Moscow expressed skepticism over the results of nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers which ended on Wednesday, with a senior Russian diplomat saying the two sides were "kilometers apart" in their approaches.

• October 17, 2013

World stocks and the dollar marked time on Wednesday as cautious investors focused on hopes that U.S. politicians would strike a last-minute deal to prevent the country defaulting on its debt.

• October 16, 2013

Six world powers and Iran will likely meet again in Geneva in several weeks time to try to hammer out details of an emerging agreement aimed at ending the standoff over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, Western diplomats said on Wednesday.

• October 16, 2013

A keenly awaited European Union report will criticize excessive use of force by Turkish police in tackling protests this year but urge the EU to breathe new life into Turkey's faltering bid to join the 28-nation bloc.

• October 16, 2013

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday world powers had a "good" first reaction to Tehran's proposals for easing the stand-off over its nuclear program and that details would be discussed in the afternoon.

• October 15, 2013

A month of combat in the U.S. Congress over government spending showed signs on Monday of giving way to a Senate deal to reopen shuttered federal agencies and prevent an economically damaging default on federal debt.

• October 15, 2013

Senate negotiations to bring a boiling fiscal crisis to an end showed signs of progress on Sunday, but there were no guarantees that the U.S. federal government shutdown was about to end or that a historic default would be avoided.

• October 13, 2013

Alibaba Group's plans to revolutionize China's retail industry, investing $16 billion in logistics and support by 2020, will open up China's vast interior and bring access to hundreds of millions of potential new customers.

• October 13, 2013