The U.N. secretary-general has called for Mali and its “bilateral partners” to respect their international obligations as concerns grow over human rights violations by the West African country’s military in its battle with jihadists. While acknowledging “widespread attacks by extremists,” Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council that Mali’s counter-terrorism …

he leader of Georgia’s Moscow-backed separatist region of South Ossetia, Anatoly Bibilov, says the de facto independent territory is looking to hold a referendum on joining Russia, a move Tbilisi called “unacceptable.” Bibilov said in an interview with Russian state television on March 31 that South Ossetia was holding “consultations” …

Talks to stop the fighting in Ukraine resumed Friday, as another desperate attempt to rescue civilians from the shattered and encircled city of Mariupol failed and Russia accused the Ukrainians of launching a helicopter attack on a fuel depot on Russian soil. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, …