A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Wednesday: ___ BRUSSELS — The European Union's executive told Britain to speed up its deficit cuts, warning that the government is too optimistic about economic growth — a warning Britain says it will ...

The 16-nation eurozone must have the option of expelling a member from the club if a country persistently breaks its rules, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday. In light of the fiscal crisis in Greece, Europe needs "a treaty framework in which it would even be possible as a last resort to exclude a country from the euro if it ...

The dollar fell Wednesday against the euro after the US Federal Reserve said it would keep record-low interest rates for some time, and amid lingering hopes of help for crisis-hit Greece. The greenback meanwhile rose against the yen after the Japanese central bank held interest rates near zero and decided on further monetary easing to stimulate economic recovery. In late ...

Europe insisted Tuesday that a contingency plan to save Greece from bankruptcy with emergency loans was only prudent foresight and unlikely to be enacted, as Athens pushed for concrete details. As the eurozone tackled a government debt crisis that has exposed deep divisions, European Union partners made it clear that the 27-nation bloc sees any eventual aid as a necessary ...