Business - European Economy

LONDON (AFP) - London shares advanced in morning deals on Thursday as investors waited on the Bank of England's latest monetary policy decisions. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - London shares slid further on Wednesday on jitters surrounding debt crises in Greece and Dubai. Full Story »

ATHENS (AFP) - The Greek government warned on Wednesday that the country is imperilled by debt and pledged urgent action to restore confidence under pressure from financial markets and the European Union. Full Story »

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece vowed on Wednesday to do whatever it takes to check its vast deficit but took yet another beating on markets, as EU partners piled pressure on Athens to take action after its rating was cut to its worst in a decade. Full Story »

LONDON - The British government slapped a one-time tax of 50 percent on fat bank bonuses on Wednesday as it tried to win over recession-weary voters ahead of a looming general election. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - Britain's recession-mired economy will shrink by a bigger-than-expected 4.75 percent this year, the government forecast on Wednesday in a keenly-awaited budget announcement. Full Story »

LONDON - Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's warned Monday it may downgrade its rating on Greece's national debt amid mounting concerns about the government's ability to bring public finances under control. Full Story »

BUCHAREST, Romania - Incumbent President Traian Basescu was headed for victory in a tight presidential runoff in Romania, election authorities said Monday, in a race Romanians hope will pull the country out of its worst political and economic crisis in 20 years. Full Story »

PARIS (AFP) - France's budget minister on Sunday played down talk of a bust-up between Paris and London over banking regulations, insisting there was no "crisis" after a Frenchman won the key post of EU finance chief. Full Story »

BERLIN - The new president of GM Europe said Saturday that he was still hoping for German government financial assistance to restructure Opel, but added that even if Berlin fails to come through it will not mean more layoffs in the country. Full Story »

GENEVA (AFP) - Switzerland announced Friday it would halve from next year its quotas of permits for workers from outside Europe, with unemployment and immigration at high levels. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - The leading stock exchange advanced on Friday, powered by better than expected employment data from the United States. Full Story »

LONDON - The truth — and the UFOs — may be out there, but nobody in the British military is listening anymore. Full Story »

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Major European public financial institutions launched a pan-European equity fund on Friday to boost key EU policies in areas such as climate change, energy security and transport networks. Full Story »

BERLIN - Germany's economy will grow by 1.6 percent next year and a more modest 1.2 percent in 2011, the country's central bank predicted Friday, declaring that the outlook has "brightened perceptibly" over recent months. Full Story »

London - A combative cloud hung over Anglo-French relations Friday after French President Nicolas Sarkozy abandoned a London visit in which he was to calm concerns over interference in London's prized financial services sector by a new French-born EU policymaker.. Full Story »

BRUSSELS - NATO allies will bolster the American troop surge in Afghanistan by sending at least 7,000 soldiers of their own, officials said Friday in pledges that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton described as crucial to turning the tide in the stalemated war. Full Story »

ZURICH - Switzerland's 300 richest individuals and families lost a total of $10 billion this year as the global economic crisis soured businesses and weakened investment portfolios. Full Story »