
Namibia's competition commission said on Wednesday it had cleared a Chinese nuclear company to take over an Australian mining firm with rights to the world's fourth-largest uranium deposit.

The European Central Bank should ramp up its buying of troubled Euro zone debt to support Italy and prevent a “cataclysmic” collapse of the Euro, David Riley the head of sovereign ratings for Fitch, said on Wednesday.

The US Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that all but one of its 12 banking districts experienced modest expansion from late November through the end of the year. The survey known as the Beige Book showed that the final weeks of 2011 were among the strongest.

Greece is nearing an agreement with private-sector bond holders on a debt swap crucial to a second bailout package for Athens, the European Union's top economic official said on Tuesday.

Spanish president Mariano Rajoy said that Latin America is a “top priority” of his administration’s foreign policy and his target is to have the “best possible” relations with the Ibero-American community.

European Union governments agreed Tuesday to bring forward a meeting of foreign ministers expected to decide on an oil embargo on Iran by one week to January 23. In its statement confirming the date, the EU said the decision to bring it forward from January 30 was taken to avoid a scheduling clash with a summit of EU leaders set for that day.

Campden Hill Square in Holland Park, West London, has become Britain's most desirable road with an average house price of £4.9m. The square near Kensington Palace has topped a survey of house prices across the country by Lloyds TSB.

Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega takes office for a third time on Tuesday with an ample majority in Congress and in the presence of close allies such as Iran’s Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela's Hugo Chávez lavished each other with praise on Monday, mocked US disapproval and joked about having an atomic bomb at their disposal.

Germany and France warned Greece it will get no more bailout funds until it agrees with creditor banks on a bond swap and pressed for an early deal to avert a potential default in the Euro zone's most debt-stricken nation.