China's economic restructuring will not lead to the kind of mass layoffs that took place in the 1990s, the country's state assets regulator said on Saturday.

• March 12, 2016

The U.S. State Department for the first time on Friday accused Syria of violating a truce with rebels and urged Russia to use its influence to stop the attacks, warning they could "tear asunder" the fragile peace process aimed at ending the war.

• March 12, 2016

A senior lawmaker from Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives said on Thursday the European Central Bank's package of rate cuts would not tackle the euro zone's economic woes, but could cause the property market to overheat.

• March 10, 2016

Russian warplanes were said to have launched heavy strikes on the Islamic State-held city of Palmyra on Thursday in what may be a prelude to a Syrian government bid to recapture the historic site lost to the jihadist group last May.

• March 10, 2016

A meeting between oil producers to discuss a global pact on freezing production is unlikely to take place in Russia on March 20, sources familiar with the matter say, as OPEC member Iran is yet to say whether it would participate in such a deal.

• March 10, 2016

China is taking a "distinctly Chinese approach" to national security with a raft of new laws, including one on counterterrorism, the third-ranked leader said on Wednesday, offering a strong rebuttal to Western criticism.

• March 9, 2016

U.S. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton on Wednesday called for sanctions against Iran after the Islamic Republic brushed off U.S. concerns and test-fired two ballistic missiles that it said were designed to be able to hit Israel.

• March 9, 2016

The main Syrian opposition council said on Wednesday the agenda proposed by the United Nations for peace talks was positive and it had noted fewer government violations of a cessation of hostilities agreement in the past day.

• March 9, 2016