Reports of a major explosion in Ankara, possibly caused by a car bomb.
Syrian terrorist list produces 163 names -- but no agreement
There has been almost no progress made by major powers on overcoming one of the major stumbling blocks to ending the war in Syria -- agreeing on which groups in Syria are terrorists and which are not.
Everyone involved in the process agrees that two groups -- the IS group and Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate the Al-Nusra Front -- are terrorists.
But disagreement rages over which of Syria's many other armed groups should also be considered terrorists.
"This list hasn't been touched since December," a senior European diplomat told Reuters.
"The difficulty we have is that there are hundreds of different groups on the ground, and groups can change names and affiliations every day."
United States wants NATO to step up fight against IS
The United States is pressing NATO to play a bigger role against the IS group in Syria and Iraq, putting Washington at odds with Germany and France which fear the strategy would risk confrontation with the alliance's old Cold War foe Russia, Reuters reports.
'Aleppo is dying,' locals say amid heavy fighting
Syria's largest city Aleppo has transformed into a battlefield amid clashes between government troops and militant groups.
“Air strikes are ongoing daily, sometimes several times a day. It is tough for the people, there has been a lot of fighting with government forces, with Isis and with members from the Kurds group and “moderate” rebels. It is really frustrating not to know what will happen in the city," the Telegraph quoted Anfal Seddik of Syria Charity, which has operated in the country since 2011, as saying.
Initiative for Syria no fly zone comes from Turkey, not Merkel: Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the initiative for establishing a no fly zone in northern Syria comes from Turkey and not from German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
25 killed in Feb. 15 bombing of Syria hospital: MSF
At least 25 people were killed in the bombing of a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders in northwestern Syria this week, the aid group has said according to AFP.
Revising a previous toll of 11 dead, an MSF spokeswoman said nine hospital staff and 16 other people, including patients and a child, had died after the bombing of the hospital on Monday in Idlib province.
50,000 homeless in southern Syria amid intensified fighting
Fighting between pro-government and rebel forces in southern Syria has left almost 50,000 civilians homeless in the middle of winter, the UN has said.
There has been heavy fighting in Syria's Daraa province, where the provincial capital Daraa city remains in rebel hands.
Merkel repeats call for 'some kind of no fly zone' in northern Syria
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeated a call for a "kind of no fly zone" up to the Turkish border.
Merkel criticized attacks by Russia and Syrian government forces, saying they were "not in the spirit of the resolution that was passed by the UN Security Council in December."
Russia calls for pressure on Syrian opposition to implement agreement on humanitarian aid
Russia's Foreign Ministry has urged "anyone who has influence on the armed opposition groups in Syria to use their influence to implement the International Syria Support Group decision on humanitarian track, which needs movement from both sides of the conflict."
Moscow's call comes amid sharp international criticism over Russian and Syrian government airstrikes against hospitals and schools in northern Syria, which have cast doubt on the viability of plans for a ceasefire scheduled to start on Feb. 19.