EU governments decided on Friday to sanction a further 12 people from Belarus, including two businessmen and their companies, diplomats said, widening the range of targets to punish President Alexander Lukashenko's crackdown
The yen softened on Friday after Tokyo importers took advantage of its broad rally the day before, while risk currencies such as the Australian dollar were poised to end the week sharply
Brent was steady above $123 a barrel on Friday, as the possibility of supply disruptions put a floor under a market that fell sharply in the previous session on weak manufacturing activity
World stocks held steady below this week's 8-month peak on Friday while the dollar fell broadly as concerns about growth in China and the euro zone and a renewed focus on sovereign
Asian shares fell on Friday and growth-linked currencies such as the Australian dollar were shunned after data showing shrinking factory activity in China and the euro zone heightened concerns about a slowdown
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said he was against any suggestion of Greece leaving the euro zone because that would not solve the country's woes and would lead to higher inflation
OPAP, Europe's biggest betting firm, may review its 2011 dividend payout for a possible increase if the government does not impose a windfall tax on profits, its chief executive said on Thursday.
Chinese manufacturing slumped for a fifth month in March and the euro zone economy is showing new signs of wilting, according to surveys on Thursday that pointed to weakening global demand. Only
Austerity in Greece is taking a toll on Europe's biggest gambling firm OPAP, which suffered a 21% drop in its quarterly profit and announced its biggest dividend cut in 10 years. Partly
A Greek prosecutor filed felony charges against prominent Greek banker Lavrentis Lavrentiadis over a financial scandal that has led to the demise of small lender Proton Bank, court officials said on Wednesday.
