China and Australia on Monday sealed a landmark free trade agreement more than a decade in the making, significantly expanding ties between the world's second largest economy and one of Washington's closest allies in Asia.

• November 17, 2014

China's economy is going through a "period of pain" as authorities try to shift it toward slower, more sustainable growth, with the rapid expansion of its shadow banking sector a major problem, the vice finance minister said on Saturday.

• November 16, 2014

Leaders from the G20 group of nations agreed on Sunday to boost flagging global growth, tackle climate change and crack down on tax avoidance but ties between the West and Russia plummeted to a new low over the crisis in Ukraine.

• November 16, 2014

German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday he does not believe tighter sanctions against Russia will help resolve the Ukraine crisis even though Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday the European Union is considering further sanctions.

• November 16, 2014

Euro zone economic growth was stronger than expected in the third quarter, preliminary data showed on Friday, as France beat market expectations and Germany steered clear of a recession.

• November 14, 2014

Ukraine's top priority is to build an army strong enough to stop Russian military aggression, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said on Friday, as he made recommendations for top positions in a new coalition government.

• November 14, 2014

Russian soldiers parachuted into open fields in western Serbia on Friday as part of an unprecedented joint military drill that has stirred controversy in the European Union candidate-country given the West-Russia standoff over Ukraine.

• November 14, 2014

Ukraine signaled it may hold off from paying Russia's billion-dollar gas invoice - part of an EU-brokered agreement to restart supplies frozen since June - in the hope mild weather can help it last out longer as it grapples with near-bankruptcy.

• November 13, 2014