PORTUGAL

While speculation swirls about whether Greece is going to drop the euro, the European Central Bank said on Wednesday that none of the eight countries trying to get in the currency bloc are ready to join.

All the latest news as Manchester United seek alternatives to Chelsea-bound Eden Hazard.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, having so far successfully fought off the idea of euro bonds, is besieged on all sides as leaders line up behind French President Francois Hollande and his appeals for the collective financial instrument.

Where to watch live coverage of England Vs. Norway, plus all the build-up to Roy Hodgson's first match in charge.

You can't blame investors for feeling a bit squeamish regarding deploying new money in the U.S. stock market these days, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average?s (DJIA) recent slide from 13,300 to 12,450 unnerving even the most experienced institutional investors. Where?s the market headed in the next six months?

Investors are increasingly making a flight to quality as they pull out of credit-default swaps hedges on Europe's primary index as well as the markets for periphery nations like Spain, a trend which indicates higher expectations that periphery nations are unable to repay their debts and a lack of confidence in the political will of the economic union.

Japan Tobacco Inc. (Tokyo: JT) is buying all outstanding shares in Belgian tobacco company Gryson NV from its parent GT&Co BVBA for ?475 million ($596.3 million), the company announced Thursday.

For centuries, the Roma people have been marginalized and misunderstood by their European neighbors. A new report by the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) sheds light on this age-old human rights issue.

On Wednesday, a military junta that seized power in Guinea-Bissau last month formally agreed to step down. A new transitional government is set to lead the nation for 12 months in the run-up to a new round of national elections.

All the latest news involving Manchester United's activities in the summer transfer market.

On Thursday, 70 troops arrived in Guinea-Bissau as part of a peacekeeping initiative by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The troops are meant to stabilize the country as it prepares for national elections in 12 months, following a military coup that deposed the civilian government.

All the latest news involving Manchester United's summer transfer targets.

French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said any agreement would need to include an ambitious strategy for growth.

The Spanish government sold ?2.4 billion of debt on Thursday morning, with bonds due in 2015 carrying an average yield of 4.375 percent - a huge rise from an average yield of 2.89 percent in April.

The financial markets appear to have already priced in Greece?s departure from the euro bloc.

The growing possibilities of an imminent Greek exit from the single currency bloc could drive up the value of safe-haven currencies such as the U.S. dollar and the British pound, while hurting a number of emerging Asian currencies that are sensitive to investors' risk appetite.

International opinions about which nations serve as a positive influence on global affairs are changing. Around the world, more people are looking to Asia, with Japan topping the list, while increasing numbers are disappointed with Europe. However, Asians themselves remained wary of their neighbors.

With the Premier League season coming to a close, a look at some of the players who could be arriving at Chelsea this summer.

The main event this week is April?s retail sales report, which could see some payback after the unseasonably warm weather boosted March?s results. In Europe, investors will get a look at how the region?s economies fared in the first quarter.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives suffered a crushing defeat Sunday in Germany's most populous state, which could embolden the left opposition to step up its criticism of her European austerity policies.

Fashion's Night Out is once gain stepping out on the international stage. The Vogue-hosted shopping event is set to expand to all 19 territories that publish Vogue magazine for 2012.