France: Syria's three-day truce not enough for fresh peace talks
France said on Thursday that a three-day nationwide ceasefire announced by the Syrian army was not good enough and it was unrealistic to expect a revival of peace talks without a long-term truce.
With Russia as an ally, Serbia edges toward NATO
Serbia is performing a delicate balancing act between its European aspirations, partnership with NATO and its centuries-old religious, ethnic and political alliance with Russia.
Pakistan warns of 'blowback' from moving too fast against militants
Pakistan's top foreign policy official warned on Friday that pushing too fast against all Islamist militants in the country could lead to "blowback" in the form of more terrorist attacks.
New Philippine defense chief says militant threat more pressing than South China Sea
Crushing Islamist militants in the Philippines will take precedence over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the incoming defense minister said on Wednesday, and spending on military hardware would reflect that.
Syria rebels battle IS at Iraqi border, aim to cut 'caliphate' in two
Syrian rebels advanced into an Islamic State-held town at the border with Iraq on Wednesday, a rebel commander told Reuters, in a new U.S.-backed offensive aimed at cutting the jihadists' self-declared caliphate in two.
Islamic State launches counterattacks on U.S.-backed forces and Syrian army
The Islamic State group launched a counter attack against fighters trying to capture the Syrian city of Manbij on Monday, inflicting heavy casualties on the U.S.-backed forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the militants said.
Iraqi forces open second front south of Islamic State-held Mosul
Iraqi forces opened a second front on Saturday in preparation for an assault on the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul, a day after government troops declared victory over the militants in Falluja.
U.S. seeks answers over Russian strikes on Syrian rebels
The Pentagon said on Saturday it has questioned Moscow over air strikes against U.S.-backed Syrian opposition forces earlier this week, saying Russian forces failed to heed U.S. warnings to stop the attack.
|
