U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Wednesday voiced backing for a Russian-led bid for new talks to end Syria's devastating conflict.

Kerry, who is in Geneva for discussions with his Iranian counterpart to accelerate a deal on reining in Tehran's nuclear programme, met with U.N. peace envoy Staffan de Mistura for talks on the Syrian crisis and lauded his efforts.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet French President Francois Hollande on Friday to discuss the jihadist attacks that left 17 people dead last week in France.

The United States faced criticism after it failed to send a senior official to the massive rally in Paris on Sunday attended by dozens of world leaders condemning the bloodshed.

North Korea on Tuesday offered to hold direct talks with the United States on its proposal to suspend nuclear tests, and suggested dialogue could pave the way to changes on the Korean peninsula.

The U.S. State Department has rejected Pyongyang's offer to suspend nuclear tests in exchange for a temporary freeze on U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises but said it "remains opens to dialogue" with Pyongyang.

The United States on Tuesday urged Nigeria to go forward with planned February 14 presidential and legislative elections, despite being hit with "horrific" attacks by Islamist group Boko Haram.

The State Department declined to give any specific figures Tuesday for the number of victims in an offensive by the group in the northern region of Baga, on the banks of Lake Chad.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Geneva Tuesday to meet his Iranian counterpart as global powers seek to accelerate talks to reach a deal on reining in Iran's nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested Monday that a more active role for Russia could be one way to speed up the talks, with a new deadline looming on July 1 for a comprehensive agreement.

U.S. officials Tuesday warned they will boost pressure on North Korea with new economic penalties after the cyber-attack on Sony, but said Washington was open to engagement with the rogue state.

President Barack Obama slapped sanctions on North Korea early this month in retaliation for the hacking of Hollywood studio Sony Pictures' computer network.

A rights group on Tuesday urged the United Nations to help prevent the displacement of thousands of people, mainly from ethnic minority groups, by a $780 million China-backed dam.

Their plea came a day after Prime Minister Hun Sen said the economic benefits of a series of controversial dams outweigh environmental concerns in a country where a quarter of the population still lacks electricity.

Muslim residents of New Jersey will be in court to try to reverse a ruling that gave New York City police the right to monitor their activities.

The plaintiffs Tuesday include a U.S. soldier, a school principal and several Rutgers University students. They believe the ruling from U.S. District Judge William Martini of Newark violates their civil rights.

The United States will beef up security at government buildings and airports after last week's deadly attacks in Paris, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Monday.

The "precautionary" measures were not in response to specific threats, following a spate of recent violence, including an attack that left 12 people dead at the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Five more people were killed in assaults at separate locations.

U.S. President Barack Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that America was committed to a "comprehensive" nuclear deal with Iran, and said that Palestinian ICC membership was not "constructive," officials said.

"The United States is focused on reaching a comprehensive deal with Iran that prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and verifiably assures the international community of the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program," the White House said in a statement.