ISTANBUL (AFP) Eastern Europe faces a severe credit crunch which could undermine its recovery from the economic crisis, three development banks helping to bail out countries in the region warned on Monday.

AP - Greece's Socialist prime minister-elect made final decisions Monday on his new Cabinet, whose main challenges will be to revive the faltering economy and improve environmental protection.

AP - Farmers drove hundreds of tractors and a lone cow to the heart of the European Union bureaucracy on Monday, pelting police with bottles and chickens and dumping milk and manure onto the streets of Brussels in a protest against collapsing milk prices.

AFP - The FTSE 100 rose in choppy trading on Monday after sharp losses last week.

AP - Russia should ease barriers to immigration in order to reduce the impact of labor shortages, slower economic growth and other pressures brought on by its ongoing demographic crisis, a United Nations report said Monday.

AP - European markets rose modestly Monday ahead of an expected solid start to the week on Wall Street and after upbeat survey data from the services sector helped offset the gloom from last week's worse than expected U.S. jobs data.

AP - The administrators of Lehman Brothers' assets in Europe said Monday that they may seek a direct agreement with hedge funds and other creditors to return money tied up since the collapse of the parent company as an alternative to a court-sanctioned settlement.

AFP - Europe's main stock markets crept upwards on Monday, despite losses elsewhere, with modest support stemming from positive eurozone economic data, dealers said.

AFP - European economies are shaking off recession but analysts warn the pace of recovery could vary greatly from country to country, revealing a North-South divide, and could be undone by a squeeze on credit.

AFP - Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed Saturday Ireland's Yes vote in a referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty, saying the bloc could now move forward on key areas like the economy.

Reuters - The Group of Seven rich nations hopes to decide its future as an institution on Saturday, with the United States pushing for the creation of a smaller core group that would include China, a G7 official said.

AP - Sweden urged other European nations on Friday to follow its lead in linking new taxes to greenhouse gas emissions as governments seek additional sources of income in the wake of the financial crisis.

AFP - Shares in London fell at the start of trade on Friday as fresh concerns rose over the health of the US economy.

AP - Unemployment is rising around the world as the recession leaves few corners untouched — but sharp differences remain between companies directly hit by financial or housing-market collapses and those that have deliberately protected jobs with expensive measures — including subsidizing shorter working weeks.

AFP - The leading stock exchange declined on Thursday on speculation last quarter?s record rally in the benchmark may have outpaced the prospects for economic growth.

AFP - Europe set a deadline on Thursday to end economic pump priming with a pledge to tackle member states' bloated deficits in 2011, the keystone of "exit strategies" from the crisis.

AP - The head of the European Central Bank said Thursday that the 16 countries that use the euro should withdraw stimulus programs and start repaying mounting public debt by 2011 at the latest.

AFP - Tidjane Thiam began his role as head of insurance group Prudential on Thursday, becoming the first black chief executive of a company listed on London's benchmark FTSE 100 index.

AFP - Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling on Thursday urged the European Union to clamp down on bankers' bonuses, after five of the country's biggest banks signed up to new rules on payments.

AP - European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet warned EU governments Wednesday that the public will be unforgiving if authorities don't provide a stronger financial system.