Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece has taken the necessary steps to tackle its fiscal crisis and will not default on its debt obligations, the country's prime minister said on Saturday in a speech to his socialist party's national council.

Reuters - NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The board of India's Bharti Airtel has approved a $9 billion offer for Kuwaiti telecom Zain's African assets, Bloomberg reported, citing two people with knowledge of the negotiations.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - BA cabin crew began a three-day strike Saturday after last-ditch talks on a dispute over pay and conditions collapsed, leaving thousands of travellers facing chaos.

AFP - BEIJING (AFP) - The trial of four Rio Tinto employees next week will be widely watched as a test of whether China is willing to honour commitments to foreign investors and be a responsible member of the world community.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Air Force tanker bidding contest against Boeing heated up, with Airbus parent EADS mulling a proposal and Russia's state firm UAC gearing up for one next week.

Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - TMX Group Inc , the operator of the Toronto Stock Exchange, on Friday said it will reduce trading fees for securities trading at C$1 and higher on the TSE and the TSX Venture Exchange.

Reuters - BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso urged EU member states on Friday to agree a standby aid package Greece after Athens said it could turn to the IMF for help.

AFP - LIMA (AFP) - Peru is aiming to complete negotiations on free trade agreements with Japan and South Korea in April, Trade Minister Martin Perez said Friday.

AFP - PARIS (AFP) - EU financial services commissioner Michel Barnier sought on Friday to calm US fears of discrimination over European financial services reforms that would regulate hedge funds.

The Canadian Press - NEW YORK - Oil prices slumped at the end of the week as continued uncertainty about Greece's economy helped lift the U.S. currency higher.

AFP - NEW YORK (AFP) - YouTube's creators walked away with hundreds of millions of dollars after the startup was bought by Google in 2006, according to documents released in a copyright brawl between Viacom and Google.

AFP - BRUSSELS (AFP) - Europe split over IMF intervention for debt-ridden Greece on Friday, upping pressure on national leaders to resolve crisis plans just days from a crunch EU summit.

Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar nearly wiped out the week's gain against the U.S. currency in a volatile session on Friday, rattled by a global move away from riskier assets that took down the price of key commodities.

The Canadian Press - TORONTO - Commodity stocks led the way to a sharply lower session on the Toronto stock market Friday after uncertainty over the Greek financial crisis pushed the U.S. dollar higher, which in turn helped drive down prices for oil and metals.

Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto's main stock index ended lower for a second straight session on Friday, dropping below the 12,000 mark as weak commodity prices hit heavily weighted petroleum and metal producers.

Reuters - BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) - The European Union's monetary affairs chief urged the bloc's leaders on Friday to agree a standby aid package for Greece next week but France and Germany struck different notes and the euro slid.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - EADS opened the door Friday to a bid against Boeing for a lucrative US Air Force tanker contract after the Pentagon signaled a flexible deadline to accommodate the European aerospace giant.

The Canadian Press - OTTAWA - Consumer prices and retail sales jumped higher than expected according to data released Friday, setting the stage for a second strong economic quarter - and the prospect of higher interest rates.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - Last-ditch talks aimed at preventing a strike by some 12,000 British Airways (BA) cabin crew collapsed Friday, leaving thousands of travellers facing chaos from midnight (0000 GMT).

Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Friday said it was sending an envoy to Washington to try to ease trade frictions as its currency regime comes under fire, warning that threats from U.S. legislators could stifle room for progress.

AFP - CANCUN (AFP) - The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) sought a boost in capital for increased lending to Latin America and the Caribbean as its annual meeting opened on Friday in Mexico.

AFP - BERLIN (AFP) - Over 1,000 rich Germans with accounts at Swiss bank Credit Suisse found themselves under investigation Friday following the purchase by authorities of a CD containing the names of tax dodgers.

AFP - BRUSSELS (AFP) - Negotiators on Friday avoided disputes over gay and illegal immigrant rights between European and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) nations to revise a development agreement.

AFP - MILAN (AFP) - The Italian government announced on Friday it would offer 420 million euros (560 million dollars) in incentives to aid industries having economic trouble in a slow recovery.

AFP - BERLIN (AFP) - Foreign criticism of Germany's trade surplus, most recently from France, is a compliment, Finance Minster Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Friday.