Germany and France 'hold talks on eurozone break-up'

Although the disintegration of the single currency nations is still considered highly unlikely, the reports were last night deemed serious enough to prompt European Commission (EC) President Jose Manuel Barroso to issue a stark warning about the dangers of such a move. A collapse of investor confidence in the eurozone's third-biggest economy sent interest rates in Italy above the critical 7% mark on Wednesday - the highest it has been in the country since the launch of the euro in 1999 and the level that triggered bailouts in Portugal, Greece and Ireland. The European Central Bank (EC...