EUROPEAN UNION

The Iranian nuclear technology dance continued Tuesday as EU foreign affairs chief Ashton met with Iranian National Security Council Secretary Jalili.

The results of the Dutch election on Wednesday show that incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his VVD Party have won a greater plurality, but the party of far-right politician Geert Wilders has lost badly. These results cement the Netherlands' leading role in the recovery of the euro zone.

Asian shares eased Thursday ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision later in the day, but investors remained optimistic of further stimulus action to bolster the world's largest economy.

Dutch voters handed pro-European parties a sweeping election victory on Wednesday, shunning the radical fringes and dispelling concerns that euro skeptics could gain sway in a core euro zone country.

Far-right Dutch politician and leader of the ultra-conservative Freedom Party (PVV) Geert Wilders formerly established his party in parliament on a platform of Islamophobic anti-immigration, and now seeks to turn nationalist sentiment against the eurozone amid frustrations with debt-laden countries like Greece, Italy and Spain. Poll indicate his party will lose seats this election, but it has defied expectations in the past.

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, delivered the following State of the Union 2012 speech during a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on September 12, 2012

Most European markets rose Wednesday with investors awaiting Germany's Constitutional Court to approve the euro zone's new bailout fund to help reduce the debt stress faced by the countries in the region.

European markets fell Tuesday as investor confidence was weighed down by increasing concerns of the debt crisis affecting the euro zone.

Most of the Asian markets fell Tuesday as investors' concerns about the debt crisis affecting the euro zone were revived, undermining the optimism initially raised by the bond-buying plan announced last week by the European Central Bank.

Asian shares eased Tuesday ahead of a key German ruling on the euro zone's bailout funds and the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy decision.

Most of the European markets marginally fell Monday as investor optimism over last week's bond buying plan announced by the European Central Bank began to fade and concerns about the debt crisis faced by the euro zone was revived.

Asian stock markets posted their first weekly gains in three weeks as the European Central Bank's (ECB) announcement about its widely anticipated bond-buying program, and Chinese stimulus measures, triggered a rally on Friday.

Venice attracts some 22-million visitors each year (for a city of only about 60,000 residents) and these figures keep climbing.

While pundits and analysts dissected a myriad angles regarding the ECB's proposal, one lesser-considered issue has been how, following the announcement of the plan Thursday, it increasingly seemed Spain was being given the short end of the stick, while Italy was being favored, by the announcement.

The European markets continued the upward rally Friday, a day after the European Central Bank (ECB) announced the widely anticipated bond-buying program aimed at lowering the struggling euro zone countries' borrowing costs.

Asian stock markets rallied Friday after the European Central Bank (ECB) announced the widely anticipated bond-buying program aimed at lowering the struggling euro zone countries' borrowing costs.

Gold futures blew past the $1700-per-ounce mark early Thursday morning ahead of a widely-anticipated appearance by European Central Bank president Mario Draghi where the central bank head was expected to announce further monetary accommodation in the eurozone.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said Thursday the “euro is irreversible” and announced a new bond-buying plan “Outright Monetary Transactions,” or OMTs, aimed at lowering the struggling euro zone countries’ borrowing costs which would serve as a “fully effective backstop.”

The U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Thursday as investor sentiment was underpinned by the expectation that the European Central Bank would announce stimulus measures to ease the euro zone debt burden.

European markets rose Thursday on hopes ahead of the European Central Bank meeting where the bank is expected to announce policy measures to boost the euro zone economy and revive growth momentum.

Of the 10,000 people thought to be at risk of contracting hantavirus pulmonary syndrome from their stays in Yosemite between June and August, some 2,500 live outside the United States.