Despite US President Barack Obama twice postponing his visit to Indonesia, there has been a marked increase in high-ranked US officials reaching out to Southeast Asia.

• August 14, 2010

As Turkey imports nearly 90 percent of its energy requirements, it has sought reliable contracts with its neighbors to cover its needs.

• August 14, 2010

With 6 million lives on the line in Pakistan, German relief organizations are struggling to find private donations. They say donors are less generous in summer and that many Germans fear their donations will go astray.

• August 14, 2010

The government is planning to transform Siberia from a raw-materials backwater into a comfortable place to live and do business through the development of high-tech industries, science and tourism, but officials have yet to put a price tag on the project.

• August 13, 2010

Buoyed by an upswing in economic ties and the launch of civil nuclear negotiations, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada comes here next week, a preparatory visit aimed at firming up the agenda for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's trip to Tokyo later in the year.

• August 12, 2010

Iran's president called Thursday for a stronger alliance with other countries in the region straddling the Middle East and Central Asia, saying NATO-led troops have failed to restore peace in Afghanistan.

• August 12, 2010

Fingrid, the electricity transmission system operator in Finland, is preparing to connect new nuclear power units to the electricity transmission grid.

• August 12, 2010

EU applicant Serbia is considering acquisition of a still undetermined stake in a new EUR 4 B nuclear power plant project of its eastern neighbour Bulgaria. The latter, a new EU member, is facing difficulties raising the needed money or attracting an investor, media reported at the weekend.

• August 12, 2010