Portugal

The inflation rate in August for the 18 countries using the euro has been revised up slightly.

The European Union's statistics office, Eurostat, said Wednesday the eurozone's annual inflation rate was 0.4 percent, up from its initial estimate of 0.3 percent published late last month.

A joint operation between the police forces of Germany, Greece, France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and the Czech Republic, supervised by Europol, led to the arrest of 38 people believed to belong to a European-wide ring producing and distributing forged passports and other identification documents.

Six of the arrests were made in Greece.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Tuesday sought to douse renewed speculation about the possible need for a third rescue package for Greece, insisting that the country could manage without additional loans from its European partners.

By Namitha Jagadeesh

European stocks fell, extending their biggest two-day decline in a month as national benchmark gauges slipped in Greece, Portugal and Spain.

By Hugo Dixon

After a flurry of meetings and telephone calls with European officials, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is set to meet with incoming European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at a European Union leaders' summit in Brussels on Saturday where he is expected to emphasize Greece’s progress in reforms ahead of next week's crucial negotiations with the troika in Paris.

As Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras tries to follow Ireland and Portugal out the bailout exit door, he faces a month of bargaining.

New Greece coach Claudio Ranieri announced Wednesday a 24-man squad for the first Euro 2016 qualifier against Romania at home on September 7.

Earning a first time call up were Olympiakos 21-year-old striker Dimitris Diamantakos and Levante's 29-year-old defender Nikos Karabelas.

Ranieri left out six players who helped Greece make it to the World Cup last 16.

At a loss about what to do with thousands of tons of produce that remains undelivered due to a Russian food embargo, Greek peach and nectarine producers must wait until Friday when European Commission officials are expected to draft a plan for compensating farmers producing those fruits in Greece and other EU countries hit by the ban.

As the European Commission tries to assess the relative damage wreaked by a Russian food embargo on peach and nectarine producers in Greece as well as on competitors Spain, Italy and Portugal, farmers in northern and central Greece are at a loss about what to do with thousands of tons of produce.