UNITED NATIONS -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York that the "man-made humanitarian nightmare" for the Syrian people must stop immediately.

"This man-made humanitarian nightmare for the long-suffering Syrian people must stop. It must stop now," the UN chief said. (UN-Syria-Humanitarian Nightmare)

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WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of State said on Friday that the United States and the Afghan Taliban are set to sign an agreement on Feb. 29 after the implementation of a week-long violence reduction in Afghanistan.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that on the condition of a successful implementation of the reduction in violence across Afghanistan, the United States and the Taliban are expected to sign an agreement on Feb. 29, but he did not announce the location of the signing.

(US-Taliban-Deal)

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MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the recent escalation of tensions in Syria's Idlib and confirmed that the two countries will continue intensive military contacts amid Idlib escalation during a phone conversation on Friday, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"The talks focused again on the situation in Idlib de-escalation zone. Vladimir Putin expressed serious concerns over the ongoing aggressive actions of extremist groups. The necessity of unconditional respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic was emphasized," the statement said. (Russia-Turkey-Syria)

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CHICAGO -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange on Friday rose to the highest level since February 2013, as downbeat economic data fueled haven demand for the yellow metal.

The most active gold contract for April delivery added 28.3 U.S. dollars, or 1.75 percent, to settle at 1,648.8 dollars per ounce. (US-Gold) Enditem

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