– Merkel wants central EU veto power on national budgets  – Hollande says banking union is top priority, not budgets  – Spain, Greece likely to be kept to sideline discussions  – Timetable, scope of banking union already in doubt Germany and France, Europe's two central powers, clashed over greater European Union control of national budgets

Apple has lost its appeal against a ruling that cleared rival Samsung of copying its registered designs for tablet computers, in a decision which could end the two firms' legal dispute on the subject across Europe. The world's two leading smartphone makers are fighting over patents, both for smartphones and for tablets like Apple's iPad,

The European Union wants to spend more aid cash on helping countries prevent humanitarian disasters, rather than simply giving money for repeated relief efforts. Only a tenth of 1 percent of global aid funding is used to help countries withstand disasters and save money on relief, the EU commissioner for humanitarian aid, Kristalina Georgieva, said

Germany's Angela Merkel called ahead of an EU summit for stronger central powers to intervene when member states break budget rules and rebuffed demands from Berlin's partners for the quick creation of a pan-European bank supervisor. In a speech to the lower house of parliament hours before EU leaders meet, the chancellor put herself on

European shares edged toward a one-month high and Asian stocks surged on Thursday, as a slew of Chinese data boosted optimism over the health of the world economy. The gains were being held in check by concerns there could be disagreements at a two-day European leaders' meeting, which begins later, over plans for a banking

A new theory put forward by Harvard scientists suggests the Moon was once part of the Earth that spun off after a giant collision with another body. In a paper published on Wednesday in the journal Science, Sarah Stewart and Matija uk said their theory would explain why the Earth and Moon have similar composition