Leaders of recession-hit Europe take a fresh stab at fighting tax fraud and evasion worth a trillion euros a year at a summit Wednesday but seem unlikely to convince reluctant Austria and Luxembourg to sign on.

With euro-skepticism gaining ground as European Union unemployment queues lengthen and growth slumps, there were hopes of the one-day summit producing an EU-wide crusade against tax evasion and agreement to make the bloc energy-sufficient.

Christine Lagarde would not automatically be forced to resign her job as head of the International Monetary Fund if a French court decides to prosecute her in the Bernard Tapie case.

But such a ruling could weaken her as managing director of the Fund, after having led it through four difficult eurozone rescues in her 22 months in the job.

The Bank of Japan on Wednesday held off fresh easing measures, saying after a two-day policy meeting that a continuation of steps introduced last month would help Japan overcome deflation.

The central bank said its widely expected decision to stand pat was reached by a unanimous vote by its board.

Saudi economic growth will slow to 4.4 percent in 2013 from 6.8 percent last year due to an expected fall in oil production, and cuts in government spending, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday.

"Overall GDP growth is expected at 4.4 percent... because oil output is likely to be lower than its average level in 2012 and the growth rate of government spending looks set to slow," said the IMF.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will help ink a major estimated $2.1 billion proposed deal with Oman to supply a U.S.-made air-defense system to the Gulf nation, officials said Tuesday.

One of the main focuses of Kerry's trip to Muscat was to applaud the signing of a letter of intent between Oman and U.S. manufacturer Raytheon ahead of talks on the final contract, they told reporters traveling with him to Oman.

Manufacturers of business jets can look forward to climbing sales in the years to come thanks to emerging markets as they gather in Switzerland for an annual air show, having survived the turbulence of the global financial crisis.

But "we're still waiting for the real recovery," noted Eric Trappier, chief executive of Dassault Aviation, which will have three versions of its luxurious Falcon jet on display on the tarmac at Geneva at the three-day EBACE show that opens Tuesday.

Foreign buyers are swooping on deserted villages in Sicily to snap up homes for as little as 10,000 euros ($13,000), propping up a property market in freefall as Italy suffers its longest-ever recession.

"When you go to the pizzeria now, you often meet more foreigners than Sicilians," said Salvatore Sansemi, mayor of Cianciana, near the southern city of Agrigento.

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged on Tuesday to open up domestic markets to Indian businesses and narrow a gaping trade deficit between the two countries.

"As for Indian concerns over the trade deficit, the Chinese side is willing to provide facilitations for more Indian products to access the Chinese market," Li said during a speech to Indian business leaders in New Delhi.

Kuwait's vital oil sector has undergone a major reshuffle, with new executives appointed for the subsidiaries of Kuwait Petroleum Corp, after a new KPC chief was named, the national oil firm said Monday.

The decisions were taken at a meeting late Sunday by KPC board of directors headed by Oil Minister Hani Hussein, replacing all the top executives of the eight subsidiaries and other departments in the KPC.

Swedish fashion giant H&M is considering starting production in South America and Africa, chief executive Karl-Johan Persson told the Financial Times in an interview published on Monday.

"When that part of the world is growing, which it is, it becomes even more interesting to look at production in South America or Central America. So, we are exploring that opportunity ... We're looking at (Africa) as well," he said.