UKRAINE

SHYROKYNE, Ukraine — Fighting raged overnight and in the early hours on Tuesday on the outskirts of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine despite an agreement reached by the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers a day earlier. 

SPAIN-POLITICAL UPSTARTS

MADRID — Europe's political upheavals are knocking on Spain's door. Two upstart parties that hardly registered one year ago are mounting an unprecedented challenge to the governing Popular Party and the main opposition Socialist Party — which for four decades have dominated Spanish politics. B

RUSSIA-IRAN

MOSCOW — Iran expects Russia to deliver the S-300 air defense missile system by the end of the year, the head of the Iranian security council said Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday lifted a five-year ban on delivery of the missile system to Iran, drawing criticism from the United States and Israel. 

TURKEY-BRITAIN-SYRIA

ISTANBUL — Turkish authorities have begun deporting back to Britain nine British citizens who were arrested trying to cross into Syria, a Turkish official said Tuesday. One of the group was expelled late Monday. 

FINLAND-NOKIA-ALCATEL-LUCENT

HELSINKI — Nokia said Tuesday it's in advanced talks to buy the ailing French telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent, but that there was no certainty about the outcome of the discussionsBy Matti Huuhtanen. 

GERMANY-BMW

FRANKFURT, Germany — German automaker BMW says it had its best March sales ever. The Munich-based maker of the 3-Series sedan and X5 sport-utility said Tuesday it sold 195,593 vehicles worldwide under the BMW brand. 

BRITAIN-ECONOMY

LONDON — The U.K. has narrowly avoided a drop in consumer prices as the cost of filling up a car rose in March — a development that's likely to ease concerns of a deflationary spiral that can hurt the economy.