Russia

China has developed a growing influence in the Pacific over recent years and this month Russia sent nearly US$9 million worth of weapons to Fiji with the negotiations for a second shipment underway.

However the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Daniel Russel, said all countries could operate in the region effectively.

Parshin, who heads the ministry’s Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU), took part in a ceremony in the republic’s capital Suva on Tuesday to hand over a batch of Russian small arms and munitions for Fiji’s peacekeepers.

The official dismissed recent media reports that Russia’s seeks to expand military presence in the Asia-Pacific region and Moscow’s s next step could be searching for a submarine fleet support base in the southern Pacific Ocean.

Holidaymaker Maria Ivleva would have been killed instantly by the huge explosion just centimetres beneath her.

Reports in Russia say the device - which killed 224 people on October 31 - was likely to have been planted under seat 31A, where Miss Ivleva was sitting.

The teenager from St Petersburg had been on holiday in Sharm El Sheikh with her 44-year-old mother Marina, who was sitting in seat 31B.

There is no suggestion that any of the Russian tourists were suicide bombers.

The statement was made to the Associated Press by Iraqi government officials. 

Carter also said that no collaboration is possible as long as Moscow continues to strike other targets.

He said the U.S. will limit its discussions with Russia to basic, technical talks about efforts to ensure that flights over Syria are conducted safely and, "That's it."

Carter also said that no collaboration is possible as long as Moscow continues to strike other targets.

He said the U.S. will limit its discussions with Russia to basic, technical talks about efforts to ensure that flights over Syria are conducted safely and, "That's it."

Obama made his remarks at a White House news conference Friday.

The president called Russia's military involvement, including airstrikes that began this week, a self-defeating exercise that will move the Syrian conflict further from a solution.

Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian news agencies on Wednesday that Russian jets are carrying out targeted airstrikes on the positions, vehicles and warehouses that Russia believes belong to IS militants.

Russia's upper chamber of parliament earlier on Wednesday gave the green light to President Vladimir Putin's request to send Russian troops to Syria.

Dmitry Peskov spoke in response to comments by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, who denied reports that Russian combat troops were fighting with Syrian troops, but said Syria would ask for Russia's help if needed.

If such a request is made, it will be "discussed and considered," Peskov said.

Kerry said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had proposed the consultation in a phone call on Tuesday and that the White House, Pentagon and State Department were considering it.

Kerry suggested that he favored such an idea, noting that the United States wants a clear picture of what Russia's intentions are in Syria following a recent military buildup there.