Government troops fought to gain control of the rebel-held city of Donetsk and a key highway in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday — battles that left 34 residents and nine troops dead in just 24 hours, authorities said. The Ukrainian troops are trying to encircle Donetsk, the largest city still in …

 The Russian defense ministry said on Wednesday it was conducting fresh military exercises in the south of the country as fighting intensified between rebels and government forces in Ukraine. On Tuesday, fighting erupted in the heart of major rebel stronghold Lugansk, as the bodies of 17 civilians fleeing the city …

French President Francois Hollande called on Wednesday for an international conference to discuss ways of tackling “Islamic State” insurgents who have seized control of territory in Iraq and Syria.