GERMANY

An advertising campaign that depicts President Barack Obama kissing two male world leaders on the mouth drew a critical response from the White House on Thursday.

Gold fell to a one week low on Thursday as fears that the euro zone debt crisis could spread from peripheral to core economies kept investors nervous and prompted some to liquidate profitable positions to cover losses in other asset classes.

General Electric, the biggest U.S. conglomerate, announced plans to hire as many as 400 more software engineers for a new global center in San Ramon, Calif. The company said it plans to spend as much as $1 billion on software development through 2015.

Superbugs capable of evading even the most powerful antibiotics are increasing their grip in Europe with rates of drug resistance in one type of bacteria reaching 50 percent in the worst-hit countries, health officials said Thursday.

With defected army soldiers attacking more buildings in Syria, Russia is calling for talks between President Bashar al-Assad and opposition leaders to end what is looking very much like a civil war.

So far, the dispensers of global financial justice -- the bond vigilantes -- have given the U.S. a pass on the budget deficit issue. But that can’t last forever, which is why it behooves Democrats and Republicans to reach agreement on a budget deficit reduction package now, starting with a super committee agreement.

Stock index futures fell on Thursday after a late selloff in the prior session as investors kept a close eye on rising yields of euro zone debt.

Stock index futures fell on Thursday after a late selloff in the prior session as investors kept a close eye on rising yields of euro zone debt.

Stock index futures pointed to a steady-to-lower open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 flat, Dow Jones futures down 0.04 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.15 percent at 1055 GMT.

Spain and France struggled with government bond auctions on Thursday, throwing into sharp relief the threat of larger euro zone economies succumbing to the debt crisis that began in Greece and is already lapping at Italy's shores.

Dutch grocer Ahold beat forecasts with a 5 percent rise in third-quarter profit as it gained market share and managed to pass on higher food costs to cash-strapped shoppers in its main U.S. business.

World stocks hit a one-week low on Thursday and Bunds rose as Spain paid more than at any time since 1997 to sell ten-year debt, sparking fears it may join other euro zone peripheral states in being unable to finance itself.

France and Germany, Europe's two central powers, have stepped up their war of words over whether the European Central Bank should intervene more forcefully to halt the euro zone's debt crisis after modest bond purchases failed to calm markets.

World stocks dipped to a one-week low on Thursday and the euro held near a five-week trough while safe-haven German bonds rose, as concerns grew over spillover damage to U.S. banks from the euro zone sovereign debt crisis.

Asian shares wobbled Thursday as doubts deepened about Europe's ability to stop its sovereign debt crisis from spinning out of control, with Germany and France split over the European Central Bank's bond buying role.

Samsung Electronics said on Thursday that it would launch a redesigned version of its 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab model in Germany as early as this week to avoid a sales ban on the tablet, which a German court said violated Apple's patents.

Samsung Electronics said on Thursday that it would launch a redesigned version of its 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab model in Germany as early as this week to avoid a sales ban on the tablet, which a German court said violated Apple's patents.

Italian clothing firm, Benetton, has withdrawn its latest ad campaign featuring an image of Pope Benedict XVI kissing an eminent Egyptian Imam on the lips, due to the Vatican's hot protests.

German fashion brand, Hugo Boss AG has raised its 2015 sales and earnings forecast following plans to set up new stand alone stores.

The International Monetary Fund replaced its European Director with a powerful, well-connected, insider on Wednesday in a sign the global lender is setting a more forceful course of action in dealing with the European crisis.

The new ad campaign is part of Benetton's Unhate Foundation.