Japan's new trade and industry minister received contributions from a firm in which foreign investors held a majority stake, but was not aware of the possible violation of the political funds law at the time and has returned the money, an aide said on Monday.
Legal & Regulatory
Around 100,000 Hungarians rally for democracy as internet tax hits nerve
About 100,000 Hungarians rallied on Tuesday night to protest at a planned tax on data traffic and the broader course of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government they saw as undermining democracy and relations with European Union peers.
ECB covered bond buying plan starts with a whimper
The European Central Bank spent 1.704 billion euros last week on covered bonds under a new purchase program with which it hopes to foster lending to businesses and thereby support the euro zone economy.
U.S. senator supports pot legalization in Oregon
A Democratic U.S. Senator from Oregon supports legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and will vote “yes” to a state initiative next week that would let adults consume pot for fun, his office said on Monday.
U.S., Mexico reach deal to avert sugar import duties
Mexico and the United States reached a deal on Monday to avert potentially steep duties on Mexican sugar imports to the United States in talks that went down to the last minute.
Latest News
Labor union Verdi has called on workers at online retailer Amazon (AMZN.O) to go on strike at five locations across Germany, as a row over pay and conditions continues.
Somalia said it was reviewing several oil and gas deals that U.N. investigators say lack transparency and risk hindering development of the country's energy industry.
Roughly one in five of the euro zone's top lenders failed landmark health checks at the end of last year but most have since repaired their finances, the European Central Bank said on Sunday.
Unless it springs a major surprise, the U.S. Federal Reserve will call time this week on its program of government bond purchases, which at one point was pumping $85 billion a month into financial markets and the economy.
Investors were spared immediate pain on Sunday after the European Central Bank's landmark banking health check did not force massive capital hikes amongst the euro zone's top lenders.
Two credit rating agencies have reduced Tesco's rating to the cusp of investment grade after a horrible set of first half numbers on Thursday.
After putting the euro zone's top 130 banks through their paces, the European Central Bank will face a test of its own on Sunday - will its landmark health check succeed in convincing investors the region's lenders are safe?
A top Japanese government official said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should delay a planned sales-tax increase, the strongest sign yet that economic weakness is causing concern among those close to the premier ahead of the difficult tax decision.
A proposal to prohibit the Swiss National Bank from selling any of its gold reserves has the support of 44 percent of the public, a closely watched survey showed on Friday, though that result falls short of the backing it needs to pass into law.
