Bulgarians protest Turkish PM's visit to Sofia

1. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says only the Syrian people can decide the future of their country. Lavrov made the remark after talks with his US counterpart John Kerry in Moscow. The two officials said Daesh and al-Nusrah Front terrorists should not be included in any peace negotiations or ceasefire in Syria.

2. People have rallied in the Bulgarian capital Sofia to demonstrate against Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s visit to the country. The protesters accused Turkey of supporting terrorist groups in Syria. They slammed Ankara’s actions as aggression against Syrians.

3. A jury in the US city of Baltimore fails to issue a verdict in the trial of an officer involved in the death of an African-American man in police custody. William Porter has been charged over the death of Freddie Gray who succumbed to his spinal injuries in detention back in April.

4. Police in Brazil have raided the homes and offices of several top officials as part of an investigation into kick-backs on contracts at the country's state oil company Petrobras. The premises of a parliament speaker and two ministers were among the targets. President Dilma Rousseff is also accused of involvement in the scandal.

5. Iran’s president has urged his Nigerian counterpart Mohammadu Buhari to form a fact-finding committee to investigate the army’s attacks against Shia Muslims in Nigeria. In a telephone conversation, Hassan Rouhani called on the Nigerian government to order an end to the violence. Buhari promised to investigate the deadly crackdown on Shias.

6. At least 30 people are killed and 20 others wounded after the Boko Haram terrorists raid three villages in northeast Nigeria. The assailants set villagers' homes on fire. The terrorist group has killed up to 17,000 people in Nigeria and neighboring countries since 2009.

7. One Palestinian has been killed and several others injured in an attack by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank. Reports say the Palestinian man was shot after allegedly attempting to run over Israeli soldiers at the Qalandiya refugee camp. Israel’s attacks have claimed the lives of 124 Palestinians since October first.

8. Yemen’s Ansarullah fighters say Saudi Arabia and its allies have violated a newly-implemented ceasefire in the impoverished nation. They say Saudi warplanes have pounded positions in several provinces as clashes continued in the southwestern city of Ta’izz. This as Yemeni peace talks go on in Geneva.

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