The US and Pakistan vowed on Tuesday to intensify a crackdown on militants hiding in lawless border areas, as top diplomat John Kerry urged renewed peace talks with India to strengthen regional stability. Last month’s shocking school massacre in Peshawar by the Pakistani Taliban triggered global outrage, and sharpened the …
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12 dead in Eastern Ukraine after bus came under heavy fire
A passenger bus came under heavy fire in eastern Ukraine, killing 12 people, Ukrainian authorities said, and fighting intensified around the international airport in the city of Donetsk as separatists tried to oust government forces. The latest violence flared on Tuesday after Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany scrapped plans for …
Read More »Biden, Yatsenyuk discuss Ukraine's economic support
US Vice President Joe Biden spoke via phone with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Tuesday to review the foreign aid intended to rebuild the Ukrainian economy, and talk about efforts to have Moscow end its hostilities and withdraw from its neighbor’s eastern region, the White House said in a …
Read More »UN to hold meeting on Libya tomorrow
The United Nations is gearing up to kick-start a new round of political talks this week aimed at easing the deepening political and security crisis afflicting Libya, the UN Mission in the strife-torn country has announced. In a press release issued today, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said …
Read More »France to extend with four months the airstrike campaign in Iraq
French lawmakers overwhelmingly approved on Tuesday to expand its participation in the airstrike campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants in Iraq. The extension was for another four months. The extension, which came under a vote of 488 ballots to 1, with 13 abstentions, was reinforced after …
Read More »Obama to visit India at the end of January
U.S. President Barack Obama will have a tight schedule during his three-day visit starting January 25. He will hold talks with top leadership in New Delhi on ways to make progress on key issues such as defence and civil nuclear agreement and attend the Republic Day celebrations as the Chief …
Read More »Canadian FM visits Egypt to discuss regional security
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is in Egypt on a two day trip to meet political and religious leaders, including President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. It is Baird’s second visit to Egypt in less than a year, according to the Canadian government’s foreign affairs website. On Wednesday, he is scheduled …
Read More »Syrian opposition holds talks in Cairo on forming united front
A delegation of Syrian opposition groups arrived in Cairo on Tuesday, one day after the arrival of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution. A meeting between the various Syrian opposition entities is scheduled to take place on 22 January at the foreign ministry’s Council of Foreign Relations. Foreign Ministry Spokesman …
Read More »Officials meet in Berlin to discuss Ukraine peace
Foreign ministers from France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia were meeting on Monday in Berlin to try and resolve tensions threatening to scupper a planned summit on ending the Ukrainian conflict. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hopes that a presidential summit of the four countries can take place on Thursday in Kazakhstan …
Read More »India, US could to sign defence agreement during Obama visit
India and US are likely to sign their new 10-year defence framework agreement during the visit to the country of President Barack Obama later this month, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Monday. He added that the strengthening of the existing framework and enhancement of its scope was going to …
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