Geneva / AFP Agreeing on political transition in Syria is the “mother of all issues,” the UN envoy for the war-ravaged country said on Monday, as a new round of peace talks was set to begin. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Staffan de Mistura stressed the importance of getting the talks quickly focused on “the real issues,” adding: “What is ...

Beirut / AFP The United States and Russia are pulling the strings in Syria’s five-year war, experts say, pressuring opposing sides and leveraging rival regional powers to reach a settlement. As the conflict enters its sixth year, the embattled regime and fractured opposition are in Geneva for indirect peace talks hosted by United Nations peace envoy Staffan de Mistura. But ...

Bloomberg “Republicans in Ohio and Florida head to the polls this week to help decide who will become their party’s nominee, and whether the GOP will endure in any recognizable form in the months and years that follow. To hear those who have devoted their lives to building the party tell it, if front-runner Donald Trump prevails on Tuesday in ...