Germany fights eurozone firewall moves Steffen Seibert, spokesman for Angela Merkel, insisted that Berlin saw no need to increase the size of the €500bn European Stability MechanismMPC strongly backed stimulus increase Financial policymakers at the Bank of England were unanimous in backing more financial stimulus at their meeting in FebruaryObama proposes corporate tax cut The president has proposed slashing the US corporate tax rate from 35 to 28 per cent in a move that could determine where global companies choose to investShell offers £1bn for Cove Energy Anglo-Dutch oil group is poised to expand into Mozambique with the proposal to buy the Aim-listed company, one of Anadarko’s junior partnersOil prices in sterling hit record high The rally in the price of crude oil denominated in European-currencies is likely to have a negative impact on the continent’s economic growthGlobal summit to tackle Somalia’s woes Terrorism and piracy fears spur more than 50 heads of state and foreign ministers to convene for discussions on the volatile African stateSantorum’s fire and brimstone hit right chord Republican presidential hopeful is ‘a person of faith’ who talks of evil and comes across as having the credentials of a preacherProfumo in frame at Monte dei Paschi Alessandro Profumo, former chief executive of UniCredit and one of Italy’s most high-profile bankers, is frontrunner to take over as chairman of the bankVeteran journalist killed in Homs attack Award-winning war correspondent at the Sunday Times Marie Colvin is killed along with a French photographer in the shelling by regime troopsWest dismayed at failure of IAEA talks in Iran The failure of talks between Iran and the IAEA over Tehran’s nuclear programme has triggered dismay among western powers