US Welcomes Syrian Opposition Agreement

A State Department spokesman has welcomed an agreement between Syrian opposition groups on a common approach towards peace talks with the government. The deal reached at a meeting in Saudi Arabia drops a previous demand that President Bashar al-Assad step down before talks can begin.

The front-runner for the Democratic party nomination for the US presidency, Hillary Clinton, has condemned her Republican rival, Donald Trump, as dangerous. She said she no longer found him funny following his suggestion that Muslims be banned from entering the United States.

The Chinese currency, the yuan, has fallen to its lowest level in more than four years after the country's central bank again reduced its guidance rate. This is seen as a sign that Beijing is allowing the currency to depreciate following the decision last month of the International Monetary Fund to add the yuan to its list of reserve currencies.