Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are set to begin their "initial talks" soon in Washington to lay the groundwork for further peace negotiations.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he "strongly supports" the resumption of the peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

US President Barack Obama says it is "a promising step forward".

US Secretary of State John Kerry has named a former US ambassador to Israel as the lead negotiator.

The talks, which have been stalled for 3 years, follow 6 visits to the Middle East in the last 5 months by Kerry.

The breakthrough also comes after Israel approved the release of more than 1-hundred Palestinian prisoners.

 

40 injured in train collision in Western Switzerland

At least 40 people have been injured after a train collision in western Switzerland.

At least five of them are in serious condition.

The crash took place in Vaud canton, 50km south-west of the capital, Bern.

Witnesses say the two trains collided head-on early Monday evening.

The driver of one of the trains is believed to be trapped inside the wreckage.

The collision comes days after the fatal train derailment in Spain which left nearly 80 people dead.

 

Europe's top diplomat holds talks with Muslim Brotherhood delegation

Europe's top diplomat is urging Egypt's government to reach out to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Catherine Ashton is in Cairo to mediate an end to the country's political turmoil.

Ashton has met with military chief General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei and interim President Adly Mansour.

Ashton has also met with representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood, she asks all sides to start an inclusive transitional process, which would include the Muslim Brotherhood.

It was the European Union foreign policy chief's second visit to Cairo since President Morsi was ousted nearly a month ago.

 

Tunisia PM says not to quit

Tunisian Prime Minister Ali Larayedh says he and his government will not quit despite opposition demands.

Larayedh says his government is not clinging to power but rather fulfilling its duty.

He has also called general elections for December amid demands for the ouster of the Islamist-led transitional government.

The prime minister's announcement comes after the assassination of a prominent opposition figure.

Meantime, at least eight soldiers have been killed by gunmen near the Algerian border on the backdrop of the political turmoil.

The attack took place in the remote Mount Chaambi area, where troops have been searching for hideouts of suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants.

 

Syrian army officially declares regaining of strategic district in central Homs

The Syrian army says it has fully captured a district that was a key rebel stronghold in the central city of Homs.

The Sana news agency says government forces have restored security to the neighborhood of al-Khalidieh. 

The announcement comes a month after Syrian government troops launched an offensive to oust rebels from Syria's third largest city.

Observers say the recent army operations in Homs is part of its efforts to secure southern and central areas in Syria before opening a large-scale offensive to recapture the northern province of Aleppo.

Aleppo is believed to be largely seized by al-Qaida-linked groups, mainly the Nusra Front.

The United Nations' recently estimated that more than 100-thousand people have been killed in Syria's two-and-a-half year crisis.

 

Gunmen storm Pakistan prison

Taliban militants have stormed a prison in northwest Pakistan, setting free at least 40 inmates and injuring three policemen.

Local police say gunmen used rocket-propelled grenades and machine-guns during the attack on the jail in the town of Dera Ismail Khan.

The prison houses hundreds of Taliban and other militants.

Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

Chinese FM welcomes deal with EU on solar panel dispute

Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the Chinese government welcomes a price undertaking deal reached between China and the European Union to resolve their dispute over solar panels.

Wang Yi made the comments at a meeting with his Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn in Beijing.

Wang says the deal benefits both sides as well as the world economy.

Meantime, EU trade commissioner Karel de Gucht has outlined the deal in Brussels.

De Gucht says about 70 percent of Chinese solar panel imports to the EU have agreed to set a minimum price - though he has not revealed the details of the price.

The deal comes two months after the European Commission decided to impose provisional anti-dumping duties on imports of solar panels from China.

 

China denies official contact with Abe adviser

The Chinese government has denied contact between Chinese government officials and an advisor to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Japanese Cabinet Secretariat Advisor Isao Iijima reportedly visited Beijing earlier this month.

It has been reported that Iijima held talks with Chinese officials about the possibility of summit talks during the visit.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did confirmed Iijima's recent application for a visa to China.

Suicidal engineer involved in police investigation: authorities

A senior engineer who committed suicide last week has been identified as one of several people who are being investigated by the police over a bridge collapse in Sichuan.

The engineer, surnamed Yang, jumped off a building last Friday after being asked to participate in an investigation into the collapse. 

12 people went missing in the incident earlier this month. 

60 people, including the engineer, are under investigation in connection with the incident.

Local authorities have detained a transportation bureau official over alleged dereliction of duty.