*IMF: Spain, Ireland reforms on track but challenges remain. *Job creation key for Spain, market access for Ireland. MADRID/ DUBLIN, June 19- Spain and Ireland have made strong progress in fixing their economies but recovery will hinge on their capacity to clean up ailing lenders, create jobs and maintain investor confidence, the IMF said on Wednesday.
BERLIN, June 19- The need to balance budgets should not distract from the ultimate goal of economic policy, namely improving people's lives, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday in what appeared to be a dig at German Chancellor Angela Merkel's focus on austerity.
LONDON, June 19- Half-way towards a lost decade for Europe's economy, pessimism persists about the political will to halt a worrying slide in the region's potential growth.
Jose Posada, owner of Galicia-based Posada Marron Glace, which last year sold 1 million euros of delicacies, mostly abroad to countries like Japan, Russia and Angola, wants to push into China and Central America.
ATHENS, June 18- Greece has avoided the uncertainty of an early election but the standoff over the state broadcaster's closure has weakened the prime minister and deepened mistrust in his fractious coalition.
WASHINGTON, June 17- The International Monetary Fund said Ireland was on track with the conditions of its bailout program, and disbursed the European country's next chunk of aid on Monday.
President Barack Obama sparred with Russia's Vladimir Putin over how to end the war in Syria on Monday during an icy encounter at a G8 summit where divisions over the conflict eclipsed the rest of the agenda.
PARIS, June 16- France's ruling Socialists on Sunday called for a weaker euro and changes to EU rules on budget deficits, accusing the center-right governments of Britain and Germany of creating economic hardship across the European Union.
WASHINGTON, June 14- The head of the International Monetary Fund said she was satisfied with the cooperation between the IMF and European lenders, amid criticism about the flaws in the relationship.
*France trying to shield French culture from Hollywood. LUXEMBOURG, June 14- France was adamant on Friday that it would block an EU free-trade deal with the United States unless its culture was shielded from the might of Hollywood and Silicon Valley.
*France trying to shield French culture from Hollywood. LUXEMBOURG, June 14- EU states sought to reassure France on Friday that its culture would be shielded from the might of Hollywood and Silicon Valley, urging Paris not to block a free-trade deal with the United States that could boost transatlantic business.
The gloom started with former Prime Minister George Papandreou of Greece. Small Greece, he argued, had been made the scapegoat for a larger political and economic failure.
BOR, Serbia/ LONDON, June 13- Serbia's mining sector, stagnant since the wars that tore Yugoslavia apart in the early 1990 s, looks set for a revival as volatile commodity prices increase the allure of countries in Europe with established infrastructure and skilled labour.
*E-cigarettes sold as less harmful alternative to tobacco. LONDON, June 13- Puffing on slim metal tubes loaded with pale yellow liquid, two London businessmen say they have between their lips a cure for what the U.N. calls "one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced".
LONDON, June 13- Financial sector companies pulled European stock markets lower on Thursday, dominated by worries over the impact and possible scaling back of central bank support for the economy, while UK lender RBS suffered from the departure of its chief executive.
No reason has been given yet for the departure of founder and executive chairman George Zimmer, reports CNBC's Courtney Reagan. Zimmer has long been the face of the company.
Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 10:52 AM ETCNBC's Rick Santelli, explains why he hears 'crickets" when he asks questions about Fed Chairman Bernanke's policies. "Enough is enough," he rants.
Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 11:36 AM ETAre reporters lobbing "softball" questions at the Fed chairman? CNBC's Rick Santelli and the Wall Street Journal's Jon Hilsenrath, debate whether the economy continues to need quantitative easing. I'm trying to inform the public about what the Fed is up to, says Hilsenrath.