NEW DELHI (AFP) - The Maldives' ex-president Mohamed Nasheed told AFP Wednesday he had been forced to resign by armed police and army officers in a coup plot hatched with the knowledge of his successor.

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) - Japanese car giant Nissan on Wednesday said its third quarter profits rose 3.2 percent year-on-year.

PARIS (AFP) - The Bank of France estimated Wednesday that the eurozone's second biggest economy would stagnate in the first three months of 2012.

TOKYO (AFP) - Credit rating agency Standard and Poor's on Wednesday lowered its rating of Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony after the company announced woeful results.

BERLIN, France (AFP) - The German trade surplus reached 158 billion euros ($209 billion) in 2011, on record exports that gained 11.4 percent on the year, data released by the national statistics office showed Wednesday.