After escaping a devastating war, frustrated Syrian refugees in aid-starved neighboring states say they must now choose between joining an exodus to Europe or "returning home to die".

Millions of Syrians have found shelter in surrounding countries including Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan that are now struggling to cope with the massive influx.

The Islamic State group had ambitious plans for Afghanistan, but Taliban resistance, U.S. drone strikes, and a society less scarred by sectarianism mean the extremists have so far failed to repeat their Middle Eastern breakthrough.

The jihadist group, which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, has been trying for months to establish itself in Afghanistan's eastern badlands, challenging the Taliban on their own turf.

As migrants by the thousands pour daily into Hungary, the government is hastily building a barrier along its 174-kilometer (109-mile) border with Serbia: three layers of razor wire and a 4-meter (13-foot) high fence. The migrants, however, are just climbing over the razor wire or crawling under it.

Here's a look at current and historic border barriers, an approach that has been taken for centuries with varying degrees of success.

First they egged the prime minister's building. Then they dumped some of the garbage piling up on Beirut's streets outside the home of the environment minister, furious the government couldn't get its act together to find a solution when Lebanon's main landfill shut down.

But perhaps the most electrifying move by the young, tech-savvy group of activists was when they spread their catchy slogan "You Stink" across social media. It helped turn the trash crisis into a popular uprising against a political class that has dominated Lebanon since its civil war ended in 1990.

Ties between the EU and Russia remain at their lowest ebb over the conflict in Ukraine, ahead of a series of key talks including a visit by President Petro Poroshenko to Brussels on Thursday.

Renewed fighting in eastern Ukraine between pro-Moscow rebels and Kiev's government forces has made a mockery of a February ceasefire, while the European Union has renewed tough sanctions against Russia.

He watches one last YouTube video of an Islamist preacher, then alone in the bathroom of a high-speed train he removes his shirt and grabs his assault rifle.

Ayoub El Khazzani is ready to commit a massacre, according to an account of the 40 terrifying minutes on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris last week pieced together by French prosecutors and witness statements.

Torn apart by a year of fighting between two rival governments, Libya is now in tatters with hopes sparked by the ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi having fizzled out.

"The situation is more perilous than at any time since the fall of the Gadhafi regime in 2011," said Patrick Skinner, analyst with the Soufan Group intelligence consultancy based in New York.

Al-Qaida has gained more ground amidst the chaos in Yemen -- this time in second city Aden -- but for now Saudi Arabia is turning a blind eye to its longtime enemy, experts say.

Supported by a Saudi-led military coalition, forces loyal to Yemen's exiled government retook Aden last month from Iran-backed Huthi rebels who have seized large parts of the country including the capital Sanaa.

As Iraq attempts to curb rampant corruption and streamline the government, the country's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, is playing a crucial role supporting the reform drive.

Sistani, who is revered by millions and has unmatched prestige in Iraq, issued multiple calls for change this month, kickstarting Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's reform efforts and making it politically risky for Shiite politicians to openly oppose them.

Fierce criticism of the Iran nuclear agreement by Republicans seeking the U.S. presidency has raised a big question in Tehran -- will future American leaders keep their side of the bargain?

Despite tension and continuing mutual mistrust, Iran's government and President Barack Obama's White House are partners in the same fight, telling their domestic audiences that the July 14 deal is as good as it gets.