Nine Turkish soldiers were killed and 11 others injured in attacks by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) targetting Turkish bases in northern Aleppo province, a war monitor said on Friday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the SDF strikes hit bases on Thursday in the al-Hoshriya area. The SDF also struck a military gathering in the village of Atshana, south of Manbij, with casualty figures from that incident still unconfirmed, the Observatory said.

The Observatory said the SDF attacks appeared to be in retaliation for continued ground and air assaults by Turkish forces and allied factions against SDF-held areas in northern and eastern Syria.

On Thursday, Turkish warplanes reportedly bombed areas around the Tishreen Dam near Manbij, causing explosions and smoke plumes, though there were no immediate reports of casualties

US President Donald Trump, affirmed hope of having a "very good relationship" with China under his administration, while also stressing the need to have a "level-playing field" regarding the trade situation.

Virtually addressing the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Trump said, "He (Xi Jinping) called me. But I see it very good. I think that we are going to have a very good relationship," Trump said, noting that the US has been facing significant trade deficits with China, a situation he attributed to former President Biden's policies."

Calling the relationship "unfair", Trump said the US doesn't want to take any advantage but wants fairness.

Five bodies were evacuated on Friday from a fire that broke out at a shopping mall in the western part of Jakarta on Wednesday evening, as rescuers intensified search efforts for other missing persons.

"Five bodies were found on the eighth floor, inside a karaoke room. All victims were unable to be identified," West Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency chief Syarifudin told reporters, adding that they were already transferred to a police hospital for identification through DNA analysis.

He also confirmed that the number of missing persons has increased from eight to 14 as more people reported their missing relatives to authorities.

Syarifudin said that search efforts were hampered by many partitions and large areas of the shopping mall.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces announced on Thursday the arrest of 15 individuals accused of planning sabotage in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, the official news agency reported.

The IRGC's Quds Base said the arrests took place during the ongoing 'Martyrs of Security' operation.

Security forces identified the group in the border areas between Iran and Pakistan and captured them through a coordinated ground operation, supported by intelligence officers, military helicopters, and drones, the reported.

The operation also led to the seizure of a large cache of weapons and ammunition, news agency reported.

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams on Thursday stepped out of the International Space Station (ISS) for a spacewalk along with colleague Nick Hague, the US space agency said.

This is Williams' first spacewalk in 12 years, and the eighth in her career, while it's Hague's fourth. The mission designated US Spacewalk 91, is expected to last around six and a half hours.

Hague serves as spacewalk crew member 1 and is wearing a suit with red stripes. Williams is serving as spacewalk crew member 2 and is wearing an unmarked suit.

The astronaut-duo is currently working to perform maintenance tasks and replace hardware, NASA said.

It has been over a week since the massive wildfires broke out in Los Angeles, fueled by hurricane-strength Santa Ana winds, causing some of the most catastrophic fire scenes California has ever witnessed.

The fires, centered around the Palisades and nearby Eaton areas, remain largely uncontained. With the return of Santa Ana winds, the risk of further spread or new ignitions grows.

To date, these fierce wildfires have claimed at least 25 lives, destroyed over 12,300 structures, and scorched more than 40,600 acres (about 164 square km).

So, when will these fires end, and what do firefighters need to stop them?

UN relief agencies and humanitarians, led by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the Gaza ceasefire accord reached between Israel and Hamas, and called for a massive scaling up of humanitarian operations.

Guterres said the world body's priority must be to ease suffering caused by the conflict once the ceasefire takes effect, scheduled for Sunday, calling for rapid, unhindered, and safe humanitarian relief for all needy civilians, news agency reported.

"It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza so that we can support a major increase in urgent lifesaving humanitarian support. The humanitarian situation is at catastrophic levels," he said.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, the UN relief chief, said in a statement that the ceasefire agreement offers much-needed hope to millions of people whose lives have been devastated by the conflict.

Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on his first official visit to Turkey.

The meeting between Erdogan and Al-Shaibani addressed the most recent situation in Syria and steps to be taken to preserve the country's territorial integrity, Turkey's Communications Directorate said in a statement on the social media platform X, news agency reported.

According to the directorate, Erdogan said that "Turkey will support meeting the urgent needs of the brotherly Syrian people and the efforts to rebuild the country," emphasising the importance of lifting international sanctions on Syria.

Erdogan also underscored that there is no room for terrorist organisations in Syria's future, the statement added.

In a joint press conference following the meeting with Al-Shaibani, Fidan said "the international community could support Syria to rebuild state institutions and build capacity," calling for the removal of sanctions "to facilitate the provision of basic public services and accelerate normalisation."

India on Thursday welcomed the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the decision for the release of hostages between Israel and Hamas.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed hope that this development would pave the way for safe and sustained humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

"We welcome the announcement of the agreement for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza. We hope this will lead to a safe and sustained supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza," the MEA stated.

India reiterated its consistent stance, advocating for the release of hostages, a ceasefire, and a return to dialogue and diplomacy.

"We have consistently called for release of all hostages, ceasefire, and return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy," the statement added.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that it received $1.5 million in funding from the Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UN global fund for education in emergencies, to address the urgent educational and psychosocial needs of Sudanese refugee children in Libya.

"This contribution from the ECW allows us to tackle the critical education gaps for Sudanese refugee children in Libya, ensuring that no child is left behind," said Mohammad Fayyazi, UNICEF representative in Libya, in a statement.

According to the statement, the program, set to reach 19,000 children across Libya, provides both formal and non-formal educational opportunities, ensuring children facing barriers, such as lack of documentation, can still access learning, news agency reported.

The statement added that the program also integrates mental health and psychosocial support to address the trauma and challenges faced by children affected by displacement and violence.