Asian shares balked at the starting gate on Monday, skittish in the face of a deepening Ukraine crisis, while the euro touched a fresh one-year low ahead of this week's European Central Bank meeting.

Swatch Group is happy to go it alone with a launch next year of watches with "smart" features to compete with so-called wearable gadgets from the big tech companies, a market potentially worth $93 billion.

Nearly two thirds of the French believe companies should be allowed exemptions to the country's 35-hour working week if they reach agreements with trade unions, two polls showed on Saturday.

German solar firm SAG Solarstrom AG, which filed for insolvency late last year, said on Saturday it agreed to be acquired by Shunfeng Photovoltaic International for 65 million euros ($85 million).

Fiat (FIA.MI) signaled its merger with U.S. affiliate Chrysler was on track on Friday as a tally of shareholders suggested most had chosen not to exercise an option that could derail the plan, a vital step in the Italian carmaker's turnaround efforts.

Britain's CSR (CSR.L) has rebuffed an approach from Microchip Technology (MCHP.O), saying that the undisclosed price proposed by Microchip was not enough if its U.S. rival wants to bolster its role in the "Internet of Things" with the chipmaker's radio technology.

Asia Resource Minerals (ARMS) , the Indonesia-focused miner formerly known as Bumi Plc, needs to refinance its debts soon in order to survive, its accountants said on Thursday, as the firm posted a wider first-half underlying loss.

Commodities trader and miner Glencore (GLEN.L) and Chinese nickel producer Jinchuan Group are the frontrunners to buy BHP Billiton's (BHP.AX)(BLT.L) Australian Nickel West division, two sources close to the situation said.

Shares in British online fashion retailer ASOS (ASOS.L), which have fallen sharply in recent months after profit warnings and a warehouse fire, jumped on Wednesday on an unconfirmed report of a U.S. bid for a stake in the business.

Berlin has banned car service Uber, which allows users to summon a ride on their smartphone, for not offering drivers and vehicles licensed to carry passengers, or full insurance cover, the German capital said.