Senior Russian customs officials met counterparts from the European Commission on Monday in what they said were the highest-level talks for over a year on issues where relations are soured by trade sanctions.

• October 26, 2015

Japan and Turkmenistan on Friday signed deals worth over $18 billion on a package of projects in the energy-rich central Asian nation, which has become an important supplier of natural gas to China.

• October 23, 2015

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a European Union free trade agreement with Ukraine is not directed against Russia and that Berlin wants good economic ties with both Ukraine and Russia.

• October 23, 2015

U.S. Treasury yields rose on Tuesday on signs of improvement in the U.S. housing market, while Wall Street was mostly lower as IBM (IBM.N) shares dropped on weak results.

• October 20, 2015

China's economic growth dipped below 7 percent for the first time since the global financial crisis on Monday, hurt partly by cooling investment, raising pressure on Beijing to further cut interest rates and take other measures to stoke activity.

• October 19, 2015

Stocks in major world markets rose to a two-month high on Friday and the dollar ticked up, boosted by views that the European Central Bank may provide more stimulus to the euro zone economy.

• October 18, 2015

China's defense minister said on Friday that he is willing to hold joint drills in the disputed South China Sea with Southeast Asian countries, covering accidental encounters and search and rescue, striking a conciliatory tone over an increasingly tense spat.

• October 16, 2015

European Union leaders have postponed a deeper discussion of the future of the euro zone until December because of divergent views in the biggest countries and because of the more pressing migration issue, diplomats said.

• October 15, 2015