A pledge by the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, for a massive spending spree of all types of US debt failed to put the brake on the global stock market sell-off, suggesting that investors are looking for huge government spending programmes and not just market-calming initiatives by central banks.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is cutting its global growth forecasts over the coronavirus outbreak.

The week ahead may be pivotal for investors and businesses monitoring the deadly coronavirus outbreak — including Irish companies whose supply chains stretch into China — as they scramble to understand whether the economic fallout will be long-lasting.

Pope Francis staged a surprise visit to admonish the IMF chief and several finance ministers to help alleviate the debt burden of struggling countries, calling for “a new financial architecture” to ensure social justice.

This year’s World Economic Forum, in Davos, kicks off against a backdrop of growing pessimism — with the IMF saying global growth appears to have bottomed out with no rebound in sight; and CEO confidence in the world’s economy hitting a record low.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he is “flattered” to be linked to the role of the new president of the European Commission but that he plans to stay put in Ireland as Taoiseach.

The chief executive of the World Bank has warned governments to "buckle up" for the next string of global crises that will provide little respite for struggling economies.

Spain and Portugal have escaped EU fines despite repeated breaches of the bloc’s budget rules.

Fundamental rules on how member states’ pay into the EU budget are being changed after Britain objected to a €2bn bill they received for money due over the past 12 years.

Russia will be the main focus of an extraordinary summit of EU leaders in Brussels today and is likely to play a role in who gets the Union’s top jobs for the coming five years.

The Government is to provide €1m towards the relief effort for Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, where at least 10,000 people have died in one area.

The EU has given over €100m to Mali during the recent conflict there. This support must continue, writes Joe Costello

The number of Syrians that will be refugees by the end of the year will reach 700,000, making one of the biggest number of displaced persons as a result of a conflict in the world.

Syrian troops have heavily shelled a rebel-held neighbourhood in the flashpoint central city of Homs as the military appeared to be readying to storm the area, activists said.

The worst February cold spell Europe has seen in decades may last until the end of the month, leading meteorologists said, raising the prospect of further deaths and an extended spike in European spot gas prices.

The EU is doubling humanitarian aid to Africa’s Sahel area to €95 million in a “race against time” to lift two million people facing food shortages out of danger.

The European Union has opened a humanitarian office in Tripoli and France has reopened its embassy as the process of resurrecting the Libyan capital gets underway.

IVORY COAST’S internationally recognised leader Alassane Ouattara is poised to launch a final push in Abidjan to defeat his cornered rival, a top official said as both sides deny committing atrocities.

AID for the increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in Libya is to be increased substantially, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said.

THE number of natural disasters across the world has increased five times over the past few decades and new ways of helping victims must be found, especially when countries are cutting back on aid.

EU humanitarian aid commissioner Kristalina Georgieva pays tribute to relief workers who are operating in an increasingly dangerous world

THE members of the European Parliament have delivered their final verdicts on all but one of the new European Commission and look set to vote them in for five years next month.

BULGARIA’S foreign minister, Rumiana Jeleva, withdraw her nomination to the European Commission after a week of criticism and pressure from members of the European Parliament.