( Al-Monitor )- Forces battling the Islamic State (IS) in Syria seem to be putting a lot of effort into thwarting each other's strategies. Syrian government troops, backed by allied Iraqi and Iranian militias, are bolstering their control along parts of the Syrian-Iraqi borders. Leaders of...

European Union president Donald Tusk called Friday on G7 leaders to maintain sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, but the White House said it did not yet "have a position" on the issue. The EU and United States under then president Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Moscow over...

To escape the nightmare of life in their besieged hometown near Syria's capital, 13 young girls sought refuge in a fairytale performance of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". The all-girl cast spent months memorising lines from the classic Brothers Grimm fable before performing in front of a...

( The Guardian )- The Manchester Arena bomber, Salman Abedi, had close connections with criminal gangs as well as known and suspected terrorists in the city, it has emerged. Abedi, 22, associated with a gang that has for years waged war with a rival grouping in south Manchester, the...