Russian warships in the Mediterranean Sea fired cruise missiles at targets near Aleppo on Friday, a further sign of Moscow's broadening military effort in Syria days after it began to fly bombing missions from an airbase in Iran.

• August 20, 2016

Russia used Iran as a base from which to launch air strikes against Syrian militants for the first time on Tuesday, widening its air campaign in Syria and deepening its involvement in the Middle East.

• August 16, 2016

The Philippines wants formal negotiations with China to explore pathways to peace and cooperation, the Southeast Asian nation's special envoy, Fidel Ramos, said on Friday, after a meeting with former Chinese deputy foreign minister Fu Ying.

• August 12, 2016

U.S.-backed forces battling Islamic State near the Turkish border in northern Syria said on Friday they had launched a final assault to flush the remaining jihadists out of the city of Manbij.

• August 12, 2016

Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay called on China on Thursday to respect maritime law and security as well as the rule of law, to resolve disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

• August 11, 2016

The top U.N. human rights official urged Turkey on Wednesday to stem a "thirst for revenge" following a failed coup that has led to the arrest of more than 16,000 people and to uphold detainees' right to due process.

• August 10, 2016

South Korea's presidential office rebuked on Sunday China's criticism of its decision to deploy an advanced anti-missile defense, urging Beijing to instead play a stronger role against North Korea's provocations on the peninsula.

• August 7, 2016

Japan's annual defence review on Tuesday expressed "deep concern" over what it sees as China's coercion, as a more assertive Beijing flouts international rules when dealing with other nations.

• August 2, 2016