Less than a year has passed since the ISIL took large swathes of lands in Iraq's north. The terror group is now facing huge setbacks. The Iraqi army says the militants have lost forty percent of the territories under their control since summer 20-14. This, as Kurdish forces and the Iraqi army have mobilized their units within a short distance from the ISIL stronghold of Mosul.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is on an official two-day visit to Pakistan. He met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the first day of his visit. The two discussed bilateral ties and stressed the importance of tackling extremism in the region.

Pro-Russia forces say they have pushed Ukraine's army out of the eastern city of Debaltseve. Fierce fighting raged throughout Tuesday in the strategic city despite a ceasefire deal signed last week.

The French defense minister has visited Egypt to meet with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his Egyptian counterpart Field Marshall Sedki Sobhi. The aim of the visit is to sign a five-point-nine billion dollar deal, through which Paris will be providing Cairo with 24 Rafale jet fighters. Press TV's Karim Gamal el-Deen has more in the following report.

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France is set to hold provincial elections in the coming month. However, the prospect of success for major political parties is low. Recent polls show public support for far-right parties is on the rise while people are increasingly criticizing the Socialist Party's economic and social policies.

Palestinian activists in east Jerusalem al-Quds have begun rebuilding the village of Jerusalem Gate, or Bab al-Quds, a day after Israeli forces destroyed it with bulldozers. The symbolic village was set up some two weeks ago in a bid to resist against Israeli illegal land confiscation plans and settlement projects.

The ISIL's recent slaughtering of Egyptian hostages has sparked reactions from several governments. The Palestinian government has announced a three-day public mourning in solidarity with families of the victims. Palestinian scholars have also slammed the terrorist group's activities as grave violations of Islamic rules.

As part of the economic cooperation between Iran and Iraq, an exhibition of Iranian products has been launched in the Iraqi capital. Iran’s first Vice President Es-hagh Jahangiri has toured the fair during a visit to Baghdad.

The UN deputy secretary general and executive director for the UN office on drugs and crime UNODC says that despite embargoes against the Islamic Republic the UNODC will negotiate with the UN sanctions committee to supply Iran with necessary border control and anti narcotics equipment. In a joint press conference with Iran’s interior minister in Tehran, Yuri Fedotov said that Iran was on the forefront of fight against narcotics in the world. Amir Mehdi Kazemi has a report…