The European Union is ready to step up sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine conflict, but its priority is to bolster a fragile ceasefire agreed in Minsk, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Friday.

• March 6, 2015

Greece sent its euro zone partners an augmented list of proposed reforms on Friday but EU officials said several more steps were required before any release of aid funds to a country that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says has a noose around its neck.

• March 6, 2015

An industrial city in eastern China has closed several factories, including many steel and nickel pig iron producers, in an apparent sign the government is stepping up enforcement of a new environmental law in the face of growing public discontent over pollution.

• March 6, 2015

With less than four weeks until its deal for Russian natural gas imports ends, Ukraine risks losing its current discount unless it can agree a new pact, something that took six months and help from the European Commission to achieve last time.

• March 5, 2015

The European Central Bank said it will start printing money to buy bonds next Monday and delivered a robust economic outlook that will make it hard to extend the plan beyond its envisaged Sept. 2016 end-date.

• March 5, 2015

China's representative at talks on Iran's nuclear program said on Thursday he saw hope that a deal would be done, a day after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said "significant gaps" remained to be negotiated.

• March 5, 2015

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the murder of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov was a shameful tragedy that carried a political subtext.

• March 4, 2015

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday refused to speculate if Greece could count on a third aid package from its euro zone partners after Athens had completed its existing bailout program.

• March 4, 2015