Athens: Greek lawmakers looked set to endorse a new austerity deal on Sunday to secure an EU/IMF bailout and avoid national bankruptcy, defying public rage and protesters who fought pitched battles with riot police outside parliament. Lawmakers came under immense pressure from both sides, with tens of thousands of demonstrators pouring into Syntagma Square before parliament, while the government warned that rejection would demand "unimaginably

In this photo released by CBS News, White house Chief of Staff Jacob Lew talks on CBS's Face the Nation in Washington Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. As President Barack Obama prepares to unveil his blueprint for U.S. government spending, White House officials are already defending the document from Republican attack.

German Economy Minister and vice-Chancellor Philipp Roesler (file photo) D-Day is less and less scary," German Economy Minister, Philipp Roesler German Economy Minister Philipp Roesler says the prospects of Greece exiting from the eurozone as a result of its debt crisis are becoming "less scary." In an interview with German television ARD on Sunday, Roesler said that the existence of Greece in the eurozone is in the hands of the Greeks.

By Harry Papachristou and Karolina Tagaris, Reuters February 12, 2012 1:34 PM Tweet StoryPhotos ( 3 ) More Images " A petrol bomb explodes near riot police during a huge anti-austerity demonstration in Athens' Syntagma (Constitution) square February 12, 2012.Photograph by: Yannis Behrakis, Reuters ATHENS (Reuters) - Black-masked protesters throwing petrol bombs created a wall of fire on Sunday outside Greece's parliament as lawmakers inside

By DEMETRIS NELLAS; Associated Press By DEMETRIS NELLAS ATHENS, Greece - Protesters and police fought running battles in central Athens Sunday, as Greek lawmakers debated legislation that would introduce severe austerity measures to stave off bankruptcy. The clashes broke out around 6 p.m.

AFP GREEK police used tear gas on petrol bomb-throwing protesters outside parliament where lawmakers were debating a new austerity plan aimed at staving off bankruptcy. Police said some 30,000 protesters were massed outside the building and at nearby Omonia Square, with some 3000 police deployed and more protesters arriving.

Reuters and Bloomberg, SYDNEY Australia's latest floods disaster will have a minimal economic impact nationally despite some damage to rail lines, mines and crops in certain areas, Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan said yesterday. In recent weeks record floods have swamped large areas of New South Wales and Queensland, prompting fears of a repeat of last year's floods, which put a significant dent in Australia's GDP for the financial year to June last year.

LEFT OUT:Cathay Financial was the only holdings firm that did not return a profit, which it attributed to losses at its life insurance division, Cathay Life Insurance Co Staff Writer, with CNA Fubon Financial Holding Co () remained the most profitable financial holding firm in the nation last month, while Cathay Financial Holding Co () was the only institution to incur losses, company statistics released last week showed.

STAYING STRONG:An analyst said low interest rates in the US and stability in Europe would keep capital flowing into Asian currencies, maintaining the NT dollar's strength By Amy Su / Staff Reporter The improving outlook for the eurozone debt crisis and the maintaining of low interest rates in the US will maintain the TAIEX's liquidity-driven momentum over the near term, driving up both the benchmark index and the New Taiwan dollar, analysts said.

MOOD SWINGS:Improving sentiment in China and US outweighs the growing pessimism that is afflicting Europe in the wake of its debt crisis Bloomberg Global consumer confidence rose in the fourth quarter as improving sentiment in the US and China, the world's largest economies, outweighed deterioration in Europe, according to a survey by Nielsen Holdings NV. Nielsen, an analytics and information company, said its index of consumer