Europe News Headlines

BRUSSELS (AP) — Flying high above Europe's economic crisis, a local lightning-fast pigeon called Bolt became the world's most expensive racing bird when his Belgian breeder sold it for 310,000 euros ($400,000) to a Chinese businessman.

PARIS (AP) — The man charged with reviving France's shrinking economy and attracting businesses to invest here is gaining a reputation for doing the opposite.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Is Pope Francis an exorcist?

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain stood its ground on its approach to fixing the weak economy on Tuesday, a day before the International Monetary Fund is expected to call for a softening of its austerity push. "Our view is that the economy is healing and we are on the right road, but we have to stick to it," a spokesman for Prime …

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron is committed to governing as part of a two-party coalition until the next national election in 2015, his spokesman said on Tuesday, days after Cameron raised the prospect of the alliance breaking apart. Cameron has ruled with the Liberal Democrats, his junior coalition partner, …

LONDON (Reuters) - Vodafone said on Tuesday that it was very comfortable with its successful U.S. joint venture Verizon Wireless, but if an offer materialized that would benefit it more than the status quo, it would consider it. Vodafone's partner Verizon Communications has made little secret of its desire to buy out Vodafone …

LONDON (Reuters) - Football champions Manchester United topped the table for English Premier League television income in 2012-13, raking in almost 61 million pounds ($93 million) in the final year of the current three-year contract, the League said on Tuesday. Relegated Queens Park Rangers, owned by Malaysian airline boss …

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian capsule carrying mice, lizards and other small animals returned to Earth on Sunday after spending a month in space for what scientists said was the longest experiment of its kind.

By Matt Scuffham LONDON (Reuters) - British buy-to-let mortgage provider Paragon plans to set up a bank next year, taking advantage of new rules designed to encourage competition to Britain's established lenders. Under pressure from lawmakers to increase choice in a sector dominated by five banks, Britain's financial regulator …

MADRID (Reuters) - More than half a million Spaniards switched mobile phone operator in March to take advantage of the cheap deals on offer from competitors, with the market's main players Telefonica and Vodafone the biggest losers. In the first three months of the year more than 1.8 million consumers moved to another mobile …

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's competition regulator may force major cement producers to sell plants as part of efforts to break open the country's cement market, after finding a limited number of players was likely to be causing higher prices. The Competition Commission (CC) said on Tuesday the cement market was highly concentrated …

PARIS (Reuters) - French cement group Lafarge rejected criticism of the level of competition among peers in the UK by the local watchdog on Tuesday, saying there was already "effective competition in the sector". The UK Competition Commission said it was considering measures such as requiring one or more of the top three …

By James Davey LONDON (Reuters) - British retailer Marks & Spencer posted its lowest annual profit since 2009 on Tuesday, hit by a drop in clothing sales, and said growth this financial year would be held back by investments online and in logistics. The 129-year-old firm, battling to reverse seven straight quarters of falling …

LONDON (AP) — The chief executive of security firm G4S is to retire after a tumultuous year that saw the company fail to fulfill its Olympic contract.

(Reuters) - British utility supplier Telecom Plus Plc said full-year profit rose about 13 percent helped by a larger customer base and higher average revenue per customer. The company, which provides gas, electricity, fixed line telephone and broadband internet services, said pretax profit was 34.6 million pounds ($52.66 …

LONDON (Reuters) - British farmers will be the first in Europe to get a vaccine against Schmallenberg virus, a new livestock disease that hit the continent in 2011. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said on Tuesday that MSD Animal Health, a unit of Merck & Co, had been issued a licence for the new vaccine …

By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron's flagship gay marriage policy deepened a rift in his own party on Monday after many of his own MPs defied him in a sign of growing strains on his leadership and his coalition government. Almost 40 percent of Cameron's 303 MPs in the Commons voted for an ultimately …

By Paul Casciato LONDON (Reuters) - Some spectators at London's Chelsea Flower Show wouldn't be caught dead with one in the boot of their Bentley, but garden gnomes have turned up at the show's 100th edition this year, for charity. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which runs Chelsea in the grounds of the Christopher …

LONDON (AP) — Senior members of the Church of Scotland voted Monday to let some congregations choose ministers who are in same-sex relationships — an important compromise that must still pass further hurdles before it can become church law.

LONDON (AP) — Senior members of the Church of Scotland have voted to let some congregations have openly gay ministers, a compromise first step that could lead to the church allowing gay clergy.

(Reuters) - The privatisation of five UK prisons has been delayed by the Ministry of Justice following an investigation into whether it was overcharged on two contracts with private-sector companies, the Financial Times reported. The winning bidders for the privatisation of HMP Northumberland and South Yorkshire, which …

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's counterterrorism agency said Monday that its special forces killed two militants and detained a third believed to have been planning a terrorist act in Moscow.

LONDON (Reuters) - Nationwide, Britain's biggest customer-owned financial services group, plans to issue a new form of so-called loss-absorbing debt in order to bolster its capital position. Loss-absorbing debt is used by financial companies to protect themselves against a potential market downturn. Under certain circumstances, …