U.S. and Russia hold talks on Syria ceasefire ahead of U.N. meeting
GENEVA (Reuters) – U.S. and Russian military officials have held talks in Geneva ahead of a wider meeting on Friday aimed at trying to secure a cessation of hostilities in Syria, diplomats said.
Kidnapped Red Cross staff released in Afghanistan
KABUL (Reuters) – Five Red Cross staff members, kidnapped by a group of armed men in the central Afghan province of Ghazni on Tuesday, were released unharmed, the aid group said on Friday.
Polish president Duda says Russia fomenting new Cold War
WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish President Andrzej Duda accused Russia of fomenting a new Cold War through its actions in Ukraine and Syria, and said Poland was ready to help any future NATO efforts in combating the Islamic State.
Export solution to Lebanon’s trash crisis scrapped
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon canceled a plan to export its rubbish to Russia on Friday, a government agency said, sending Beirut’s six-month garbage crisis back to square one as mountains of trash choke the city’s air and streets.
86-day Palestinian hunger strike challenges Israeli detention policy
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A three-month hunger strike by a Palestinian journalist accused of militancy on behalf of Hamas has prompted stern questions from the United Nations and European Union over Israel’s policy of keeping prisoners in detention without…
Austria says will cut migrant quotas further
VIENNA (Reuters) – Austria, which angered other European Union states by announcing a daily cap on immigration and asylum claims, said on Friday it would have to introduce even stricter limits in future.
Russia hopes Ukrainian truck ban will end on Saturday: agencies
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Russian transport ministry hopes that a Ukrainian ban on Russian trucks will end on Saturday and has made an offer to resolve a dispute over the issue, local agencies quoted the ministry as saying on Friday.
Berlin says no final decision on delivering patrol boats to Saudi Arabia
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said a final decision on the delivery of patrol boats to Saudi Arabia had not yet been made.
Colombia’s ex-rebel fighters struggle to find jobs, rebuild lives
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Deep in the Colombian jungle, child fighter Yeimi Diaz feared for her life as members of Latin America’s oldest guerrilla group held a meeting to decide whether to order a firing squad to shoot her.
China’s Xi urges state media to boost global influence
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese state media must tell China’s story to the world better and become internationally influential, President Xi Jinping said on Friday, during a visit to three of the country’s main media outlets.
