Recent conflict between Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria has again brought to the world's attention the detention facilities where Islamic State group members are held and camps where mostly women and children have been locked up for years.

During the battles that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces fought against the Islamic State group over the past decade, thousands of IS fighters of different nationalities were captured and have been held in some dozen jails in northeast Syria.

Iran's foreign minister issued the most direct threat yet Wednesday against the United States after Tehran's bloody crackdown on protesters, warning the Islamic Republic will be "firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack."

The comments by Abbas Araghchi, who saw his invitation to the World Economic Forum in Davos rescinded over the killings, comes as an American aircraft carrier group moves westward toward the Middle East from Asia. American fighter jets and other equipment appears to be moving in the Mideast after a major U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean saw troops seize Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Wednesday he had agreed to join U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, after his office earlier criticized makeup of the board's executive committee.

The board, chaired by Trump, was originally envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing the Gaza ceasefire plan. The Trump administration's ambitions have appeared to balloon into a more sprawling concept, with Trump extending invitations to dozens of nations and hinting it will soon broker global conflicts.

The Sundance Film Festival may be a little bittersweet this year. It will be familiar in some ways as it kicks off on Thursday in Park City, Utah. There will be stars, from Natalie Portman to Charli XCX, and breakout discoveries, tearjerkers, comedies, thrillers, oddities that defy categorization and maybe even a few future Oscar nominees. The pop ups and sponsors will be out in full force on Main Street. The lines to get into the 90 movies premiering across 10 days will be long and the volunteers will be endlessly helpful and cheery in subfreezing temperatures.

But the country's premier showcase for independent film is also in a time of profound transition after decades of relative stability. The festival is bidding farewell to its longtime home and forging forward without its founder, Robert Redford, who died in September. Next year, it must find its footing in another mountain town, Boulder, Colorado.

Ricky Martin and Hudson Williams joined a star-studded front row Monday for the first Giorgio Armani menswear runway collection under the sole creative direction of Leo Dell'Orco following the iconic designer's death in September.

The collection previewed on the final day of Milan Fashion Week was in complete continuity with Armani's heritage soft tailoring — but there were signs of a new sharpness and modernity.

Warming temperatures are forcing Antarctic penguins to breed earlier and that's a big problem for two of the cute tuxedoed species that face extinction by the end of the century, a study said.

With temperatures in the breeding ground increasing 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) from 2012 to 2022, three different penguin species are beginning their reproductive process about two weeks earlier than the decade before, according to a study in Tuesday's Journal of Animal Ecology. And that sets up potential food problems for young chicks.

The NBA will resume having referees wear headsets with earpieces and microphones Tuesday, with the test scheduled to continue through games of Feb. 12 before the league breaks for All-Star weekend.

From Nov. 1 through Dec. 12, referees had the headsets clipped onto their uniforms — then used it during instant replay reviews and other stoppages, but not actually during live play.

The Champions League resumes Tuesday after its winter break with Arsenal protecting the only 100% record heading to Inter Milan and defending champion Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Manchester City seeking wins to close on automatic qualification.

Arsenal has six straight wins and needs a point to become the first team to secure a spot in the round of 16. After defeats to Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, Inter — the heavily beaten finalist last season — dropped to sixth place and is looking to avoid three straight losses in the competition for the first time.

India and the UAE finalised a series of agreements on Monday, hoping to double bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032.

The United Arab Emirates president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital as part of a visit aimed at bolstering bilateral and strategic partnership.

Syria's ministry of interior said Tuesday that 120 Islamic State members escaped from a prison in northeast Syria a day earlier, amid clashes between government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which guards the prison.

Security forces recaptured 81 of the escapees, "while intensive security efforts continue to pursue the remaining fugitives and take the necessary legal measures against them," the statement said.