US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in Baghdad today to consult with Iraqi government officials and confer with US commanders about the campaign to defeat Islamic State fighters. In remarks to a group of US and Australian soldiers, Mr Hagel said the US wants to help Iraq regain the territory it lost to Islamic …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused Russia on Sunday of interfering in the domestic affairs of numerous countries that are seeking closer ties to the European Union. “Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine are three countries in our eastern neighbourhood that have taken sovereign decisions to sign an association agreement with the EU,” …

The Algerian Foreign Ministry has withdrawn its ambassador in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Abdul Qadir bin Shaha, “because of the security situation taking place in the capital, as a precaution procedure and to avoid any undesirable consequences for security developments.”