Business

Business

• NGOs: Violent racist attacks increase in Greece

  The number of racially motivated attacks increased in Greece last year, as did the severity of the violence involved, human rights groups said ... 

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  Enrico Letta appointed Italian premier-designate

  Italy's president appointed Enrico Letta as premier-designate Wednesday, asking him to form a coalition government representing Italy's main parties ... 

• Greek finance minister rejects tax relief call

  Greece's Finance Minister has rejected a called from the government's Socialist coalition partners to add tax relief measures to a new austerity bill ... 

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  UK in dark mood as new recession may be confirmed

  Recession may just be a word. But in Britain it may become a habit — and a dangerous one at that. It's possible that official figures on first quarter ... 

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  Russian protest leader: trial will show innocence

  A prominent Russian opposition leader on trial for embezzlement told the court on Wednesday that he would prove his innocence to the public, if not ... 

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  Predictions of ECB rate cut grow as growth fades

  Evidence that Europe's economic downturn is weighing more heavily on its strongest member, Germany, has convinced more and more experts that the ... 

• Reporter at Murdoch's The Sun charged over bribery

  A senior reporter at Rupert Murdoch's The Sun newspaper is being charged with conspiring to pay 23,000 pounds (roughly $35,000) in bribes in return ... 

• Donald Trump's anti-wind farm ad banned

  Britain's Advertising Standards Agency has ruled that Donald Trump's anti-wind farm advert should be withdrawn in its current form. The independent ... 

• Nordea's profit up despite soft corporate sector

  Nordea AB says first quarter net profit rose 3 percent to 796 million euros ($1 billion) compared to the same period a year ago despite slow activity ... 

• GSK: reforms on track as Q1 profit falls a quarter

  Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline has reported a 26 percent drop in profits in the first quarter compared to a year ago, as it restructures its ... 

• Oil price near $90 on upbeat US company results

  Crude prices rose Wednesday to near $90 a barrel as a string of positive corporate earnings and an improved U.S. housing report pointed to higher oil ... 

• VW earnings lower as Europe weighs on revenue

  Volkswagen AG reaffirmed its full-year earnings outlook Wednesday even after it reported a 38 percent fall in first-quarter profit as sagging demand ... 

• Dutch court: compensation for gas attack survivors

  A Dutch court on Wednesday ordered a businessman convicted of selling Saddam Hussein raw materials for mustard gas to pay compensation to victims of ... 

• Ericsson Q1 profits dive on restructuring costs

  Wireless equipment maker Ericsson said Wednesday that a 2 percent gain in sales in the first quarter was not enough to prevent an 86 percent slump in ... 

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  Man United secures deal with Vietnamese bank

  Manchester United has entered into a five-year partnership with Vietnamese bank BIDV, building on the English champions' portfolio of financial ... 

• Lloyds deal to sell branches to Co-op collapses

  Lloyds Banking Banking Group says a mulitmillion pound deal to sell hundreds of branches to Co-operative Group has unraveled. Part-nationalized Lloyds ... 

• German business optimism falls more than expected

  A key measure of German business optimism fell in April, suggesting Europe's biggest economy might not be rebounding as expected and likely putting ... 

• Daimler profits slide in Q1 on European struggles

  Daimler AG warned Wednesday that profits this year would be lower than last year's as it reported a 60 percent slide in first-quarter earnings amid ... 

• Peugeot Citroen blames Europe for Q1 sales slump

  PSA Peugeot Citroen said Wednesday crumbling automobile markets across Europe lay behind a steep drop in its first quarter sales. The parent company ... 

• Heineken says full year sales growth not as strong

  Heineken NV says its sales and profits rose in the first quarter, due to recent acquisitions. The Dutch brewer blamed austerity policies for weak ... 

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  Justice says Armstrong was 'unjustly enriched'

  The Justice Department laid out its case in a lawsuit against Lance Armstrong on Tuesday, saying the cyclist violated his contract with the U.S. 

• Asia stocks up on US company earns, home sales

  An increase in new U.S. home sales and strong corporate earnings across a range of industries lifted investment sentiment in Asia, where most stock ... 

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  UK experts: Cosmetic surgery needs tighter rules

  A group of independent experts has slammed Britain's cosmetic surgery industry for not protecting patients adequately and is calling for stricter ... 

• Hackers compromise AP Twitter account

  Hackers compromised Twitter accounts of The Associated Press on Tuesday, sending out a false tweet about an attack at the White House. The false tweet ...