China said on Tuesday it hopes the European Union (EU) will end investigations into a complaint that it is dumping wireless modems into EU markets. Chinese and European companies had reached a basic agreement on the dispute and submitted it to the European Commission, Commerce Minister Chen Deming said at a media briefing on the

The euro bounced back on Tuesday from a day-earlier selloff over euro debt woes following words of support from China, while stocks were firm across Asia as investors picked up end-of-year bargains. Japan's Nikkei average closed at a seven-month high. Cold weather in Europe kept crude prices firm for a third straight session, driving energy-related

U.S. bank JPMorgan has bought two major office properties in London, including the former Lehman Brothers building, holding off on plans to build a skyscraper as its main European headquarters. JPMorgan bought the Lehman building in the Canary Wharf financial district for 495 mln pounds ($773 mln) from the Canary Wharf Group (CWG), to group

World stocks pared gains to trade slightly lower on Monday while the euro fell broadly on concerns over the euro zone debt crisis. Government bond prices on both sides of the Atlantic rose on safe-haven demand spurred by worries over the fiscal shocks in Europe and heightened tension between North and South Korea. North Korea

Intesa SanPaolo has suspended financing Iranian oil trading deals, becoming the last Italian bank to bow to pressure from the United States to cut ties with the Islamic Republic, trading sources told Reuters. A tightening of international sanctions against Iran has complicated financing of any deals involving buying Iranian crude or selling refined oil products

It provoked protests in European capitals from Athens to Brussels, hurt sales of Heineken beer and stole the spotlight at a June G20 summit in Canada. "Austerity" is now Merriam-Webster's top word of 2010. "Austerity," which the Springfield, Massachusetts-based publisher defines as "enforced or extreme economy," spiked to the top of the company's top ten

Russia's 17-year bid to join the World Trade Organisation still hinges on agreements being reached on meat imports and agricultural subsidies, Moscow's WTO negotiator Maxim Medvedkov said on Monday. Russia hopes to finally join the 153-member trade body next year, after securing formal backing from the European Union this month and resolving some key issues

British union leaders warned Prime Minister David Cameron in a meeting on Monday that sharp state spending cuts would divide society and hurt the economy. Cameron hosted union leaders for talks at his Downing Street residence to try to help defuse tensions ahead of cuts which are expected to result in the loss of around

 –– Flights grounded across northern Europe   — Delays weigh on airline shares in key Christmas period   — Heathrow seen operating at reduced capacity for days  — Cargo hit in France, German carriers hit   — BA shares down 1%, Lufthansa down 0.75% — Snow and freezing temperatures grounded flights across northern Europe on Monday, with travellers trying