Brussels - The European Commission on Thursday called for new rules aimed at reducing animal suffering in Europe's butcheries.

Under the proposals, slaughterhouses should appoint a trained staffer responsible for ensuring that animals are being treated humanely.

Such a person would, among other things, have to ensure that animals which are stunned do not regain consciousness before they are slaughtered.

Manufacturers of stunning equipment would have to provide detailed instructions on how to stun animals, while European governments would have to create research centres tasked with assisting official inspectors.

Brussels  - The European Union should not re-start talks on a partnership agreement with Russia until it pulls some 4,000 extra troops out of the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, sources from a number of member states said Thursday.

"Talks on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) should not be opened before the Russian troops have decreased their numbers, including in South Ossetia and Abkhazia," an EU diplomat who asked to remain anonymous told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Brussels  - The European Commission is poised for a bitter battle with Europe's main footwear-exporting countries after a majority of member states Wednesday voted against extending tariffs on Chinese shoes, diplomats said.

A proposal to extend the tariffs by up to one year, the time it would take for a proposed expiry review to be completed, was rejected by officials from 15 of the EU's 27 member states.

Brussels - Rock legend Mick Jagger has added a new job to his CV: advisor to the European Union.

On Wednesday, the Rolling Stones' lead singer joined the chief executive officers of Apple, EMI, eBay, Fiat, Louis Vuitton and other multinationals for a meeting in Brussels with the EU's competition commissioner Neelie Kroes.

Sir Mick and his partners were appointed as unpaid consultants to assist Kroes in improving the workings of Europe's online retailing market.

Brussels - The European Union's executive body on Wednesday called for a complete overhaul of the bloc's bitterly controversial fisheries policy, setting up a potential clash with member states.

"Short-term decision-making, coupled with irresponsible behaviour by certain parts of the industry, continue to penalize those fishermen who act for the common good. The result is a vicious circle which has undermined both the ecological balance of our oceans and the economic profitability of the sector," the European Commission said in a statement.

Brussels - The European Union's executive body on Wednesday called for a massive boost to the food aid the bloc gives to its poorest inhabitants, warning that soaring food prices meant that the current system is no longer sufficient.

"Stocks are at an all-time low, the number of needy people has increased and food prices have recently risen sharply ... The (European) Commission believes it is vital to increase spending on the scheme and to allow food purchases on the open market," a statement released in Brussels said.