MARKETS / FINANCE

The Bank of Japan will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to ease monetary policy in the face of strong government pressure as the yen's strength threatens a fragile economic recovery.

U.S. President Barack Obama pledged on Sunday to finish restoring the Gulf Coast area hit by Hurricane Katrina, five years after the storm ravaged the region and hurt the credibility of his Republican predecessor.

The Belgian politician leading talks to form a new government tendered his resignation on Sunday, but the king insisted he stay on to avert a political crisis two months after a parliamentary election.

The Italian government is preparing for a battle over planned justice reforms that would set time limits on trials but also effectively shield Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from two pending cases.

Google Inc has acquired Angstro, a startup that sorts news and information across social networks like Facebook, a spokesman for the leading Web search provider said on Sunday.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has smoothed the ruffled feathers of anti-inflation hawks at the Fed by indicating he will only press for more policy easing if the U.S. economic slowdown worsens.

The patient clearly looks ill, but is there at least a steady pulse?

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has smoothed the ruffled feathers of anti-inflation hawks at the Fed by indicating he will only press for more policy easing if the U.S. economic slowdown worsens.

The Bank of Japan is likely to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to ease monetary policy after Governor Masaaki Shirakawa returned to Tokyo from a trip to the United States earlier than expected.

Royal Bank of Scotland is in the process of appointing advisers to review the options for its insurance business, including a possible sale, according to a source close to the group.

A powerful South African labour leader threatened on Sunday to withdraw support for President Jacob Zuma's African National Congress, ending a long- standing alliance strained by a nearly three-week-old strike.

Beaten-up investors go into September, historically a weak month for stocks, facing key reports on jobs, manufacturing and services. If those disappoint, the S&P 500 could breach technical support levels, pushing stocks yet lower.

Troubled conglomerate Dubai World has begun talks with small creditors, not included in the coordination committee of banks on its restructuring plan, to avoid any lawsuits, a UAE newspaper said on Sunday.

A plan to carve out a substantial good bank from nationalised Anglo Irish Bank is facing opposition from the European Commission and Ireland's smaller governing party, the Sunday Business Post newspaper reported.

A plan to carve out a substantial good bank from nationalised Anglo Irish Bank is facing opposition from the European Commission and Ireland's smaller governing party, the Sunday Business Post newspaper reported.

Troubled conglomerate Dubai World has begun talks with small creditors, not included in the coordination committee of banks on its restructuring plan, to avoid any lawsuits, a UAE newspaper said on Sunday.

China will continue to curb property speculation regardless of recent changes in housing prices, a senior government advisor said in remarks published in Sunday.

Britons can expect no cut in the overall tax burden for an extended period as the coalition government takes tough steps to narrow a gaping budget deficit, a Treasury minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.

The European Union thinks China has made only limited progress in allowing its yuan currency to move more rapidly, and swifter action would help safeguard a fragile economic recovery, according to a draft G20 document obtained by Reuters on Saturday.

The European Union thinks China has made only limited progress in allowing its yuan currency to move more rapidly, and swifter action would help safeguard a fragile economic recovery, according to a draft G20 document obtained by Reuters on Saturday.

The global recovery is fragile and policymakers in advanced economies might still have to provide further economic support, Bank of England Deputy Governor Charles Bean said on Saturday.

Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Saturday he was ready to employ all possible measures to tackle the soaring yen, which was having a big impact on the country's export-led economy.

Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Saturday he told Chinese officials that Tokyo wants to see further efforts to make the yuan more flexible.

Tax and budget policies need the same regularity and independence as monetary policy if countries around the world are to cope with looming stresses from pension programs, world central bankers were told at a Federal Reserve conference on Saturday.

South African President Jacob Zuma on Saturday accused striking state workers of abandoning the sick at hospitals and said he expected a deal to be reached soon to end the labour action by about 1.3 million.

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Friday the economic recovery has weakened more than expected and the Fed stands ready to act if needed to spur slowing growth.

Clearwire Corp said on Friday that it is planning a pay-as-you-go service, representing a new customer segment for the high-speed wireless service provider.

U.S. economic growth was revised down to a sluggish 1.6 percent annual rate in the second quarter, pointing to an even softer performance in the third quarter.