Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, Jan. 14

U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday made a phone call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the Ukraine crisis, Syria peace talks and the recent nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"President Obama emphasized the importance of working towards a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine through full implementation of the Minsk agreements by all parties," the White House said in a statement. (US-Obama-Putin)

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GENEVA -- The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said on Wednesday that he and his team will continue working hard to issue the invitations in order to ensure maximum inclusivity with a view to start the intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva on Jan. 25.

After meeting with representatives from the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council (the P5) in Geneva Wednesday evening, the special envoy told reporters that the P5 officials undertook to press for immediate action in support of the efforts in the coming few days. (UN-Syria)

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JERUSALEM -- Israel reprimanded the Swedish ambassador Wednesday over the call to probe into killings of Palestinians amid an ongoing surge of violence.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Swedish ambassador, Carl Magnus Nesser, in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening. (Israel-Sweden)

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DAMASCUS -- Several Syrian rebel groups said on Wednesday that they would not partake in the upcoming peace talks in Geneva unless a recently endorsed UN humanitarian resolution is implemented.

The resolution urges the warring sides in Syria to allow humanitarian access to all civilians in need. (Syria-UN-Peace Talks) Endi