Investors on Wednesday eagerly snatched up a new two-year German bond with a zero-percent coupon, meaning investors were willing to pay to loan money to Europe's strongest economy when expected inflation is factored in. The yield ended at 0.07 percent.
Spain may say on Wednesday how it will plug a hole of at least 8 billion euros ($10.21 billion) at Bankia, part of an effort to clean up a banking sector laden with bad debts and stop the country sinking further into the euro zone debt crisis.
Futures on major U.S. stock indices point to a lower opening Wednesday ahead of new home sales data for April and a European Union summit.
Market sentiment continued to be negative as a report quoting former Greek prime minister Lucas Papademos stated that Greece was considering preparations to leave the euro zone. Greece will hold fresh elections June 17.
Comments regarding a rebound in the Chinese economy from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development lifted stocks earlier Tuesday and kept Asian and European bourses in the green. The comments came after Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said last weekend his government would focus more on growth than inflation.
The measure grants President Barack Obama the power to impose sanctions against any country or company that enters into a joint venture or offers technology to assist Iran's uranium or oil industries.
Tomislav Nikolic, a former extreme-nationalist who now leads the Serbian Progressive Party, was named the victor of Sunday's presidential elections in Serbia, beating incumbent President Boris Tadic of the Democratic Party.
Turkey, which does not recognize the Cyprus government, and has repeatedly warned against exploration for oil and gas deposits on the island, launched its own exploration effort in the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Asian shares fell steeply Friday after more signs emerged of growing instability among Spanish banks and political turmoil in Greece, with the latest sluggish economic data from the United States adding to the list of risks for investors.
Greece's center-right New Democracy party has a slight edge among voters over the Coalition of the Radical Left, or Syriza, party ahead of the June 17th parliamentary elections, according to a new opinion poll.
Israeli leaders Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense minister Ehud Barak have long taken a hawkish stance against Iran.
Fears are escalating across Europe that Greece will have to exit the euro zone.
Tsipras has said he wants Greece to remain in the euro zone, but has demanded that bailout agreements be renegotiated by providing more favorable terms.
Although Greece is considered the ?cradle of Western Civilization,? the nation has had a vastly different history and trajectory from the dominant countries of Western Europe.
Last-ditch efforts to form a unity government on Tuesday failed, leading Papoulias to call these extraordinary measures.
Greece put a senior judge in charge of an emergency government on Wednesday to lead it to new elections on June 17 and bankers sought to calm public fears after the president said political chaos risked causing panic and a run on deposits.
The fertility level in western Turkey (the most economically advanced part of the country) is now about 1.5 -- roughly the same as in western Europe.
The move comes after a final bid to form a government failed on Tuesday, raising the possibility of a Greek exit from the euro.
Ukrainian Prime Minster Mykola Azarov announced on Tuesday that Ukraine will ramp up its natural gas production by up to 25 percent over the next three years, a move that could help the country break free of its energy dependence on neighboring Russia.
International opinions about which nations serve as a positive influence on global affairs are changing. Around the world, more people are looking to Asia, with Japan topping the list, while increasing numbers are disappointed with Europe. However, Asians themselves remained wary of their neighbors.
The Obama administration is trying to get Iranian exile group the People's Mujahedin of Iran taken off of the State Department's list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, according to a Monday report in the Wall Street Journal.
While the rest of the world is focused on Greece?s exit from the euro zone, the news that caught my eye is Finland finally getting its first Starbucks café.
