Islamic State militants raised their black flag over the local government headquarters in the Iraqi city of Ramadi on Friday and claimed victory through mosque loudspeakers after overrunning most of the western provincial capital.

• May 15, 2015

Russian land forces will join troops from China, India, Mongolia and Belarus in a series of joint military training exercises during the second half of this year, President Vladimir Putin's office said on Wednesday.

• May 13, 2015

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will leave China "in absolutely no doubt" about Washington's commitment to freedom of navigation and flight in the South China Sea when he visits Beijing this weekend, a senior State Department official said on Wednesday.

• May 13, 2015

A slowdown in Germany weighed on the euro zone in the first quarter, but the bloc's economy still grew at its fastest in almost two years as cheap food and fuel boosted spending and a central bank stimulus program kicked in.

• May 13, 2015

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he had "frank" talks about Ukraine, Syria and Iran with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and said it was important to keep in contact.

• May 12, 2015

The chances Greece will leave the euro zone are slightly less than one in four, according to a Reuters poll of traders, but if Athens defaults on a 750 million-euro debt repayment to the IMF on Tuesday the likelihood will increase.

• May 12, 2015

The Philippines and Japan held their first joint naval exercises in the South China Sea on Tuesday, while Japan's coastguard works with Vietnam this week, as Tokyo boosts maritime ties with two nations at odds with Beijing over the disputed waterway.

• May 12, 2015

Special Report as the European Commission issues a ‘Statement of Objections’ in its antimonopoly investigation into Gazprom
By Dr Jack Sharples, EGF Associate Researcher on the external dimensions of Russian gas and Lecturer in Energy Politics at the European University of St Petersburg

Special Report on the European Commission Antimonopoly Investigation into Gazprom
Main points in brief
The European Commission has issued a ‘Statement of Objections’ in its antimonopoly investigation into Gazprom. This statement is essentially a detailed explanation of the European Commission’s grievances, and how it suspects that Gazprom may have breached EU law. Gazprom now has up to 12 weeks to reply. Once Gazprom has responded, the European Commission will make its final decision. If Gazprom is found to have violated EU antitrust regulations, it may face a financial penalty of up to 10 percent of its annual turnover. This could mean a fine of $10-15bn. READ MORE

• May 12, 2015