U.S. expects Afghanistan conference to pledge $3 billion a year

WASHINGTON An international conference on Afghanistan in Brussels next week is expected to pledge $3 billion a year in development support to the country up to the end of 2020, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.

Richard Olson, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told a forum in Washington the U.S. administration would seek via Congress to maintain U.S. assistance to Afghanistan "at or near" current levels for the period.




Erdogan says to extend Turkey's emergency rule, rounds on rating agencies


ISTANBUL/ANKARA Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan suggested on Thursday that emergency rule could be extended beyond a year and rounded on rating agencies after Moody's cut Turkey to "junk" status, helping send the lira to its weakest in almost two months.




Palestinian president plans to attend funeral of Israel's Peres


JERUSALEM Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plans to pay a rare visit to Jerusalem on Friday to attend the funeral of former Israeli leader Shimon Peres, a Palestinian official said on Thursday.




Air strikes kill 18 Islamic State 'leaders' in last month: U.S.


WASHINGTON Air strikes by the United States and its allies have killed 18 Islamic State "leaders" in the last 30 days, 13 of them in Mosul, the group's de facto Iraqi capital, a U.S. military spokesman said on Thursday.