GERMANY

The Australian Dollar once again retreated during Friday evening's trade as concerns about the global economic recovery emerged and equity markets headed down in Europe and the US.

Motorola Inc is close to selling most of its wireless-network equipment business to Nokia Siemens Networks for $1.2 billion, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

Boeing said its chief executive had not altered the latest delivery guidance on the 787 Dreamliner after a newspaper said he had expressed confidence in delivering the plane by end-year.

Banking supervisors published draft rules on Friday that will force banks around the world to build up extra capital in a boom, but gave no hint of what level of funds lenders would be required to hold.

China will stick with the policies that cooled economic growth last quarter and will keep faith with the euro despite Europe's debt problems, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Friday.

The dollar hovered near a 2- month low and the Nikkei slumped amid weak Asian stock markets as the outlook for the U.S. economic recovery worsened.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc agreed to pay $550 million to settle civil fraud charges over how it marketed a subprime mortgage product, ending months of negotiations that rattled the bank's clients and investors.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc agreed to pay $550 million to settle civil fraud charges over how it marketed a subprime mortgage product, ending months of negotiations that rattled the bank's clients and investors.

Top scorers Germany and winners Spain elicited the most positive reaction from online fans of this year's soccer World Cup, whilst France's player crisis made them the most maligned team of the tournament.

Markets are relatively patient about the budget-cutting efforts of Britain, the United States, Germany and Japan, but that could change if governments are slow to act, OECD chief Angel Gurria said on Thursday.

Asian stocks fell on Thursday as investors took profits from a recent rally after the Federal Reserve's caution on the U.S. economic recovery, even as Chinese data pointed to only a mild cooling in that economy.

World stocks hit a three-week high on Wednesday while government bonds fell broadly after Intel's forecast-beating quarterly results raised expectations of strong corporate earnings in the second quarter.

Europe Union finance ministers remained divided on Tuesday over what data would be published in banks stress tests due in 10 days but pledged to make them as transparent as possible.

Greece passed its first borrowing test on Tuesday since a giant EU/IMF funding deal in May, sending bank stocks and the euro higher after it easily sold 1.625 billion euros ($2.03 billion) of 6-month T-bills. The debt-ridden country managed to get market funding at a slightly cheaper cost than the 5.0 percent it pays to borrow under the 110 billion euro loan that the European Union and International Monetary Fund put in place to calm a crisis that has shaken the euro zone.

Electric carmaker Tesla Motors Inc said on Friday it signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp to deliver two electric vehicles to the world's largest automaker by the end of month.

A leading EU official on Tuesday urged full disclosure on how the region's banks perform in stress tests, but sources said the bloc's finance ministers remained divided on what data should be published.

The euro zone's emergency loan facility should be operational this month, finance ministers said on Monday, expressing hope Slovakia would cease to block the activation of the 440 billion euro ($554 billion) fund.

Account holders in the European Union who are faced with a run on their bank would get their money back within a week under a draft EU law published on Monday to protect consumers in the wake of the global crisis.

The European Central Bank slowed the pace of its controversial buying of government bonds to a near halt last week, adding substance to suggestions from one of its top policymakers that the programme could soon be phased out.

The euro zone's emergency loan facility should be operational this month, finance ministers said on Monday, expressing hope Slovakia would cease to block the activation of the 440 billion euro ($554 billion) fund.

Asian stocks rose on Monday as investors counted on the start of the U.S. earnings season this week to show firms were reaping strong profits and that the world's economic recovery was not losing steam.