European Union governments agreed on Tuesday to hold a new round of accession talks with Turkey on November 5 after Germany dropped its opposition voiced after Ankara's crackdown on anti-government protests earlier this year.

• October 22, 2013

On Sunday, September 29, President Bashar al-Assad declared to the world, via an interview on Italian television, his resolve to clear Syria of chemical weapons - accepting a Russian-brokered deal to avert punitive U.S. action.

• October 22, 2013

France summoned the U.S. ambassador on Monday to protest allegations in Le Monde newspaper about large-scale spying on French citizens by the U.S. National Security Agency.

• October 21, 2013

Germany is to drop the opposition it raised in June to opening a new chapter of talks with European Union membership candidate Turkey after its crackdown on a wave of anti-government protests earlier this year, a source said.

• October 21, 2013

The chairman of the group of euro zone finance ministers said the bloc stands ready to support Slovenia, but the country must not stray from the path of fiscal reform, a newspaper reported.

• October 21, 2013

A Snapshot of Key Developments in the External Relations of the Russian Gas Sector
By Jack Sharples, EGF Associate Researcher on the external dimensions of Russian gas

Key points:

• Gazprom’s Q1 profits rise due to increased sales revenues and reduced ‘retroactive payments’ to European energy; Gas price negotiations between Gazprom & Lithuania continue; Russia and EU agree terms of use for OPAL; Gazprom commissions underground gas storage facility in Kaliningrad and may build Baltic LNG import and export terminals; EU prepares to charge Gazprom with abusing its dominant market position in Central and Eastern Europe; Gazprom asset-swap with BASF to be confirmed by early 2014
• Ukraine faces delay in beginning of gas supplies from Europe via Slovakia; Gazprom and Ukraine reach a compromise over the amount of gas needed to be kept in storage to ensure stable transit of Russian gas via Ukraine in winter 2013-14
• The EU leaves South Stream off its list of Projects of Common Interest
• Gazprom and CNPC agree major T&Cs for gas supplies to China except for price, resulting in a delay to the start of construction of a new pipeline from Russia to China
• Gazprom predicts losses of $16bn from planned freeze of domestic gas price increases, responds with call to freeze proposed Mineral Extraction Tax increases

• October 21, 2013

A Milan court on Saturday ruled that former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should be barred from holding public office for two years following a conviction for tax fraud.

• October 19, 2013

European Union governments agreed on Friday to start talks with China to remove restrictions on foreign investment and set clearer rules on doing business after months of trade disputes over Chinese solar panels and EU wine.

• October 19, 2013