As powers push for talks, Syria balance tilts towards Assad
More than two and a half years into the civil war devastating Syria, the United States and Russia are pushing the combatants to the negotiating table in Geneva, but on terms that mark a shift in favor of Bashar al-Assad against the increasingly fragmented rebels seeking to oust him.
China announces major economic and social reforms
China released a raft of detailed reform plans on Friday, promising sweeping changes to the economy and the country's social fabric as it seeks to unleash new sources of growth after three decades of breakneck expansion show signs of faltering.
Russia fears return of fighters waging jihad in Syria
A scrawny 15-year-old this summer became the first from his deeply religious Muslim village in Russia's southern Dagestan province to die fighting alongside rebels in Syria.
Greece must step up effort to find 2014 budget gap financing
Greece must step up efforts to reach an agreement with international lenders on how to close a 2 billion euro ($2.68 billion) financing gap in its 2014 budget, the head of euro zone finance ministers Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Thursday.
U.S. says China must do more to safeguard trade secrets
China faces steep intellectual property rights challenges which undercut Beijing's efforts to boost innovation, the U.S. ambassador said on Thursday, comments that drew a rebuke from China's Foreign Ministry.
EU seeks to increase influence on global accounting rules
The European Union is seeking to increase its influence over global accounting standards by beefing up the agency that scrutinizes new rules and in certain cases tweaking how they are applied in the bloc.
Ukraine's parliament fails to agree release of Tymoshenko
Ukraine's parliament failed on Wednesday to agree on a draft law to allow jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko to go to Germany for medical treatment, clouding prospects for signing landmark agreements with the European Union this month.
ECB briefs heads of top euro zone banks ahead of stress tests
Bosses from top euro zone banks were gathering at the European Central Bank on Wednesday to find out what it will be looking for in its upcoming "stress tests" on their balance sheets.
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