Talks

US, China agree to promote joint working group consultation

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held their first talks since October as the two powers stepped up interaction at a time when the West is focused on the Ukraine conflict.

Ukrainian soldier killed as Russia, NATO hold high-stakes talks

Members of the NATO alliance are meeting with Russian officials in Brussels and more talks are planned at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on Thursday.

EU allies coordinate stance with US ahead of NATO-Russia talks

NATO and Russian officials will gather in Brussels in a high-stakes meeting to discuss Ukraine border tensions. Both sides had stopped talking after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

Pakistani Taliban refuses to extend ceasefire with government

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan accused the government of not honouring the truce and failing to release 102 of their fighters.

Iran fires missile to test air defence system amid tensions with West

The test caused a loud explosion which was heard in the skies over the Iranian city of Badroud, just 20 kilometres from the nuclear plant.

US delegation meets Taliban in Qatar to talk security, rights

A US interagency delegation flew to Doha for talks "focused on security and terrorism concerns and safe passage for US citizens, other foreign nationals and our Afghan partners," according to State Department spokesman.

Moscow invites Taliban to Afghanistan talks

The last time Russia hosted similar talks was in March when a war raged between the Taliban and Kabul government.

Islamabad in talks with groups of Pakistani Taliban, PM Khan reveals

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that his government is in talks with some groups of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with the aim of having the militants lay down their arms.

India rejects OIC offer on Kashmir visit, India-Pakistan dispute mediation

OIC recommended a meeting between the nuclear-armed neighbours and sending a delegation to disputed Kashmir. New Delhi has opposed the proposal, saying the platform offered by 57-member Islamic bloc is being "subverted by vested interests".

Iran tests advanced uranium enriching machines in new nuke deal breach

Since January, Iran has begun enriching uranium at up to 20 percent purity, a technical step away from weapons-grade levels.

New round of talks on Syria's constitution begins in Geneva

The US and its allies accuse Syrian regime leader Bashar al Assad of deliberately delaying the drafting of a new constitution to waste time until presidential elections are held this year and avoid UN-supervised voting as called for by the UNSC.

Peru's protesting farm workers lift road block for talks with government

Farm workers have been staging protests for weeks to demand more pay. But 28 demonstrators and 36 officers were injured in confrontations, while 45 agricultural workers were arrested