The FINANCIAL -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now as never before the voice of Europe, supporters and critics across the continent say, as she presses ahead with her austerity drive against a weakened France.

The FINANCIAL -- Hungary is close to striking a good deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a 15-billion-euro ($19 billion) credit line, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday, just days after an anti-IMF ad campaign.

The FINANCIAL -- Hungary is under no obligation to join the euro and doing so at the current juncture would be "irresponsible", the country's prime minister Viktor Orban said in a newspaper interview Wednesday.

The FINANCIAL -- The European Union and United States voiced concern Tuesday over this week's jailing of Kazakhstan's opposition leader, accusing the oil-rich nation of using the justice system to silence critics.

The FINANCIAL -- Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday that a referendum on Britain's relationship with the European Union would be the "simplest" way of resolving the issue.