Asian shares fell on Wednesday, with Japanese stocks sliding 2 percent to a two-month low, and the safe-haven dollar firmed on concerns that the corporate results season will reveal weaker earnings in the face of flagging global economic growth. European index futures slipped, with Euro STOXX 50 futures down 0.2 percent, pointing to a third

The International Monetary Fund urged European policymakers to deepen the financial and fiscal ties within the euro area with some urgency to restore sagging confidence in the global financial system. In its semi-annual check on the world's financial health, the Fund said the euro area's debt crisis was the main threat and the risks to

* Jimmy Savile suspected of abusing up to 25 girls * TV star, a household name in Britain, died last year Jimmy Savile, the late BBC TV star at the centre of a child sex scandal that has shaken Britain's state-funded broadcaster, may have abused up to 25 victims some as young as 13 over

The euro zone should have its own budget, which would be separate from the long-term budget of the wider European Union, draft conclusions of an EU summit to take place next week said. "For the euro area, the objective is to move towards an integrated budgetary framework," said the draft conclusions, obtained by Reuters. "In

Global equities and the euro fell on Tuesday on concerns over the U.S. earnings outlook and a stark warning from the IMF about global growth, while oil rose on escalating tensions in the Middle East. Government debt prices rose in a bid for safety as anxiety among investors picked up on the International Monetary Fund's

ECOFIN adopted Tuesday a recommendation and a decision giving Portugal an extra year, until 2014, to correct its excessive budget deficit. This was announced by Cypriot Minister of Finance Vassos Shiarly, who chaired the ECOFIN Council, that took place in Luxembourg. “The recommendation sets deficit targets of 5,0 % of GDP for 2012, 4,5 %

* Police fire teargas, protesters pelt them with rocks, sticks * Merkel's first trip to Greece since start of debt crisis * Massive police operation to confront protest threat * Greeks angry over austerity that many blame on Germany Greek police fired teargas and stun grenades at protesters in central Athens on Tuesday when they

The IMF said the global economic slowdown is worsening as it cut its growth forecasts for the second time since April and warned U.S. and European policymakers that failure to fix their economic ills would prolong the slump. Global growth in advanced economies is too weak to bring down unemployment and what little momentum exists