Europe

Russian president Vladimir Putin gave his annual press conference on Thursday. He defended his actions in Ukraine, but failed to offer a strategy to cope with the looming financial crisis.

Global olive oil production is down. Italian groves have been especially hard hit by a disease that killed 1 million trees. Audie Cornish speaks with Curtis Cord, publisher of the Olive Oil Times.

Aides say Obama will sign a bill authorizing new economic sanctions against Russia in retaliation for its ongoing interference in Ukraine. Russia's economy is reeling from earlier western sanctions.

In a country that strives to protect work-life balance, there are calls to ban employers from sending work email after business hours. Some big companies are already doing that.

The world benchmark for oil fell below $60 on Tuesday. Russia's Central Bank hiked interest rates in a bid to support the plummeting ruble, but had little success.

The Vatican issued a report praising the work of U.S. nuns — a relief to those worried that a probe started in 2008 would be critical of a perceived liberal streak among American nuns.

The Russian ruble continued to drop in value against the U.S. dollar and the Euro on Tuesday — but the impact of its calamitous decline has yet to be seen on the streets of Moscow.

Authentic jamón ibérico from free-range pigs fed on acorns is a key Spanish food that observant Muslims can't enjoy. But a Tunisian emigre is now making halal ham from lamb and beef in southern Spain.