March 27, 2012
Flights cancelled as strike disrupts German air travel
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled at German airports as ground staff strike over demands for more pay. National airline Lufthansa said it had scrapped more than 400 flights scheduled for Tuesday, mostly at Germany's biggest airport,…
March 27, 2012
Dominique Strauss-Kahn on formal sex ring investigation
Former International Monetary Fund boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been placed under formal investigation in France over alleged involvement in a prostitution ring. The move could lead to formal charges. He has admitted attending parties where the…
March 27, 2012
Rio Tinto explores diamond mines sale
Rio Tinto has said it will explore selling its interests in the diamond trade. The world's second-largest miner of iron ore said that it is considering "whether we can create more value through a different ownership structure". Rio Tinto operates…
March 20, 2012
China raises fuel prices for second time in a month
China has raised the price of petrol by about 6% and diesel about 7% for the second time in 2012, as it struggles with the rising cost of crude oil. Global oil prices have been high because of tensions with key supplier Iran. The move is aimed at…
March 20, 2012
Apple to pay dividend and buy back shares
Apple has said it will use its cash to start paying a dividend to shareholders and to buy back some of its shares. The technology giant said it would pay a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share from July. It will buy back up to $10bn (£6.3bn) of its…
March 20, 2012
Australia passes controversial mining tax into law
The Australian Senate has pushed through into law a 30% tax on iron ore and coal mining companies. The tax will raise A$10.6bn ($11.2bn, £7bn) over three years from major companies including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xtrata. Strong demand for raw…
March 20, 2012
Deutsche to challenge EU over NYSE Euronext ruling
Deutsche Boerse is to legally challenge the European Commission's decision to block its planned merger with stock exchange rival NYSE Euronext. The two companies called off their merger last month after Brussels objected to the deal on competition…
March 20, 2012
Mets owners settle Bernard Madoff lawsuit
The owners of the New York Mets baseball team have agreed to pay $162m (£102m) to settle a lawsuit which accused them of being "wilfully blind" to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi fraud. The civil case against Mets' owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz was…
March 19, 2012
Lagarde says China must reform economy and yuan
International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Christine Lagarde has said that China must stop its economy being too dependent on exports and investment. She also said the yuan could become a global reserve currency if China implemented market-oriented…
March 19, 2012
Brazil to charge Chevron executives over fresh oil leak
Brazilian prosecutors say they will bring criminal charges against 17 executives from the US oil company Chevron and drilling contractor Transocean after a new leak of crude. The executives have been barred from leaving the country until the…