POLAND

Central bankers around the world took their foot off the loose monetary policy throttle Thursday and kept benchmark interest rates steady on inflation concerns and the lack of new threats to gross domestic product growth.

Poland's central bank kept its benchmark interest rate at 4.5 percent Wednesday, the ninth consecutive month of no change, as inflation remained high.

German sportswear group Adidas stuck to forecasts for a slowdown in sales growth in 2012, disappointing investors who had hoped for more in a banner year for sports events with the Olympics and European soccer championships.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko quipped that it is better to be a dictator than gay – an apparent swipe at Germany’s openly homosexual foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle.

In observance of Casimir Pulaski Day, many city of Chicago and Cook County government offices and schools will be closed. Find a list here of the public offices and agencies that will be closed in commemoration of Casimir Pulaski on Monday.

How much drinking kids and teens had seen in recent movies was linked to the chances they overdid it on alcohol themselves in a new study from six European countries.

Pakistani model and actress Veena Malik, who was recently in the news for a controversy over her nude image on FHM magazine cover, says she is uncomfortable in stripping for a film.

Read Obama's address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, where he talks about his commitment to Israel and the dangers of Iran's nuclear program.

Many Russians reportedly feel that there is no alternative to Putin in a vote that opponents say is skewed in his favour.

The surge in oil prices is unlikely to have a major impact on inflation in emerging Europe but the impact on growth could be more significant according to the report.

Tech giant Apple has bypassed $500 billion market cap on February 29, becoming the sixth company in the world to do so. This is another record set by the world’s most valuable company, which has a distinction of releasing products that have grown to set benchmarks in their market segments.

Arsene Wenger has big names involved in transfer discussion.

Various developments across Europe boded ill for future fiscal integration in the Continent, a move many see as the only way to resolve the fundamental issues underlying the current sovereign debt crisis roiling the euro zone.

Almost 1.3 million people will die of cancer in the European Union this year, but death rates from the disease are on a steady decline, according to new research released on Wednesday.

Illegal Internet pharmacies are using social media to market drugs to young people, an international report said on Tuesday.

Spain's Banco Santander, the biggest lender in the euro zone by market capitalization, said Tuesday that it will take over Poland’s Kredyt Bank from Belgium’s KBC Group in an all-share deal that values the combined entity at $6.69 billion.

In an amusing development, the Iranian government has hailed the country's first win at the Oscars, beating four contenders including one from Israel, as a victory over its rival Jewish state.

A Separation by Asghar Farhadi became the first Iranian film to win the Academy Award for the best foreign language film. Israeli media didn't digest the news well with many of them publishing articles about Iran's Oscar moment with sarcastic and bitter undertones.

The Academy Awards is the biggest night of the year for the movie industry. It is a night to honor the crowning achievements for the films, actors and crew of the preceding year. Check out the full list of Academy Award winners.

Israeli and Iranian filmmakers whose movies were competing in the foreign language film category shared certain moments of awkwardness during a pre-Oscars symposium, in the wake of Tehran's directive to its citizens to avoid contact with Israelis.

HSBC Holdings is expected to report the West's biggest banking profit for last year, fuelled by the East, while its rivals are struggling with faltering European and U.S. growth.