Portugal and Greece dominated the headlines out of Europe Wednesday, as both nations appeared to be opening new chapters in the continuing Eurozone sovereign debt crisis. Paradoxically, positive developments in one country were actually seen as the reason negative news were emerging from the other.
Francois Hollande, the likely Socialist Party candidate in France's presidential elections, was hit in the face by flour during a speech in Paris on Wednesday. He joins a list of other great leaders who have been the victim of political pranks
Crumbling global demand restrained factory output in Asia and most of Europe in January, business surveys showed on Wednesday, putting pressure on policymakers to shore up growth and counter a spreading malaise.
Greece's prime minister is seeking backing from the country's political leaders for more austerity measures, with the International Monetary Fund warning that long-term commitment to reforms is key to securing a new bailout.
European Union regulators have blocked the merger of exchange operators Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext to avoid giving them a stranglehold on the European futures market.
Portugal seeks to sell 1.5 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in treasury bills on Wednesday, in a test of its ability to raise short-term funds after a recent surge in its long-term bond rates have raised fears it may be forced to follow Greece and seek a new bailout.
Apple beat Samsung twice Jan. 31, and a German court found the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9 mimicked the iPad 2 just a little too much, banning them from store shelves completely. Samsung is not worried about the ruling because they already designed the Galaxy Tab 10.1 N, a device that complies with the copyright infringement ruling and is sold throughout Germany, an Associated Press report said.
Stocks gave up early gains to turn flat on Tuesday, weighed down by mixed corporate earnings and weaker-than-expected data on Midwest business activity and consumer confidence.
The Senate Banking Committee is proposing news sanctions on Iran in an effort to stall its nuclear ambitions.
Spain has the highest jobless rate in the euro zone (22.9 percent), while Austria has the lowest (4.1 percent).
The European Commission opened an investigation into whether Samsung Electronics has distorted competition in the European mobile device market, breaking EU antitrust rules, the EU executive arm said in a statement on Tuesday.
Asian shares and the euro rose on Tuesday after Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos raised hopes that a deal would be reached this week to avoid a potentially chaotic debt default, but worries over Portugal's refinancing ability capped gains.
Chancellor Angela Merkel cemented her political ascendancy in Europe Monday when 25 out of 27 EU states agreed to a German-inspired pact for stricter budget discipline, even as they struggled to rekindle growth from the ashes of austerity.
Portugal's slide towards becoming the next Greece - needing a second bailout to avoid bankruptcy - accelerated on Monday as untrusting underwriters hiked the cost of insuring Lisbon's bonds to new highs and insisted it be paid up front.
Greece's Prime Minister Lucas Papademos held talks on restructuring Greek debt with senior officials from the European Central Bank and the European Union after an EU summit on Monday, officials said.
Belgium is compelled by the EU to slash its deficit to below 3 percent of GDP from 4.2 percent in 2011.
China lost an appeal at the World Trade Organization on Monday in a case about its export restrictions on raw materials, a ruling that could make it harder for major commodity exporters to withhold supplies on the global market.
Weakness in banks and commodity stocks dragged Britain's leading share index lower on Monday as the protracted search for a Greek bond deal and concerns about economic growth kept investors nervous.
Stocks tumbled in early trading on Monday as concerns grew about the state of Europe's finances as Greece and Germany sparred over budget measures for Athens.
Stock index futures pointed to a weak open on Monday as concerns grew about the state of Europe's finances as Greece and Germany sparred over budget measures for Athens.
Health regulators on Friday detained nine shipments of orange juice from Brazil and Canada that contained traces of an illegal fungicide, and rejected industry calls to overhaul the way they test for the banned substance.
Although honor killings are typically associated with Muslim countries like Turkey, Iraq and especially Pakistan, the practice has nothing to do with Islam
