Eurasia

Libya’s army announced a ceasefire on Sunday, joining an Islamist-backed militia alliance in declaring a truce that the UN hailed as a “significant” step towards ending months of violence. “We declare a ceasefire from midnight [22:00 GMT] Sunday,” the army said, stressing however that it would continue to pursue “terrorists”, …

Kurdish fighters battling the Islamic State ıf Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria’s Kobane have captured a strategic hilltop, giving them line of fire over the town, a monitor said Jan. 19. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG) had seized the …

The foreign minister assistant for neighbouring countries Osama Al-Magdoub, and the Egyptian ambassador in Libya Mohamed Abu Bakr, met representatives from the Libyan tribe Awlad Solieman in Cairo on Sunday. “The meeting aims at keeping track of the security situation in Libya, especially in the southern part,” the foreign ministry …

The UN Security Council has welcomed a ceasefire announced by an Islamist-backed militia in Libya and threatened to impose sanctions on those who obstruct peace efforts. The 15-member council voiced support for a second round of UN-brokered talks to be held in Geneva next week and strongly urged all warring …

A local official says the Taliban have attacked Afghan troops in eastern Laghman province, triggering a gunbattle that killed two soldiers and wounded a third. The provincial governor’s spokesman Sarhadi Zwak says the attack began around today in Alishing district.

EU foreign ministers met today on building an alliance — including with Muslim countries — against a growing Islamist militant threat, with Europe on high alert after deadly Paris attacks and anti-terrorism raids in Belgium. The immediate focus for the 28-nation European Union is how to prevent citizens known as “foreign fighters” …

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko agreed on Thursday that the delayed talks on the Ukraine conflict with leaders of Russia, France and Germany will take place at the end of the month. In a telephone call, the two leaders “noted that the meeting of leaders …

The United States and Britain agree to maintain tough sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine, President Barack Obama said today. “We agree on the need to maintain strong sanctions against Russia until it ends its aggression in Ukraine and on the need to support Ukraine as it implements …

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who is visiting Brussels this week, offered to cooperate more with Europe in the fight against the terrorist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Davutoğlu is currently visiting Brussels and trying to highlight common grounds with the EU and expressing Turkey’s readiness to work …

French President Francois Hollande called on the international community Friday to adopt a clear and collective position against terrorism, saying recent attacks in Paris would not undermine freedom of expression as one of Republic’s major pillars. France is working closely with its neighbors, particularly Belgium, to fighting “terrorism,” said Hollande …