Manufacturing in China and Japan returned to growth in June after months of decline but an unexpectedly sharp fall in French business activity dragged on the wider euro zone, surveys showed on Monday.

• June 23, 2014

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague warned Russia on Monday that the EU was ready to impose tougher sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine if it is not satisfied with Moscow's response to Kiev's peace plan.

• June 23, 2014

Baltic leaders said on Saturday they would back further sanctions against Russia at a European Union summit next week unless there was a de-escalation in eastern Ukraine where Kiev is trying to quell a pro-Russian insurgency.

• June 21, 2014

The United States blacklisted seven separatists in Ukraine on Friday and threatened "scalpel" sanctions on Russia's financial, defense and high-tech industries as more Russian military material has flowed into Ukraine.

• June 20, 2014

Ukraine's parliament gave President Petro Poroshenko a strong boost on Thursday by resoundingly endorsing his candidates for three key posts in his new team who will have to tackle a pro-Russian uprising, a near-bankrupt economy and endemic graft.

• June 19, 2014

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday that China's economy would not suffer a hard landing and would continue to grow at a medium to high pace in the long term without strong stimulus.

• June 18, 2014

A further slowdown in euro zone inflation in May was confirmed on Monday, as the cost of telecommunication and food kept prices low, confirming a problem that the European Central Bank recently sought to stem.

• June 16, 2014

European Central Bank policymakers stressed on Tuesday that they could still do more to support the euro zone economy after last week announcing a package of measures to ward off the threat of deflation.

• June 12, 2014