Hello, I'm David Austin with the BBC News.
The United Nations Refugee Agency says the number of people who fled Syria has now passed four million. The agency's Head, António Guterres, described it as the worst humanitarian crisis of our generation.
“Worse than the numbers, worse than the human tragedy of the people is a fact: today is not like the general tunnel. And then of course, after several years living in countries where they cannot work, where assistance, unfortunately, is not only not increasing, but is diminishing, for like the resources, less than one fourth of the humanitarian deal made for the Syrian refugees, it's been until now responded to. We see people living in worse and worse conditions.”
Share prices in China have rebounded in spectacular fashion after days of heavy losses. The rise follows the latest intervention by the authorities in Beijing, who've now banned investors who hold more than five percent of a listed company from selling their stock for the next six months. From Shanghai, here's John Sudworth.
“It's an extraordinary restriction that's coupled with all the other government-backed efforts to shore up prices in the face of China's massive slump, it may finally have brought some stability. That said, around half of all listed companies have voluntarily suspended trading, so it could be argued that the market is, in effect, as much seizing up as stabilising. Analysts are divided over the extent to which the dramatic unwinding of China's massive lending-fuelled stock market boom poses a threat to the wider economy.”
Members of the first official delegation from the Afghan government to hold talks with the Taliban have returned to Kabul. They say U.N. sanctions and the fate of prisoners were discussed, as David Loyn reports from the Afghan capital.
“The leader of the government delegation, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Hamid Karzai, said that the important difference between this and earlier rounds of talks was the official nature of both sides. He was convinced that he was negotiating with people mandated to negotiate by the leadership of the Taliban. And crucially, they appeared to have also represented the so-called Haqqani Network, a militant group based in Pakistan that's allied to the Taliban. Despite this Afghan government optimism, there are mixed messages coming from the Taliban about whether theirs was an official delegation representing the whole movement.”David Loyn reporting from Kabul.
The Defence Ministry in Israel says two of its citizens are being held in Gaza. Reports suggest one, an Israeli of Ethiopian origin, identified as Barbara or Alfrehan Mingistu, crossed into the Gaza Strip illegally two weeks after the end of the Israel Gaza War last September. The information had been withheld under a gagging order ever since, but that's now been lifted. Hamas has not commented on whether it's holding the man. The name of the other, a non-Jewish Israeli citizen, is being withheld.
World news from the BBC.
South Carolina's House of Representatives has voted to remove the Confederate Flag from the State Capital grounds. Nick Bryant is in the State Capital of Columbia.
“This dramatic vote came after more than thirteen hours of impassioned, angry, sometimes tearful debate in pleading with the fellow lawmakers to bring down the controversial battle flag. One Republican even reminded colleagues that she was a descendent of the Confederate President, Jefferson Davis. I mean, this was drenched in history. But of course, it's South Carolina's recent history that's transformed this debate. And in particular, the pitch in which emerged after last month's Charleston massacre showed the alleged killer, Dylann Roof, brandishing a flag that is seen by so many people here as a symbol of slavery, segregation and black subordination.”
Police in Malaysia say they have arrested two suspected Islamic State members, who were allegedly planning attacks in Kuala Lumpur. Their targets were believed to be places frequented by westerners. Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police said the two suspects were believed to have received orders from senior IS members in Syria.
The Greek government is expected to submit proposals by the end of today to its creditors, which it hopes will secure a third bailout and save it from leaving the Eurozone. A government spokesman said it was doing everything it could to reach an immediate deal and end the cycle of uncertainty. The reforms will be considered by Eurozone finance ministers before a full E.U. summit on Sunday. Banks will remain closed for the rest of the week.
FIFA has imposed a life-time ban on a former executive, who's admitted accepting bribes. The Ethics Committee of world football's governing body said Chuck Blazer would be barred from all football-related activity. Mr. Blazer has told in an investigation by the FBI that he and others on the Executive Committee accepted bribes in connection with the choice of South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup.