Reuters - Cautious optimism that the euro zone crisis may be turning a corner fuelled demand for European government debt on Wednesday, easing pressure on Portugal, seen as the most vulnerable country after Greece.

AP - DEBT DELUGE: Portugal's debt-crippled economy is choking amid grinding austerity measures, a steep recession, an acute shortage of cash and unemployment at a record 13.6 percent.

Reuters - Greece is still struggling to overcome 'crucial' issues before it can secure a 130-billion-euro ($171 billion)bailout package needed to avert a messy bankruptcy, the country's finance minister said.

Reuters - Pro-Europe politician Sauli Niinisto won Finland's presidency, according to early results in Sunday's run-off election, showing voters want to keep the country in the euro zone despite their misgivings over European Union bailouts.

AP - Former finance minister Sauli Niinisto's resounding victory in Finland's presidential vote cements the position of the conservative party that languished for decades in the shadow of the small nation's eastern neighbor, Russia.

AP - Switzerland's economy is expected to 'slow considerably' this year and might require more central bank intervention to steady it despite the Swiss franc falling back against the euro, the Swiss National Bank's vice chairman said Tuesday.

Reuters - Lebanese banks which worked for years to build up business in neighboring Syria have been quietly implementing U.S. and European Union sanctions against Damascus to avoid jeopardizing their international operations, bankers and economists say.

AP - A cousin of Syria's President Bashar Assad has won a legal bid to unfreeze euro3 million ($4 million) held in bank accounts in Switzerland after convincing a Swiss court that the money had already been promised as part of a property deal before it was blocked.

AP - It took 16 months of wrangling, but Bosnia finally has a new government — a leadership that promised to immediately tackle the country's economic problems, including its pressing lack of a budget.

The Christian Science Monitor - For almost two years, the Greek government and European Union officials have been convening in meeting rooms to figure out how to rescue the Greek economy as protesters throng the streets of Athens, angry over growing austerity. Meanwhile, the possibility of a default looms. 

Reuters - The European Union should respond fast to changes under way in Myanmar driven by a former military junta leader and 'key reformer' committed to democracy and boosting the country's economy, a top EU official said on Monday.

Reuters - Euro zone finance ministers dropped plans on Tuesday for a special face-to-face meeting on Greece's new international bailout, as the cabinet in Athens argued up to the last minute on plugging a 325 million euro ($427 million)gap in its austerity plan.

AP - French President Nicolas Sarkozy will seek a second term in upcoming elections despite years of low popularity ratings, pledging Wednesday to boost its lagging economy and protect the country's way of life.

Time.com - It turns out the Greek vote wasn't enough to satisfy skeptical euro-zone leaders

AP - A scandal over leaked Vatican documents and reports of political infighting, financial mismanagement and administrative chaos in the Holy See's frescoed halls have cast a cloud over this weekend's ceremony to create 22 new cardinals.

Reuters - German Chancellor Angela Merkel bowed to pressure on Sunday and agreed to back popular opposition candidate Joachim Gauck to become president, averting a political fight that might have distracted her government from solving the euro zone crisis.

Reuters - Euro zone finance ministers and officials arrived on Monday to discuss a second bailout package for Greece. They were expected to approve a package of aid to draw a line under months of turmoil that has shaken the currency bloc. But technical issues remained outstanding before the meeting.

AP - French police questioned former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn all day Tuesday in a probe into a suspected hotel prostitution ring.

The Christian Science Monitor - After four days of daily protests, some violently dispersed, Spain is bracing for a cycle of social unrest against the harshest austerity measures in decades. At stake is not only Spain’s economic recovery, but that of the European Union.

Reuters - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is in for a torrid weekend in Mexico City.

Reuters - Chancellor Angela Merkel managed to get a second Greek bailout approved in the German parliament on Monday without having to rely on the votes of opposition lawmakers, but she fell short of the wide majority needed for a convincing victory.

AP - TIGHTER BELT: Spain faced more pressure Tuesday to enact austerity measures, after data showed public finances in 2011 were in worse shape than thought.

The Christian Science Monitor - Despite German anger at Ireland's decision to hold a referendum on the European Union financial treaty, Europe will go ahead – with or without Ireland.