German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday she was confident that international lenders could reach a deal on Monday to release emergency aid to Athens and that such a deal would be possible without writing down Greek debt. Euro zone finance ministers, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank will resume talks on
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National Bank of Greece shareholders approved the bank's offer to buy all of rival Eurobank and create the country' biggest lender. NBG made a share-swap offer in early October to buy all of Eurobank, offering 58 new shares for every 100 Eurobank shares. Friday's vote, a formality, came after two previous shareholder meetings did not
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A former bureaucrat was charged with fraud on Friday in a $100 million embezzlement case that has cost the defence minister his job and shone a spotlight on corruption in President Vladimir Putin's administration. Yevgeniya Vasilyeva, who had valuable paintings, rare antiques and more than 100 expensive rings seized in an early morning raid on
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* “Yes, we signed” says Nicosia; “We are close” says Troika * Cyprus and the Troika of international lenders are far apart from any agreement that will result in a bailout estimated at 17.5 bln euros, with negotiators from Brussels saying that there was significant progress towards a deal, while government officials declared that a
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The U.S. shopping frenzy known as "Black Friday" kicked off at a more civilized hour, with shoppers welcoming decisions by retailers such as Target Corp and Toys R Us Inc to move their openings to Thursday night. They also seemed to show little concern that the U.S. economy could be pushed over a "fiscal cliff,"
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Alex Ferguson's glittering reign as Manchester United manager was celebrated when his wife Cathy unveiled a bronze statue of the Scot outside Old Trafford on Friday. The 2.7 metre statue was revealed at a ceremony attended by the current United squad and many of the greats who have worked under the long-serving Ferguson such as
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* Expert says band could make $3 mln in 2 years * Two members of the Russian feminist punk protest band Pussy Riot are sitting in jail for protesting in a church against Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, for $19.95, plus shipping, fans of the U.S. singer Madonna can order a 100%cotton "Pussy Riot" T-shirt, featuring the
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A new virus from the same family as SARS which was discovered and sparked a global alert in September has now killed two people in Saudi Arabia and Qatar and the total number of cases has risen to six, the World Health Organisation said on Friday. The U.N. health agency issued a global alert in
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German business morale surprised with its first rise in seven months in November as exports outside the euro zone and the prospect of strong Christmas sales offered hope Europe's largest economy can regain some momentum. The Munich-based Ifo think tank said on Friday its business climate index, based on a monthly survey of some 7,000
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The International Monetary Fund has relaxed its debt-cutting target for Greece and only a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) gap remains to be filled for a vital aid installment to be paid, Greece's finance minister said on Friday. But other sources involved in talks between euro zone finance ministers and the IMF cautioned that the
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