Ukraine said its troops had taken more territory from pro-Russian rebels near the site where Malaysian flight MH17 was brought down, as international investigators said fighting was preventing them reaching the crash location.

• July 28, 2014

Russia reacted angrily on Saturday to additional sanctions imposed by the European Union over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis, saying they would hamper cooperation on security issues and undermine the fight against terrorism and organized crime.

• July 26, 2014

Regulators in Shanghai have found that a scandal-hit China-based food supplier forged production dates on some of its products and sold them after their expiry, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

• July 26, 2014

Euro zone finance ministers are likely to discuss in September whether to allow Ireland to repay its more expensive bailout loans from the International Monetary Fund before paying back the euro zone bailout fund, a euro zone official said.

• July 26, 2014

European Union ambassadors reached a preliminary agreement on Friday to push ahead with hard-hitting economic sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis but details remained to be worked out, diplomats said.

• July 25, 2014

EU leaders seeking to agree sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine are expected to include oil technology but exclude technology for Russia's all-important gas sector, EU sources said on Friday.

• July 25, 2014

Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini, a candidate to become the European Union's next foreign policy chief, reiterated on Thursday that she supports additional sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine.

• July 24, 2014

The European Union would target state-owned Russian banks vital to financing Moscow's faltering economy in the most serious sanctions so far over the Ukraine crisis under proposals considered by EU governments on Thursday.

• July 24, 2014