AFP - Blue chips remained at lower levels midafternoon, dragged down by the banking sector amid fears of profit warnings, with Wall Street lower on the back of ongoing concerns over rising oil prices.

AFP - Much has changed at the Frankfurt stock exchange in 20 years but as its Dax index celebrates the milestone it remains the barometer for German economic well-being.

AFP - Fast asleep in the forests of the Rhodope mountains, this former miners' town, like a lot of other near-forgotten places in Bulgaria, is hoping for an EU financial kiss to waken from its slumber and start pulling in the tourists.

AFP - Confidence in the combined economy of the 15 nations sharing the euro slumped to a three-year low in June, according to a widely-watched EU survey released on Friday.

AFP - European stocks mostly fell on Friday as oil prices shot to record levels, but losses were less than falls on other global markets hit by soaring crude costs and a weak US economy.

AP - An EU spokeswoman says the 27-nation bloc is ready to issue stronger financial sanctions against Iran.

AP - EU nations approved new sanctions against Iran on Monday, imposing additional financial and travel restrictions on a list of Iranian companies and experts — including the country's largest bank.

AFP - EU nations were set on Monday or Tuesday to adopt new sanctions against Iran targeting its financial institutions, especially the large Bank Melli, diplomatic sources said.