GERMANY

A renewed focus on Europe's banking and debt crisis may quickly sap the nascent optimism about global economic prospects that followed a remarkably solid U.S. January employment report.

Euro zone finance ministers told Greece it could not go ahead with an agreed deal to restructure privately held debt until it guaranteed to implement reforms to secure a second financing package from the euro zone and the IMF.

Euro zone finance ministers told Greece on Saturday it could not go ahead with an agreed deal to restructure privately-held debt until it guaranteed it would implement reforms needed to secure a second financing package from the euro zone and the IMF.

Euro zone finance ministers told Greece on Saturday it could not go ahead with an agreed deal to restructure privately-held debt until it guaranteed it would implement reforms needed to secure a second financing package from the euro zone and the IMF.

China and Russia have vetoed a resolution by the U.N. Security Council calling for the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid worsening violence in that country. The resolution backed a similar resolution proposed earlier by the Arab League.

More than 200 people were killed in shelling by Syrian forces in the city of Homs, activists said on Saturday, as the U.N. Security Council prepared to vote on a draft resolution backing an Arab call for President Bashar al-Assad to give up power.

Almost every major global economy showed positive momentum in the manufacturing sector during January, according to data compiled by various economic-research organizations.

Hungarian flag-carrier Malev ceased operating early on Friday after its planes were held overseas for unpaid debts, leaving a gap in the market that low-cost competitors were quick to exploit.

Siemens AG is on the look out for a new chief executive for its mobile phone network equipment joint venture Nokia Siemens Networks , Siemens supervisory board member Sibylle Wankel told reporters on Friday.

Apple Inc said it was cleared to resume selling older models of its iPhone and 3G-based iPads via its German online store on Friday, after the suspension of an injunction won by Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc in December.

A Chinese shipping magnate, Hu Zhen Yu, broke a world record by paying a record price of $328,000 for a Dutch pigeon, making it the world's most expensive bird of its kind.

After a blockbuster January for both equities and bonds - rallies that caught many in the market by surprise - investors will be paying keen attention to the world's central banks in the coming week for signs of continued easy money.

Groundhog Day 2012 swept the nation, with Americans across the U.S. getting a kick out of little Punxsutawney Phil. You could even say it was a bit maniaal. The adorable groundhog is a sure celebrity, with hoards of fans waiting for his arrival and dressing up in his honor.

Europe has been struck by one of the worst cold spells in year. Massive amounts of snow have fallen across the continent this week, causing flight cancellations and transportation delays.

Apple Inc stopped offering older models of its iPhone and 3G-based iPads at its German online store on Friday in a response to an injunction won by Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc in December.

Groundhog Day 2012 swept the nation, with Americans across the U.S. getting a kick out of little Punxsutawney Phil. You could even say it was a bit maniac. The adorbale groundhog is a sure celebrity, with hoards of fans waiting for his arrival and dressing up in his honor. Did Punxstawney Phil see his shadow?

Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom has testified in the court on February 3, insisting he never wanted to flee New Zealand.

A German Muslim convert duo was arrested on entry into Britain with a stash of terror manuals on bomb-making. The two German Muslims admitted entering the country with terror manuals that also contained instructions on how to make homemade bombs. They also pleaded guilty to possessing documents that could be of use to terrorists, reported the Daily Mail. On July 15 last year, Christian Emde, 28, and Robert Baum, 23, were stopped by authorities from the South East Counter Terrorism Unit at Dover,...

Asian shares and the euro fell on Friday as debt restructuring talks between Greece and its creditors dragged on, undermining sentiment, and investors sat tight ahead of U.S. jobs data that will offer more clues on the health of the world's top economy.

China is considering increasing its participation in the rescue funds aimed at resolving the European debt crisis, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told journalists on Thursday.

Faced with international political tensions, disruptive weather and natural disasters and global economic woes, oil companies in the U.S. and Europe reported overall declining earnings for the fourth quarter, even as they earned. The good news is that the U.S. became a net energy exporter for the first time since 1949.