BEIRUT / AP Syrian government forces and their allies from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah reached the outskirts of Palmyra in their push to drive IS militants from the ancient town, activists said on Tuesday. The advancing forces reached the town’s southwestern gateway, located about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from its famed Roman ruins, according to the activist-run Palmyra Coordination …

  MOSCOW / AP President Vladimir Putin says Russia will close its military base in Kyrgyzstan if the government of the Central Asian nation asks it to. Putin was speaking on Tuesday in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, as part of a Central Asian tour. The Kyrgyz president said in December that the base should close when the lease runs out at …

  ISLAMABAD / AP Pakistan deployed extra police forces and paramilitary units on Tuesday in the country’s capital to boost security ahead of a regional summit on economic cooperation, officials said. Islamabad is to host representatives from 10 countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization on Wednesday to finalize a plan on expanding the region’s trade and prosperity. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani …