Moscow

A landmark truce is to take effect in Syria on Feb. 27, the United States and Russia announced, but the "cessation of hostilities" does not include the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the al-Nusra Front, the main jihadist factions.

A string of suicide bombings near a Shiite shrine outside Syria's capital and in Homs claimed by jihadists killed more than 150 people on Feb. 21, as Washington and Moscow worked to secure a ceasefire.

The Bulgarian team has won the gold in the AA competition of the first tournament of 2016's Rhythmic Gymnastics Grand Prix Series currently held in Moscow.

The team garnered a total of 35.450 points, narrowly ahead of the host, Russia, which received 34.95 points, and of Japan which got 34.550 points.

Dragan Lukac, Interior Minister of Republika Srpska, the Serb-dominated entity of Bosnia, said the entity government will soon send its special police units for training in Russia and is also keen to buy military equipment from Moscow.

The Pentagon has asked Russia to stay away from parts of northern Syria where US special operations forces are training local fighters to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)  group, military officials said on Feb. 18.

Russia's envoy to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin warned long-term ally President Bashar al-Assad over his vow to retake all of Syria, saying he faced dire consequences if he did not comply with Moscow over the peace process.

Russia is accusing Turkey of helping jihadists recruit fighters from the Caucasus and Central Asia to fight in Syria, according to a letter sent to the UN Security Council.
 

Turkey has informed world leaders, including the United States and Russia, that deadly Ankara car bombing was perpetrated by Syria's Democratic Union Party's (PYD) military wing, in an obvious message that they should no longer cooperate and support the Syrian Kurdish group. 

The heightened tension between Ankara and Moscow over Syria pushed Turkish bond yields to four-and-half-month highs and hit the Turkish currency, despite a general positive outlook among emerging markets. 

Turkey's lira dropped the most since the beginning of January and slid to a three-week low of 2.98 per dollar on Feb. 16, although it has rebounded later on Feb. 17 to 2.96. 

European football's governing body UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder Dmitri Tarasov for wearing a T-shirt praising Russian President Vladimir Putin after a Europa League match in Istanbul.