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Greece’s next government may hold a trump card worth more than $510 billion if it heeds voters’ demands to renegotiate its bailout with the European Union. The nation owes about 400 billion euros ($517 billion) to private bondholders, public bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank, and other creditors, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. About 252 billion euros of that’s due to official organizations that used their status to avoid the losses suffered by ordinary bondholders when Greece restructured its debt two months ago.

With all the pomp and ceremony befitting the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday unveiled the government’s agenda for the coming year, foreshadowing heated debates over reform of the House of Lords, state pensions, financial regulation and the introduction of a law broadening the scope of intelligence agents to monitor communications.

Germany and the European Commission on Tuesday called on EU nations to stick to their promised budget cuts despite mounting voter discontent, but promised some new efforts to boost growth to alleviate economic hardship.

Centre-left and protest parties score well in Italy's local elections amid widespread discontent with the government's austerity drive.

A jogger who suffered a heart attack while running in a British park has credited actor Dustin Hoffman with helping save his life, according to a report.

Investors nervous about the changing political winds in Europe initially drove down the euro and sent stock markets falling across the region Monday morning, though markets were bouncing back later in the day following renewed signs of strength in the German economy.

Greece's center-right New Democracy party looks set to get the first chance to form a new government Monday, but party leader Antonis Samaras will have a complicated task after an election where angry voters punished politicians for backing harsh government budget cuts.

There has been a great deal of austerity-bashing -- that is to say Germany-bashing -- this French election season. Buoyed by his success in the first round, Socialist candidate Francois Hollande declared last Thursday: "It is not for Germany to decide for the rest of Europe." Vowing to reset Europe on a growth path, he said, "we're not just any country, we can change the situation."

Police say a body has been found in the backside area at Churchill Downs, a few barns away from where Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another is kept.

Socialist Francois Hollande swept to victory in France's presidential election on Sunday in a swing to the left at the heart of Europe that could start a pushback against German-led austerity.