World news / Europe

German banker 'should be fired'

news.bbc.co.uk - The German central bank calls on the country's president to dismiss one of its board members over comments he made about immigration and Jews. More... (Europe)

Germans accused of honey smuggling

news.bbc.co.uk - US authorities indict 11 German and Chinese executives for conspiring to illegally import $40m worth of honey from China. More... (Europe)

Russia extends grain export ban

news.bbc.co.uk - Russia will consider lifting its grain export ban only after the next year's harvest has been reaped, Vladimir Putin says. More... (Europe)

Man held over Russia club blaze

news.bbc.co.uk - Police in Spain arrest a Russian man wanted for questioning about a fire at a Russian nightclub that killed more than 150 people in 2009. More... (Europe)

UK's Hague defended over aide

news.bbc.co.uk - David Cameron supports William Hague "100%" following speculation about the foreign secretary's private life, the PM's spokeswoman says. More... (Europe)

EU critical of France over Roma

news.bbc.co.uk - The European Commission criticises France over its expulsions of Roma (Gypsies) and requests more information about the crackdown. More... (Europe)

ECB ups eurozone growth forecasts

news.bbc.co.uk - The European Central Bank raises its forecast for eurozone growth for this year and next year, and keeps interest rates on hold. More... (Europe)

Portman launches Venice film gala

news.bbc.co.uk - Natalie Portman attends the opening of the Venice Film Festival, which launched with her film Black Swan. More... (Europe)

Cold winter boosts Gazprom profit

news.bbc.co.uk - Russian gas monopoly Gazprom reports a threefold surge in profits for the first three months of the year, despite a sharp fall in gas prices. More... (Europe)

Greenpeace rig activists arrested

news.bbc.co.uk - Four Greenpeace activists are arrested after giving up their occupation of a Scottish company's drilling rig off Greenland. More... (Europe)

Eurozone growth of 1% confirmed

news.bbc.co.uk - The eurozone economy grew by 1% between April and June, official figures confirm. More... (Europe)

Pernod Ricard seeks to lift sales

news.bbc.co.uk - Pernod Ricard says it will spend more on marketing to encourage consumption as the drinks market begins to recover. More... (Europe)

Feeling the heat

news.bbc.co.uk - Unease spreads over Sarkozy's Roma expulsions More... (Europe)

Zara launches online retail store

news.bbc.co.uk - The Spanish clothing retailer Zara is opening its new online store on Thursday in five European countries. More... (Europe)

Unique brass Roman lantern found in field

news.bbc.co.uk - A metal detecting enthusiast finds what is believed to be the only intact Roman lantern made out of bronze ever discovered in Britain. More... (Europe)

Roddick falls to Tipsarevic

news.bbc.co.uk - Ninth seed Andy Roddick sees his hopes of claiming a second US Open title end with defeat by Janko Tipsarevic. More... (Europe)

Rough justice

news.bbc.co.uk - Are UK extradition laws too draconian? More... (Europe)

Gooaaal! Football's greatest free kick 'no fluke'

news.bbc.co.uk - Physicists explain one of football's most spectacular free-kicks, showing that Roberto Carlos's 1997 "impossible goal" was not a fluke. More... (Europe)

Murray eases through in New York

news.bbc.co.uk - Britain's Andy Murray cruises into the second round of the US Open with a straight-sets victory over Slovakia's Lukas Lacko. More... (Europe)

Blair's account of Brown 'unfair'

news.bbc.co.uk - Allies of Gordon Brown rally behind the former prime minister, describing criticism of him in Tony Blair's memoirs as "unfair" and "one-sided". More... (Europe)

Netherlands frees Yemeni suspects

news.bbc.co.uk - Two Yemenis arrested in Amsterdam on suspicion of planning a terror attack are released, prosecutors in the Netherlands say. More... (Europe)

EU raps Kenya over Bashir visit

news.bbc.co.uk - European countries asked Kenyan ambassadors to explain why Kenya refused to arrest the Sudanese president on a recent visit. More... (Europe)

Ferrari recalls cars after fires

news.bbc.co.uk - Luxury carmaker Ferrari recalls all of the 458 Italia cars made this year, following reports of the supercars catching fire. More... (Europe)

EU presses China over fake goods

news.bbc.co.uk - The EU urges China to curb smuggling to Europe, saying counterfeit cigarettes alone deprive the EU of 10bn euros (£8bn) in tax revenue annually. More... (Europe)

No injuries in Russian tower fall

news.bbc.co.uk - A collapsed eight-storey building in the Russian city of St Petersburg was empty, reports in Russian media say. More... (Europe)

Chunnel to see German train trial

news.bbc.co.uk - Germany's Deutsche Bahn will test a high-speed train in the Channel Tunnel in a bid to rival Eurostar. More... (Europe)

Tower block collapses in Russia

news.bbc.co.uk - People are feared to be buried after parts of a tower block collapsed in the Russian city of St Petersburg. More... (Europe)

Wheat pushes world food prices up

news.bbc.co.uk - UN says international food prices have risen to levels not seen since 2008, partly because of drought in Russia. More... (Europe)

Several killed in Karabakh clash

news.bbc.co.uk - Clashes between the forces of Azerbaijan and Armenian-backed Nagorno-Karabakh leave several soldiers dead. More... (Europe)

Uefa bans vuvuzelas from matches

news.bbc.co.uk - Vuvuzelas, the noisy air horns which provided the soundtrack to the World Cup in South Africa, have been banned from all Uefa-sanctioned games. More... (Europe)

EU and Australia toast wine deal

news.bbc.co.uk - A new deal will ban Australian imitation champagne and sherry from the EU - but Australia welcomes simplified wine labels. More... (Europe)

Brown was maddening, says Blair

news.bbc.co.uk - Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown could be "maddening" and had "zero" emotional intelligence, his predecessor Tony Blair says in his memoirs. More... (Europe)

Wikileaks rape inquiry reopened

news.bbc.co.uk - Sweden's director of public prosecutions orders the reopening of a rape investigation into Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. More... (Europe)

French film highlights racism

news.bbc.co.uk - Racial discrimination in French job market reflected in new feature film L'Italien. More... (Europe)

Smoking ban introduced in Greece

news.bbc.co.uk - A new law comes into force in Greece banning smoking in enclosed public spaces and prohibiting tobacco advertising. More... (Europe)

Possibly the world's oldest champagne

news.bbc.co.uk - A team of divers has begun to salvage dozens of bottles, of what is thought to be the world's oldest champagne, from a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea. More... (Europe)

Vivendi raises full-year outlook

news.bbc.co.uk - Artists such as Lady Gaga cannot stop sales falling at Universal Music but its owner Vivendi reports a rise in profit. More... (Europe)

Sharapova & Jankovic edge through

news.bbc.co.uk - Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic come through tough opening encounters before top seed Caroline Wozniacki storms into round two of the US Open. More... (Europe)

Nadal through after opening test

news.bbc.co.uk - World number one Rafael Nadal beats Russia's Teymuraz Gabashvili in the first round of the US Open. More... (Europe)