US and Russia 'close' to reaching Syria peace agreement
Kerry and Lavrov say there are issues that need to be addressed before finalising a deal to end hostilities.
The United States and Russia are 'close' to reaching an agreement to end the war in Syria, with both nations saying they would try and finalise a deal in the coming days.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said late on Friday that talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Swiss city of Geneva had "achieved clarity on the path forward", but together they offered few details on how they planned to renew a February cessation of hostilities and improve humanitarian assistance.
"We don't want to have a deal for the sake of the deal," Kerry said. "We want to have something done that is effective and that works for the people of Syria, that makes the region more stable and secure, and that brings us to the table here in Geneva to find a political solution."
Turkey could be overplaying its hand with Syria ground offensive as civil war reaches crucial point
As US and Russian officials meet in Geneva to discuss potential co-operation, Turkey's involement means the multi-sided conflict is becoming ever more complex
Turkey is back in the game in Syria. Turkish tanks and special forces last week joined anti-Assad rebels to capture the border town of Jarabulus from Isis. It was the first significant Turkish ground operation in Syria since the beginning of the war in 2011. The immediate target was Isis, but a more important Turkish objective is to strike at the political and military power of the Syrian Kurds who are already in control of much of the territory south of the Syrian-Turkish frontier.
The war in Syria has reached a critical moment which may see it de-escalate or explode into even greater violence. US Secretary of State John Kerry and the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met on Friday in Geneva with the aim of reaching a political and military cooperation agreement.
Kashmir: Arrest of separatist leader causes uproar
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq a leader of separatist conglomerate, has been arrested in Indian-administered Kashmir.
A Kashmiri separatist leader has been arrested in Indian-administered Kashmir while leading a peaceful demonstration.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, from All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC), was initially held in the Nigeen Police Station after being arrested in front of his residence on Thursday, before he was transferred to Chashma Shahi Sub-Jail on Friday, the APHC said in a statement.
Local media reported that Farooq was taken into custody for violating the terms of his house arrest by trying to participate in a march to the Martyrs' Graveyard along with his supporters to pay tribute and protest against the recent killings of civilian Kashmiris.
Zimbabwe protests: Mugabe says there will be no 'Arab Spring' amid violent clashes
Protesters vow to return despite police crackdown on demonstrationMacDonald Dzirutwe in Harare
President Robert Mugabe has warned protesters there will be no "Arab Spring" in Zimbabwe after anti-government demonstrations descended it to some of the worst violence seen in the southern African nation for two decades.
Zimbabwean police fired tear gas and water cannon at opposition leaders and hundreds of demonstrators at a protest against Mugabe and the ruling Zanu-PF, before unrest swept across large parts of the capital Harare.
"They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country but we tell them that it is not going to happen here," Mr Mugabe told state television, referring to a series of uprisings that toppled leaders across the Arab world.
Turkish novelist jailed in 'unacceptable' conditions, say campaigners
Acclaimed author Aslı Erdoğan, who was imprisoned along with other pro-Kurdish writers after July’s failed coup, is being denied vital medical attention, say reportsAlison Flood
The renowned Turkish novelist Aslı Erdoğan says she is facing “permanent damage” from the treatment she is receiving in prison after her arrest last week.
Erdoğan, an award-winning and celebrated Turkish novelist, was arrested in her home on the night of 16 August, according to a statement from her French publisher Actes Sud. A columnist and member of the pro-Kurdish opposition daily Özgür Gündem’s advisory board, which was shut down under the state of emergency that followed the failed coup of 15 July, her arrest came alongside that of more than 20 other journalists and employees of the paper. She was subsequently charged with “membership of a terrorist organisation” and “undermining national unity”.
Erdoğan, whom the French literary magazine Lire named as one of the 50 most promising authors of the future, told the daily Hürriyet through her lawyer, Nesrullah Oğuz, that she was being treated in prison “in a way that will leave permanent damage on my body”. She said she was sleeping in a bed that had previously been urinated in, and that she was not able to get access to her medication.
Opinion: Judges, politics and the burkini
The burkini ban has caused quite a stir in France. Now the country's highest administrative court has suspended the ban on burkinis for the time being. It is a good decision, writes DW's Martin Muno.
Does the burkini pose a threat to the population, French society or even Western values? Up until a few weeks ago, any person with common sense would have responded by shaking their head decidedly.
In times of terror and the ideological rise of right-wing populist movements across Europe, reason seems to be diminishing, even though in France there is no factual connection between terrorist attacks and women swimming.
Arms against fabric
And yet that is why armed policemen patrolled beaches to enforce laws in around 30 French municipalities. They asked women to remove long-sleeved garments or they would otherwise have to pay a fine. It was a humiliating process for those addressed and a huge propaganda victory for all kinds of Islamist fundamentalists.
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