GERMANY

The U.S. stock index futures point to a lower open Thursday as investors maintained a cautious mode ahead of the Federal Reserve meeting in which there is the likelihood of another round of quantitative easing measures to be announced to invigorate the economy.

Dutch voters handed pro-European parties a sweeping election victory on Wednesday, shunning the radical fringes and dispelling concerns that euro skeptics could gain sway in a core euro zone country.

The U.S. and its allies have long sought to pressure Russia and China into backing such a statement against Iran, amidst fears that Israel would unilaterally attack Iran in a pre-emptive measure in lieu of finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Christian Slater has joined the cast of Lars von Trier's sexually charged drama "Nymphomaniac." Amidst reports, courtesy of Shia LaBeouf, that it will contain "real" sex scenes, the controversial film is getting massive attention. The Danish director, who has clashed with such stars as Bjork and Nicole Kidman, is known for making outlandish statements. For instance, at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, he referred to himself as a "Nazi."

The death of US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three members of his staff in Benghazi is a tragedy, and they join a long line of diplomats who died representing their nations.

Far-right Dutch politician and leader of the ultra-conservative Freedom Party (PVV) Geert Wilders formerly established his party in parliament on a platform of Islamophobic anti-immigration, and now seeks to turn nationalist sentiment against the eurozone amid frustrations with debt-laden countries like Greece, Italy and Spain. Poll indicate his party will lose seats this election, but it has defied expectations in the past.

Market bulls charged on Wednesday -- running U.S. stock futures, European stocks, the euro, oil and gold higher -- in the wake of a German court ruling that backs the country's participation in the euro zone's new bailout fund created to prevent the weakest euro economies from going bust. However, some economists warn that it's too early to sound the all-clear on the fate of the single currency bloc.

Alcatel Lucent SA, Nokia Corp, Sohu.com, Facebook, Barclays, Banco Santander, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp, Morgan Stanley and Apple Inc. are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Wednesday.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Wednesday as investor confidence was underpinned by expectation that the Federal Reserve will announce stimulus measures this week to invigorate the economy and boost growth.

Most European markets rose Wednesday with investors awaiting Germany's Constitutional Court to approve the euro zone's new bailout fund to help reduce the debt stress faced by the countries in the region.

Asian stock market advanced Wednesday with investors expecting a positive decision in the German court ruling on ESM constitutionality while speculation of further stimulus measures from China also added to the sentiment.

Asian shares edged higher Wednesday as investors remained cautiously optimistic that a German court would approve the legality of the euro zone's bailout fund later in the day and the U.S. Federal Reserve may deliver further stimulus measures this week.

Watch live coverage as the United States men's national team takes on Jamaica in Columbus, Ohio, plus a full preview, team news and prediction.

The most important court decision of 2012 will take place Wednesday in Germany, when the red-robed justices of the German Constitutional Court hand down a decision for which it is no hyperbole to say it could change the course of history. The Court is expected to rule over whether Germany is barred from contributing to the European Stability Mechanism, Europe's all-purpose bailout fund of which the German state is the major planned benefactor.

Asian stock markets declined Tuesday as investors opted for caution ahead of key events including German court ruling on ESM constitutionality and the U.S. Federal Reserve policy meeting later this week.

The U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open Tuesday as investor sentiment turned positive amid hopes that the Federal Reserve would announce monetary easing measures this week to revive the economic growth momentum.

Most U.S. employers are unwilling to add workers because of uncertainty around November's elections, the Federal budget, and the effect of Europe's slowdown, according to a quarterly hiring survey by ManpowerGroup. The pace of hiring is expected to slow in large emerging economies including China and India.

Asian shares eased Tuesday ahead of a key German ruling on the euro zone's bailout funds and the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy decision.

A look at five players likely to be on Chelsea's radar heading into the next transfer window.

Proofpoint Inc. (Nasdaq: PFPT), the security software developer that conducted an April IPO, is confident it can beat bigger rivals like Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) in the market because it uses the cloud, offers lower cost of ownership and is spending cash to devise new products. So far, none of its accounts has been successfully cyberattacked, said CEO Gary Steele.

The summer sports lifted the host nation's mood as Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis, and David Weir were cheered on in the centre of the city.