Jan 30 (Reuters) - The Kurdish-led Democratic Syrian Forces said on Friday they had agreed to a comprehensive ceasefire and a phased integration of military and administrative bodies into the Syrian state under a broad deal, following recent clashes.

Under the agreement, forces will withdraw from the front lines, government units will deploy to the centres of Hasakah and Qamishli, and local security forces will be merged.

(Reporting by Jana Choukeir;Editing by Alison Williams)

KYIV, Jan 30 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that the date or location of the next round of U.S.-mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia on how to end the war could change.

The follow-up round of talks was supposed to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, but Zelenskiy said that he did not know when the next meeting would take place.

By Erin Banco, Jonathan Landay and Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - U.S. Agency for International Development staffers in early 2024 drafted a warning to senior officials in Joe Biden’s administration: Northern Gaza had turned into an “Apocalyptic Wasteland” with dire shortages of food and medical aid.

BEIJING, Jan 30 (Reuters) - China's Coast Guard organised 134 patrols around the Senkaku Islands in the past five years, state-run CCTV said.

In 2025, it patrolled the region for 357 days out of the year, the report said.

Senkaku Islands, administered by Japan but also claimed by China, have long been a flashpoint in relations between the two Asian powers.

(Reporting by Colleen HoweEditing by Shri Navaratnam)

Jan 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was planning to talk to Iran amid rising tensions.

“We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn't have to use them,” Trump told reporters Thursday at the Kennedy Center.

(Reporting by Bo Erickson, Writing by Christian Martinez, Editing by Jasper WArd)

Weeks after toppling Venezuela's leader, US President Donald Trump is turning to a similar playbook on Iran, sending what he calls an "armada" near its shores and warning an unpopular government.

Trump has been emboldened on multiple fronts by the tactical success in Venezuela, but Iran presents far more complexities.

- Nature of government -

After US commandos snatched Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, Trump has leaned on his successor, vice president Delcy Rodriguez, threatening new attacks if she does not comply with his wishes, starting with access to the country's oil.

Jan 29 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday he expected the implementation of an agreement by Russia not to fire on Kyiv and other cities for a week because of winter weather, as announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Zelenskiy said the days to come would show whether Moscow would abide by such an agreement.

"Our teams discussed this in the United Arab Emirates. We expect the agreements to be implemented," Zelenskiy wrote in English on the X social media platform. "De-escalation steps contribute to real progress toward ending the war."

Jan 29 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee on Thursday expressed concern for the welfare of Iranian athletes amid the country's escalating unrest, saying it remains in contact with Iran's Olympic community.

Plainclothes Iranian security forces have rounded up thousands of people in a campaign of mass arrests and intimidation to deter further protests after crushing the bloodiest unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, sources told Reuters.

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday the U.S. military will be prepared to carry out whatever President Donald Trump decides on Iran to ensure Tehran does not pursue nuclear weapons capability.

With a large U.S. military force gathered in the region, Hegseth was asked by Trump at a cabinet meeting to comment on the situation.

Around 1,500 Israeli Jews prayed at a contested tomb in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday morning, and a settler leader hailed an "important step" towards establishing Israeli sovereignty over the site.

Jews believe Joseph's Tomb in the north of the Palestinian territory is the burial site of the Biblical patriarch Joseph. Muslims consider it the burial place of a local religious figure.

The entry of Jewish pilgrims often sparks clashes with Palestinians, who claim the visits are a provocation.