The United States and Russia have agreed to promote a ceasefire in Syria and allow critical humanitarian aid to reach affected cities and towns.  They also agreed to a joint targeting of the Islamic State and other Islamist militias. This is the second ceasefire attempted this year.  In February, the two sides reached a similar agreement only to see it fall apart in days.  Reuters: "This all creates the necessary conditions for resumption of the political process, which has been stalling for a long time," Lavrov told a news conference. The deal followed talks that stretched late into Friday night and several failed attempts to hammer out a deal over the past two weeks. The announcement on Friday was delayed as Kerry and U.S. negotiators consulted with officials in Washington. "The Obama administration, the United States, is going the extra mile here because we believe that Russia, and my colleague (Lavrov), have the ability to press the...(Read Full Post)