GERMANY

An Australian court could rule next week on an injunction sought by Apple to bar the sale of Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy 10.1 tablets in the country, a federal court judge said on Thursday.

Asian technology companies came under pressure on Thursday to slash prices of their tablet computers after Amazon.com launched its Kindle Fire at a mass market-friendly $199.

As part of the biodiversity program launched by the Airbus Corporate Foundation, a third group of sixteen Airbus volunteers has reached Kudimery village in Tamil Nadu state, Southern India.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel faces a battle for her political survival on Thursday when some of her coalition, worried about throwing good money after bad by bailing out Greece, could humiliate her in a parliament vote on euro-zone rescue schemes.

On Saturday, NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) crash landed at approximately 12AM Eastern time. The location, NASA confirmed, is in a general area in the Southern hemisphere away from any major lands. To their knowledge, however, there have been no signs of UARS debris located in the predicted geographic region.

Gold prices slumped 2 percent Wednesday as investors braced for a key vote on the future of the European bailout fund and readjusted portfolios ahead of the fourth quarter.

Caution ahead of an audit of Greece's finances drove major world stock markets lower on Wednesday, while prices of commodities like oil and copper fell.

A decision of providing the Greek government with more badly needed bailout cash hinges on a review of Athens’ debt-reduction progress by officials from the European Commission (EC), European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Europe's never-ending debt saga has investors girding for volatile, unsteady currency markets for years to come.

Investor hopes for a bigger bailout fund for euro zone debtors gave way to worries about the details Wednesday, sending European shares lower and ending a three-session rally.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso urged the European Central Bank to do everything in its power to maintain financial stability in the euro zone, saying the EU faced the biggest challenge in its 50-year history.

Greece faced a new test in its attempt to avoid bankruptcy on Wednesday as international auditors headed for Athens, while Germany suggested a new bailout may be renegotiated as argument rages over whether private creditors should take bigger losses.

Asian stocks edged higher and a rally in the euro stalled on Wednesday, as investors looked for more signs that European leaders were tackling a debt crisis that threatens the financial system before committing bolder market bets

Gold slipped 1 percent in volatile trade on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar regained strength on doubts over the progress of Europe's efforts to tackle the region's debt crisis, while this week's brutal correction also kept investors at bay.

Gold prices are plunging in September partly because struggling Eurozone sovereign states are dumping [it] in the open market, speculated Michael Pento, president of Pento Portfolio Strategies.

The African regional trade bloc Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is considering issuing a regional infrastructure bond and is seeking advisers, a senior trade official said on Tuesday.

Gold prices rose more than 4 percent Tuesday, breaking a three-day losing streak, on optimism that Germany this week will approve an expansion of Europe's bailout fund and a decline in the U.S. dollar.

World stocks rose for a third straight session on Tuesday, with European shares up 2 percent, as investors took comfort from reports that officials were working to add to measures to calm the euro zone debt crisis.

Women drivers, long victims of sexist stereotypes, really are worse at parking than men, European studies indicate.

Euro-zone officials are working to magnify the firepower of the region's rescue fund, European Central Bank policymakers said on Monday, while President Barack Obama piled on pressure for Europe to staunch a sovereign debt crisis that threatens the world economy.

Odyssey Marine will keep 80 percent of the silver it pulls from the S.S. Gairsoppa, which was struck by a Nazi U-boat. The British government will claim the rest.