US Secretary of State John Kerry affirmed here Monday that Mali has taken an “important step forward” by holding the first round of legislative elections. “The United States applauds the Government of Mali for the technical improvements to

Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign a security deal with the United States, the White House said, opening up the prospect of a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from the strife-torn nation next year.

“The purpose of Geneva-2 is not to have an armchair discussion about Syria, it’s to have mutual agreement between regime representatives — without Assad — and the moderate opposition in order to form a transitional government,” Laurent Fabius told French radio.

France said Tuesday it would send hundreds of extra troops to the strife-torn Central African Republic after the UN warned the country was descending into “complete chaos”.

Mali’s parliamentary polls have been “another success” following the peaceful election of the country’s president in August, the European Union observation mission said on Monday, calling for a big turnout if a second round is

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said Turkey and Egypt are historical friends that enjoy brotherly relations long decades ago.

British Prime Minister David Cameron will pay an official visit to China from December 2 to 4. Cameron was invited by Chinese

Iran struck a historic deal with six world powers yesterday, agreeing to a temporary freeze of its nuclear program in the most significant agreement in more than three decades of estrangement.

Clashes between Libyan troops and militants in the eastern city of Benghazi Nov. 25 killed at least three people and wounded a dozen more during a military operation, security and medical officials said. The army ordered residents to stay off the city streets.

The EU on Monday sharply criticized Russian pressure on Ukraine to drop a landmark cooperation accord with the bloc, due to have been signed this week, and said the deal was still “on the table.”