Russia failed to win re-election to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday, beaten out by Hungary and Croatia, following lobbying by rights groups against Moscow's candidacy because of its military support for the Syrian government.

• October 30, 2016

The European Union and Canada signed a free trade agreement on Sunday that aims to generate jobs and growth though it must still clear some 40 national and regional parliaments in Europe in the coming years to enter fully into force.

• October 30, 2016

Moldovans voted on Sunday in a presidential race that may propel a pro-Russian Socialist candidate to power, after a billion-dollar corruption scandal undermined trust in politicians who want closer ties with the West.

• October 30, 2016

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said either Russia or the Syrian government were responsible for an air strike on Syria's Idlib province that led to the deaths of 26 civilians, most of them school children.

• October 27, 2016

China's Defence Ministry on Thursday accused Japanese air force jets of locking their radars on to Chinese military aircraft, acting provocatively and endangering safety, after Japan said it is scrambling a record number of fighter jets.

• October 27, 2016

Kurdish YPG militia fighters will be included as a part of the force to isolate the Islamic State-held Syrian city of Raqqa, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq said on Wednesday.

• October 26, 2016

Russia is sharply upgrading the firepower of its Baltic Fleet by adding warships armed with long-range cruise missiles to counter NATO's build-up in the region, Russian media reported on Wednesday.

• October 26, 2016

Gazprom is finalizing a deal with European Union regulators to end a five-year antitrust case and avoid fines, signaling a thaw in business relations between Moscow and Brussels despite tensions over Ukraine and Syria.

• October 26, 2016