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TOP STORIES

Anti-austerity strikes sweep Europe

MADRID/LISBON - Millions of workers join strikes across Europe to protest against spending cuts and tax hikes unions say have brought misery and deepen the region's economic crisis. (SPAIN-PORTUGAL/STRIKE (UPDATE 2), expect by 1100 GMT/6 AM ET, pix, tv, by Sonya Dowsett and Andrei Khalip, 800 words)

Italy seen largely meeting 2012 funding needs with bond sale

MILAN - Italy is to reach 95 pct of its borrowing target for this year with three-, 11- and 17-year bond sales. Yield on three-year bond could fall from mid-October sale. (ITALY-DEBT/ (UPDATE 1), expect by 1015 GMT/5.15 AM ET by Francesca Landini, 500 words)

Europe, fiscal cliff worries send shares lower

LONDON - European stocks lose ground as investors worry about the looming fiscal cliff in the United States and the regional debt crisis. (MARKETS-GLOBAL/ (WRAPUP 5), expect by 1000 GMT/5 AM ET, 550 words)

BoE's King faces grilling on prices, stimulus, independence

LONDON - Bank of England Governor Mervyn King will face tough questions on surging inflation, the bank's stimulus policy and even its independence when he presents its latest economic forecasts. (BRITAIN-BOE/ (UPDATE 1), expect by 1100 GMT/6 AM ET, by Sven Egenter, 450 words)

ECONOMY

UK jobless count posts sharpest rise in over a year

LONDON - The number of Britons claiming unemployment benefits posts its sharpest increase in over a year in October after a jobs boost from the Olympics faded, data shows, highlighting the fragile health of the British economy (BRITAIN-ECONOMY/JOS, moved, 300 words)

Row flares over global fight against fake medicine

LONDON - A group of experts calling for a global treaty to stop the lethal trade in fake medicines has been barred from attending a World Health Organisation meeting, highlighting deep divisions that are blocking progress on the subject. (PHARMACEUTICALS-FAKE/WHO, moved, by Ben Hirschler, 720 words)

India inflation slowest in 8 months but still high

NEW DELHI - India's headline inflation unexpectedly eases to its slowest pace in eight months in October, a welcome relief from a string of bad data but still high enough to be a headache for policymakers struggling to balance the need for growth with taming prices. (INDIA-ECONOMY/INFLATION (UPDATE 2, PIX), moved, by Matthias Williams, 620 words)

Rich but backward: politics, oil poison Kuwait economy

KUWAIT - To gauge the impact of Kuwait's political deadlock on its economy, access the Internet with a fixed-line broadband connection. The line is slow, very slow - half the speed of a connection in other wealthy Gulf Arab states, according to a senior telecommunications executive. (KUWAIT-ECONOMY/DEVELOPMENT (PIX), expect by 1400 GMT/9 AM ET, by Sylvia Westall and Mirna Sleiman, 1,000 words)

Tunisia c.bank takes bold step with loan crackdown

TUNIS - Tunisia's central bank has clamped down on a consumer loan boom - a step that may be prudent economically but risks angering many Tunisians struggling with unemployment and poverty, and could have political implications. (TUNISIA-BANKS/CONSUMER, expect by 1400 GMT/9 AM ET, by Tarek Amara, 900 words)

China turns to machines as farmers seek fresh fields

BAOQUANLING, China - China needs to replace millions of workers who have quit farms for cities, but even its vast state power might not be able to transform the countryside into a network of big industrial farms capable of feeding its growing economy. (CHINA-AGRICULTURE/MECHANISATION (ANALYSIS, PIX, GRAPHIC), moved, by David Stanway and Niu Shuping, 900 words)

Lack of spectrum holds up Iraq's 3G expansion

DUBAI - Iraqi telecommunications operators have warned that government plans to charge for the extra spectrum they need to launch long-awaited 3G services could slow Internet adoption and economic growth. (IRAQ-TELECOMS/, expect by 1400 GMT/9 AM ET, by Matt Smith, 800 words)

COMPANIES

Italy's struggling Monte Paschi posts unexpected loss

MILAN - Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Italy's third biggest lender, posts an unexpected loss in the third quarter, showing it is still struggling because of rising bad loans. (ITALY-BANKS/MONTEPASCHI (UPDATE 2), expect by 1100/6 AM ET, by Silvia Aloisi, 500 words)

Airbus looks past supplier woes to future output hike

ZHUHAI, China - Airbus has begun studying the feasibility of increasing production later this decade to keep up with anticipated demand, even as it keeps a check on short-term output plans due to worries over its suppliers, a senior company executive says. (CHINA-AIRSHOW/PRODUCTION (PIX), moved, by Tim Hepher and Alison Leung, 780 words)

Trading, savings trigger RWE outlook hike

FRANKFURT - Germany's No.2 utility RWE raises its outlook for 2012 core earnings, helped by cost cuts, disposals and an improved performance at its energy trading unit. (RWE-RESULTS/ (UPDATE 3), expect by 1030 GMT/6.30 AM ET, by Christoph Steitz and Vera Eckert, 350 words)

Infineon halves investment as economy worsens

NEUBIBERG, Germany - Infineon warns a darkening economic outlook will hit its industrial clients in the current fiscal year, forcing German chipmaker to more than halve investment. (INFINEON-RESULTS/ (UPDATE 2), expect by 1030 GMT/6.30 AM ET, by Harro ten Wolde, 400 words)

New game birds turn cuckoo in Nokia's nest

HELSINKI - While mobile phone maker Nokia has hit hard times and looks unlikely to regain its commanding position in the Finnish economy, nine years ago it helped feed a newly hatched technology niche in its homeland. (FINLAND-GAMES/ (INSIGHT), moved, by Tarmo Virki, 960 words)

Sainsbury outshines Tesco with profit rise

LONDON - J Sainsbury, Britain's No. 3 supermarket, beat forecasts with a 5.4 percent rise in first-half profit, helped by the development of its online and convenience stores business, the two fastest growing grocery channels in the UK. (SAINSBURY-RESULTS/ (UPDATE 1), moved, 500 words)

Advanced Micro hires bank to explore options - sources

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO - Advanced Micro Devices has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co to explore options, which could include a sale, as the chipmaker struggles to find a role in an industry increasingly focused on mobile devices and away from traditional PCs, according to three sources familiar with the situation. (AMD-JPMORGAN/ (UPDATE 4, EXCLUSIVE), moved, by Nadia Damouni and Noel Randewich, 870 words)

Bilfinger operating profit again beats expectations

FRANKFURT - Germany's Bilfinger reports quarterly operating earnings that beat expectations for the second time in a row, helped by major orders to maintain plants for companies including Statoil and BASF. (BILFINGER-RESULTS/ (UPDATE 2), expect by 1030 GMT/6.30 AM ET, by Peter Dinkloh, 430 words)

Electrolux sees sales growth and lower costs in 2013

STOCKHOLM - World number two home appliances maker Electrolux strikes an upbeat note for next year, saying it expected to eke out like-for-like sales growth while cutting costs and benefiting from lower raw material prices. (ELECTROLUX/ (UPDATE 2), expect by 1100 GMT/6 AM ET, 140 words)

BHP aims to squeeze iron ore capacity up by a fifth

PERTH - BHP Billiton expects to expand its iron ore capacity by nearly a fifth just by working its mines, rail lines and port harder as it looks to control costs in a softer iron ore market, the global miner's iron ore chief says.(BHPBILLITON-IRONORE/ (WRAPUP 1), moved, by Sonali Paul, 750 words)