UK - Prime Minister David Cameron has announced plans for what could be "the biggest bilateral trade deal in history" between the EU and the US.
RUSSIA/USA - Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama have agreed to push the sides of the ongoing Syrian conflict to the negotiating table in Geneva. The leaders made the pledge after a 2 hour meeting at the G8 summit.
TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran's newly elected president showcased his reform-leaning image Monday by promising a "path of moderation" that includes greater openness on Tehran's nuclear program and overtures to Washington. He also made clear where he draws the line: No halt to uranium enrichment and no direct US dialogue without a pledge to stay out of Iranian affairs.
TURKEY - Turkey has said it may bring in the army to help end nearly three weeks of nationwide anti-government protests. The warning came as two major union federations went on strike on Monday over police violence against demonstrators.
UK - About 20 of the UK's leading scientists and meteorologists are due to meet at the Met Office to discuss Britain's "unusual" weather patterns. They will try to identify the factors that caused the chilly winter of 2010-11 and the long, wet summer of 2012.
SYRIA - Western leaders criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for supporting Syria’s Bashar al-Assad in his battle to crush a two-year-old uprising, setting the stage for what could be a difficult meeting of world leaders over Monday and Tuesday.
USA - Almost three years ago we first highlighted the real math behind the surging entitlement class that America has become. So why does a large portion of the population choose not to work when there are many jobs available?
EUROPE - While we have been told vehemently that the Cypriot deposit confiscation was not a template, yet another European nation is embarking on an until-now-considered-safe asset class to recapitalize its banks.
USA - When a National Security Agency contractor revealed top-secret details this month on the government's collection of Americans' phone and Internet records, one select group of intelligence veterans breathed a sigh of relief.
GERMANY - In June 1963 John Kennedy brought hope to a divided city at the frontline of the cold war with the words “Ich bin ein Berliner”. When Barack Obama visits Berlin next week, half a century later, he will find it a very different place. United, strong and rich, Germany is Europe’s hegemonic power.
GERMANY - From the football pitch to politics to the economy, Germany has become Europe’s most powerful country. Described by this newspaper as the sick man of Europe in 1999, Germany now appears to have the continent’s strongest as well as its biggest economy.
ITALY - Three different models for regional unification have been proposed by the movement for European integration since its inception. One vision is a league of states that preserve national sovereignty while committing themselves to follow specific policies agreed by consensus.
CHINA - China's shadow banking system is out of control and under mounting stress as borrowers struggle to roll over short-term debts, Fitch Ratings has warned. The agency said the scale of credit was so extreme that the country would find it very hard to grow its way out of the excesses as in past episodes, implying tougher times ahead.
EUROPE - More than 50 per cent of MEPs would haved liked to have seen the development of a 'United States of Europe', while 20 per cent thought that the European Union would have been 'better off' if the United Kingdom had left the EU – according to research from British polling firm ComRes. The survey of 100 MEPs was targeted across all major political groups and member states.
USA - Chemical weapons experts voiced skepticism Friday about US claims that the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad had used the nerve agent sarin against rebels on at least four occasions this spring, saying that while the use of such a weapons is always possible, they’ve yet to see the telltale signs of a sarin gas attack, despite months of scrutiny.