Germany hosts talks on Syria

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will hold talks in Berlin today with Syria's main opposition leader as a two-month- old ceasefire hangs by a thread. The discussions, which will also involve French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and the United Nations' envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, will focus on " how a reduction of violence... in Syria can be achieved", the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday.

Decision on Turks' Schengen access

The European Commission is expected to declare today that Turkey has broadly met the criteria for its citizens to gain visa-free access to the passportless Schengen zone by next month, according to sources. The scrapping of visa requirements for Turks was one of the demands made by Ankara in exchange for taking back migrants landing in Greece, under a deal signed in March.

IE Singapore holds trading dialogue

IE Singapore is holding the Global Trader Dialogue today, during which it will share plans for a new manpower training programme for the international trading sector targeting mid-career professionals. It will also provide details of recent enhancements to its trading programme.

More than 300 representatives from the trading community are expected to attend the event.