Russian warplanes are said to have bombed a rebel-held city in northern Syria, killing scores of people.

• December 20, 2015

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will not abandon Russians living in southeast Ukraine to what he described as Ukrainian "nationalists."

• December 20, 2015

Iranian nuclear officials say Tehran will export most of its enriched uranium stockpile to Russia in the coming days as it implements a nuclear deal to secure relief from international sanctions.

• December 20, 2015

Ukraine and Russia appear all but certain to take their dispute over a $3 billion Eurobond to court after Ukraine said it would not repay the bond when it matures next week, prompting Russia to cry default and say a legal battle was now on the cards.

• December 18, 2015

India's prime minister is expected to promote deals for Russian nuclear reactors and military helicopters worth billions of dollars on a trip to Moscow next week, attracted by promises to transfer technology that Western nations have been slow to make.

• December 18, 2015

The shepherd's widow no longer asks God for peace.
Like many Kurds in Turkey's southeast, Sevgi Gezici, 22, believed President Tayyip Erdogan would relent in a violent clampdown against Kurdish militants after his party won back its majority in an election in November.

• December 18, 2015

Ukraine's Finance Ministry said on Thursday it was committed to negotiating in good faith on the restructuring of a $3 billion Eurobond held entirely by Russia, which in turn said it was waiting for a proposal from Kiev.

• December 17, 2015

Vietnam's military is steeling itself for conflict with China as it accelerates a decade-long modernization drive, Hanoi's biggest arms buildup since the height of the Vietnam War.

• December 17, 2015