Beirut / AFP More than 1,700 civilians have been killed by Russian air strikes in Syria since Moscow’s air campaign began five months ago, a monitoring group said on Wednesday. “Since September 30, Russian air strikes have killed 4,408 people including 1,733 civilians,” the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The civilian toll included 429 children and 250 women. ...

Riyadh / AFP Gulf nations on Wednesday declared Lebanon’s Hezbollah a “terrorist” group, in the latest regional move against the Shiite organisation fighting in support of Syria’s regime. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council “decided to consider the militias (of Hezbollah) a terrorist organisation”, GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al Zayani said in a statement. The GCC targeted Hezbollah because of “hostile ...

Jalalabad / AFP Gunfire and an explosion echoed on Wednesday as militants attacked India’s consulate in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, killing three people in the latest in a string of assaults on Indian installations in the country. No group has so far claimed the brazen attack, which coincided with a NATO change-of-command ceremony that saw US army general ...