Russia expects to grant military assistance to Afghanistan that could include helicopters, Interfax news agency quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy as saying on Tuesday. Moscow fears instability in Afghanistan could rise following the pullout of NATO troops and spill over into the ex-Soviet Central Asia, threatening Russia’s own southern borders. Source: Reuters
The Turkish president has announced a fresh offensive against Kurdish fighters in Syria is just around the corner. But the US has warned that such action would harm efforts to destroy the “Islamic State” in the region. Source: Deutsche Welle
Canadian businessman Michael Spavor, who worked with North Korea, is being investigated on suspicion of harming China’s security, China said on Thursday, days after a former Canadian diplomat was detained in an escalating diplomatic row. Source: Reuters
The sea phase of the bilateral Russian-Indian maritime exercise Indra Navy-2018, which involves Russia’s Pacific Fleet ships, starts in the Bay of Bengal today near the Indian port of Visakhapatnam, the Pacific Fleet press service reported on Thursday. Source: TASS
