Moscow / AFP Russia and Egypt will hold joint military drills involving airborne troops on Egyptian soil for the first time this month, the Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday. “The joint Russian-Egyptian drills will happen in mid-October 2016 on the territory of Egypt,” it said, without specifying their start date. The drills, called “Protectors of Friendship-2016”, will include 500 …

  Beijing / AFP China and Russia blasted Washington on Tuesday for its decision to deploy a missile defence system in South Korea in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. Speaking at the 7th annual Xiangshan regional defence forum in Beijing, top military officials from the countries said the move by Seoul and Washington represented a threat to regional stability and was …

  Lashkar Gah / AFP Afghanistan has deployed hundreds of commandos backed by NATO air strikes in Lashkar Gah to drive Taliban insurgents from the southern city after the militants killed 14 people in a coordinated attack, officials said on Tuesday. The assault Monday marked the insurgents’ latest attempt to seize the capital of Helmand province, underscoring unravelling security as …