Egypt has announced a month-long state of emergency across the nation on state TV.

The German government has cancelled a Cold War-era surveillance pact with the United States and Britain following concerns about their alleged electronic eavesdropping in Germany.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s trip to Russia to meet Vladimir Putin was overshadowed by a spat about a museum event, apparently cancelled by Russia, where she was due to refer to German art seized by the Soviets in the wake of World War Two.

The European Union nations remain divided on whether to ease sanctions against Syria to allow for weapons shipments to rebels fighting the regime of Syria’s president Bashar Assad.

Tensions between Germany and Hungary have flared over remarks by the countries’ leaders, including references to Hitler’s occupation of the eastern European country in 1944 and an irritated German government response condemning Hungary’s allusion to the Nazi era as “deplorable derailment”.

Italy has emerged from elections with no clear winner, driving markets around the world markedly lower as investors worried that one of Europe’s biggest economies would be unable to stay the course on austerity measures.

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s promise of an in/out referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union sparked a furious political row in Westminster today.

Turkey has called for Nato Patriot surface-to-air missiles to bolster its defences along its border with Syria.

The world’s top diplomats were today trying to end the week-long convulsion of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

The Taoiseach will hold crisis talks with German chancellor Angela Merkel following chaos and confusion over a bank deal on legacy debt.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore is traveling to Berlin today to meet with the German Foreign Minister.

The EU has imposed a new range of sanctions on Iran intended to hit the country’s treasury and increase pressure on its Islamic regime over its nuclear programme.

Syria has banned Turkish Airlines flights from its air space, according to state-run news agency SANA.

Democratic uprisings across the Arab world and the Palestinians’ bid for UN membership sparked hope and excitement at last year’s meeting of world leaders.

A French magazine has published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed claiming the right to free speech even as global tension grew over the film insulting to Islam.

European leaders are gearing up for a high-stakes week of financial diplomacy that could determine Greece’s future – and the stability of the 17 countries that use the euro.

Hopes that the euro crisis — as well as austerity measures imposed on countries such as Ireland — might ease have been raised by the outcome of the Greek and French elections.

Germany has said it will push ahead with a growth compact now that Irish citizens have adopted the fiscal treaty, despite cuts and hardships which they said deserved special recognition and respect.

German, Italian and Spanish foreign ministries announced today that Syrian ambassadors are being expelled.

The smouldering debate over European austerity burned hotter as the left-winger trying to form a new Greek government declared his country was no longer bound by pledges to impose crippling cuts in return for rescue loans.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has urged Syria’s president to swiftly end his regime’s bloody crackdown and appealed to the divided UN Security Council to unite and help the country “pull back from the brink of a deeper catastrophe.”

The European Union said today that world powers have agreed to a new round of talks with Iran over its nuclear programme, as Tehran gave permission for inspectors to visit a site suspected of secret atomic work.

Leading Republican senator John McCain has urged the United States to launch airstrikes against Syrian president Bashar Assad's regime to force him out of power.

Nearly 60 Syrian civilians and soldiers were killed in fighting over Syria’s future that coincided with a vote on a constitution that could keep Bashar al Assad in power until 2028.

Syria's authoritarian regime held a referendum on a new constitution today, a gesture by embattled president Bashar Assad to placate those seeking the end of his rule.

Berlin says it is expelling four Syrian diplomats following the arrest of two men accused of spying on Syrian opposition groups in Germany.

Germany is trying to tone down reports sparking indignation in Greece that it wants a new eurozone “budget commissioner” with the power to veto budget decisions taken by the Greek government.

SYRIAN security forces opened fire on protesters outside a mosque in a Damascus suburb, close to a building that members of the Arab League monitoring mission were visiting, activists say.

Syrian security forces opened fire on protesters outside a mosque in a Damascus suburb, close to a building that members of the Arab League monitoring mission were visiting, activists say.

The German foreign minister today pledged to “build bridges” in the wake of David Cameron’s summit veto – insisting Britain was an “indispensable partner” in the EU.

GREEK prime minister Georges Papandreou was last night expected to insist he would do it his way when he met the leaders of the two largest eurozone countries just ahead of today’s G20 meeting in Cannes.

Angela Merkel's centre-right coalition is squabbling so much over the eurozone debt crisis that even the opposition is urging her to quash the infighting.

WORLD leaders said yesterday the end is near for Muammar Gaddafi’s regime and began planning for Libya’s future without the man who has held power there for 42 years.

IRELAND’S austerity programme is very much on track and should protect the country from having its credit rating cut to junk, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said in Germany yesterday.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has said Ireland will be the recovery story of the eurozone and EU.

GERMANY blasted as “irresponsibly high” the European Commission’s proposal for the next 2014-2020 budget, saying it set a poor example during the eurozone debt crisis.

The Tánaiste has won the support of his German counterpart in cutting Ireland's interest rate on the EU portion of our bailout package.

LIBYAN rebels broke out towards Tripoli from the opposition-held port of Misrata, 225km to the east, yesterday.

Nato nations stressed their common goals in Libya – bringing an end to Muammar Gaddafi’s regime – as ministers met in Berlin amid a rift over the scope of the alliance’s military operation.

Sharp divisions prevented Nato from adopting a plan for military airstrikes against Libya today, with Turkish opposition blocking the alliance from approving a strategy.

THERE were conflicting reports of fighting in Libya last night as countries prepared to enforce a no-fly zone over the country and the west, allied with the Arab League, the African Union and the UN, prepare to meet in Paris today.

FRANCE and Britain stepped up calls for other world powers to isolate Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi with a no-fly zone, amid diplomatic differences over how much backing to give Libyan rebels.

The Arab League asked the UN Security Council today to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians from air attack by forces of Muammar Gaddafi's embattled government, giving crucial backing to a key demand of the rebel forces battling to oust the Libyan leader.

FRANCE blazed a diplomatic trail as it recognised a newly formed Libyan opposition group, drawing the ire of other European nations for stepping out on its own even as the situation in Libya remained unclear.