New round of Syria talks to be announced
UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura says he will announce a new date on Friday for the second round of Syria peace talks. He says he will brief the UN Security Council beforehand. A task force for the International Syria Support Group, led by Russia and the United States, is in Geneva discussing humanitarian access. De Mistura says another ISSG task force is to meet on Friday, mainly for member states to contribute to the US-Russian proposal for a ‘cessation of hostilities’ in Syria. That’s due to begin on Saturday. It won’t include Daesh, Al Nusra or other groups that the UN Security Council considers terrorists.

Russia ‘yet to fully implement Minsk deal’
NATO’s assistant secretary general for public diplomacy has accused Russia of persisting with efforts to undermine Ukraine’s political aspirations and not living up to the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. Ted Whiteside also says NATO will not employ the Cold War strategy of stationing hundreds of thousands of troops in Central Europe as a deterrent. He says "We need mobile forces nimble enough to come to the assistance of others." Ukraine and the Russian Federation are among signatories of the Minsk Protocol. It aimed to put an end to fighting in the Donbass region of Ukraine.

Military spending increased
Australia has announced it will boost its defence spending by about $21.6 billion over the next 10 years. It will invest in submarines, naval vessels, fighter jets and increased personnel in the Australian Defence Force. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says regional challenges, terrorism, cyber-warfare and climate change need to be tackled.

IMF calls for global stimulus plan
The International Monetary Fund has warned of economic weakness around the world. In a report published on Wednesday, it cited financial turbulence and falling asset prices as the causes as well as a slowdown in growth in China. And it warns that the global economy is now "highly vulnerable to adverse shocks." The report was published ahead of a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Shanghai scheduled at the end of this week.

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