AFP, Washington
US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Paris on Saturday to discuss progress toward a two-state solution, the State Department said.
“The secretary is not looking at trying to make progress based on a fixed date on the calendar,” spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday.
Air strikes killed 14 civilians in Iraq, Syria
Reuters, Washington
Six US air strikes against al Qaeda and ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria killed 14 civilians and injured another between July 28 last year and April 29 this year, the US military said on Thursday.
The strikes took place against Khorasan Group, an al Qaeda offshoot in Syria, and ISIS facilities and vehicles in Iraq, the military said.
Merkel defends refugee stance after attacks
AFP, Berlin
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday rebuffed calls to reverse her welcoming stance toward refugees after a series of brutal attacks in the country.
Merkel, who interrupted her summer holiday to face the media in Berlin, said the four assaults within a week were “shocking, oppressive and depressing” but not a sign that authorities had lost control.
