Head of European Commission Under Pressure Over Luxembourg Tax Revelations

By JAMES KANTER

Olivier Hoslet/European Pressphoto Agency

Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the European Commission.

Jean-Claude Juncker was the prime minister of Luxembourg when the tiny country was transformed into one of the world’s premier low-tax hubs.

Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, at a news conference in Frankfurt on Thursday.

E.C.B. Signals Broader Action to Stimulate Europe’s Economy

By JACK EWING

The bank moved closer to the kind of large-scale government bond purchases used in the United States and left its benchmark interest rate unchanged.

Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank in 2010, left, with Brian Lenihan, who was the Irish finance minister at the time.

E.C.B. Threatened to End Funding Unless Ireland Took Bailout, Letters Show

By STEPHEN CASTLE

Letters released by the European Central Bank show how Ireland’s government was left with little alternative but to apply for the bailout.

Bulgaria’s Central Bank Revokes License of Troubled Lender K.T.B.

By GEORGI KANTCHEV

The move halts all activities at the bank and opens the way for the payment of about $2.3 billion in deposits to businesses and consumers.

DealBook

HSBC and Barclays are two of the big four banks in Britain.

Britain to Investigate Dominance of Big Banks

By CHAD BRAY

The competition regulator in Britain said that it will begin an inquiry into the dominant position of the country’s largest lenders in retail banking and in lending to small businesses.

Bank of England Holds Interest Rate Steady

By CHAD BRAY

Britain’s central bank said it would keep its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 percent, where it has been since March 2009.

Offering a mobile edition of Office for free comes as Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s new chief executive, pushes cloud and mobile computing as lodestars for the company’s future.

Microsoft Changes Tack, Making Office Suite Free on Mobile

By NICK WINGFIELD

In a sign of the seismic changes underway in the tech industry, Microsoft will give away its lucrative software product on iPads, iPhones and Android tablets.

Inside a Takata showroom in Tokyo on Thursday.

Takata Warns of Larger Loss

By HIROKO TABUCHI

The Japanese supplier, whose faulty airbags have been linked to several deaths, faces legal uncertainty and rising costs related to a large recall.

Hiroyuki Hara, who has a flower shop in Tokyo, says sales are down this year because of the shrinking buying power of paychecks.

In Japan, Moves to Stimulate Economy Reach a Critical Stage

By JONATHAN SOBLE

Two years into an aggressive stimulus under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his campaign to reinvigorate Japan’s economy is entering a make-or-break phase.

Wall St. Moves Higher, Awaiting Jobs Data

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Earlier, the European Central Bank president said the organization was preparing the groundwork for further stimulus measures if needed.

DealBook

Siemens, the German engineering conglomerate, agreed to sell its hearing aid unit.

Siemens to Sell Its Hearing Aid Unit for About $2.69 Billion

By CHAD BRAY

The sale to the private equity firm EQT Partners and the Strüngmann family means the German conglomerate will not pursue a public listing for Siemens Audiology Solutions.

DealBook

BSkyB to Acquire 87.45% of Sky Deutschland

By CHAD BRAY

After 21st Century Fox agreed to sell its 57.45 percent stake to British Sky Broadcasting earlier this year, the offer was extended to other shareholders.

DealBook

The headquarters of Société Générale in Paris.

Société Générale and Crédit Agricole Profits Exceed Market Expectations

By DAVID JOLLY

Both French banks overcame weak domestic retail businesses to post higher net income, with Société Générale cutting its loan loss provisions.

Deutsche Telekom’s Net Profit Drops 14% Under Weight of Investments

By MARK SCOTT

Spending on high-speed mobile and broadband networks, coupled with continuing economic malaise in some European markets, led to the decline.

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Insight and Analysis

Sinosphere Blog

A miner talks on his mobile phone at a coal mine in Changzhi, Shanxi Province.

Counting the Varied Costs of China’s Dependence on Coal

By BECKY DAVIS

A report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Chinese partners puts a monetary price on the problems created by the energy source, like air pollution.

Machine Learning

Augmenting Your Password-Protected World

By MOLLY WOOD

While passwords aren’t likely to disappear soon, new technology that uses eyes and fingerprints as identifiers can protect data more easily.

Machine Learning Video: How to Create a Secure Password

State of the Art

Fall of the Banner Ad: The Monster That Swallowed the Web

By FARHAD MANJOO

In the 20 years since their introduction, banner ads have ruined the appearance and usability of the web, perverted content and diminished privacy.

Economic Scene

The Broad Street Ministry served lunch to poor and homeless people last month in Philadelphia, the poorest big city in America.

Seeking New Tools to Address a Wage Gap

By EDUARDO PORTER

Redistributing income with taxes and transfers is largely failing to close the income gap. Perhaps it’s time to try a corporate approach.

Deal Professor

Creditors Keep Troubled Law Schools on Life Support

By STEVEN DAVIDOFF SOLOMON

Creditors do not move to shut down a law school because keeping a struggling school alive means there is some possibility of repayment.

Itineraries

A smartphone app lets guests open their rooms at the Aloft Harlem hotel. Starwood, Hyatt and Hilton are slowly introducing the app systems.

Skipping the Front Desk, and Checking In With a Click

By MARTHA C. WHITE

In a bid to help harried travelers save time at check-in, a number of major brands are experimenting with letting guests use their phones to unlock their rooms.