Luxembourg - ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steel producer on Wednesday posted a first quarter net loss of around 1.1 billion dollars, down from a profit of 2.4 billion a year ago. Quarterly sales halved from around 30 billion dollars to 15 billion dollars, the Luxembourg-based company announced.

ArcelorMittal's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) fell by 2.8 billion dollars to 883 million dollars).

CEO Lakshmi Mittal said he expected to see a second quarter improvement in EBITA to up 1.5 billion dollars. The company's liquidity remains healthy.

Luxembourg/Nicosia - European Union member states must enforce rulings by courts in the Greek half of Cyprus even if they cover property in the Turkish-controlled north of the island, the EU's highest court ruled on Tuesday. "A judgment of a court in the Republic of Cyprus must be recognized and enforced by the other (EU) member states even if it concerns land situated in the north of the island," the European Court of Justice said in a statement.

Luxembourg - Russia would like to believe European Union assurances that the bloc is not trying to create a sphere of influence in the former USSR, but the EU has not yet been convincing enough, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday. "We would like very much to believe" that the EU's planned Eastern Partnership with six former-Soviet states is not aimed at encircling Russia, Lavrov said after talks with EU diplomats in Luxembourg.

Nonetheless, "some comments I have heard do worry us," he said.

Luxembourg - European Union member states must enforce rulings by courts in the Greek half of Cyprus even if they cover property in the Turkish-controlled north of the island, the EU's highest court ruled on Tuesday. "A judgment of a court in the Republic of Cyprus must be recognized and enforced by the other (EU) member states even if it concerns land situated in the north of the island," the European Court of Justice said in a statement.

Luxembourg - Moldova's President Vladimir Voronin has accepted European Union demands to begin a dialogue with opposition parties and open an investigation into post-election riots which shook his country three weeks ago, EU officials said Monday.

The EU's top diplomat, Javier Solana, visited Moldova on Friday. During the visit, Voronin undertook to begin a reconciliation dialogue with opposition politicians before the first session of parliament next week, Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said.

Luxembourg - European Union foreign ministers Monday told France and three other eurozone members they have six months to explain how they intend to put their public finances in order.

Britain, which does not use the common European currency, was also given until October 27 to "take corrective action" aimed at reducing its budget deficit.