Air Berlin losses widen in 2011

Germany's second largest airline, Air Berlin, has reported worse-than-expected losses for 2011 as it continues its efforts to downsize. The budget carrier reported a net loss of 271.8m euros ($322m; £205m) for the year to 31 December 2011. It…

Europe Looking to Boost Its Bailout Fund

The 17-nation euro currency bloc appears ready to boost the size of the continent's bailout fund to handle future financial emergencies of its debt-ridden countries. A new $656 billion rescue fund is set to take effect in July. But financial…

US, EU and Japan challenge China on rare earths at WTO

The US, Japan and the European Union have filed a case against China at the World Trade Organization, challenging its restrictions on rare earth exports. US President Barack Obama announced the filing at the White House, accusing China of breaking…

Yahoo sues Facebook over 10 disputed patents in the US

Yahoo has filed an intellectual property lawsuit against Facebook. Yahoo claims the social network has infringed 10 of its patents including systems and methods for advertising on the web. Facebook denies the allegation. The move comes ahead of…

Hungary aid frozen by EU over budget deficit

The European Union has decided to suspend 495m euros ($655m; £417m) of funds due next year to Hungary, because of the country's budget deficit. This is the first case of the EU taking action over the budget deficit of any of its members. But the…

UK trade gap less than expected in January

The UK's trade deficit was less than expected in January, thanks to strong exports of cars to the US, China and Russia, official figures have shown. The deficit on seasonally adjusted trade in goods and services was £1.8bn in the first month of…

China reports large trade deficit as imports surge

China posted its largest trade deficit in at least a decade in February, after imports of commodities jumped as companies built up supplies. The deficit was $31.5bn (£20bn) after imports rose 39.6% from a year earlier and exports rose 18.4%, the…

Greece and Spain top agenda at Eurogroup meeting

Finance ministers from eurozone nations are to meet on Monday to discuss giving Greece's second bailout final approval. The Eurogroup, which includes eurozone finance ministers, the president of the European Central Bank and European Commission…

US economy adds 227,000 jobs in February

The US economy created 227,000 jobs in February, while the unemployment rate stayed at 8.3%, the lowest level in nearly three years. The Labor Department report also showed that job-creation figures in December and January were even stronger than…

Eurozone shows ‘tentative’ signs of recovery

The eurozone is showing "tentative" signs of recovery, according to the latest report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The OECD researches economics for the 30 nations that make up its membership. For the…