Eurasia

The Syrian government troops have started a large-scale offensive on the northern outskirts of Damascus, after tightening the screws on rebels in the southern rim of the capital. The forces have been besieging the town of Qara in the al- Qalamoun mountains north of Damascus and near the border with

The latest report of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the situation in Kosovo and the situation on the ground will be presented during the session, that will be held on Tuesday in New York.

The UN Security Council will hold a session in New York on Tuesday when Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will present his latest report on the situation in Kosovo. The report of the UN security general sums up the situation in the period from July 16 to October 15 and points …

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu left for Washington on Sunday to start a two-day official visit to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments with top American officials.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the militants of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down arms, Sabah newspaper wrote on Monday. According to Erdogan, 2014 will be a year of political normalization and stability in Turkey.

The presidents of arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet in Vienna Nov. 19 for the first time in two years in a bid to restart stalled negotiations over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh, mediators said. Armenia’s Serzh

Foreign ministers of the 28-member European Union are to begin later today their formal meeting with the focuss on developments in the southern Mediterranean region.

Russia on Saturday finally handed over a refurbished ex-Soviet aircraft carrier to India after a refit that overran by five years and went vastly over budget, damaging ties between the countries. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony took part in a ceremony at the Arctic port of Severodvinsk on Saturday morning.

President of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government Massoud Barzani concluded on Sunday his visit to Turkey during which he reached cooperation agreements with his Turkish hosts.

Interior Minister says Musharraf had committed crimes against the people of Pakistan and against the constitution. The Pakistan government announced on Sunday it would put former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on trial for treason for imposing emergency rule in the country in November 2007.