U.S. President Barack Obama hosted his would-be presidential successor Hillary Clinton at the White House on Monday, in a previously unannounced meeting.

"President Obama and Secretary Clinton enjoy catching-up in person when their schedules permit," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.

Syrian civil society groups appealed Tuesday for an international commitment to end the brutal war in their country as the only means to put the brakes on the spread of extremism.

"Stopping the violence requires two steps which we cannot achieve alone: an end to (President Bashar) Assad regime's barrel bombs and air strikes and negotiations between all Syrian groups and their international backers," 85 groups said in an emotive joint campaign.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini arrived in Cuba on Monday for crucial talks aimed at normalizing ties between the European Union and the communist island state.

The visit comes as previously icy relations between Cuba and the West are thawing, following the dramatic rapprochement between Havana and Washington in the last few months.

Burkina Faso's interim leader Michel Kafando has recalled 10 ambassadors who were appointed by his ousted predecessor and were seen as having close ties to the old regime, the transitional authorities said Monday.

The government said some of the recalled diplomats had engaged in "political activism" while others were due to retire or had reached the end of their term abroad, according to a statement sent to Agence France Presse.

Britain must urgently rebuild defense capabilities abandoned after the Cold War to face growing global threats, including from Russia, a committee of lawmakers warned on Tuesday.

The Commons Defense Committee, which examines the spending and policy of the defense ministry, said nuclear capacity, tanks, warships and aircrafts were needed to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin.

One of the most wanted members of the armed Basque separatist group ETA was arrested Monday in southwestern France, officials said. 

Sabin Mendizabal Plazaola, 34, who had been on the run for six years, was held in Saint-Palais in the foothills of the Pyrenees on an international arrest warrant for allegedly injuring a Spanish police officer who had been chasing him, Madrid said.

American lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Monday to urge President Barack Obama to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons to defend itself against Russian "aggression."

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the resolution in a broadly bipartisan 348-48 vote, heaping further pressure on the Obama administration to end its delays in providing weapons and other heavy military equipment to Kiev forces.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency voiced regret Monday that little progress had been made in recent months on Iranian cooperation over any possible military dimension of its nuclear program.

"It is true that we have had some engagement from Iran on issues with possible military dimension. But in the past several months, progress is very limited," Yukiya Amano, the head of the agency said on the sidelines of a conference on nuclear proliferation.

Kuwaiti riot police dispersed hundreds of opposition protesters who rallied Monday to demand the release of political prisoners and press for democratic reforms in the oil-rich Gulf state.

More than 500 activists gathered outside parliament in the capital Kuwait City for the third week in a row after authorities jailed opposition leader and former lawmaker Mussallam al-Barrak for allegedly insulting the emir.

U.S. President Barack Obama's chief of staff rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempts to distance himself from his comments rejecting Palestinian statehood, telling an Israel advocacy group Monday that the U.S. can't just overlook what Netanyahu said on the eve of his re-election.

"An occupation that has lasted more than 50 years must end," White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said.