Russia said Thursday there had been "progress" in talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on finding an end to the four-year-war sparked by Moscow's full-scale invasion of its pro-Western neighbor.

"There is definitely progress, things are moving forward in a good, positive direction," Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev told state media.

Talks between the United States and Iran are expected to take place in Oman but the scope of the discussions needs to be agreed, an Arab diplomat told AFP on Wednesday.

"A meeting is requested in Oman by the Iranians, and the Americans have approved the location, but the parameters of discussions are still being worked on," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.

Eurozone inflation eased in January to 1.7 percent, official data showed Wednesday, thanks to a faster decline in energy costs.

The rise in consumer prices dipped from 2.0 percent the month before, and fell below the European Central Bank's target of two percent. The January reading was in line with forecasts of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg and FactSet.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin hailed Moscow's economic, political and security ties with Beijing as a "stabilizing" factor in turbulent times globally, in a video call with China's Xi Jinping on Wednesday.

Moscow and Beijing have sought to present a united front against the West, with ties deepening since Russia's 2022 Ukraine offensive.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for Americans to move on from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and again said he had been cleared by the latest release of millions of documents.

"Nothing came out about me other than it was a conspiracy against me, literally, by Epstein and other people. But I think it's time now for the country to maybe get on to something else like health care or something that people care about," he told reporters at the White House.

A second round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine mediated by the United States has begun in the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine's lead negotiator announced Wednesday.

"Another round of negotiations has begun in Abu Dhabi," the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, wrote on social media, adding Kyiv's team was seeking "to achieve a just and lasting peace."

An unlikely love story blossoming in the thick of war provides the backdrop to a new documentary that raises questions about how modern media cover conflict.

"Birds of War" traces the growing relationship between Syrian activist-cameraman Abd Alkader Habak and Lebanese journalist Janay Boulos, who was working for the BBC in London as Syria's civil war unfurled.

For Iraqis who lived through the 1990s, dictator Saddam Hussein's birthday on April 28 was a disorientating day of celebration and propaganda.

Parties were staged across the sanctions-hit country to mark the occasion, while many public squares and bridges around Baghdad were decorated with colored lights.

Israel's army will appoint its highest-ranking Muslim woman to replace chief Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee, the public face for Palestinians and Lebanese of its military campaigns, a military source said on Tuesday.

Major Ella Waweya will replace Lieutenant Colonel Avichay Adraee, who for people in Gaza and Lebanon is indelibly linked with Israel's deadly bombing campaigns and known for what are seen as provocative uses of colloquial Arabic, koranic verses and humor in his messages.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday, Saudi media said, his first visit to the kingdom in over two years as Saudi Arabia moves closer to its rival-turned-ally.

Ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia have steadily recovered in recent years, with the countries cooperating on a range of diplomatic issues.