AFP - European stock markets rose in early trading at the start of the second financial quarter, shrugging off a weak overnight showing by Wall Street owing to a renewed surge in oil prices.

FT.com - The European Union is drawing up plans to challenge through the World Trade Organisation a South Korean bill limiting the number of foreigners allowed on boards of local banks, according to documents obtained by the Financial Times.

AFP - European stock markets fell in early trading amid surging record oil prices, dealers said.

AFP - European stock markets climbed in early trading after an overnight rebound on Wall Street, helped by cooling oil prices after crude had shot to fresh historic high levels.

AFP - European stock markets rose in early trading after a dip in soaring oil prices sparked an overnight snapback on Wall Street, but London's FTSE 100 index was held back by a flurry of blue chip companies trading ex-dividend.

Canadian Press - BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - European Union countries are slowly moving toward endorsing Paul Wolfowitz as the next World Bank president, Dutch Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm said Tuesday.

AFP - Leading shares closed off highs as an uncertain morning on Wall Street tempered early enthusiasm, although bid talk surrounding Boots and easing crude prices kept the FTSE 100 in positive territory, dealers said.

AFP - The reform of the European Union's stability and growth pact will not enable the bloc's newest members to adopt the euro currency more quickly, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said.

AFP - Britain's Labour government is in no doubt about how it can win an unprecedented third consecutive general election next month -- talk up its widely recognised strong management of the economy since 1997.

AP - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Sunday the European Union wants a long-term economic relationship with Russia and hopes to cement it at a summit in May.

AFP - EU finance ministers gathered for talks clouded by new data confirming Europe's economic gloom, as soaring oil prices and the strength of the euro fuelled growing concerns in European capitals.

AFP - European stock markets rose in early trading after an overnight rebound on Wall Street, but oil stocks pushed lower amid falling oil prices, dealers said.

AFP - The pound remained firm against the euro despite an expected narrowing of the gap between short-term British and euro-zone interest rates.

AFP - A French 'non' to the European Union's first constitution would open an era of uncertainty for Europe's future, which could lead investors to demand a higher risk premium on European assets, economists warned.

FT.com - Fears of slowing economic growth and first-quarter earnings falling shy of forecasts, drove Asian and European stocks sharply lower on Monday, with technology stocks and carmakers among the worst hit.

FT.com - European stocks looked set for a pause on Tuesday after falling 3½ per cent in the last two sessions. Some support was likely to come from a better session on Wall Street and promising earnings from Switzerland's Roche.

AFP - The FTSE 100 closed firmly in the red, hurt by a raft of stocks trading ex-dividend and a weak performance in the financial sector, with heavyweight Prudential shedding over 3 percent, said dealers.

FT.com - Fewer than half of FTSE 100 companies have provided hard data on the impact of international accounting standards almost four months into the year when they were expected to embrace a reporting revolution.

AFP - The FTSE 100 closed firmly higher as a three-percent rally in the shares of Smiths Group and steady gains in oil stocks offset some profit taking on the other side of the Atlantic, dealers said.

AP - The European Union on Monday approved the acquisition of Radianz, which provides the financial community with remote network services, by Britain's BT Group PLC.

FT.com - European bourses opened unchanged. Infineon, the German chipmaker, slid to a worse-than-expected second-quarter loss and saw little hope of improvement in the current quarter.

AFP - European stock markets fell in early trading following overnight declines on Wall Street, with retailers in London hit by a profit-warning from British home-improvement group Kingfisher.

Reuters - European shares fell, U.S. Treasuries wobbled and the dollar was up and down as investors digested shock data which showed U.S. economic growth at its slowest level in two years and a jump in price pressures.

AFP - European stock markets fell in early trading, following an overnight slide in US stocks on disappointing economic growth data, dealers said.