GERMANY

The Irish electorate is likely to reject any attempt to extend the European Union's powers to deal with the region's financial crisis, a poll in The Irish Times newspaper showed on Wednesday.

The NL is a key member of Berlusconi’s ruling coalition government and thus far has not wanted to make many concessions to EU demands for reform.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi goes to the European Union Wednesday with an offer of economic reforms after bickering coalition parties hammered out a last-minute deal.

The incoming head of the European Central Bank threw the Eurozone a lifeline hours before a crucial summit on Wednesday by signaling the bank would go on buying troubled states' bonds to combat market turmoil.

European stock index futures fell on Wednesday, after Asian shares traded lower for most part on growing concerns that the outcome from a key meeting of European policymakers to contain the debt crisis may fall short of expectations.

Prospects for a comprehensive deal to resolve the euro zone debt crisis at a summit on Wednesday look dim, with deep disagreement remaining on critical aspects of the potential agreement, including how to give the region's bailout fund greater firepower.

Brazil on Tuesday rejected the idea of buying European bonds to help ease the euro zone's debt crisis, casting doubt on a plan for major emerging market economies to offer fresh funds for the continent's rescue.

German Chancellor Angel Merkel looks set to win a parliamentary vote on Wednesday on boosting the firepower of the euro zone rescue fund with a large majority, bolstering her negotiating strength ahead of a crunch EU summit.

U.S. oil prices shot to a 12-week high on Tuesday in a second day of frenetic spread trading, with dealers racing to claw back a record discount versus Europe's Brent as they gave in to evidence of tightening supplies.

Italy's ruling coalition reached agreement on Tuesday on reforms ahead of a European Union summit on Wednesday but a key coalition leader said he was still pessimistic about the future of the government.

Ford Motor Co tumbled 10 spots in a widely watched reliability study due to problems with the new touch-screen entertainment system in some of its models and transmission issues in two of its most popular cars.

Gold prices soared nearly three percent Tuesday as global investors fled stocks and the euro for safe-haven investments ahead of a critical European economic summit that many think will fail to fix the continent's debt and finance crisis.

Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed to German lawmakers from all parties on Tuesday to back plans to boost the firepower of the euro zone rescue fund in a vote set to take place hours before Wednesday's crunch EU summit.

With ongoing turmoil in Africa and the Middle East, illegal immigration is becoming an increasingly difficult challenge in Europe.

Four lawmakers from the Free Democrat junior partner in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition voted against a draft motion on leveraging the euro zone bailout fund in a test vote on Tuesday, lawmakers told Reuters.

A lack of steady progress in tacking the debt crisis raised pessimism among investors and the market.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi faced growing pressure Tuesday over European Union demands for economic reforms with his main coalition partner warning the government could fall over the issue.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi faced growing pressure Tuesday over European Union demands for economic reforms with his main coalition partner warning the government could fall over the issue.

An international drive against offshore tax havens has reaped nearly 14 billion euros from would-be tax evaders, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said on Tuesday.

Deutsche Bank's third-quarter pretax profit beat forecasts as retail banking and asset management offset a drop in investment banking which it warned was facing the toughest conditions since 2008 that could lead to more job cuts.

European shares steadied Tuesday as earnings news offset fresh political uncertainty a day ahead of the euro zone leaders' meeting that many hope will take a big step toward solving the region's two-year-old debt crisis.