France will have to cover the cost of any future US military assistance in the Sahel region of Africa, US defence officials said on Thursday.

© Gerard Julien/AFP - French troops board a Mali-bound US transport plane in 2013

The US has been helping French efforts in the region since France launched an operation in early 2013 to beat back Islamist militants who had taken over northern Mali.

But with President Barack Obama's administration now focused on a major air war against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, the United States has told France it will have to foot the bill for future US military help in the Sahel region.

"Going forward, the costs of the mission will have to be reimbursed," a senior US defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

It was unclear what effect Washington's decision would have on France's military operations in Africa.

Ukrainian rebels keep up attacks on government-held airport in Donetsk

9:34am EDT

By Natalia Zinets

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine accused Russian forces on Friday of helping separatists step up pressure on government troops holding the main airport in the eastern city of Donetsk, threatening a fragile ceasefire.

Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said Ukrainian forces had repelled several separatist attacks on the airport in the past 24 hours but "non-stop fighting" continued and "significant numbers of armor, heavy artillery and troops" had moved into the area.

"The Russians have sent in a full unit of drones over the airport, directed by Russian specialists, in order to carry out air reconnaissance and to direct fire," he told journalists.

France’s Hollande pledges $1 bn to global climate change fund

French President François Hollande announced that France will contribute $1 billion to a near-empty global fund to help developing nations adapt to the effects of climate change as he spoke at a United Nations climate summit on Tuesday.

“France will contribute a billion dollars over the next few years,” Hollande said.

Previously, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had been the only leader to make such a large contribution, pledging $1 billion over four years in July to the fund known as the Green Climate Fund. Developing countries have called for a target total of $15 billion in 2014.

Russians rally against Moscow role in Ukraine

The rally is the first of its kind since the standoff between Kiev and pro-Russian rebels started last year.

Protesters carried Russian and Ukrainian flags during anti-war rally in Moscow, the first large one since 2013 [EPA]

Thousands of Russians have rallied in Moscow in protest against the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, in the first major anti-war rally since the standoff between Kiev and pro-Russian rebels started last year.

Russian and Ukrainian flags were seen flying in the crowd, as banners read "We are together", "Putin, I'm sick of your lies" and "I don't want a war with Ukraine." Protesters were heard chanting "No to war."

"Putin means war, he is the leader of the party of war," one of the organisers and prominent Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov said by phone. 

Britain close to joining U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron speaks during a visit to the offices of financial company Scottish Widows in Edinburgh, Scotland September 10, 2014.

CREDIT: REUTERS/JAMES GLOSSOP/POOL

By Andrew Osborn

MANCHESTER England (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron may announce as soon as Wednesday that Britain is ready to join air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and that he plans to seek parliament's approval for such action, government sources said on Tuesday.

Cameron is due to set out his position in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Wednesday night at which he will call on the world to unite to destroy Islamic State (IS)militants, whom he has warned are planning to attack Britain.

The decision to strike in Iraq would be at Baghdad's request.

TURKEY CONSIDERS MILITARY ROLE AGAINST ISIL

NEW YORK (AP) -- 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he is considering expanding support for Western and Arab operations against the Islamic State group to include military involvement.

His comments Tuesday to Turkish reporters in New York mark a potential shift in Turkey's position on international efforts to fight the group, hours after the U.S. and Arab allies launched airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria.

Erdogan spoke on the sidelines of an annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations a day after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he expects a more robust role for Turkey in the fight against the Islamic State group after Ankara secured the release of 49 Turkish hostages that were being held by the extremist group.

Turkey, a U.S. ally and NATO member, has so far not committed to a U.S.-led coalition to take on the militants, who have swallowed large chunks of Syria and Iraq. It made commitments at various regional conferences to help in the effort against the Islamic State group, but help has been limited so far, Kerry said.