The purchase of Indian refiner Essar Oil by a consortium led by Russian oil company Rosneft has been delayed by a few weeks, the two sides said on Friday, because some Indian lenders to Essar have yet to sign off on the deal.

• April 1, 2017

China's failure to respond on the matter of a Taiwan man missing on the mainland is causing his family "anxiety and panic", Taiwan's ruling party said on Saturday, as it called on authorities to protect the rights of Taiwan people.

• March 25, 2017

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday a "fifth column" was plotting to overthrow him with the help of foreign-backed fighters, days before a planned street protest in Minsk against a new tax.

• March 21, 2017

Greece will not last in the eurozone in the long run and officials working on a review of its bailout package should prepare for such a possibility, a senior member of the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives said.

• March 21, 2017

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon sought backing from the Edinburgh parliament on Tuesday for her proposal to hold a new referendum on independence from the United Kingdom, the first formal step in a process resisted by London.

• March 20, 2017

Saudi Arabia's King Salman oversaw the signing of deals worth as much as $65 billion on the first day of a visit to Beijing on Thursday, as the world's largest oil exporter looks to cement ties with the world's second-largest economy.

• March 16, 2017

Poland will start obstructing European Union business and "play a rough game" in Brussels after the bloc angered Warsaw by reappointing Donald Tusk as head of the European Council, the foreign minister said.

• March 11, 2017

China's third most powerful leader said on Monday that Beijing had the right to "step in" to Hong Kong's leadership contest, according to local politicians who met him, in remarks fuelling fears of meddling from Communist Party leaders.

• March 6, 2017