Moscow's military force in Syria has grown to about 4,000 personnel, but this and more than a month of Russian air strikes have not led to pro-government forces making significant territorial gains, U.S. security officials and independent experts said.
Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou said on Thursday his upcoming meeting with President Xi Jinping was about further normalizing ties with China and had nothing to do with trying to revive his party's fortunes ahead of the island's elections in January.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will visit a U.S. aircraft carrier transiting the South China Sea on Thursday, a move sure to raise the ire of China as tensions between Washington and Beijing simmer over the disputed waterway.