RUSSIA

The Russian Defense Ministry has said there is no evidence linking Russian airstrikes to recent attacks on hospitals in Syria.

During the flights, which will be flown over a route agreed by Russia, Canada and the U.S., Russian Air Force specialists on board will control the use of surveillance equipment.

Experts say Serbia’s military ties to Russia won't hurt its plans to join the EU, but it cannot be a long-term policy.

A top Metrojet official pushed aside the possibility of a technical failure, but investigators are apprehensive about the "external force" theory.

Leaders of three Asian powerhouses -- China, Japan and South Korea -- are meeting for the first time since 2012 as long-running disputes fester.

A crisis center has been set up near St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport for victims' family members, who have been giving blood samples for identification.

An official from a Moscow-based aviation agency visited the disaster site Sunday, but said it was too soon to determine what happened.

Candidates from the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party, loyal to President Ilham Aliyev, swept the board in a parliamentary election on Sunday that mainstream opposition and international monitors had shunned.

Azerbaijanis voted in a parliamentary election on Sunday which Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev's ruling party is widely expected to win, and which mainstream opposition and international monitors are shunning. 

It was not clear when the recording was made but references to Russian aggression suggest it was made after Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, launched air raids against opposition groups and Islamic State in Syria on Sept. 30.

Kerry was in Samarkand to meet his five Central Asian counterparts and reassure them of continued U.S. engagement in the strategic region.

Opinion is divided in Washington, D.C., over whether President Obama's military engagement in Syria is smart.

Pope Francis joined world leaders in offering his condolences to Russia, following the plane crash that killed 224 people.

The two held talks in the ancient Uzbek city of Samarkand Sunday

The Metrojet passenger plane that crashed in the Sinai Peninsula Saturday, killing all 224 on board, broke apart in the air, according to a senior Russian aviation official.

The kingdom is also demanding the withdrawal of Iran, which has been intervening as well on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

ISIS took responsibility for bringing down the Russian passenger jet, but investigators are focusing on reported mechanical issues.

All 214 Russian and three Ukrainian passengers aboard Metrojet Flight 7K9268 perished along with seven Russian crew members, according to Egyptian authorities.

The bodies of at least 100 people already have been recovered after a Russian airliner carrying 217 passengers and 7 crew members crashed in the Sinai region Saturday.

The European Union and Japan have circulated a draft resolution at the United Nations in an effort to have North Korea haled before the International Criminal Court.

After Washington's announcement it would deploy ground troops in Syria, Moscow stressed the need for U.S.-Russia cooperation in the region.