Europe's banks on the brink - LONDON, May 17 (IFR) - The euro zone crisis was in full swing when Jean-Claude Trichet took the podium in Berlin last October 6 for his final press conference as president of the European Central Bank. Having helped create one of the longest periods of price stability in the history of central banking, Trichet was closing out his eight-year reign under siege. Soaring oil prices had made a ...

NASCAR's pit crews get their chance to shine - DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) Carl Edwards loves plenty of things about NASCAR's All-Star week. One of his favorites, though, is seeing his crew members in the spotlight instead of himself.

Myanmar hopes for U.S. sanctions move to boost economy - NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (Reuters) - A further lifting of U.S. sanctions on Myanmar, which could come during a visit by officials to Washington this week, would be crucial to opening its long-isolated economy, a senior Myanmar government official said. Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin meets U.S. officials on Thursday, stoking expectation the United States might announce a further lifting or ...

Euro, U.S. stocks fall on ECB, Fed minutes - NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks and the euro slid on Wednesday on news that some Greek banks face emergency funding needs, while minutes from the Federal Reserve's April meeting showed U.S. economic prospects remain sobering. The European Central Bank stopped funding operations for some Greek banks as they are undercapitalized, the ECB said, confirming a Reuters report that had fanned concerns ...

Ireland's Taylor books London boxing berth - QINHUANGDAO, China (Reuters) - Ireland's boxing queen Katie Taylor booked her place at the London Olympics without throwing a punch at the women's world championships on Wednesday. The three-times world and five-times European lightweight champion went through to the last four when her Romanian opponent Mihaela Lacatus withdrew with a neck injury. Due to regional quotas limiting Europeans to ...

U.S. launches ambitious Alzheimer's plan with research push - CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. government launched a national plan to address Alzheimer's disease on Tuesday with funding for a first prevention study in high-risk patients and tests on an insulin nasal spray that has shown promise in earlier studies. The trials, funded by grants of $16 million and $7.9 million respectively, are initial steps in the National Alzheimer's Plan, a sweeping effort to ...

Facebook’s biggest problem is that it’s a media company - Facebook's advertising woes, including the highly publicized departure of General Motors, reinforce the fact that while Facebook may function like a social network, on the business side it looks almost ...

U.S. housing, industrial data point to steady growth - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Groundbreaking for U.S. homes rebounded in April and factory activity gained momentum, suggesting a moderate pickup in economic growth early in the second quarter. The reports on Wednesday were the latest in a series to dampen fears that the recovery in the world's largest economy was stagnating after tepid job growth last month. The Commerce Department said housing starts ...

Analysis: Japan's Marubeni has eye on China with Gavilon bid - Japan's biggest potential investment in U.S. agriculture can be summed up in a single word: China. Marubeni's interest in buying U.S. grains merchant Gavilon to help provide grain to its hungry Asian neighbor ...

Will Atlanta's new international terminal measure up? - International travelers, rejoice! The world's busiest airport is debuting a billion-dollar solution to the much-griped-about entry procedure for Atlanta-bound passengers.