EUROPE NEWS AT 1900 GMT

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2011

EUROPE-INTEREST RATES

FRANKFURT, Germany — European Central Bank's governing council meets to set interest rates for the 17-nation eurozone.

INTERNATIONAL COURT-LIBYA

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo announces details of his investigation into possible crimes against humanity in Libya, including the identities of possible suspects. News conference to start at 1200 GMT.

EU-EASTERN EUROPE

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle join the foreign ministers of four central European countries who meet their counterparts and other senior government officials from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus as part the EU Eastern Partnership program. News conference at 1340 GMT.

FRANCE-FASHION

PARIS - Paris fall-winter 2011-2012 ready-to-wear fashion shows.

GERMANY-DEMJANJUK

MUNICH — Court session scheduled in the trial of John Demjanjuk.

TOP STORIES

GERMANY-US-AIRPORT SHOOTING

FRANKFURT, Germany — A man armed with a handgun shoots at U.S. Air Force personnel on a bus outside Frankfurt airport, killing two airmen and wounding two others before being taken into custody. A German security official identifies the shooter as a 21-year-old from Kosovo. In Washington, President Barack Obama promises to "spare no effort" in investigating the attack. By David McHugh and Juergen Baetz. AP Photos.

LIBYA-REFUGEES

GENEVA — More than 180,000 hungry, anxious people have fled to the border to escape Libya's burgeoning civil war, a U.N. official says, as European nations and Egypt launch emergency airlifts and send ships to handle the chaotic exodus. By John Heilprin. AP Photos.

With EU-NATO-LIBYA: Some NATO countries are drawing up contingency plans modeled on the no-fly zones over the Balkans in the 1990s in case the international community decides to impose an air embargo over Libya, diplomats say.

FRANCE-GALLIANO

PARIS — John Galliano apologizes for his behavior after fashion house Christian Dior fires him for anti-Semitic comments, while Paris prosecutors order the famous designer to stand trial on charges of making racial insults against three people — a scandal that has upended Paris Fashion Week. By Jenny Barchfield. AP Photos.

PIRACY

NAIROBI, Kenya — A Danish family kidnapped by pirates has reached Somalia's coastline, officials and a pirate say, likely meaning a long hostage ordeal for the couple and their three teenage children who were abducted while yachting around the world. By Malkhadir M. Muhumed. AP Graphic.

VATICAN-JEWS

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has made a sweeping exoneration of the Jewish people for the death of Jesus Christ, tackling one of the most controversial issues in Christianity in a new book. By Nicole Winfield. AP Photos.

RUSSIA-GORBACHEV TURNS 80

MOSCOW — Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded Russia's highest medal on his 80th birthday, a belated tribute from the homeland where many blame him for the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. By Vladimir Isachenkov. AP Photos.

BERLUSCONI SCANDAL

VIENNA — An 18-year-old at the center of the scandal plaguing Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi says she hopes his upcoming trial will "bring the truth to light." By Veronika Oleksyn. AP Photos.

BUSINESS & FINANCIAL

EUROPE-FINANCIAL CRISIS

LONDON — Both Portugal and Greece could see their debts further downgraded in the next two months, ratings agency Standard & Poor's warns, depending on what happens at a crucial European leaders' summit later this month. By Pan Pylas and Barry Hatton.

WORLD MARKETS

LONDON — Upbeat U.S. jobs figures help stock markets recover their poise, despite further oil price rises amid concerns that Libya's crisis will keep its crude production in disarray. By Business Writer Pan Pylas. AP Photo.

GENEVA AUTO SHOW

GENEVA — Fast-growing Hyundai may be best known for its small cars, but plans to break into the premium market with a new sedan has the big guys looking over their shoulders. By Colleen Barry. AP Photo.

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YOUR QUERIES: The Europe Desk in London can be reached at +44 207 427 4300.