AP - World stock markets fell Thursday and the euro weakened on concerns the European Union will not agree to give Greece concrete financial support, leaving it to potentially seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund.

AP - Beijing needs to take seriously American concerns about the value of the Chinese currency, but bilateral disputes should not impede cooperation on global issues such as climate change and Iran's nuclear program, the U.S. ambassador to Beijing said Thursday.

AFP - IBM Japan on Thursday denied it had evaded taxes after news reports said authorities were probing whether it had failed to declare more than 4.4 billion dollars in income.

AP - Banks weren't the only ones giving big bonuses in the boom years before the worst financial crisis in generations. The government also was handing out millions of dollars to bank regulators, rewarding "superior" work even as an avalanche of risky mortgages helped create the meltdown.

AFP - FTSE 100 shares posted solid gains on Wednesday as investors welcomed the US Federal Reserve's upbeat economic outlook, analysts said.

AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday urged Congress not to scale back the Fed's regulatory authority over banks. He said the Fed needs the information it gleans from its bank oversight to set interest rates and gauge the health of the banking system.

AP - China Mobile Ltd., the world's biggest phone carrier by subscribers, said Thursday its 2009 profit rose 2.3 percent over a year earlier and warned it faces growing competition.

AP - Greek taxi drivers and many gas station owners are striking against a proposed overhaul of tax laws under the government's efforts to overcome its debt crisis.

AFP - Spain's Inditex, Europe's biggest clothing retailer and the company behind Zara, posted Wednesday a rise in profit as strong sales abroad, especially in Asia, offset sluggish domestic demand.

AP - Oil prices fell to near $82 a barrel Thursday in Asia, paring two days of gains that were fueled by signs U.S. crude demand may be improving.

AFP - Nissan Motor on Thursday said it would start building its zero-emission Leaf electric car at a plant in Britain from 2013, saving more than 2,000 jobs in one of England's most deprived regions.