President Vladimir Putin has eased curbs on demonstrations in the Winter Olympics venue of Sochi in a gesture likely to burnish Russia's image ahead of an event dogged by security and human rights worries.

• January 4, 2014

China pledged further support for its ailing solar power industry on Saturday as the government seeks to revive a sector struggling with overcapacity and falling prices.

• January 4, 2014

China's increasingly sophisticated military will establish a joint operational command structure for its forces to improve coordination between different parts of the country's defense system, the official China Daily reported on Friday.

• January 4, 2014

Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics during December 1-31st 2013
By John VanPool, EGF Turkey and Black Sea Regional Analyst

Key Points:

• Investigators and police believed to be tied to the Gulen Movement arrest dozens with ties to government and big business in Turkey, including the sons of three cabinet ministers.
• Prime Minister Erdogan forces the resignation of nine cabinet members, some going quietly, others like Environment and Urban Planning Minister Bayrraktar condemned the prime minister himself for seeking the cabinet shuffle.
• State-owned Halkbank’s connections with a money laundering scheme for the Iranian nuclear program threaten to alienate Turkey’s Western allies.
• The political uncertainty emanating from the investigations and subsequent interference with the judiciary by the prime minister have caused sharp drops in Turkey’s markets. The lira closes the year out near a record low.

• January 4, 2014

The European Union sought to calm fears in countries like Britain, France and Germany that they face a mass influx of Romanians and Bulgarians following the lifting of restrictions on Wednesday, a change that risks fuelling anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe.

• January 3, 2014

Catalonia's president has called on European Union prime ministers for support as the region seeks a vote on independence in November this year, the source of an increasingly bitter fight with Spain's central government.

• January 3, 2014

China's increasingly sophisticated military will establish a joint operational command structure for its forces to improve coordination between different parts of the country's defense system, the official China Daily reported on Friday.

• January 3, 2014

Chancellor Angela Merkel will tell Germans their fate is so closely entwined with the European Union that it is imperative to come up with answers on how to permanently resolve the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis.

• January 2, 2014