash and the uncertainties about the severity of the continent's recession offset physical demand from Asian buyers.

The euro zone will tackle its debt crisis this week by offering more cash to the IMF and long-term liquidity to banks, while moving toward tighter fiscal rules, after ratings agency Fitch cast doubt on its capacity to respond decisively.

IHS Global forecasts that Ireland’s GDP will grow by only 0.9 percent next year.

Talks are progressing on private bondholders' contribution to Greece's international bailout but there is no guarantee they will lead to a voluntary deal involving the bulk of its creditors, a senior troika official said on Friday as EU, IMF and ECB inspectors wrapped up a one-week visit to Athens.

Talks on a Greek debt swap deal are making progress but there is no guarantee they will lead to a voluntary deal with a high level of participation by private bondholders, a senior troika official said on Friday as EU, IMF and ECB inspectors wrapped up a one-week visit to Athens.

Europe's top central banker said on Thursday that euro zone governments are on the right track to restore market confidence but reminded them that an emergency program to buy their bonds was neither eternal nor infinite.