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France presses for euro area bonds as crisis salve

8:36pm BST

BRUSSELS - France's Francois Hollande will push a proposal for mutualising European debt at an informal summit of EU leaders in Brussels this week, increasing pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to drop her opposition to the idea.

Cameron urges euro zone action

8:24pm BST

CHICAGO - Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday not enough had been done to end the euro zone debt crisis but reassured savers worried by a downgrading of Spanish banks that British banks were well regulated and well capitalised.

A man walks over a compass design in the entrance of the Titanic Belfast building in Belfast, Northern Ireland March 27, 2012. REUTERS/David Moir

Investors lose faith in stock valuation compass

European shares look cheap according to some traditional measures but investors are finding it hard to judge whether they are a good buy given the potential damage to companies and economies if Greece were to leave the euro zone.  Full Article 

Chief Executive of WPP Group, Martin Sorrell, speaks at the Institute of Directors IOD annual convention at the Albert Hall in London April 28, 2010.  REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

Global ad group WPP bets on Myanmar

WPP becomes the first foreign advertising group to invest in Myanmar since Western sanctions were lifted, betting on a flood of demand from multinational companies.  Full Article 

A clock shows five to twelve next to an Opel logo at the Opel plant of Bochum in March 28, 2012. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender

Future of German Opel plant uncertain

BOCHUM/BERLIN, Germany - The head of German carmaker Opel, under pressure from parent General Motors' to end losses, refused to promise workers at its plant in Bochum that their jobs would be safeguarded beyond 2014.  Full Article 

An underground sign stands in front of Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, central London April 2, 2012. Picture taken April 2, 2012.  REUTERS/Andrew Winning

Foreign buyers beware in London property rush

LONDON - When Hong Kong businessman Mr. He paid a 35,000 pound deposit on a four-bedroom apartment in Britain, he believed it was a 40-minute walk from central London, his lawyer says. In fact it was a 40-minute journey by high-speed train.  Full Article 

Britain's Queen Elizabeth speaks with service personnel during the Diamond Jubilee Armed Forces Parade and Muster in Windsor, England May 19, 2012.  REUTERS/Anthony Devlin/Pool

Royal image riding high in queen's jubilee year

The death of Princess Diana left the royal family looking shattered and outdated. Now millions are set to flock to London to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne, with newspapers running front page photos and barely a whiff of discontent in the air.  Full Article 

A Palme d'Or metal cutout is seen on two days ahead of the opening of the 65th Cannes film Festival May 14, 2012. The 65th Cannes film festival will run from May 16 to 27. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

Cannes film festival abuzz as dark tales shine

CANNES, France - The Cannes film festival is buzzing this year with a string of hit movies in the official lineup, a procession of stars on the red carpet and plenty of eagerly awaited titles still to come.  Full Article 

Hugo Dixon

What is the long-term euro vision?

The standard vision of the euro zone’s future is a fully-fledged fiscal, banking and political union. But a headlong dive into a United States of Europe would be bad politics and bad economics, and the European people are not remotely ready for such steps.  Commentary 

Robert Cyran

Facebook IPO features best and worst of capitalism

Facebook’s IPO showcases the best and worst sides of capitalism. Execrable puffery accompanies the achievement of transforming a dorm-room project into a company worth over $100 billion. Poor corporate governance, Silicon Valley cronyism, breathless pundits spewing misinformation, bankers in hoodies and manic investors are all on display.   Commentary 

Felix Salmon

Eduardo Saverin joins the stateless billionaires

If you wanted to sum up Eduardo Saverin in three words, you could do a lot worse than Very Rich Eurotrash. He didn’t become a Facebook billionaire because of his hacking skills or because Mark Zuckerberg happened to be his roommate in college; he became a Facebook billionaire because he had cash, and Zuckerberg needed cash to get Facebook off the ground.  Commentary 

Chrystia Freeland

Equal rights and the U.S. economy

There is a powerful economic argument for equal rights. If you believe that talent isn’t determined by gender or race but is instead a roll of the genetic dice, then the most productive society will be the fair one. But is it? A draft paper by four economists makes the strong empirical case that it is. Fairness, they contend, has made the economy more productive.   Commentary 

David Rohde

Ending NATO’s double standard

Outside the U.S. and Europe, there is a growing sense of a two-tiered system of international justice. The West puts others on trial for war crimes, the argument goes, while exempting its own forces from scrutiny.  Commentary