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This section offers world news briefs as of August 14, 2010, including the rise of food prices in Russia following the droughts that led to forest fires, the release of suspected Israeli spy Uri Brodsky on bail after his detention in Germany over his role in the assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the sentence of two Malay brothers for torching a Christian church amid a dispute over the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims to refer to God.

The article reports on the economic impact of wildfires on Russia as of August 2010, including the increasing consumer prices.

The article reports that Russia has burned 9,600 acres of forests contaminated by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

The article reports on the forest fires that blanketed the city of Moscow, Russia with thick smoke on August 6, 2010, forcing residents to stay at home or leave the city in search of relief.

The article reports on plans outlined by the Russian government that will slightly loosen state control over the economy, which aim to raise about 29 billion U.S. dollars by selling minority stakes in state companies.

The article reports on a hydroelectric power plant in the Caucasus Mountains region of Russia that was attacked by militants n on July 21, 2010.

The article focuses on Arkady Dvorkovich, economic adviser to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is responsible for tackling the budget deficit and bureaucracy as of 2010.

The article reports on the shift of Russia to build closer ties with the U.S. and Europe according to an internal report from the confrontational approach it used in the past, which was evident in the annual military parade that commemorates the end of World War II held in Moscow on May 9, 2010 in which U.S. and European troops marched alongside their Russian counterparts for the first time.

The article reports on subway bombings in Russia which signal an increasing militancy in the country.

This section offers world news briefs as of February 20, 2010, including the move by the central bank of Russia to reduce its key interest rates, the move by police to open fire on demonstrators in Ivory Coasts and the collapse of a mosque minaret in Morocco.

This section offers world news briefs as of December 31, 2009. The Pakistani Taliban has claimed the responsibility for the bombing of a religious procession in Karachi on December 28 that killed 44 people. A 5.8-magnitude earthquake on December 30 has destroyed buildings in the U.S.-Mexico border. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to lower the minimum level of net international reserves that Ukraine should maintain by 2 billion U.S. dollars as part of their loan agreement.

The article reports on the decision of the Russian government to make adjustments in regulations in order to control the inflow of the so-called hot money and encourage long-term foreign investments at the same time, according to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The prime minister noted that speculative capital will be controlled by transitioning gradually to a free-floating ruble. The continuous hot money inflows in the country raises the risk of volatility in its financial system. Interest rates will continue to be reduced by the central bank until 2010.

The article reports on the plan of Russian government to strengthen its campaign against speculative investments to weaken ruble. Its central bank said that it would raise its intervention in the foreign exchange markets that saw increase in ruble sales. Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin also added that he will increase the reserve requirements of banks due to surge of short-term speculative capital in the stock market. The plan came after the central bank reduce the interest rate by half of a percentage point.

The article discusses anxiety among investors concerning the global economy despite a surge in stock market performance following trading on October 23, 2015. According to the article, the Chinese central bank the People's Bank of China (PBOC) cut interest rates on October 23, while the central bank the European Central Bank (ECB) signaled that it would likely increase economic stimulus efforts. The article states that the stock indexes the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Stoxx Europe 600, and the German DAX posted gains on October 23.

The article discusses ownership by a single entity of large quantities of copper stored at warehouses of the London Metal Exchange. A party believed to be hedge-fund manager Red Kite Group has at times owned 90% of the copper in the warehouses. Some analysts say the owners are betting that copper supplies will become limited, thus causing prices to rise.

The article discusses banking company J. P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s divestiture of its physical-commodities business. Commodity trader Mercuria Energy Group Ltd. will acquire much less of the business than originally planned. Mercuria balked at buying certain arrangements including one involving refinery Philadelphia Energy Solutions Inc. Morgan has found buyers for those portions of the business Mercuria backed away from.

The article discusses financial-market reaction on September 22, 2014 to Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei's remarks indicating there were no imminent changes to China's economic policies. China's economy had shown signs of slowing down, and prices for nickel, copper, and other metals declined in response to Jiwei's comments.

The article discusses a decline in European stock market indexes, such as the Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, despite positive forecasts from investors at the beginning of 2014. The decline in European stocks is due to investor concerns related to the slowing of the economy in European countries such as Italy and Germany, conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and investor disappointment with the European Central Bank for its lack of more aggressive easing efforts.

The article reports that in June, 2014 hedge funds, institutional investors, and other large speculators have increased their short positions in copper futures and options that will profit in the event the price of copper declines. Figures from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission show the number of short contracts has risen by more than 7,000 over a three-week period ending June 17, 2014.

The article discusses the causes and consequences of a strengthening U.S. dollar. An index of the dollar's exchange rate with several major currencies has risen nearly 5% in 2013 through March 13, aided in part by expectations of relatively strong economic growth in the U.S. and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. A stronger dollar benefits U.S. importers, but can diminish the profits of U.S. multinational firms that derive significant income abroad.

The article examines how a political scandal in Spain and a banking scandal in Italy negatively impacted European stock markets and the value of the euro on February 4, 2013. It states that the Italian stock market decreased, yields for Spanish bonds declined, and money moved from European countries with weak economies to stronger ones. Information is provided on the scandals involving Italian bank Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

This article reports that female suicide bombers killed 38 people in Moscow, Russia subway stations on March 29, 2010. The suicide bombers are believed to have connection with Muslim insurgents in the North Caucasus region of Russia. Two blasts occurred 40 minutes apart during the rush-hour and they exposed weaknesses in Russia's antiterrorist strategy.

The article discusses investigations by China's Banking Regulatory Commission into possible fraudulent financing of copper and other metals in 2014 at several Chinese ports including Qingdao, foreign lenders possibly exposed to fraud, including BNP Paribas SA, and the banks' potential losses.

The article reports that on December 26, 2012 the Japanese yen fell to a level against the U.S. dollar not seen since September, 2010 following comments from Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso indicating a weaker yen was one of his top priorities.

The article discusses a 2012 agreement between Russian state oil company OAO Rosneft and Italian oil firm Eni SpA concerning offshore oil exploration in the Arctic.

The article reports that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met with political opposition leaders for over two hours on February 20, 2012 and offered them seats on a government panel that will consider political reforms, but also told them that their primary agenda was unacceptable.

The article deals with the rally staged by pro-government supporters and riot police in Moscow, Russia on December 6, 2011 in a bid to suppress opposition protests over alleged rigging of the elections.

This section offers world news briefs as of March 30, 2011, including the decision of Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council to postpone the release of a preliminary vote count, a drop in the take-home pay of British workers in 2010, and a move by Belarus to allow its ruble to drop 10 percent against the U.S. dollar.

The article reports that the euro strengthened against the U.S. dollar as investors expect the European Central Bank to widen more its policy gulf between the euro zone and the U.S.

This article reports on the move by developing countries, such as India, China and Brazil to fight inflation, particularly in food products.

The article focuses on the impact of the worsening prospects for Russia's wheat harvest in fall 2010 and beyond on wheat prices.

The article reports on the surge in manufacturing activity around the world in October 2009 which is said to indicate a global rebound in economic growth. There was a 3.1-point increase in the manufacturing index and a rise in the employment index of the Institute for Supply Management. Since May 2008, the factory sector in the euro zone has expanded for the first time. The economic recovery of Russia was said to be questioned when its manufacturing segment contracted in October.

This section offers world news briefs as of October 30, 2009. It cites the plan of China to repair the Television Cultural Center building which was damaged by a fire in February. Manfred Nowak of the United Nations has called for an action against Zimbabwe after he was not allowed by its officials to enter the country when he was invited by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler were kidnapped by Somali pirates while vacationing on their yacht and were being held aboard a container ship.

The article discusses a decline in stock prices on January 14, 2014. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.1%, with Great Britain's FTSE 100 index and Japan's Nikkei Stock Average losing 2.3% and 1.7%, respectively. Factors said to be influencing investors included fears about deflation in the eurozone and a drop in U.S. retail sales.