EUROPEAN UNION

China's central bank chief poured cold water on Thursday on talk that Beijing could make the yuan fully convertible as soon as 2015.

China's central bank chief poured cold water on Thursday on talk that Beijing could make the yuan fully convertible as soon as 2015.

The European Central Bank is expected to signal a change in policy direction on Thursday, halting an interest-rate rise cycle just five months after it started as the euro zone debt crisis weighs on the economy.

Germany's Constitutional Court rejected on Wednesday a series of lawsuits aimed at blocking German participation in bailout packages for Greece and other euro zone countries, but said parliament must have a bigger say in future rescues.

Germany's highest court said on Wednesday that parliament must have a bigger say in euro zone rescue packages, in a landmark ruling that may make it more difficult for Europe to respond swiftly in delivering aid to crisis-hit member states.

The euro zone's most indebted nations were scrambling on Wednesday to convince investors and the rest of Europe of their commitment to tackle their debt problems, even as the bloc's main paymaster Germany battles increasing opposition to further aid.

The European Union is stockpiling rare earths, vital for many high-technology industries, to reduce its dependence on China, a spokesman for the EU industry commissioner said on Tuesday.

Europeans are plagued by mental and neurological illnesses, with almost 165 million people or 38 percent of the population suffering each year from a brain disorder such as depression, anxiety, insomnia or dementia, according to a large new study.

ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said on Monday he was convinced the Greek government would take the decisions required to keep its EU-IMF bailout on track, but it had very little time to do so.

LONDON - European stocks tumbled 4 percent on Monday, with banks plumbing a more than two year low, as fears for the future of the euro zone bubbled up against a background of weak economic growth and threats to the banking sector.

When Muammar Gaddafi's soldiers fled this corner of a field outside Tripoli where they were camped, they left behind their army fatigues, a can of Brut deodorant -- and a Scud tactical missile.

The company had to pull the just-unveiled Galaxy Tab 7.7 out of the IFA consumer- electronics show in Berlin after a Dusseldorf court granted Apple's request on Sept. 2 to ban sales and marketing of the product.

The interruption of talks between Greece and international lenders on a new aid tranche is a blow to the stability of Europe's currency, the deputy leader of Germany's junior coalition partners said on Saturday.

The European Union imposed a ban on purchases of Syrian oil on Saturday and targeted three Syrian firms in an expanded sanctions list meant to intensify pressure against President Bashar al-Assad's government.

European Union (EU) foreign ministers have, in principle, reached an agreement for imposing far reaching new economic sanctions against Syria. The major one is an embargo on oil-related imports from that country

After a slow start that has frustrated U.S. business groups, the next four months could be important to President Barack Obama's legacy on trade.

Libya's new leadership reaffirmed its commitment to democracy and good governance on Friday as it worked on how to spend billions of dollars released from the frozen assets of fugitive strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

Central banks from around the world are placing record sums of money into the Fed as a safe haven, at amounts even higher than during the Lehman Brothers meltdown.

Brent crude hovered at $114 a barrel Friday, on track for its second consecutive weekly gain, as investors eyed U.S. jobs data for clues on whether the world's largest oil consumer will be able to dodge a recession.

Italian employers' group Confindustria slammed the government's austerity plan as weak and inadequate on Thursday and expressed concern about how Italy's economic problems are being handled.

Syrian forces raided houses in Hama on Thursday, residents said, hours after the city's attorney general declared on YouTube he had resigned in protest against the suppression of street demonstrations.