Rachel Donadio The New York Times

• Splits deepen in Greece over referendum on Euro debt deal

  Hours after Prime Minister George A Papandreou of Greece emerged from a meeting with Europe's leaders, pledging to hold a referendum on a new European debt deal, key ministers in his government rebelled against the idea on Thursday, deepening rifts within his government that could force its collapse.

• Oil companies plan evacuations from Libya

  Global oil companies said Monday that they were making plans to evacuate employees in Libya after some operations there were disrupted by political unrest. Libya holds the largest crude oil reserves in Africa, and the moves drove some stock prices down and a crucial oil benchmark to a three-year high. The largest and most established foreign energy...

• Lack of jobs in Southern Europe frustrates the young

  Francesca Esposito, 29 and exquisitely educated, helped win millions of euros in false disability and other lawsuits for her employer, a major Italian state agency. But one day last fall she quit, fed up with how surreal and ultimately sad it is to be young in Italy  today.It galled her that even with her competence and fluency in five languag...

• Italy PM Berlusconi wins first confidence vote

  Italy Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi knows a good crisis when he sees one. As he faced a crucial no-confidence vote Tuesday that could upend his leadership, he was betting that the financial problems engulfing Europe will provide yet another miraculous salvation for his political career. With the debt crisis that began in Greece skipping across s...

• Chinese remake the 'Made in Italy' fashion label

  Over the years, Italy learned the difficult lesson that it could no longer compete with China  on price. And so, its business class dreamed, Italy would sell quality, not quantity. For centuries, this walled medieval city just outside of Florence has produced some of the world's finest fabrics, becoming a powerhouse for "Made in Italy" chic. A...