Hamburg - Euro 2008 finalists Germany, Romania and Portugal chalked up victories while Croatia were held to a draw in test matches Saturday a week ahead of the start of the European Championships.<

Berlin - Hail damaged roofs and cars, and torrential rain caused flash floods in parts of Western Europe early Friday as hot air masses triggered the first summer thunderstorms of the season.

Brussels - The European Union remained deadlocked Friday over the question of where to site a high-tech innovation institute, with Poland and Hungary both pushing for the right to host it.

New Delhi, May 30 : The 19th India-European Union Troika Ministerial Meeting will begin here today to help the two sides to strengthen their political and economic ties.

Brussels - The European Union has approved a revaluation of the Slovak national currency, the koruna, by almost 18 per cent, shortly before EU member states are set to decide on whether or not Slovakia should join the euro next year.

Following a request from the Slovak government, the ministers of the 15 countries which currently use the euro, plus officials from Denmark, the Baltic states and the European Central Bank, agreed to revalue the koruna upwards by 17.65 per cent, a statement from the European Commission said late Wednesday-early Thursday.

The new, strengthened rate of the koruna to the euro, which is allowed to fluctuate by 15 per cent, is 30.126 koruna per euro, the statement said.

Worldwide condemnation followed Myanmar's six-month extension of the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, with officials from the UN, EU and US expressing frustration and regret.