Ciaran Giles

Huge Spain fiesta for World Cup win promotes unity in fractured nation hit by economic gloom. Spain erupted with its biggest fiesta in memory Monday when its football team returned to a jubilant nation after winning the World Cup, giving elated Spaniards a break from months of economic gloom and political squabbling.

Paul the octopus, seer sucker supreme, makes World Cup prediction: It's Spain, 8 hands down. There's been plenty of ink for Paul the octopus lately, and why not?

EU ruling revives Telefonica's euro7.15B ($9.04B) bid for Portugal Telecom stake in Brazil's Vivo. Portugal Telecom says it is open to negotiations with Telefonica over the Spanish company's euro7.15 billion ($9.04 billion) offer for PT's stake in Brazil's leading cell phone company, Vivo.

As Europe's Capital of Culture, Germany's Ruhr region turning from coal to creativity. The Emscher river in western Germany's Ruhr region was one of the country's most polluted for decades, so bad that parents spooked children with warnings they could die if they fell into the poisonous stew of sewage and chemical waste.

As Europe's Capital of Culture, Germany's Ruhr region turning from coal to creativity. The Emscher river in western Germany's Ruhr region was one of the country's most polluted for decades, so bad that parents spooked children with warnings they could die if they fell into the poisonous stew of sewage and chemical waste.

America's allies hope for continuity in Afghanistan following McChrystal's departure. America's allies in the fight to stabilize Afghanistan are hoping that the ouster of Stanley McChrystal as commander of international forces there still leaves the general's strategy intact, officials and analysts said Wednesday.

Impact of BP oil spill felt far from Gulf as Europe, Asia rethink drilling safety measures. Britain has doubled rig inspections. Bulgaria scrapped plans for a new oil pipeline. Chinese and French oil giants are upgrading equipment and procedures designed to prevent spills. As oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, nations around the globe are taking a cue from this cautionary tale and ratcheting up their oversight of the petroleum industry.

Iceland's unstoppable volcano could turn Europe summer travel season to ash. It's been a month now, and Iceland's volcano shows no sign it will stop belching ash across Europe anytime soon. The rolling eruptions threaten more havoc for summer vacation plans and higher costs for struggling airlines.

Europe wonders whether Iceland's unstoppable volcano will mean their summer is turning to ash. It's been a month now, and Iceland's volcano shows no sign it will stop belching ash across Europe anytime soon. A whole continent is rethinking its summer vacation plans ? and struggling airlines are wondering how to cope in the cloud of uncertainty.

European leaders seek to calm fears Greek rescue won't be enough. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced early Saturday that Europe will set up an intervention mechanism to calm markets rattled by the Greek debt crisis.

Thick drifts of volcanic ash blanketed parts of rural Iceland as a vast, invisible plume of grit drifted over Europe, emptying the skies of planes and sending hundreds of thousands in search of hotel rooms, train tickets or rental cars.

Thick drifts of volcanic ash blanketed parts of rural Iceland as a vast, invisible plume of grit drifted over Europe, emptying the skies of planes and sending hundreds of thousands in search of hotel rooms, train tickets or rental cars.

Thick drifts of volcanic ash blanketed parts of rural Iceland on Friday as a vast, invisible plume of grit drifted over Europe, emptying the skies of planes and sending hundreds of thousands in search of hotel rooms, train tickets or rental cars.

Thick drifts of volcanic ash blanketed parts of rural Iceland on Friday as a vast, invisible plume of grit drifted over Europe, emptying the skies of planes and sending hundreds of thousands in search of hotel rooms, train tickets or rental cars.

Thick drifts of volcanic ash blanketed parts of rural Iceland on Friday as a vast, invisible plume of grit drifted over Europe, emptying the skies of planes and sending hundreds of thousands in search of hotel rooms, train tickets or rental cars.

Thick drifts of volcanic ash blanketed parts of rural Iceland on Friday as a vast, invisible plume of grit drifted over Europe, emptying the skies of planes and sending hundreds of thousands in search of hotel rooms, train tickets or rental cars.

Europe's Catholic Churches face wave of sex abuse charges, fear more to come. It often starts as a voice in the wilderness, but can swell into an entire nation's demand for truth. From Ireland to Germany, Europe's many victims of child abuse in the Roman Catholic church are finally breaking social taboos and confronting the clergy to face its demons.

Spanish PM visits US amid flap over Obama's pass on Madrid summit, doubts over EU role. President Barack Obama's decision not to participate in an annual summit with European Union leaders is feeding doubts about whether Washington views Europe as a strong player on the international stage.

Venezuelan government closes retail stores in crackdown on price hikes after devaluation. Soldiers accompanied government inspectors as they temporarily shut down dozens of retail stores in Venezuela on Monday, aiming to prevent hefty price hikes after the country devalued its currency.

Harsh winter weather easing up in Europe but snow still causing plane and train cancelations. Snow, ice and cold caused train cancelations in Poland, grounded scores of planes at Madrid's airport and disrupted natural gas production in Norway Monday, but much of Europe began to return to normal after days of harsh winter weather.