* U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.6 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.5 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.7 percent at 0818 GMT. * Oil prices fell below $72 a barrel in thin trading on Monday, pressured by

Britain's top share index was lower early on Monday, with strength from defensive pharmaceutical stocks countered by falls in miners and banks. At 0817 GMT, the FTSE 100 was 39.57 points, or 0.8 percent lower at 5,133.32, after closing 8.94 points firmer on Friday at a 12-month closing high, having also reached a new 2009

Greek opposition socialist leader George Papandreou said on Sunday he would propose to the European Union a plan coupling fiscal consolidation and stimulus to put the ailing economy back on track if elected on Oct. 4. Papandreou, whose party leads the outgoing conservative government by over 6 percentage points in opinion polls, said he would

Cyprus has secured a multi-million euro loan from the Development Bank of the Council of Europe to finance the capital’s sewerage system, which will serve the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities. The Bank’s Board of Directors has approved unanimously a 68 m. euro loan to fund the construction of the new bicommunal sewerage

Asking prices for homes in England and Wales are on average 1.5 percent lower this month than a year ago, with the available stock at its lowest for 18 months, property website Rightmove said on Monday. The average asking price rose 0.6 percent in September to 223,996 pounds ($366,100), after a 2.2 percent fall in

The world's biggest economies should set an agenda for "responsible globalisation" linking balanced growth and financial stability with development and climate change at this week's G20 meeting, the head of the World Bank told the Financial Times. U.S. President Barack Obama said on Sunday he would push leaders at the Group of 20 meeting on

The United States wants the Group of 20 countries to put in place a set of policies that would lead to more sustainable global growth, according to a letter from a senior White House aide. "We should aim to adopt a policy framework to achieve sustainable and balanced growth," Michael Froman, President Barack Obama's top

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Sunday he would push world leaders this week for a reshaping of the global economy in response to the deepest financial crisis in decades. In Europe, officials kept up pressure for a deal to curb bankers' pay and bonuses at a two-day summit of leaders from the Group of

World stocks retreated further from last week's 11-month high on Monday as lower commodity prices and caution ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting and G20 summit prompted investors to trim risky trades. Leaders of the Group of 20 meet on Thursday and Friday in Pittsburgh and U.S. President Barack Obama said on Sunday he would