Google Inc and Facebook Inc, plus others, have held low level takeover talks with Twitter that give the Internet sensation a value as high as $10 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported. In December, Twitter raised $200 million in financing in a deal that valued it at $3.7 billion. The company, which allows users to

Bundesbank chief Axel Weber is not a candidate to succeed European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet, two European sources told Reuters on Wednesday. "Weber's ECB candidacy is no longer on the agenda," one of the European sources said.

Fewer than 1.3 million people will die from cancer in Europe this year as death rates from the disease fall, researchers said on Wednesday, except that more women are dying of lung cancer in every country except Britain. The downward trend in cancer death rates in the region is being driven mainly by falls in

Obese people may be more likely to slim down if they have money riding on their success through financial incentives — but the weight might creep back once the monetary carrot is gone, according to a U.S. study. A program in which people stood to lose cash if they failed to lose weight appeared to

Egypt's central bank said on Tuesday it intervened in the market to prop up the Egyptian pound, helping the local currency to rise against the dollar for the first time since political unrest gripped the country. The currency had tumbled steadily since the eruption of political protests on January 25, and earlier in Tuesday's session

 Greek 6-month T-bills sold at lower yield  The euro zone will survive its debt crisis and so will its most indebted member Greece, Eurogroup chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday during a visit to Athens. Earlier in the day Greece auctioned six-month T-bills at a lower yield than the previous auction in January as part

The search for a private company to provide the fabric wrap to jazz up London's Olympic stadium began on Tuesday after the eye-catching 7 million pound covering was cut after a spending review last year. The 496 million pound venue was designed with the curtain covering steel girders and grey concrete seating and would have

Europe is not ready to harmonise taxes and it is impossible to reach an agreement on such matters next month, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Tuesday. He was responding to proposals by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, backed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, for a "competitiveness pact" which provoked opposition among EU leaders when

Step aside Brandy Sour. The tiny island which gave the world booze disguised as "iced tea" and got away with it has a new cocktail with an ancient twist designed to tickle the most discerning taste buds. Home to the world's oldest wine that is still in production, Cyprus's last offering to the world of

You might be disappointed that you weren't standing in Kate Middleton's shoes when she and Britain's Prince William told the world they were engaged, but you can still be in the picture for the photo opportunity. American artist Jennifer Rubell has created a life-sized waxwork of William which mimics his pose at the press event