Martin Armstrong

On Thursday a former state minister announced the formation of an independent transitional political council in Aden raising concern that developing political fractures could prolong the country's brutal conflict.

The summit is set to take place in the Saudi capital on May 21.

The current Iranian President has also claimed that rival candidate and former judge Ebrahim Raisi's main talents are imprisoning people and conducting executions, adopting a pugnacious approach to re-election.

While Washington has backed a Russian-proposed de-escalation plan for Syria, it has done so with a degree of scepticism concerning the agreement's logistic implementation.

Pentagon officials initially denied that a March 16 airstrike targeting al-Jinah in Aleppo province had targeted a mosque despite the claims of first responders and activists on the ground.

In the midst of a diplomatic spat between Berlin and Ankara Germany is considering alternative military bases to accommodate troops currently positioned at Incirlik airbase in south-central Anatolia.

The United States and Italy are also taking part in the joint aviation exercises currently being hosted by Greece at the Andravida airbase in the Peloponnese peninsula