Europe News

ROME - The prostitute at the center of a sex scandal involving Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has written a book, saying she feels betrayed by him. Full Story »

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran can take legal action if Russia refuses to fulfill its commitments to deliver an advanced missile defense system to the Islamic Republic, a senior military official said on Tuesday. Full Story »

FRANKFURT - German business confidence rose for an eighth consecutive month in November as Europe's biggest economy recovered steadily from its worst recession in decades, a leading survey showed Tuesday. Full Story »

DUESSELDORF, Germany - General Motors Co. will present to unions on Wednesday its restructuring plan for the Opel unit, expected to include up to 9,500 job cuts, the carmaker's top official in Europe said Tuesday. Full Story »

LONDON - In the most sweeping inquiry on the Iraq war, a panel investigating Britain's role in the conflict began questioning witnesses Tuesday in hearings that critics hope will humble ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair and expose alleged deception in the buildup to fighting. Full Story »

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Two Congolese militia leaders sent child soldiers and other fighters to wipe out a village in a revenge attack that left more than 200 men, women and children dead, a prosecutor told judges Tuesday at the International Criminal Court. Full Story »

PARIS - France's foreign minister has praised the courage of a journalist who has led a fight against a law in Sudan allowing for women to be flogged for wearing pants. Full Story »

HELSINKI (AFP) - Nokia, the world's biggest mobile phone maker, said on Tuesday it would cut around 220 jobs in Japan as part of its plans to streamline its vast research and development operations. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - A long-awaited public inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq war opened on Tuesday, with the chairman vowing not to "shy away from criticism" of individuals or institutions over the controversial conflict. Full Story »

BERLIN (AFP) - General Motors has repaid the 1.5 billion euros (2.2 billion dollars) in bridging loans it received from Germany to keep its troubled European unit Opel afloat, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday. Full Story »

WARSAW, Poland - Solidarity founder Lech Walesa is suing Polish President Lech Kaczynski for damages in a Warsaw court for having called Walesa a communist-era agent. Full Story »

BRUSSELS - For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out. Full Story »

GENEVA - The world's largest atom smasher made another leap forward Monday by circulating beams of protons in opposite directions at the same time and causing the first particle collisions in the $10 billion machine after more than a year of repairs, organizers said. Full Story »

LONDON - Former British leader Margaret Thatcher returned to London's Downing Street Monday as she unveiled her own portrait, which has been installed in the official residence of Britain's prime minister. Full Story »

LONDON - A convicted murdered who once served as the personal assistant to the duchess of York has escaped from a low-security prison in southern England, British officials said Monday. Full Story »

LONDON - Four British lawmakers could face criminal charges over the expenses they claimed from taxpayers, prosecutors said Monday, marking the latest twist in a scandal over lavish spending by elected officials. Full Story »

BUCHAREST, Romania - The third-place candidate in Romania's presidential election threw his support Monday behind the Western-backed socialist who faces the centrist president in a runoff seen as key to the country's emergence from political and economic crisis. Full Story »

PARIS - Albert Camus' children are torn about whether to allow the Nobel Prize-winning author's remains to be moved from southern France to Paris' Pantheon, the final resting place of other French greats like Voltaire and Victor Hugo. Full Story »