EU governments have struck a deal with Hungary that sorts out financial aid for Ukraine in 2023 and gains Budapest's approval for a global minimum corporate tax, all in exchange for EU flexibility about funds paid to Hungary.
European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels on December 12 to try to agree on further sanctions on Russia and Iran as well as on an additional 2 billion euros ($2.11 billion) for arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on December 11 that Iran's Gulf Arab neighbors would act to shore up their security if Tehran were to obtain nuclear weapons.
Iran's troubled currency fell to a new low against the U.S. dollar on December 10 amid continued unrest and the country's increasing isolation in the face of Western criticism of its security crackdown and ties to Russia.
The United States has imposed sanctions on dozens of people and entities over alleged rights abuses, including Russia's Central Election Commission (TsIK), Iranian officials, Chinese nationals, and a notorious Ukrainian judge.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that further prisoner swaps between the United States and Russia are possible, and that contacts between the two countries' intelligence services will continue.
Russian and U.S. diplomats met in Istanbul on December 9 to discuss a number of technical issues in the bilateral relationship, Russian state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on December 9 that he was determined to engage with Beijing over the findings of a report issued by his predecessor that said China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslims in its Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he will speak to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on December 11, and he will also speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in order to strengthen the UN-backed Black Sea grain deal.
The UN humans rights chief Volker Turk said on December 9 that Afghan women and girls are being systematically excluded from virtually all aspects of life under the Taliban.
Pope Francis broke down and cried on December 8 as he mentioned the suffering of Ukrainians during a traditional prayer in central Rome.
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Russia's Caucasus region on December 8, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.
Hungary's government will siphon off nearly all profits earned on cheaper crude oil imported from Russia as of December 8, it said in a decree, a day after Prime Minister Viktor Orban's cabinet scrapped a retail fuel price cap amid a shortage of supplies.
Romania had a legitimate expectation to join Europe's open-borders Schengen area, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on December 7, rejecting Austrian claims that it is a gateway for illegal migrants as unjustified.
General strikes to protest against the government have been held for a third day in Iran, with shops and factories closed across the country. Meanwhile, students at Tehran University said they were beaten by security forces ahead of a speech on campus by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
U.S. lawmakers agreed to provide Ukraine at least $800 million in additional security assistance next year and to boost Taiwan with billions in aid over the next several years, according to an $858 billion defense policy bill unveiled on December 6.
Russia's Defense Ministry says it has deployed mobile coastal-defense missile systems on a northern Kurile island, part of a strategically located chain of islands that stretch between Japan and the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula.
Pakistan's Supreme Court has set up a panel of five judges to supervise an investigation into the killing of a prominent television journalist shot dead in Kenya.
Russia will not export oil that is subject a Western-imposed price cap even if Moscow has to accept a drop in oil production, President Vladimir Putin's point man on energy said.
The director of U.S. national intelligence says fighting in Ukraine will continue at a reduced tempo for the coming months.
Load more
