Bank of England backs another stimulus

The Bank of England is to inject another 50 billion pounds ($79 billion) into the British economy, which contracted in the last three months of 2011 and is likely to face further difficulties as Europe struggles to contain its raging debt crisis.
The new stimulus, approved by the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee on Thursday and which […]

UK’s tallest building adds drama to London’s sky

Passengers stepping out of London Bridge tube station cannot help but crane their necks to gaze at the jagged tower under construction: The Shard is the tallest building in the European Union and looks like a slice of glass balanced on the edge of the financial district.
When the tower opens next year, visitors to the […]

Search resumes above waterline after ship shifts

The cruise ship grounded off Tuscany shifted again on its rocky perch Friday, forcing the suspension of diving search operations for the 21 people still missing and raising concerns about the stability of the ship’s resting place.
However, crews began combing the area above the waterline in the evening after officials determined the ship had stabilized […]

AP source: Mogul gives $5M to pro-Gingrich group

A Las Vegas billionaire has contributed $5 million to an independent group backing Newt Gingrich, bolstering the former House speaker’s efforts to revive his presidential campaign and drawing renewed attention to the role of such groups in the 2012 contest.
A person familiar with the development said Sheldon Adelson, a casino mogul and longtime donor to […]

German Unemployment Drops More Than Forecast as Mild Winter Fuels Building - Bloomberg

German unemployment (GRUECHNG) fell more than forecast in December as exports of cars and machinery boomed and one of the mildest winters on record helped support jobs in construction.
The number of people out of work fell a seasonally adjusted 22,000 to 2.89 million, the Nuremberg-based Federal Labor Agency said today. Economists forecast a decline […]

Germany denies ‘elite bonds’ plan

Germany insisted Monday that it has no plans to float bonds together with the eurozone’s five other triple A rated nations and use the proceeds to provide assistance to some of the single currency bloc’s indebted members, such as Italy and Spain.
The Finance Ministry’s denial came as the International Monetary Fund also dismissed reports it […]

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Ex-Madoff trader pleads guilty in plea deal in NYC

Jailed financier Bernard Madoff’s multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme stretched back at least to the early 1970s, when his employees used historical information about stocks to create false trades that could be placed on customer statements, a former trader revealed as he pleaded guilty Monday to criminal charges.
David Kugel pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan […]

The new normal: Higher bank fees are here to stay

Higher bank fees are here to stay.
The latest third-quarter earnings reports from this week confirm that banks are struggling to make money the old-fashioned way, by lending money to consumers and businesses. The main reason: interest rates are at historic lows. That makes it harder for banks to charge high rates on loans.
New rules have […]

Lawmaker questions distributors on drug shortages

A Congressman investigating shortages of hospital drugs is demanding that secondary drug distributors reveal how they are getting scarce, life-saving medicines and explain the huge markups they charge.
Letters from a House committee cite an Associated Press report that the shortages are responsible for at least 15 patient deaths and that secondary distributors are selling drugs […]