GERMANY

European equities will beat 2010 gains by the end of next year, as companies get some help from better earnings and record-low interest rates that will overcome the sovereign debt crisis, Bloomberg said, citing a survey of 13 strategists.

The company supports an initiative to create hydrogen fuel cell infrastructure in Hawaii.

On a 2-hour chart, EUR/USD has next support at 1.3141 (S1), as indicated by the 61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement from 1.3422 to 1.2970. A break below the same could take it to 1.3059 (S2) before retesting the November 30 low of 1.2968.

German pharmaceuticals and chemical giant Bayer AG said it plans to invest 1-billion euros ($1.3-billion) in China in efforts to more than double sales in the country by 2015, as part of the company’s greater push into the Asia-Pacific region.

Chronology: Key events that have punctuated Oracle's handling of Java this year.

Russia is seeking an explanation from NATO after documents published by Wikileaks revealed that the military alliance planned to protect Baltic States against Moscow. Russian officials stated that the Kremlin was awaiting clarification from NATO the proposed Eagle Guardian plan.

Annual inflation in Germany hit two-year high in November mainly driven by rising energy and food prices, data showed on Thursday.

A day after Germany rejected the proposal to establish a common market for eurozone sovereign bonds, EU Economics and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn called for a coordinated action to repair the damage of the debt crisis afflicting the region.

Germans are now the world's number one Gold Bar buyers. Germany's swivel-eyed gold bugs simply show more imagination than journalists, policy-makers and academic economists.

A war is now raging in Europe. On one side are the forces of the corporate state led by Germany and France; on the other are the forces of free-market capitalism led by Britain.

The proposed common sovereign bond for eurozone, if ever it materializes, will fall short of solving the region’s fiscal crisis, analysts have said.

At 12:53 GMT, the pair was at 1.3212, off an intra-day low of 1.3179 and from its previous close of 1.3259. With no key data due from the US through the rest of the day, the pair is likely to hold above the 1.3157-1.2970 support region.

German industrial production topped economists' expectations during October, a report by Destatis said, indicating the German economic recovery continues, contrary to fears of a slowdown.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is behind bars in London, facing extradition to Sweden where he is charged with rape and sexual molestation in two separate cases.

Europe, US will turn up to witness royal wedding in London but there will be no blessings from France, Skyscanner, a leading travel search site, said in a statement.

The euro currency might not survive the current sovereign debt crisis and may be in danger of collapse, according to Stephen Nickell, an economist at the independent Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) member and former Bank of England member.

After Paypal and Swiss authorities closed the accounts of Wikileaks, it's Mastercard's turn to refuse any financial support to Wikileaks' money transfers.

Europe's biggest carmaker Volkswagen AG plans to hire around 50,000 workers worldwide in the medium-term, including 5,000-6,000 in Germany by 2015.

While Europe (and much of the developed world) continues to reel from high unemployment in the wake of the global economic recession, at least one small, peaceful corner of the continent continues to enjoy very low jobless rates.

In a CBS interview, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke took shots at foreign critics who openly bashed QE2 in the days leading up to the November 11 G20 Summit.

International talks on Iran's nuclear activity got under way in Geneva on Monday amid Tehran's claims of achieving self-sufficiency in the fuel cycle. Analysts say that little is expected from the talks. But the latest developments in Iran are likely to give it the confidence to put forward demands of sanctions against the Islamic Republic to be lifted. The talks between Iran and the five UN powers - the US, Russia, China, France and Britain - plus Germany were stalled 14 months ago.