G7

US Secretary of State John Kerry on April 15 welcomed a compromise with Congress on giving lawmakers a say on any final deal on Iran's nuclear programme.

Kerry said the measure approved April 14 by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which raises the threshold for critics in Congress to block any accord with Tehran, made him "confident" ahead of a June 30 deadline.    

Russia's return to the group of leading industrialised nations hinges on its assistance to efforts to put an an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier dismissed on April 12 calls from the radical Left party to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to this year's summit of the Group of Seven industrial powers.
   

Since the end of the Cold War, the international system has been fluctuating. While the bipolar system has ended, no equivalent is in place yet. In the early days of the post-Cold War era, some talked about the unipolar moment as the United States dominated the world with its unrivalled economic and military power.

?The rise and demise of the Turkish trading state; is there a way out?? was the title of the speech Professor Kemal Kiri?ci delivered recently to mark the fifth year of the Foreign Policy Forum of Bo?aziçi University and TÜS?AD, Turkey?s top business body.

Beyonce Knowles and Lady Gaga are among 36 prominent women who have signed a petition calling March 8 on the G7 and the African Union to tackle female poverty.
      
The US singers were joined by actresses Meryl Streep, Charlize Theron, Rosamund Pike and Rita Wilson in signing the letter, issued on International Women's Day.
      

Finance Minister of the Britain, George Osborne sees the debt crisis in Greece leading to a generalized problem for the Eurozone. The Minister’s statements come just a few hours prior to the crucial Eurogroup meeting. He also reiterated that the Eurozone needs to find a commonly acceptable solution, while the UK should continue its monetary policy which has “kept it safe”.

Merkel against lifting of sanctions

BERLIN -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she is against the lifting of sanctions imposed on Russia.

She stated that "the annexation of Crimea" and the events in Eastern Ukraine are violations of international law and shared values.

The European Commission on Thursday said that it was aware that a video showed workers at Varna harbour in Bulgaria making room for more pipes to be used for the construction of the pipeline, EurActiv reported.

The video was published by Dnevnik, which said the first batch of pipes had arrived by sea on August 14 from Germany.

President Barack Obama vehemently refused to apologize Thursday for doing a prisoner trade with the Taliban to free a US soldier, despite a fierce political storm over the deal in Washington.