Slovenia's economy will contract more than previously expected this year, the central bank said Tuesday, forecasting gross domestic product to shrink by 1.9 percent.

Unemployment across the 17 European Union countries that use the euro has struck 12 percent for the first time since the currency was launched in 1999, official figures showed Tuesday.

The downturn in the 17-nation eurozone's manufacturing sector deepened sharply in March, with even powerhouse economy Germany dragged down, a key survey showed Tuesday.

French President Francois Hollande may have finally found a way to tax the really rich: by making their companies pay.

Cypriots lined up calmly at banks as they reopened on Thursday under tight controls imposed on transactions to prevent a run on deposits after the government was forced to accept a stringent EU rescue package to avert bankruptcy.

Cyprus probably won't be the last eurozone country to ask for an international bailout, according to a Reuters poll of economists, who cited Spain and Slovenia as the likeliest candidates.

Swiss Re, one of the world's biggest reinsurance groups, on Thursday said it had settled a dispute with billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway over a 2010 insurance policies deal, and would accept a settlement of US$610 million from the U.S. company.

Cyprus's central bank imposed capital controls on Wednesday to prevent funds fleeing abroad, limiting what travellers may take out, restricting credit card purchases and slapping a ban on cashing cheques, local media reported.

Snow is piled high on the cars in a deserted dealership in Berlin, and it is not just the stubborn wintry weather that is gnawing at salesman Mustafa Kosak, shivering at his desk in a portable office.

Consumer confidence in Germany has stalled amid fears of a possible resurgence of the euro crisis, a poll found on Wednesday.