Finnish nuclear consortium Fennovoima said it had signed an expected deal with Russia's Rosatom to build and invest in its 1,200 megawatt reactor, planned to begin operations in northern Finland in 2024.

• December 21, 2013

The International Monetary Fund signed off on Friday on Cyprus's progress in meeting the conditions of its bailout program, giving the euro zone country another $114 million.

• December 21, 2013

China's Defense Ministry called Japan's plans to raise its military spending for the first time in 10 years deeply worrying for Asia and the world, saying on Saturday that it strongly opposes its neighbor's policy.

• December 21, 2013

China's behavior in a narrowly averted naval collision in the South China Sea was both "unhelpful" and "irresponsible," U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Thursday, warning against incidents that could escalate U.S.-Chinese tension.

• December 20, 2013

China will expand its presence in Antarctica by building a fourth research base and finding a site for a fifth, a state-run newspaper said on Thursday, as the country steps up its increasingly far-flung scientific efforts.

• December 19, 2013

China is to send a military ship to help protect a specially adapted U.S. vessel that will destroy Syria's chemical weapons arsenal, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

• December 19, 2013

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised the U.S. role in forging an interim deal to ease concerns about Iran's nuclear program but said he hoped a U.S. decision to broaden a blacklist of companies under existing sanctions would not undermine progress toward a comprehensive agreement.

• December 19, 2013

Ukraine's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov on Wednesday described a $15 billion aid package from Russia as a historic deal to allow the ex-Soviet republic return to economic growth, as protesters in Kiev voiced anger over a "sell-out" to Moscow.

• December 18, 2013