Pan-Arab effort to bring Syria back into the fold: Arab states have offered Syrian president Bashar Al Assad a way out of isolation that would see them provide bns of USD for post-war reconstruction, according to the Wall Street Journal. The countries have also said they will lobby the US and Europe to ease crippling economic sanctions in return for opening talks with opposition groups, accepting Arab troops to protect returning refugees, and curbing Iranian influence in the country. The talks remain at an early stage but Damascus has so far not shown interest in political reform or accepting Arab forces in the country, Syrian, Arab and European officials told the newspaper.

Remember: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry earlier this month became the first Egyptian diplomat to make an official visit to Syria in a decade, a day after House Speaker Hanafi Gibali visited Damascus to discuss bringing the country back inside the Arab League.

ICC issues arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin: The International Criminal Court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin and another senior official for allegedly deporting children from Ukraine to Russia. (ICC)