The European Union's executive wants to boost the bloc's joint defense and security with an initial investment of 90 million euros ($100 million) in research, marking a turning point after years of cuts.

• September 28, 2016

OPEC agreed on Wednesday to cut its oil output for the first time since 2008, with the group's leader Saudi Arabia softening its stance on arch-rival Iran amid mounting pressure from low oil prices.

• September 28, 2016

Russian or Syrian warplanes knocked two hospitals out of service in the besieged rebel sector of Aleppo on Wednesday and ground forces intensified an assault in a battle which the United Nations said had turned the city into a slaughterhouse.

• September 28, 2016

Britain's trade minister promised on Tuesday its departure from the European Union would not create a legal vacuum at the World Trade Organization, and said Britain was determined to champion free trade.

• September 27, 2016

Britain said on Tuesday it would oppose any EU proposals to combine European forces into a single army while it is still in the bloc, but France and Germany said no such plans existed and won support from NATO to strengthen EU defenses.

• September 27, 2016

Iran rejected on Tuesday an offer from Saudi Arabia to limit its oil output in exchange for Riyadh cutting supply, dashing market hopes the two major OPEC producers would find a compromise this week to help ease a global glut of crude.

• September 27, 2016

As Russian energy minister Alexander Novak flies to Algeria this week for talks with OPEC on output cuts, developments at home indicate non-OPEC Russia is not preparing for any coordinated production action.

• September 26, 2016

Russian oil majors Rosneft and Gazprom Neft are raising the share of production from hard-to-recover reserves, to counter declining conventional output, showing the complexities facing producer nations seeking to tackle a global oversupply of crude.

• September 26, 2016