EUROPEAN UNION

U.S. stock index futures point to a slightly higher open Monday as investors maintained a watchful mode waiting for decisions from meetings between Greek and European leaders this week to discuss reform measures needed to tackle the economic crisis in Greece.

European markets were mixed Monday as investors remained watchful ahead of the meetings between the Greek and other European leaders this week to discuss measures to tackle the economic and financial instability plaguing Greece.

An interview in a British newspaper sets off a European panic: the Finns may be thinking they've had it with the common currency.

Hungary's best and brightest are feeling pinched by an increasingly demanding government.

European investors looking to bet on risky derivatives will be able to use gold to back their trades, one of the Continent's major exchanges said Friday, a development that could both make the yellow precious metal a more valuable asset and foster the growth of derivative trading volume.

Netanyahu is paying a visit to the U.N. General Assembly in New York next month where he will likely bump into U.S. President Barack Obama, or at least expect him to issue strong rebukes against Iran in his speech to the world.

Investors rewarded Portugal's efforts to trim its budget gap by sending the credit-default swaps on Portugal to a low of 725 basis points on Thursday, down from 1,515 in January and 1,237 in May, according to Bloomberg. The implied probability of Portugal defaulting on its debt fell to 46 percent from 73 percent.

Four men, one German and three Iranian-Germans, have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of having supplied Iran with key parts for its heavy water reactor.

The EU on Tuesday declared that the Israeli city of Modi'in did not lie fully in Israel; parts of it belong to the West Bank. This could have consequences for Israel's trade with the EU.

Asian shares steadied Tuesday with investors staying sidelined ahead of more figures from Europe and the United States later in the day, after recent data showed the euro zone's debt woes were eroding business activity globally.

Gasoline production issues and tensions between Iran and Israel have sent U.S. gasoline prices above $4 per gallon in some cities, and prices likely won't fall until October, according to gasoline analysts.

The U.S. trade deficit in June was the smallest in 1-1/2 years as lower oil prices curbed imports, according to government data on Thursday that suggested an upward revision to second-quarter growth.

A front-page article in the Italian newspaper Il Giornale attacked Germany’s handling over the ongoing euro crisis.

After rounding up over 6,000 suspected illegal immigrants over the weekend, Greek authorities announced that 1,600 will be deported.

With the iPhone 5 rumored to be released in this September, Samsung is taking a new approach in encouraging customers to switch by offering a rebate of up to $300 for old smartphones.

If hundreds and hundreds of teddy bears can't bring down Europe's last dictatorship, what can?

The exit of one or more countries from the euro zone could drive gold prices significantly higher by the end of this year, according to a Friday Capital Economics report.

The Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC), which represents retailers, says the fees levied on American supermarkets, stores and gas stations by Visa and MasterCard are up to three times more than in other parts of the world, inflating prices for U.S. consumers.

The U.S. Congress passed new sanctions against Iran's oil and nuclear program on Wednesday evening, but Israeli officials remain unconvinced that the sanctions will have the desired effect.

Thalia Paraskeva, 24, was getting increasingly desperate. Equipped with a degree in graphic design from Athens, she had no luck finding a job in Greece. One day, she booked a ticket to Berlin and swiftly packed some dresses, a jacket, a pair of snug boots and a Greek-German dictionary before boarding the plane.

Asian shares fell Wednesday after four days of gains, as expectations of stimulus action this week by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank fade, and following signs of deepening Asian economic stress.