G-7 leaders agree on conditions to recognize and work with the Taliban, but fail to persuade President Joe Biden to extend the US troop withdrawal date from Afghanistan. Also, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will meet with President Biden for talks in Washington on Thursday. And Algeria has cut diplomatic ties with Morocco.
War, violence, persecution, human rights violations and other factors caused nearly 3 million people to flee their homes last year, even though the COVID-19 crisis restricted movement worldwide, the UN refugee agency said in a report Friday.
Global operation by Australia and the American FBI leads to the arrest of more than 800 suspected criminals. And the Nigerian government bans Twitter after the platform deleted a tweet from President
Muhammadu Buhari. Also, a man in a pickup truck rams into a Muslim immigrant family in Canada on the street, killing four people.
Top of the World: Officials close to the negotiations between Israel and Hamas say a ceasefire could be announced in the next 24 hours as hostilities continue. And South Korean President Moon Jae-in is on a four-day visit to Washington, hoping to revive stalled talks with North Korea. Also, Russia assumes the chairmanship of the eight-nation Arctic Council bloc, as the US tries to oppose Moscow’s plans to set maritime rules.