Dutch officials returned to the crash site of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine where the search for remains and belongings resumed despite sporadic exchanges of fire.
Sweden's new Social Democrat-led government lowered the growth forecast, blaming sweeping tax breaks by the outgoing conservative coalition for a "large hole".
French Prime Minister hailed the country's second win of Nobel season as a slap in the face for those who take pleasure in criticising the embattled nation.
Punk legends The Clash were packing overflow crowds in the early 1980s but as his band disintegrated, Joe Strummer showed up disheveled at a bar in Granada.
A former prostitute walked 500 miles across France to demand that the government make good on its promise to penalise clients ended her protest march in Paris.
Ratings agency Standard and Poor's kept its 'AA' rating for France but lowered its outlook from "stable" to "negative" on fears over the country's budget situation.