Russia says Aleppo ceasefire extended until May 9May 7, 2016 - 12:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A truce in the Syrian city of Aleppo has been extended for three days to "prevent the situation from worsening," the Russian defense ministry said, according to BBC News. The Syrian army announced a two-day truce on Wednesday, May 4, after two weeks of clashes left nearly 300 civilians dead. The truce is part of international efforts to build on a wide-ranging ceasefire introduced in February. Russia has been supporting its allies in the Syrian government with air strikes since September 2015. Aleppo, in north-west Syria, was the country's industrial and financial centre before the five-year civil war started. The recent violence there has been the worst phase of the war in the city for more than a year. The nationwide cessation of hostilities brokered in late February by the U.S. and Russia, which back opposing sides in the war, is close to collapse, BBC says. Russia said on Wednesday that it had withdrawn about 30 aircraft from its airbase in Syria, including all of the Su-25 ground attack planes stationed there. The Russian military began the withdrawal of most of its forces from Syria in March, six months after launching an air campaign to bolster President Bashar al-Assad. To the south of Aleppo, combat continues between the Syrian army and rebels including the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate that is not included in the cessation of hostilities. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |