ATHENS - Unions and employers in Greece are resuming talks as the country scrambles to push through more cost-cutting reforms and conclude massive debt deals that would prevent an imminent default.
MILAN - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has faced a furious backlash over his first major gaffe after saying that life-long job security was "boring" even as Italy struggles with high unemployment.
WASHINGTON - Ben Bernanke has defended the US Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates at record-low levels for the next three years, during a contentious hearing before federal politicians.
NEW YORK - The New York Stock Exchange and German exchange Deutsche Boerse have called off their planned merger, a day after the European Union said it would block the union because of concerns about a monopoly.
NEW YORK - MasterCard has recorded a $US495 million ($A464.3 million) charge in its fourth quarter to cover potential losses related to an ongoing lawsuit brought by merchants over the fees they pay on credit card transactions.
SINGAPORE - Singapore Airlines says its third-quarter net profit tumbled 53 per cent from a year ago due to "persistently high" fuel prices.
AMSTERDAM - Royal Dutch Shell Plc's top executives have dismissed weaker than anticipated fourth quarter earnings as a blip and say Europe's biggest oil company will embark on a new program to boost production, with an eye-catching emphasis on US natural gas.
TRENTON - Drugmaker Merck & Co has swung to a fourth-quarter profit because of lower acquisition and restructuring charges and slightly higher sales.
LONDON - Drug maker AstraZeneca says it will cut another 7300 jobs and has warned of a tough year ahead, due to government spending cuts on healthcare and stiff competition, even as it reported a 24 per cent increase in 2011 profits.
NEW YORK - Dow Chemical Co is feeling the impact of the slowing European economy, and seeing some weakness in North America as well.
JOHANNESBURG - Australian and Brazilian mining companies have been criticised for being unfair to locals in Mozambique.
LONDON - Mining company Xstrata PLC has confirmed it is in merger discussions with commodities trading giant Glencore International PLC.
PARIS - French luxury goods giant LVMH says it enjoyed a banner year in 2011 with net profits above three billion euros ($A3.70 billion) despite the uncertain global economy.
NEW YORK - US stocks were up slightly after a weekly report showed a drop in the number of people seeking unemployment benefits.
LONDON - Markets took a breather on Thursday after solid gains in the previous session, as investors positioned themselves for crucial US jobs data that often set the tone for a week or two after their release.
HONG KONG - Asian markets have risen as upbeat manufacturing data from across the globe lifted spirits, while traders were also confident Greece would soon reach a deal with creditors to slash its debt.
WELLINGTON - The New Zealand dollar held near a five-month high as rising commodity prices stoked optimism global growth will revive enough to support demand for the nation's agricultural exports.
AUCKLAND - Auckland-based furniture manufacturer Criterion has gone into receivership.
© Copyright 2004 by Merlea Investments