Spotlight
Turkey on Monday denied it had forged any secret "bargain" with Russia over the future of Syria ahead of a key ministerial meeting including Iran, despite improving cooperation that led to a deal for evacuations from war-wrecked Aleppo.

Clogged daily by dozens of aid trucks, a Turkish border crossing has become a key hub in efforts to get help to those who have fled the devastation in the war-ravaged Syrian city of Aleppo.
The Cilvegozu border crossing in Turkey's southern Hatay province just east of its main city Antakya is in a peaceful area, with little sign of the horror that lies just a few dozen kilometres beyond to the south.

Seven-year-old Bana al-Abed, whose Twitter account has offered a tragic account of the war in Syria, was evacuated from the divided Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, a Turkish NGO announced on social media.
"This morning @AlabedBana was also rescued from #Aleppo with her family. We warmly welcomed them," the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) wrote on its Twitter account, sharing an IHH aid worker's selfie picture with the girl.

Jordanian police said Monday they found suicide belts and other explosives in the hideout of suspected Islamic State group jihadists behind an attack that killed 10 people, including a Canadian tourist.
Another 34 people were wounded in Sunday's shooting spree, including a second Canadian. Four gunmen were shot dead by police during the course of a siege lasting several hours.

More than 3,000 people left the rebel enclave of Aleppo on Monday, raising hope for many others still stranded, as Russia eased its objections to sending UN observers to oversee the evacuations.
Two convoys of around 20 vehicles each crossed the front line in the early morning headed for rebel-held territory elsewhere in northern Syria, after around 350 people got out during the night.

Gunmen attacked buses sent to evacuate people from two pro-regime villages in northwest Syria on Sunday but a senior military source said the incident should not disrupt parallel evacuations from Aleppo.

Russia on Sunday circulated a draft resolution to address the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo after warning it was prepared to veto a French-drafted text on deploying U.N. observers to the Syrian city, diplomats said.
The Russian proposal calls on the United Nations to make "arrangements" to "monitor the condition of civilians remaining in Aleppo" but does not mention the deployment of observers, according to the draft seen by AFP.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy to Syria made a previously unannounced visit to Iran on Sunday for talks with top officials on the Syrian conflict.

U.N. Libya envoy Martin Kobler on Sunday called for national reconciliation and a unified security service after pro-government forces retook the former Islamic State group bastion of Sirte.

More than 100,000 people have been displaced as a result of the massive operation to recapture Iraq's second city Mosul, the International Organization for Migration said on Sunday.
