Hollande vows to revive French supertax

France's President Francois Hollande says he still plans to raise the top rate of income tax after his 75% plan was struck down on technical grounds. In a national address on New Year's Eve, he said the law would be redesigned, adding, "we will…

Singapore growth beats estimates as it avoids recession

Singapore's economy has averted a technical recession, as it reported better-than-expected growth data for the fourth quarter. The economy expanded 1.1% in the October to December period, from a year earlier, advance estimates showed. On a…

Merkel warns Germans of tough economic times ahead

Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that the German economic climate in 2013 will be "even more difficult". In her new year message, she also cautioned that the eurozone debt crisis was far from over. However, she did say that reforms designed to…

US fiscal cliff: Boehner still hopes for deal

Republicans will keep working to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff of tax rises and spending cuts, House Speaker John Boehner has said. Earlier, right-leaning Republicans rejected a plan by Mr Boehner to raise taxes on higher earners. Mr Boehner said…

Digicel, Marriott break ground on Haiti hotel

Construction crews on Wednesday began to build what is touted as Haiti's first four-star branded hotel, a US$45 million project expected to help boost the country's economy. The resort will be owned by Unigestion Holding SA, a subsidiary of Digicel…

Steve Jobs’ high-tech yacht impounded over bill dispute

Venus, the minimalist high-tech yacht commissioned by the late Apple founder Steve Jobs, has become embroiled in a row over a disputed bill. French designer Philippe Starck claims Mr Jobs' heirs still owe him 3m euros of a 9m euro fee for the…

Bank reform plans should be tougher, Banking Commission says

Government plans to ring-fence the banks - protecting retail banking from the riskier investment side - "fall well short of what is required", a report has warned. The Banking Standards Commission wants the government to "electrify" the fence so…

Google Video executives’ Italian conviction overturned

An Italian court has overturned the conviction of three Google executives found guilty of breaking Italian law by allowing a video of a bullied teenager to be posted online. The clip was uploaded in 2006 and had featured a boy with autism. The…

Renesas shares up 5% on $2.2bn bailout report

Shares of Japanese chipmaker Renesas have risen 5% after a report said that shareholders have accepted a bailout from a government-backed fund. The Nikkei Daily said the the fund will buy two-thirds of the struggling company for 180bn yen ($2.2bn;…

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Germany's upper house of parliament has rejected a deal with Switzerland to tax German assets held in Swiss bank accounts. The deal would have allowed Germans with undeclared assets in Switzerland to avoid punishment by making a one-off payment of…