The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency session on Friday on the ceasefire deal in eastern Ukraine that is showing tentative signs of taking hold, diplomats said. France and Germany requested the meeting of the 15-member council as Ukraine’s military began withdrawing heavy weapons from the frontline and …

The new Tuareg tribal chief in Mali’s Kidal region rejected the struggle for independence or autonomy in the northern desert in a statement on Wednesday, instead issuing a plea for unity. The stance puts him on a collision course with Tuareg rebels who are demanding a separate homeland in the …

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met King Abdullah II of Jordan on Thursday as the two held a “closed session” in which they discussed concerted efforts in the “fight against terrorism”, a presidential statement said on Thursday. The statement added that military and security cooperation between the two states has …