Mixed messages regarding the potential release of the remaining political prisoners have been coming out of Belarus and from those monitoring the domestic situation in that country.

• May 10, 2013

Israel has asked Russia not to sell Syria an advanced air defense system which would help President Bashar al-Assad fend off foreign military intervention as he battles a more than two-year-old rebellion, Israeli officials said on Thursday.

• May 9, 2013

If Iran's supreme leader were to write a job description for the country's next president, loyalty and obedience to the Islamic establishment would be high on the list of requirements.

• May 9, 2013

The oil-shale oil production business plans of Estonian state-owned energy company Eesti Energia in the USA might come to an end if the amendments to the oil shale mining industry that were revealed at the end of March by the U.S. government come in force, LETA/Eesti Päevaleht writes.

• May 9, 2013

Russia and the United States have announced they will encourage the rebels in Syria and Damascus government to hold talks on a political transition to end more than two years of bloodshed that has left some 70,000 dead.

• May 8, 2013

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili harshly criticized Georgian government's statements on possible resumption of natural-gas imports from Russia.

• May 8, 2013

China on Wednesday accused the United States of sowing discord between China and its neighbors after the Pentagon said Beijing is using espionage to fuel its military modernization, branding Washington the "real hacking empire".

• May 8, 2013

Turkey may become a net energy exporter in the Middle East in the medium term, specifically in light of failures to provide energy in the region due to security concerns.

• May 7, 2013