Financial Crisis on Yahoo! News Photos

A man passes a shop advertising a closing down sale in Riga ...

(Reuters) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:17:08 GMT

(Reuters) - A man passes a shop advertising a closing down sale in Riga in this June 9, 2009 file photo. Economists say the worst may be over for the Baltics, but the human cost has been high: unemployment in Latvia is now the highest in the European Union -- at 22.8 percent in December 2009. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/Files

People pass the window of an empty shop in Riga in this June ...

(Reuters) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:09:53 GMT

(Reuters) - People pass the window of an empty shop in Riga in this June 9, 2009 file photo. Economists say the worst may be over for the Baltics, but the human cost has been high: unemployment in Latvia is now the highest in the European Union -- at 22.8 percent in December 2009. To match feature BALTIC-CRISIS/ REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/Files (LATVIA POLITICS EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS)

A man stands in front of a closed shop in Riga in this August ...

(Reuters) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:09:50 GMT

(Reuters) - A man stands in front of a closed shop in Riga in this August 10, 2009 file photo. Economists say the worst may be over for the Baltics, but the human cost has been high: unemployment in Latvia is now the highest in the European Union -- at 22.8 percent in December 2009. To match feature BALTIC-CRISIS/ REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/Files (LATVIA POLITICS - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT)

A sign advertises a shop for let in Riga in this June 9, 2009 ...

(Reuters) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:08:46 GMT

(Reuters) - A sign advertises a shop for let in Riga in this June 9, 2009 file photo. Economists say the worst may be over for the Baltics, but the human cost has been high: unemployment in Latvia is now the highest in the European Union -- at 22.8 percent in December 2009. To match feature BALTIC-CRISIS/ REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/Files (LATVIA - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT)

Officers of the US Border Patrol check vehicles in a control ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:18:02 GMT

(AFP/File) - Officers of the US Border Patrol check vehicles in a control facility in Falfurrias, Texas, in 2008. The number of illegal immigrants in the United States fell by seven percent last year to 10.8 million, coinciding with the country's financial crisis, a Department of Homeland Security report said Tuesday.(AFP/File/Jose Cabezas)

A mechanic looks in the engine of a Toyota Prius Hybrid car ...

(AFP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:59:10 GMT

(AFP) - A mechanic looks in the engine of a Toyota Prius Hybrid car at a Toyota dealership. US lawsuits are piling up against Toyota as angry drivers reproach the Japanese giant for its slow response to safety problems and stakeholders worry about the financial consequences of the crisis.(AFP/Paul Ellis)

Billionaire Warren Buffett, left, and former U.S. Treasury Secretary ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:57:53 GMT

(AP) - Billionaire Warren Buffett, left, and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, discuss the economy on stage at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Paulson, who led the Treasury during the height of 2008 economic meltdown, wrote a book about his experience called 'On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System.' (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

A poster by the main civil servants union (ADEDY) calling for ...

(AFP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:17:27 GMT

(AFP) - A poster by the main civil servants union (ADEDY) calling for the nationwide strike on February 10 hangs in front of the Greek parliament in Athens. Greece's government on Tuesday unveiled a hike in the average retirement age and called on striking civil servants to accept bonus cuts to pull the country out of an unprecedented financial crisis.(AFP/Louisa Gouliamaki)

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou pictured at the World ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:17:27 GMT

(AFP/File) - Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou pictured at the World Economic Forum in Davos, in January 2010. Greece's government on Tuesday unveiled a hike in the average retirement age and called on striking civil servants to accept bonus cuts to pull the country out of an unprecedented financial crisis.(AFP/File/Eric Piermont)

Greece's Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou arrives ...

(AFP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:17:27 GMT

(AFP) - Greece's Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou arrives for a press conference in the Finance Ministry in Athens. Greece's government on Tuesday unveiled a hike in the average retirement age and called on striking civil servants to accept bonus cuts to pull the country out of an unprecedented financial crisis.(AFP/Louisa Gouliamaki)

President of Japan's auto giant Toyota Motor Akio Toyoda ...

(AFP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:58:25 GMT

(AFP) - President of Japan's auto giant Toyota Motor Akio Toyoda and Vice President Shinichi Sasaki (L) bow following a press conference at the Tokyo head offices. Toyota said Tuesday it was recalling hundreds of thousands of hybrid vehicles globally, including the best-selling Prius, plunging it deeper into crisis as lawsuits in the United States piled up.(AFP/Toru Yamanaka)

President of Japan's auto giant Toyota Motor Akio Toyoda ...

(AFP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:58:25 GMT

(AFP) - President of Japan's auto giant Toyota Motor Akio Toyoda answers questions during a press conference at the Tokyo head office. Toyota said Tuesday it was recalling hundreds of thousands of hybrid vehicles globally, including the best-selling Prius, plunging it deeper into crisis as lawsuits in the United States piled up.(AFP/Toru Yamanaka)

VIDEO: The Czechs love their beer -- all 155 litres of it consumed ...

(AFP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:52:24 GMT

(AFP) - VIDEO: The Czechs love their beer -- all 155 litres of it consumed per person, per year, according to statistics from 2008. The country is equally famous for its own excellent brews. The global economic downturn, however, has had an impact on brewers and Czech beer lovers alike. Duration: 01:53(AFP)

Winter Olympic mascots Miga and Quatchi on a bodsleigh in front ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:43:53 GMT

(AFP/File) - Winter Olympic mascots Miga and Quatchi on a bodsleigh in front of the countdown clock in downtown Vancouver on February 8. Winter Olympics chiefs insisted on Tuesday that the 2010 Games will finish with a balanced budget, sweet music for a country which reeled when Montreal needed 30 years to pay off its debts from the 1976 Summer Games.(AFP/File/Mark Ralston)

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso looks on during ...

(AFP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:43:17 GMT

(AFP) - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso looks on during a press conference after the approbation vote by EU Parliament for the college of commissioners of the new EU commission at the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, Eastern France. The European Parliament on Tuesday gave overwhelming approval to the new team of Barroso who urged governments to step up the fight against the economic crisis.(AFP/Georges Gobet)

Billionaire Warren Buffett, left, and former U.S. Treasury Secretary ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:41:45 GMT

(AP) - Billionaire Warren Buffett, left, and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson discuss the economy on stage at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Paulson, who led the Treasury during the height of 2008 economic meltdown, wrote a book about his experience called 'On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System.' (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

A Toyota Prius is seen at the Chicago Auto Show February 9, ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:57:11 GMT

(Reuters) - A Toyota Prius is seen at the Chicago Auto Show February 9, 2010. Toyota Motor Corp said it would call in nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems, the third recall in a spiraling safety crisis at the world's biggest carmaker. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS)

Billionaire Warren Buffett, left, and former U.S. Treasury ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:53:53 GMT

(AP) - Billionaire Warren Buffett, left, and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson discuss the economy while on stage at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce annual meeting in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Paulson, who led the Treasury during the height of 2008 economic meltdown, wrote a book about his experience called 'On the Brink.' (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

An unknown Toyota car is seen covered in preparation for the ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:22:10 GMT

(Reuters) - An unknown Toyota car is seen covered in preparation for the Chicago Auto Show February 9, 2010. Toyota Motor Corp said it would call in nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems, the third recall in a spiralling safety crisis at the world's biggest carmaker. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Toyota Prius is seen at the Chicago Auto Show February 9, 2010. ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:20:03 GMT

(Reuters) - Toyota Prius is seen at the Chicago Auto Show February 9, 2010. Toyota Motor Corp said it would call in nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems, the third recall in a spiralling safety crisis at the world's biggest carmaker. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS)

The Toyota logo is seen on the front of a Prius at the Chicago ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:55:29 GMT

(Reuters) - The Toyota logo is seen on the front of a Prius at the Chicago Auto Show February 9, 2010. Toyota Motor Corp said it would call in nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems, the third recall in a spiralling safety crisis at the world's biggest carmaker. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS)

The Toyota Logo is seen on a Prius at the Chicago Auto Show ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:54:24 GMT

(Reuters) - The Toyota Logo is seen on a Prius at the Chicago Auto Show February 9, 2010. Toyota Motor Corp said it would call in nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems, the third recall in a spiralling safety crisis at the world's biggest carmaker. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS)

Magdalna Munez cleans a Toyota Prius in preparation for the ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:53:16 GMT

(Reuters) - Magdalna Munez cleans a Toyota Prius in preparation for the Chicago Auto Show February 9, 2010. Toyota Motor Corp said it would call in nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems, the third recall in a spiralling safety crisis at the world's biggest carmaker. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS)

A man looks at a representation of the euro. The euro was firmer ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:43:56 GMT

(AFP/File) - A man looks at a representation of the euro. The euro was firmer in late trade Tuesday on speculation the EU will help Greece resolve its fiscal crisis after many players had bet against the currency in recent weeks, dealers said.(AFP/File/Samuel Kubani)

Greece's Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou addresses ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:18:55 GMT

(AP) - Greece's Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou addresses the media during a press conference in Athens on Tuesday Feb. 9, 2010. Greece took further steps Tuesday to calm global markets spooked by its debt crisis, pledging to increase retirement ages, accelerate reforms and overhaul its ineffective tax system, on the eve of the first nationwide strike against new austerity measures. (AP Photo/Dimitri Messinis)

Greece's Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou addresses ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:18:35 GMT

Greece's Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou addresses ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:18:28 GMT

Greece's Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou addresses ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:18:06 GMT

Greece's Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou addresses ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:17:24 GMT

Tourists walk past demonstrating former Olympic Airways employees ...

(AFP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:54:23 GMT

(AFP) - Tourists walk past demonstrating former Olympic Airways employees outside the Labour Ministry in Athens on February 9. Greece's government on Tuesday unveiled a hike in the average retirement age and called on striking civil servants to accept bonus cuts to pull the country out of an unprecedented financial crisis.(AFP/Louisa Gouliamaki)

A woman passes in front a graffiti in Athens, Greece on Tuesday, ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:20:18 GMT

(AP) - A woman passes in front a graffiti in Athens, Greece on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Greece's government was tackling the thorny issue of pension and wage reform Tuesday, part of its plan to fight a debt crisis that has alarmed global markets, even as strikes are being planned nationwide. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A tow tractors moves a SAS MD-82 aircraft from Terminal 5 to ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:10:44 GMT

(Reuters) - A tow tractors moves a SAS MD-82 aircraft from Terminal 5 to Terminal 4 at Arlanda airport north of Stockholm, February 9, 2010. Scandinavian airline SAS asked shareholders for 5 billion Swedish crowns ($672 million) to keep it flying after another quarterly loss, sending its shares diving to an 18-year low. SAS, half-owned by the governments of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and one of the worst hit by the crisis in the aviation industry, said the rights issue was needed to allow it to take out yet more costs as it battles to become profitable. REUTERS/Johan Nilsson/Scanpix (SWEDEN - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS) SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN

A technician walks near a SAS MD-82 aircraft parked at gate ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:56:55 GMT

(Reuters) - A technician walks near a SAS MD-82 aircraft parked at gate on Terminal 5 at Arlanda airport north of Stockholm February 9, 2010. Scandinavian airline SAS asked shareholders for 5 billion Swedish crowns ($672 million) to keep it flying after another quarterly loss, sending its shares diving to an 18-year low. SAS, half-owned by the governments of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and one of the worst hit by the crisis in the aviation industry, said the rights issue was needed to allow it to take out yet more costs as it battles to become profitable. REUTERS//Johan Nilsson/Scanpix (SWEDEN - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS) SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN

A Norwegian Air's Boeing 737-800 aircraft prepares for takeoff ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:54:43 GMT

(Reuters) - A Norwegian Air's Boeing 737-800 aircraft prepares for takeoff behind a SAS MD-82 aircraft parked at gate on Terminal 5 at Arlanda airport, north of Stockholm February 9, 2010. Scandinavian airline SAS asked shareholders for 5 billion Swedish crowns ($672 million) to keep it flying after another quarterly loss, sending its shares diving to an 18-year low. SAS, half-owned by the governments of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and one of the worst hit by the crisis in the aviation industry, said the rights issue was needed to allow it to take out yet more costs as it battles to become profitable. REUTERS//Johan Nilsson/Scanpix (SWEDEN - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS) SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN

Consumers are reflected in a shop window as they look for winter ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:58:08 GMT

(AP) - Consumers are reflected in a shop window as they look for winter sale items in Athens on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Greece's government was tackling the thorny issue of pension and wage reform Tuesday, part of its plan to fight a debt crisis that has alarmed global markets, even as strikes are being planned nationwide. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

The Financial Services Authority has announced the departure ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:57:36 GMT

(AFP/File) - The Financial Services Authority has announced the departure of chief executive Hector Sants, seen here in 2008, who has overseen plans for large-scale reform of the banking sector following the economic crisis.(AFP/File/Carl de Souza)

People look the exchange rates in a bank in central Athens on ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:36:29 GMT

(AP) - People look the exchange rates in a bank in central Athens on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Europe's currency union faces an unprecedented crisis as markets and the euro currency have tumbled in recent weeks — with the euro trading at an eight-month low against the U.S. dollar — on worries that Greece might need financial rescue to cope with its soaring debt and deficit. (AP Photo / Thanassis Stavrakis)

A pedestrian walks outside a worksite in Athens on Tuesday, ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:34:48 GMT

(AP) - A pedestrian walks outside a worksite in Athens on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Greece's government was tackling the thorny issue of pension and wage reform Tuesday, part of its plan to fight a debt crisis that has alarmed global markets, even as strikes were being planned nationwide. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A worksite is seen in Athens on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Greece's ...

(AP) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:34:01 GMT

(AP) - A worksite is seen in Athens on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Greece's government was tackling the thorny issue of pension and wage reforms Tuesday, part of its plan to fight a debt crisis that has alarmed global markets, even as strikes were being planned nationwide. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

An Indonesian street vendor serves a customer during a traffic ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:09:11 GMT

(Reuters) - An Indonesian street vendor serves a customer during a traffic jam in Jakarta February 9, 2010. Car sales rose 21 percent in December 2009 from a year ago. Still, analysts said the sales figures were still below the pre-crisis levels, suggesting the industry, like some other manufacturing sectors in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, still has excess capacity. REUTERS/Beawiharta (INDONESIA - Tags: BUSINESS TRANSPORT)

An Indonesian street vendor stands between cars during a traffic ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:08:01 GMT

(Reuters) - An Indonesian street vendor stands between cars during a traffic jam in Jakarta February 9, 2010. Car sales rose 21 percent in December 2009 from a year ago. Still, analysts said the sales figures were still below the pre-crisis levels, suggesting the industry, like some other manufacturing sectors in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, still has excess capacity. REUTERS/Beawiharta (INDONESIA - Tags: BUSINESS TRANSPORT)

An Indonesian street vendor stands between cars during a traffic ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:06:55 GMT

A three-wheeler is stuck in a traffic jam in Jakarta February ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:02:38 GMT

(Reuters) - A three-wheeler is stuck in a traffic jam in Jakarta February 9, 2010. Car sales rose 21 percent in December 2009 from a year ago. Still, analysts said the sales figures were still below the pre-crisis levels, suggesting the industry, like some other manufacturing sectors in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, still has excess capacity. REUTERS/Beawiharta (INDONESIA - Tags: BUSINESS TRANSPORT)

An Indonesian woman walks next to vehicles at a traffic jam ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:01:28 GMT

(Reuters) - An Indonesian woman walks next to vehicles at a traffic jam in Jakarta February 9, 2010. Car sales rose 21 percent in December 2009 from a year ago. Still, analysts said the sales figures were still below the pre-crisis levels, suggesting the industry, like some other manufacturing sectors in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, still has excess capacity. REUTERS/Beawiharta (INDONESIA - Tags: BUSINESS TRANSPORT)

CIMB Islamic Chief Executive Badlisyah Abdul Ghani speaks to ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:43:59 GMT

(Reuters) - CIMB Islamic Chief Executive Badlisyah Abdul Ghani speaks to Reuters during an interview at his office in Kuala Lumpur February 9, 2010. CIMB Islamic, the world's top sukuk arranger, will offer new sharia products this year to expand its business in Indonesia and Singapore, as the Islamic finance market struggles to recover from the financial crisis. REUTERS/Stringer (MALAYSIA - Tags: BUSINESS HEADSHOT)

CIMB Islamic Chief Executive Badlisyah Abdul Ghani speaks to ...

(Reuters) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:42:54 GMT

A Toyota Motors Tsutsumi factory worker assembles the Prius ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:42:18 GMT

(AFP/File) - A Toyota Motors Tsutsumi factory worker assembles the Prius hybrid vehicle at the factory in Toyota city, Aichi prefecture. The Japanese auto giant has announced a mass safety recall of its popular Prius and two other hybrid models in Japan Tuesday, plunging the auto giant deeper into crisis as lawsuits in the United States piled up.(AFP/File/Toshifumi Kitamura)

File photo shows workers assembling Toyota's hybrid engine ...

(AFP/Jiji Press/File) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:58:15 GMT

(AFP/Jiji Press/File) - File photo shows workers assembling Toyota's hybrid engine Prius vehicle in central Japan. The Japanese auto giant has announced a recall of the popular car and two other hybrid models in Japan to fix faulty brakes, plunging the auto giant deeper into crisis as lawsuits in the United States piled up.(AFP/Jiji Press/File)

A giant logo of the euro currency in front of the European Central ...

(AFP/DDP/File) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:49:53 GMT

(AFP/DDP/File) - A giant logo of the euro currency in front of the European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt. As Estonia edges closer to adopting the euro, the prospect is causing jitters in neighbouring Latvia as it tries to climb out of a deep economic crisis and risks fragmenting the Baltic trio on the eastern edge of the European Union.(AFP/DDP/File/Martin Oeser)

New EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, arrives for an ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:56:46 GMT

(AFP/File) - New EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, arrives for an interview with members of the European parliament at the EU headquarters in Brussels last month. EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso's new team is set to get the green light from the European parliament Tuesday, ending a three-month limbo period during the bloc's worst ever economic crisis(AFP/File/John Thys)