LONDON

Japan's disgraced Olympus Corp ironed out its crooked accounts on Wednesday after a 13-year fraud, with a $1.1 billion dent in its balance sheet triggering speculation it will need to merge, sell assets or raise capital to repair its finances.

Nearly one-quarter (22 percent) of people between the ages of 16 and 24 are without work.

The royal family will embark on a global tour next year as part of celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth's 60th year on the throne, Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday.

Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and its Indonesian union signed a pay deal on Wednesday to end a three-month strike that had paralysed output at the world's second-biggest copper mine, a union official and the company said.

Chelsea are ready to sell Spanish striker Fernando Torres.

Gunners had previously put in a bid for the player which was rejected.

Chelsea has previously been interested in the striker.

Asian shares drifted lower and the euro idled near an 11-month low on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve failed to take any new steps to stimulate growth and offset the chilling effects of Europe's still-unresolved sovereign debt crisis.

British artist Damien Hirst, who sold a collection of works for a record $200 million in 2008, will be display his iconic Spot paintings at Gagosian galleries around the world in January, the gallery said on Tuesday.

In what was probably Iran's response to growing threats made against its sovereignty, and a possible show of strength, the Middle Eastern country announced it is planning war drills to practice closing off the Strait of Hormuz -- one of the world's main oil arteries.

This December, Santa may well deliver more than just candy or coal to the entrepreneurs of Silicon Alley startups. If 2011 has been any indication, more money than ever before is being dumped into the coffers of New York-based high tech firms. For example, consider the following deals that have just happened:

It has been called the brick that built the universe, the angel of creation and the god particle.

Director David Fincher's film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo earned solid early reviews on Tuesday following its London premiere, and the studio behind it pushed up the release in a crowded holiday season.

Spending cuts proposed by a cash-strapped coalition government in London will likely also exacerbate the problem.

From the royal wedding to the Libyan uprising and the Occupy Wall Street protests, these Flickr users chose to recreate 2011's biggest stories through Lego, crafting intricate pictures of everything from Buckingham Palace to Zuccotti Park. Check out the best Lego pictures here, and find out where to see the rest of the Lego project.

Among the main beneficiaries of the graphic new movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will be babysitters.

ECR Minerals Plc said Tuesday it expects exploratory drilling on its El Abra gold prospect in Argentina to begin next month.

Auctioneers are wigging out over Elizabeth Taylor.

Malaria deaths have fallen dramatically in the past decade thanks to increased aid allowing more people access to nets and medicines, but the economic slowdown threatens to curb future progress, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.

One in five workers suffer from a mental illness such as depression or anxiety and these conditions increasingly affect productivity in the workplace as many struggle to cope, a report by the OECD said on Monday.

In something akin to King James I's succession of Queen Elizabeth, menswear is poised to overtake womenswear and claim fashion's royal throne.