UKRAINE

ARTEMIVSK, Ukraine- Ukraine has pulled most of its troops out of Debaltseve, the epicenter of recent fighting in war-torn eastern Ukraine, the president confirms. The Russia-backed separatists reported taking hundreds of soldiers captive as they continued their onslaught on the strategic railroad junction. 

SWITZERLAND-HSBC-PROBE

BERLIN - Geneva prosecutors searched the premises of HSBC's Swiss subsidiary on after launching a money-laundering investigation over a report that the bank helped hide millions of dollars for drug traffickers, arms dealers and celebrities. Prosecutors said they were investigating HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA and persons unknown for suspected aggravated money laundering. The investigation could later be extended to people suspected of committing or participating in money laundering, they said in a statement. 

GREECE-BAILOUT

ATHENS, Greece - Greece is preparing to present its creditors with an official proposal aimed to save bailout talks from collapse, as time is running out for a deal that would keep the country solvent and within the euro currency bloc. Germany, the main European creditor, was quick to say it was skeptical of any new proposals. 

EUROPE-DEFLATION RISK

MILAN - In Milan's teeming commercial district, something unusual is happening this winter - Italians are shopping. It's a big relief for store owners after a six-year decline in sales due to recession. Still, Renato Borghi, the president of the Italian fashion federation, is uneasy: shoppers, he notes, are relying on the seasonal discounts. If they start expecting lower prices, the industry is in for trouble. A look at the issue in Europe's big economies. 

ITALY-LIBYA

ROME - Italy presses for swifter action by the United Nations to find a political solution to Libya's rapidly deteriorating security situation. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, speaking in Parliament, urged the world to "quicken its pace before it is too late."

POLAND-CIA-PRISON

WARSAW, Poland - Poland will pay 230,000 euros ($262,000) in compensation to two terror suspects who say they were held at a CIA secret prison that Poland agreed to host from 2002-2003, a government minister says. Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna made the statement after the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, rejected Poland's appeal of its earlier ruling. 

BRITAIN-FOX-HUNTING

IBSTONE, England - The horses wait in the farmyard, tails braided and manes gleaming, while huntsmen in brightly colored coats marshal the eager hounds, straining to chase the scent of a fox. To some, the start of a fox hunt is a quintessentially English scene, steeped in tradition. To others, it's a barbaric rite preserved for the rich. Oscar Wilde dubbed fox hunting "the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable," and a decade ago lawmakers banned the centuries-old blood sport, which has many opponents in Britain's cities, and deep roots in its countryside. 

BRITAIN-PRINCE-IN-SEWER

LONDON - It's a long way from Buckingham Palace. Prince Charles is getting down and dirty Wednesday, visiting a sewer tunnel 75 meters (250 feet) under London's east end.