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European Central Bank to Stress: No Way We'll Taper Stimulus

Europe's economic outlook is finally beginning to brighten a little. But don't expect European Central Bank head Mario Draghi to sound all that excited when he takes the stage Wednesday for his next news conference.

Draghi will sound a little cautious in order to discourage any thought that the bank might make an early exit from its 1.1 trillion euro ($1.2 trillion) monetary stimulus program slated to run through September 2016.

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British Inflation Holds at Zero in March

Britain's annual inflation rate languished at a record-low of zero in March, as falling clothing and gas prices were offset by gains for other products, official data showed Tuesday.

"The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) was unchanged in the year to March 2015, that is, a 12-month rate of 0.0 percent, the same rate as in the year to February 2015," the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

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ECB Says Banking Sector Continuing to Heal

Europe's battered financial sector is showing further signs of healing and the European Central Bank's raft of different policy measures are contributing to this, a key ECB survey showed on Tuesday.

The ECB said its quarterly bank lending survey showed that banks are easing credit standards for loans to enterprises, an encouraging sign, since the chronic weakness of credit activity in the euro area has previously been blamed for the absence of any noticeable recovery in the 19 countries that share the single currency. 

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Reports: Nokia Nears Purchase of Alcatel-Lucent Wireless Business

Finland's Nokia is in advanced talks to acquire the wireless infrastructure business of telecom firm Alcatel-Lucent, reports said Monday.

The announcement of a deal could come "quickly", an unnamed source told French business newspaper Les Echos, while Bloomberg News quoted sources as saying Nokia could announce an agreement "as early as this week".

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World Bank Trims 2015 East Asia Growth Forecast

East Asia's developing economies led by China will grow slightly slower this year, with higher US interest rates and an appreciating dollar posing further risks to the region, the World Bank said Monday.

In its latest forecasts for the region, the bank said China's economy should expand by 7.1 percent in 2015, slower than the 7.2 percent rate projected in October and down from last year's 7.4 percent growth.

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Beijing: Taiwan Rejected as Founding Member of AIIB

Taiwan's bid to become a founding member of China's new regional development bank has been rejected, Beijing said Monday, dashing the island's hopes of having a platform in the institution from the start.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Beijing-based State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement that a Hong Kong report the island had failed to become a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was correct.

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China March Exports Dive as Economy Seen Slowing Further

China suffered an across-the-board decline in trade in March, the government said Monday, days ahead of GDP data expected to show another slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.

Exports fell an unexpected 15.0 percent on-year in March to $144.57 billion, the General Administration of Customs said, while imports tumbled 12.7 percent to $141.49 billion.

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Oil Prices Edge up in Asian Trade

Oil prices rose in Asia Monday, extending last week's gains but the persistent global supply glut will likely cap advances, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate added 31 cents to $51.95 while Brent was up 24 cents at $58.11 in late-morning trade. 

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Report: Toyota to Build Plant in China in Investment Splurge

Toyota is planning to build a new plant in northern China as the world's top automaker ramps up investment after a two-year freeze, reports said Saturday.

Proposals for the plant in Tianjin -- due to open in 2018 at the earliest with a capacity of 100,000 cars a year -- should be finalised by the summer, Jiji Press and Kyodo News agency reported.

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Argentina Extends Price Controls Seeking to Curb Inflation

Argentina's government is extending its price control program aimed at curbing high inflation.

Economy Minister Axel Kicillof said Friday that the program will continue for three more months, until July 7.

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