German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron held talks over the EU's hotly contested budget in London on Wednesday with both agreeing that the bloc needed to heed public opinion.
Burkina Faso led efforts Sunday to persuade one of the armed Islamist groups controlling northern Mali to cut ties with Al-Qaeda as a west African military intervention looms to end the crisis.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton begins a five-nation Balkans tour on Tuesday, seeking to push regional leaders to stick to existing agreements and enact the reforms needed to join the EU and NATO.
French President Francois Hollande holds talks on Monday with the heads of the World Bank and other top economic bodies to discuss the eurozone debt crisis and ways to kickstart growth.
Iran and the United States both denied any deal had been reached for one-on-one nuclear talks, as The New York Times reported -- even though the White House said it was open to such a dialogue.
Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan called Thursday for a discussion on decriminalization of drugs, criticizing the crackdown on traffickers in Mexico led by outgoing President Felipe Calderon.
The United States is still mulling ways to stop the fighting in Syria, including a no-fly zone, as the Syrian regime is "ratcheting up the brutality of their tactics" .
International envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has called for a ceasefire in Syria during the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, as the revolt enters its 20th month with a death toll of more than 33,000.
Europe's foreign ministers will sharply ramp up the pressure on Iran and Syria at talks Monday, while taking a "big step" in Africa by agreeing to assist Mali reconquer its north from rebels and Islamist extremists.
Politicians and aid officials gathered on Tuesday in the northeast of Japan, devastated by last year's quake and tsunami, to discuss what lessons can be learned from disasters.
Russia eyes a record arms deal and rare agreement over Syria on Tuesday when it hosts Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for the first time in almost four years.
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras stressed the urgency of sealing an austerity pact ahead of crucial talks Monday between Greek officials and the so-called troika of international creditors.
Japan's unpopular prime minister will use a cabinet reshuffle Monday to try to mend fences with China and to boost his flagging popularity ahead of an expected general election.
Israel has held new talks with the Palestinians over the development of a gas field off the coast of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli foreign ministry said in a new report released on Sunday.
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday held a video conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai focusing partly on an unprecedented wave of attacks on NATO troops by their local comrades.
Lonmin platinum mine workers in South Africa on Tuesday ended their strike in return for pay rises of up to 22 percent, after a nearly six-week standoff that claimed 45 lives.
The protests that erupted in Cairo over an anti-Islam Internet video have stalled talks on relieving $1 billion worth of Egyptian debt to the United States.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was to deliver an appeal for calm in talks with senior Chinese military leaders Tuesday amid an escalating territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday the United States was looking to Morocco "to be a leader and a model" in the region as the two countries launched their first ever strategic dialogue.
