European Union foreign ministers extended economic sanctions on Russia until Jan. 31 on Monday, keeping up pressure on Moscow to help resolve the Ukraine conflict.

• June 22, 2015

Greece took a step back from the abyss on Monday when it presented new reform proposals that euro zone finance ministers cautiously welcomed as a possible basis for an agreement in the coming days to avert a looming default.

• June 22, 2015

The Philippines will hold separate naval exercises with U.S. and Japanese forces this week on a Philippine island that is not far from the disputed Spratly archipelago, where China's rapid creation of seven island outposts is stoking regional tensions.

• June 22, 2015

Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics
16 May – 17 June 2015
By John VanPool, EGF Turkey and Black Sea Regional Analyst

Key Points:

• The AKP loses its parliamentary majority for the first time in 13 years, leaving the party in search of a coalition partner.
• As coalition talks begin, a nationalist AKP-MHP government appears to be the most likely scenario, though the MHP demands that Erdogan retain a ceremonial role and that investigations into AKP corruption be part of any agreement.
• An AKP-CHP “grand” coalition is possible, and, while less likely, might be a positive arrangement that could temper each party’s more extreme positions.
• The Kurdish HDP passes the parliamentary threshold, but the fate of the PKK peace process hangs in the balance as relations with the AKP have hit an all-time low.
• Uncertainty over the next government have put the brakes on the Turkish Stream Pipeline Project.
• Brussels congratulates Turkey on the elections, yet the country’s EU accession talks look unlikely to pick up speed any time soon.

• June 22, 2015

Surging investment by Chinese companies in U.S. research labs is yielding a fast-growing trove of patents, part of a push to mine America for ideas to help China shift from being the world's factory floor to a driver of innovation.

• June 21, 2015

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Bavarian allies warned against giving in to Greece in order to keep it in the euro zone, with senior Christian Social Union lawmaker Hans Michelbach saying he saw no realistic chance of an agreement at an emergency summit on Monday.

• June 21, 2015

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter will urge NATO allies to "dispose of the Cold War playbook" during a trip to Europe this week, as the alliance adapts to a new kind of threat from Russia in the east and Islamic State to the south, U.S. officials said.

• June 21, 2015

President Vladimir Putin boasted on Friday that Russia had found the "inner strength" to prevent sanctions causing a deep economic crisis, and told the West to stop using "the language of ultimatums."

• June 19, 2015