Portugal

Ireland had a rather gruelling year in 2011 with the Minister for Finance, Fine Gael's Michael Noonan, capping it in early December 2011 with the country's fourth austerity Budget in a row. Aiding Mr Noonan in this somewhat unpleasant if necessary task, was his Labour, Coalition partner, Brendan Howlin.

Guinea Bissau's President Malam Bacai Sanha has died in Paris following a lengthy hospitalisation.

Chelsea Transfer Rumours: Andre Villas-Boas has admitted Chelsea are in the market for one more player during the January transfer window amid renewed speculation linking Porto striker Hulk with Stamford Bridge.

Porto striker Hulk has revealed he would have "no problem" with a potential move to Chelsea, if the Blues trigger the £84m buy-out clause in his contract.

British holidaymakers may be planning to holiday in 2012, but which destination to choose?

The We Found love singer let snip on Twitter that she used the adult site

Nicolas Gaitan is happy at Benfica despite speculation linking him with a big money move to Manchester United.

The parents of missing British girl Madeleine McCann have spoken of new hope for their daughter.

Andre Villas-Boas has been told he will not be able to purchase Alvaro Pereira in the January transfer window, with Porto insisting that Chelsea will not be given the option to purchase the winger, no matter the price.

Liverpool legend John Aldridge has criticised former Anfield chief Rafa Benitez for allowing Craig Bellamy to leave the club in July 2007.

The Liberal Democrats are warning the Chancellor as Britain refuses to contribute to a new IMF loan to save the euro.

Rhianna was left raging after she was racially abused by a fellow guest at a hotel in Lisbon, where she had played a concert on her Loud tour.

A team of Scotland Yard officers has flown to Spain to investigate Madeleine McCann's disappearance four years ago.

Belgium has a Prime Minister after going more than a year and a half without a government.

Join the International Business Times for Friday's European Championship 2012 Draw in Kiev, as Fabio Capello nervously awaits the fate of his much maligned England side….

The finest players in Europe from Barcelona, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Manchester City could face England in the group stages of EURO 2012; the IBTimes UK assesses Xavi, David Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Karim Benzema.

Fabio Capello will be hoping England are gifted a favourable group when the Euro 2012 draw takes place in Ukraine's capital, Kiev, at 1700 on Friday.

Andre Villas-Boas, Sir Alex Ferguson and Fabio Capello react to their teams' performance in the season.

Sony has announced that Vodafone will be the official carrier for the PlayStation Vita 3G when it arrives in the UK on February 22.

The newly appointed Italian prime minister, Mario Monti, said he will balance the books by 2013.

Manchester United and Chelsea are monitoring Ricky van Wolfswinkel but a January transfer to the Premier League is extremely unlikely according to the player’s agent.

The parents of missing Madeleine McCann "were being tried by the media" and faced a barrage of innuendo suggesting they were involved in murdering their missing child, they told the Leveson Inquiry.

The eurozone crisis has already led to the toppling of two elected governments and their replacement with EU approved technocrats with a democratic mandate somewhat below that enjoyed by Robert Mugabe. With Barack Obama up for re-election next year, could the euro crisis even lead to the toppling of the so-called leader of the free world?

Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Nicolas Gaitan, with the Benfica playmaker insisting that his future lies in Portugal.

Week two of the Leveson Inquiry will hear explosive evidence from victims of press intrusion.

The former head of MI5 Baroness Mannigham-Buller has joined a group of MPs to call on the government to consider decriminalising cannabis.

Reports in Spain suggest Real Madrid are plotting a move for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney next summer.

Italy's Prime Minister-designate Mario Monti is still struggling to form a Cabinet as Italian 10-year bonds yields rose back over seven per cent on Tuesday morning.

Big spending Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala have claimed that they nearly landed Chelsea target Hulk in the summer transfer period, but the deal fell through at the last minute.

Former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas believes England are crying out for the return of Jack Wilshere despite their resilient win over Spain on Saturday.