Russia and Iran are expanding their nuclear cooperation as both countries face Western sanctions and international isolation. Their partnership includes the construction of nuclear power plants, fuel supplies, and broader technological cooperation.

The Student List, a political grouping of 250 representatives that just won Serbia’s parliamentary elections, has deliberately avoided having a clear leader. While it remains uncertain who Serbia’s prime minister will be, here are some of the high-profile Serbians representing the movement.

Officials from the so-called Mecca Defense Alliance have gathered for a snap meeting in Tehran as they look to settle conflicts in the Middle East that have left the region reeling and are impacting global flows of oil and other cargo.

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's former president and dominant political figure for more than a decade, conceded defeat to the student-led protest movement in the country's parliamentary elections, potentially ushering in a new era of politics more closely aligned with Europe and away from the Kremlin.

Russia wants a million drone operators by 2030 and schools are adapting fast to fill the quota. By the time students are 16, many will be taught how to fly multiple drones and how to use them in combat. The authorities are using games and competitions to draw millions of young people into the field.

As Russian forces intensify attacks on Ukraine’s Donetsk region, evacuations are accelerating in Kramatorsk, a key city still held by Kyiv. As Moscow seeks to seize all of the Donetsk region, Ukraine has issued a mandatory evacuation order for families with children in Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is stepping up efforts to defend Ukraine, challenging President Donald Trump’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian energy imports and demanding guarantees that Kyiv will retain access to critical American military and intelligence support.

Opium cultivation fell dramatically in Afghanistan, the world’s largest producer, after the Taliban imposed a narcotics ban in 2022. Since then, production has surged in neighboring Pakistan and Iran.

The Kremlin has heavily invested in the promise that retreating Arctic sea ice opens up a once impassable route that is further from the reach of Ukrainian drone attacks or European naval interdiction of shadow fleet vessels. But officials are learning that cutting a path through ice isn't easy.

After 14 years dominating Serbian politics, Aleksandar Vucic faces the biggest challenge to his rule in parliamentary elections on October 25 from an opposition movement that has sprung from mass student protests. But there’s growing concern about whether voting will be fair.

A US congressman has urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to sanction four Serbian businessmen with close ties to former president Aleksandar Vucic, accusing them of corruption and election interference ahead of a closely watched parliamentary vote.

The deportation of several Tajik opposition figures from Germany and other European countries, and their subsequent imprisonment, have heightened fears among Tajik oppositionists in exile. Some say they fear not only being sent home but also losing the Western support they once counted on.

US officials publicly accused Russia of threatening a Finnish-operated commercial satellite that provides imagery and intelligence to Ukraine and other nations, calling the move “deliberately reckless.”

In 2022, Ukraine relied almost entirely on Chinese components for its military drones. While that dependency has now been drastically reduced, Ukraine still relies on Beijing for essential parts that remain difficult to replace at the necessary scale and cost.

Russia has released 74-year-old US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had been detained since 2022. He had been sentenced to prison for allegedly acting as a mercenary in Ukraine, charges his family disputed. President Vladimir Putin announced Hubbard’s release during talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff.

The Soviet-era Roghun Dam project has endured decades of uncertainty and opposition. Now major funding tranches appear to have the project on track to transform Central Asia's energy landscape -- and displace tens of thousands of Tajik villagers.

A viral video of two Ukrainian border guards’ violent pursuit of a man trying to cross the Dniester River into Moldova has highlighted a route Ukrainians use to escape Russia’s war and the prospect of fighting in it. In this case, all three men ended up in Moldova – and the guards were detained.

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan held by Russia since 2022 on accusations of joining Ukraine's armed forces, has been freed in what is being framed as a goodwill gesture by the Kremlin.

Georgia’s Constitutional Court will begin hearings on October 21 on a case seeking to ban five opposition parties that together have won hundreds of thousands of votes. The proceedings mark another critical test for the country’s multiparty democracy, with a final ruling potentially to come later.

Increasing militant attacks along Iran's border with Pakistan by multiple armed groups have stoked fears of further instability in the two countries, both of which already face multifaceted threats of sectarian violence in addition to the broader repercussions of the conflict in the Middle East.