Europe News

MILAN (AFP) - Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne is shaking up labour relations in Italy by strong-arming unions as he aims to create a global megagroup with US automaker Chrysler. Full Story »

LONDON (Reuters) - British police were questioning two men Sunday after a parcel bomb was sent to the headquarters of the MI6 foreign intelligence service and another was intercepted at a postal sorting office. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States is close to activating a missile shield over southern Europe as part of its effort to shore up regional defenses in the face of a missile threat from Iran, The Washington Post reported. Full Story »

LONDON (Reuters) - British finance minister George Osborne urged the country's banks to use strong first-half profits to boost business lending rather than pay large bonuses, in an interview published late on Saturday. Full Story »

PARIS (AFP) - Whether the French woman who killed eight of her newborns suffered from a syndrome known as pregnancy denial may determine if she faces major prison time or intensive psychiatric care. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - Britain said a military operation to clear out Taliban fighters from a stronghold in southern Afghanistan was going "very well", as the push entered its third day Sunday. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - Two men were being questioned Sunday after one parcel bomb was sent to the MI6 foreign intelligence agency and another was intercepted. Full Story »

BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) - Britain clinched three more gold medals at the European Championships on Saturday with Mo Farah taking pride of place, adding the 5,000m title to his 10,000m crown. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - A four-strong rowing team smashed a 114-year-old record for crossing the North Atlantic Ocean when they reached the finish line Saturday. Full Story »

ARROU, France (AFP) - An 80-year-old Frenchman was recovering in a state of shock in hospital on Saturday after being freed from a year locked in a laundry room by a wife half his age and her alleged lover. Full Story »

ROME - An apartment building collapsed overnight and killed three people in their sleep in a town in southern Italy, police said Saturday. Full Story »

ROME - Iraq is now among the world's top executioners for the first time since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein, an Italian anti-death penalty group said Saturday, reporting that the number of the country's executions rose dramatically last year. Full Story »

MOSCOW - Russian police arrested a leading Kremlin opponent and dozens of fellow activists Saturday at a demonstration demanding freedom of assembly. Full Story »

LONDON - A diplomatic spat with implications for international counterterrorism escalated Saturday after Pakistan's spy chief canceled a visit to London following comments by the British leader suggesting Pakistan exports terrorism. Full Story »

AMSTERDAM - Teen sailor Laura Dekker says she will leave the Netherlands on Wednesday in her quest to become the youngest to circumnavigate the globe alone. But it won't yet be the first leg of the 14-year-old's solo voyage. Full Story »

MASLOVKA, Russia - Russia sent the army on Saturday to battle wildfires that have killed at least 28 people and were threatening dozens of towns and villages. Thick smoke and ash slowed firefighting efforts and thousands of people were being evacuated. Full Story »

LONDON - One of Britain's most notorious murderers is suing prison authorities for failing to protect him after his throat was slashed by another inmate. Full Story »

DUISBURG, Germany - Germany held a memorial service Saturday for the victims of the Love Parade techno music festival, where 21 people were crushed to death and 500 injured in a tunnel that was the only entrance to the event. Full Story »