EUROPE NEWS AT 1100 GMT

TOP STORIES:

EUROPE-FINANCIAL CRISIS

ATHENS, Greece — Greece will receive the next batch of bailout loans in time to avoid a disastrous default, the finance minister says, while the prime minister was in Berlin for critical talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

ITALY-KNOX

PERUGIA, Italy — A defense lawyer has told a court to see Amanda Knox, the American student convicted of killing her roommate, not as the "femme fatale" her accusers describe but rather as a loving young woman.

SWITZERLAND-POLANSKI

ZURICH — Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski, who was freed from house arrest in Switzerland little more than a year ago, attends the Zurich Film Festival to accept the lifetime achievement award intended for him two years ago. Switzerland refused to extradite him to the United States where he faces charges of having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977. By John Heilprin. Expected 1600 GMT.

BRITAIN-SHAKESPEARE IN TRANSLATION

LONDON — All the world's onstage — a single stage — as theater troupes from around the globe perform all of Shakespeare's plays in three dozen languages in the Bard's symbolic London home. By Jill Lawless.

SPAIN-TERROR ARRESTS

MADRID — Spanish police have arrested five Algerians suspected of helping finance an al-Qaida linked terror group in north Africa, the Interior Ministry says. By Ciaran Giles.

KOSOVO-ENVIRONMENT

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo is cracking down on companies it accuses of polluting the environment in one of Europe's poorest regions, filing charges against a cement factory it says is not monitoring emissions.

TURKEY-CYPRUS-DRILLING

ANKARA, Turkey — The prime minister of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state says a Turkish research ship has begun oil and gas exploration off divided Cyprus.

FRANCE-FASHION

PARIS — The City of Light's marathon spring-summer 2012 ready-to-wear collections kick off with displays by emerging talent, including rising Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello, the new darling of Paris' fashion elite.

NORWAY-TERROR PLOT

OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian prosecutor has filed terror charges against three men accused in an al-Qaida linked plot to attack a Danish newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad.

BUSINESS & FINANCIAL:

RUSSIA-FINANCE MINISTER

MOSCOW — Investors and Russian economists are dismayed with President Medvedev's decision to force out the influential finance minister. Kudrin is described as the Russian government's most efficient minister and the man who had enough authority to disagree with Prime Minister Putin on key financial issues. While Russia is looking for his replacement, there is hardly anyone out there who would be able to oppose populist spending as vehemently and effectively as Kudrin did, experts say. By Nataliya Vasilyeva. Developing.

ITALY-FINANCIAL CRISIS

MILAN — Italy raised €14.5 billion ($19.6 billion) in short-term government debt but there were signs the country is finding it more expensive to raise the money it needs.

WORLD MARKETS

LONDON — Hopes that policymakers are preparing a grand plan to finally contain Europe's debt crisis bolstered stocks Tuesday ahead of a meeting between the leaders of Greece and Germany. By Business Writer Pan Pylas.

BRITAIN-BAE

LONDON — Defense contractor BAE Systems PLC confirmed Tuesday it is cutting around 3,000 jobs in Britain, in a move unions described as a "hammer blow" to Britain's manufacturing. By Cassandra Vinograd.

SPAIN-FINANCIAL CRISIS

MADRID — Spain's treasury has sold €3.2 billion ($4.3 billion) in two short-term debt auctions but has had to pay higher interest rates as investors continue to worry over the level of the country's borrowings.

OIL PRICES

BANGKOK — Oil rose above $82 a barrel in Asia, following stock markets higher amid hopes that Europe was finally girding for a major program to prevent debt-strapped Greece from going bankrupt. By Business Writer Pamela Sampson.

SPORTS:

SOC--CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUNDUP

LONDON — Real Madrid and Ajax, winners of 13 European Cups between them, meet in the second round of the Champions League group stage, while big-spending Manchester City chases its first victory in the competition at four-time winner Bayern Munich and Manchester United hosts Basel. By 2100 GMT. By Rob Harris.

RAC--BRITAIN-WHIPPING

LONDON — The British Horseracing Authority says jockeys will face stiffer penalties for excessive use of the whip after a review found the current rules were not an effective deterrent. Moved.

SOC--BATE BORISOV-BARCELONA

MINSK, Belorussia — With two hat tricks in his last three games, Lionel Messi looks primed to lead defending champion Barcelona to its first win of this Champions League campaign at BATE Borisov in Group H on Wednesday, while injury-plagued AC Milan hosts Viktoria Plzen. Moved.

SOC--VALENCIA-CHELSEA

VALENCIA, Spain — Chelsea striker Fernando Torres will look to keep his scoring touch going when his team visits Valencia on Wednesday in the Champions League. Moved.

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