Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, Jan. 21

Top military officials from seven members of United States-led coalition fighting Daesh (IS) pledged on Wednesday to muscle military cooperation and reinforce strikes to uproot the terrorist cell.

Gathered in Paris, defense ministers of France, the United States, Australia, Germany, the UK, Italy and the Netherlands reaffirmed their "commitment to work together with the entire coalition to accelerate and intensify the campaign against Daesh, in order to deliver a lasting defeat to this barbaric organization." (France-IS-Strikes)

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BERLIN -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed on Wednesday that a European solution was needed to resolve the current refugee crisis despite calls for capping refugee influx from her own conservatives.

While attending a conference of her Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), Merkel once again rejected a rapid policy change which includes setting up a limit on the number of refugees entering Germany. (Germany-Refugee)

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KIEV -- Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk on Wednesday urged his cabinet to add more Russian companies and individuals to Kiev's sanction list over their alleged role in Ukraine's crisis.

"We should submit proposals to the National Security and Defense Council on the expanding of the list of individuals and legal entities, which fall under the sanctions," Yatsenyuk told a cabinet meeting. (Ukraine-Russia-Sanctions)

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CAIRO -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here Wednesday for a state visit to Egypt, the second leg of his three-nation Middle East tour.

To welcome the first visit of a Chinese president in 12 years, Egypt sent eight fighter jets to escort Xi's plane when it entered the country's airspace. (Egypt-China-Xi) Endi