Brent crude fell on Friday, heading for a drop of more than 10 percent this month and its biggest quarterly decline in five quarters, while analysts saw little scope for recovery this year. ICE Brent for November settlement fell 80 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $103.15 a barrel by 1136 GMT. U.S. crude fell 97

Britain's Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm, which could be the world's largest when it opens, is at risk of delays as developers SSE and RWE npower and main builder Fluor argue over who pays the extra costs for faulty material. The developers plan for the 1.3 billion pound ($2 billion) wind farm off the coast

The euro zone crisis looms like a dark cloud over Europe's biggest economy, but Stephan Gais can't see it. Not for now at least. The 55-year old chairman of Mahr, a classic German "Mittelstand" firm that makes measuring instruments for the auto, engineering and medical sectors, had his best month ever in August, pulling in

Global wine auctions and investments will slow next year as the euro zone crisis and slowdown in the U.S. economy take their toll on the wine industry, but Asia may prove slightly more resilient, said Pancho Campo, a Spanish wine expert. Fears of a Greek default that have roiled the world's financial markets and stubbornly

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in Paris on Friday to discuss Greece's debt situation and will then outline a Franco-German strategy to help struggling euro zone states. The presidential palace said in a statement that Sarkozy would meet Papandreou at 1500 GMT on Friday. Sarkozy, speaking to reporters during

Civil servants blockaded several ministries on Thursday to protest against austerity measures as Greece resumed talks with EU and IMF inspectors on an 8 billion euro aid tranche it needs to avoid bankruptcy next month. The Socialist government decided on unpopular pension cuts, lay-offs and taxes last week to lure back the so-called troika of

Euro zone finance ministers will discuss on Monday how to leverage their EFSF bailout fund to give it more power without increasing national guarantees, but are unlikely to make any decisions, euro zone officials said. "The ministers on Monday will come closer to a solution, but not to a conclusion," one euro zone official involved

The European Union's executive said on Thursday it intends to offer financial aid in the coming weeks to EU olive oil producers hit by falling prices. The European Commission said it would approve EU funds to help cover the cost of privately storing virgin olive oil for six months, by which time the 2011/12 harvest

Asian stocks fell on Friday, extending the worst monthly performance since the most volatile days of the global financial crisis in October 2008, with Chinese shares racking up sharp losses. The euro fell and was on course for the biggest monthly drop in nearly a year, with parliamentary approvals of new powers for Europe's bailout