US budget talks hit last-minute hurdle

US budget talks hit last-minute hurdle
Monti struggles to form alliance
Egyptian pound sinks to record low
France vows to maintain tax hit on rich
Envoy says Syria risks becoming failed state
Opec cartel to reap record $1tn
Portugal braced for ‘fiscal earthquake’
Death of Indian rape victim sparks anger
Job pays too little, says Merkel rival
China to release data on city pollution

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 12:50 PM PST

Democrats and Republicans blame each other for failing to reach fiscal cliff deal, with Senator McConnell saying 'no one issue' was separating the two sides

Monti struggles to form alliance

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 11:15 AM PST

Signs of discord foreshadow possible problems of unity as the prime minister prepares for national elections in February with a centrist alliance

Egyptian pound sinks to record low

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 08:33 AM PST

Central bank warns foreign reserves are at 'critical minimum' needed to meet debt repayments and fund food and fuel imports

France vows to maintain tax hit on rich

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:34 AM PST

François Hollande's government has pledged to continue squeezing the rich, despite rejection of its 75 per cent tax rate by the constitutional council

Envoy says Syria risks becoming failed state

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:16 AM PST

The international peace envoy for Syria makes a plea for fresh help from squabbling global powers to push the country towards a political solution

Opec cartel to reap record $1tn

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 10:32 AM PST

Oil price hits annual all-time high despite weak economic growth. The windfall will provide fresh capital to some of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds

Portugal braced for ‘fiscal earthquake’

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:13 AM PST

As Portugal passes the halfway mark of its three-year adjustment programme, the steep tax increases facing many families have made the outlook for 2013 the grimmest yet

Death of Indian rape victim sparks anger

Posted: 29 Dec 2012 09:55 PM PST

Sonia Gandhi promises justice as thousands gather for candlelight vigils after the death of a young woman brutalised on a New Delhi bus

Job pays too little, says Merkel rival

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 08:38 AM PST

Peer Steinbrück, the SPD candidate in Germany's general election, has provoked criticism by declaring the chancellor's €250,000 salary too low

China to release data on city pollution

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 08:45 AM PST

Air pollution in big cities will be monitored and hourly information made public, in a sign the government is responding to air quality concerns