GERMANY

As Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s continued role as boss of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) appears doomed following his arrest on charges of rape in New York over the weekend, speculation grows on who will ultimately succeed him.

Euro zone finance ministers are ready to back an EU/IMF bailout of Portugal at a Monday meeting overshadowed by the arrest of International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn on sexual assault charges.

Nasdaq OMX Group Inc and IntercontinentalExchange are withdrawing their bid for rival exchange NYSE Euronext, saying it became clear they would not win approval for the deal from the Department of Justice's antitrust division.

France hopes to get at least 2.5 billion euros ($3.53 billion) for the fourth-generation (4G) wireless frequencies it plans to grant to telecom operators in an upcoming auction, Industry minister Eric Besson told Le Figaro.

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - In Japan, they're all ears for the latest in hi-tech fashion. The stylish headgear, a set of white ears that move according to the wearer's thoughts and emotions, is called Necomimi -- cat's ears in Japanese.

Pakistani Taliban leaders sometimes visited with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at his compound in Abbottabad, according to documents and computer files captured by U.S. officials.

The stock market performance of major stock indices in 2011 may shock you. One of the best-performing markets is the US. That’s right – the lumbering, deficit ridden, and low-growth giant.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will secure a parliamentary majority in favor of the planned permanent bailout fund for the euro zone, a senior coalition politician said on Saturday.

Gasoline and food prices hoisted U.S. inflation to a 2-1/2-year high in April, but there was little sign of a broader pick-up in consumer prices that would trouble the Federal Reserve.

Powerful performances by the German and French economies propelled growth in the euro zone well above forecasts in the first quarter while also highlighting the yawning gap between the bloc's strong and weak.

The Dollar price of Gold on wholesale markets continued to rally Friday morning, rising as high as $1516 per ounce - less than 4% off this month's all-time high - before slipping back, while stock and commodity markets recovered some of Thursday's losses.

Oil rose more than $1 on Friday, taking benchmark U.S. crude futures back above $100 per barrel, after much higher-than-expected growth in Germany and France and a rebound in the euro against the dollar.

The European Union (EU) has decided to stop its free travel policy across the continent in the midst of fears of migrants fleeing Africa due to the unrest.

U.S. stock index futures edged up on Friday ahead of key inflation and consumer confidence data that will give investors a chance to reassess recent volatility of the commodities market.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 all up 0.3 percent at 4 a.m. EST.

Storming performances by the German and French economies in the first quarter highlight the yawning gap between the euro zone's strong and weak and suggest the forecast for growth in the bloc is well under par.

World stocks rose Friday and the euro rose from a six-week low against the dollar as upbeat German and French growth data and favorable European corporate earnings prompted investors to buy back risky assets.

John Demjanjuk has been convicted of helping Nazi in massacring 28,000 Jews at Sobibor camp during Holocaust, to five years in prison by a German court on Thursday.

Stocks, led by defensive shares, rebounded from prior session losses, as commodities also clawed back higher.

Janssen, one of the units of Johnson and Johnson has tackled some issues in a discussion together with the regulatory authorities in five different countries about the trace amounts of fungicide discovered in the HIV drug, Prezista. Johnson and Johnson did a series of recalls that pertain to the presence of the chemical. The discussion was started by Janssen after receiving four consumer reports of a foul undetermined musty and moldy odor.

The European Commission will propose legislation in coming weeks to bring EU mobile phone roaming charges further into line with national tariffs, EU sources told Reuters Thursday.