Italy is set to finalise a state-backed rescue for lender Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena as soon as this weekend.

The European Union has approved Microsoft's $36.5 billion acquisition of LinkedIn, after the software giant agreed to fair competition safeguards.

If you think 2016 is a mess, just wait until you see what's next. A toxic mix of potential disasters could send Europe into a death spiral.

The next 18 months presents Europe with a series of potentially existential challenges that could lead to the end the EU as we know it.

A far-Right extremist has been told he will never be released after being convicted of murdering British Labour MP Jo Cox.

The Government may be disappointed by Donald Trump's TPP policy but it is pushing NZ interests in other markets, including Iran.

Tony Blair is hunting for a new office near Westminster as he plots a return to frontline politics to influence the Government's approach to Brexit.

Prime Minister John Key is hoping to speak to Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the Apec summit in Lima today

Trump's policies are typically lacking detail and often facing strong criticism from economists. Here are the key questions answered.

A bombshell hit London this week: Mark Carney, the most powerful man in the British economy, will only be in his job until mid-2019.

The number of British Jews applying for German citizenship has gone up exponentially this year.

A new wave of prefabricated homes are planned in a bid to solve Britain's housing crisis.

A Pirate victory in Iceland this week would add to a string of once-impossible election results in the West.

Theresa May is coming under mounting pressure to reveal her Brexit strategy before she triggers formal negotiations.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully to attend a major conference hosted by Afghanistan just a fortnight after criticising its leadership as "dysfunctional."

The German bank will cut about 1000 jobs in its home market, insiders say.

Britain must look beyond Europe for economic success, PM has said as she suggested there would be no deal on immigration to keep the UK in single market.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte says he would like to "slaughter" millions of addicts just like Adolf Hitler "massacred" millions of Jewish people.

The man who co-led Deutsche Bank for three years until July last year, was careful not to mention the gigantic elephant in the room.

Brexit backers have quietly dropped a slogan printed on a bus during the campaign, but others aren't willing to let them forget.

Small developing states in the Pacific have traditionally relied on imports of fossil fuels.

EU's $20 billion tax bill for Apple could set the stage for wider battle and Google, Amazon and Starbucks among firms likely to face scrutiny.

Farmers and industry leaders are pressing the government to support domestic business.

This lack of certainty over Brexit presents risks for NZ's agricultural exporters, as well as opportunities for our much-vaunted trade negotiators.

New Zealand is not being singled out for investigation as a tax haven, the European Union says.

New Zealand could face sanctions as the European Union investigates the country as part of a crack-down on global tax havens.

The Turkish president said that he would reinstate the death penalty to deal with those who took park in the coup attempt

Arrests and sackings of those allegedly linked to a failed coup plot in Turkey intensified today as authorities fired 8000 police officers

COMMENT: If Erdogan was a maddening ally before for Europe and the US, the leader who has just overcome a coup will be capable of almost anything.

Many in Britain will be breathing more easily knowing a new Prime Minister is being sworn in today.