BBC New with Steward Macintosh.

Student leaders in Hong Kong have agreed to meet the government to discuss their demands after five days of mass protest for democracy. They were responding to an offer of negotiations from the Chief Executive of Hong Kong C. Y. Leung. He made the comments shortly before the expiry of a midnight deadline set by students who threatened to occupy government buildings if he didn't resign. Ali Moore is in Hong Kong.

Behind me were seen protesters here still call for the resignation of C. Y. Leung and also call for full democracy and the right not just to have one man one vote but also to choose the candidates that would stand for that vote. The question is will this be enough? Will talks be enough to take the protesters off the streets? A number of them are saying no, they will stay; it could not be the end. It's noticeable the numbers have thinned out, but it's going to take time to work out whether or not this has been a big enough concession. Definitely tensions have been defused.

The Turkish parliament has overwhelmingly approved a motion authorizing possible Turkish military operations against militants in Iraq and Syria. Mark Lowen reports.

The debate raged, but the result was never really in doubt. With the government's majority in parliament, it was a clear victory, 298 MPs voting in favour, 98 against. And so parliament has given approval for Turkey's armed forces to be sent into Iraq and Syria, and for foreign troops to use Turkish territory for the same purpose. That could allow the US to launch airstrikes from its large base at Incirlik in southern Turkey. But it's unlikely that Turkish soldiers will suddenly go in guns' blazing. A long border with both Iraq and Syria makes Turkey vulnerable to retaliation from Islamic State militants.

The British Prime Minister David Cameron has arrived in Cyprus to visit British forces launching airstrikes against the Islamic State militants in Iraq. Mr. Cameron is making an unannounced visit to the British base in Akrotiri where six Tornados were already involved in the mission which began last weekend. He thanked the British troops and announced that a further two Tornados will be sent out.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says one of its workers has been killed in the centre of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, from where James Kumarasamy sent this report.

According to the Red Cross the building housing their office in Donetsk caught fire after a shell hit the area during the evening. They have confirmed that one of their workers, a Swiss national, died from injuries he sustained. According to eyewitnesses at least two shells struck the residential neighbourhood, but it's not clear who fired them. It's the first time that missiles have fallen in central Donetsk since a ceasefire was agreed last month by the pro-Russian rebels running this region and the Ukrainian government. That agreement has been coming into ever greater doubt in recent days as fighting has continued to rage around Donetsk Airport.

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Four relatives of the first patient diagnosed with Ebola in the United States have been quarantined by health officials in Texas. Doctors have ordered the family of Thomas Eric Duncan who's on a visit from Liberia to stay home without any visitors as a precautionary measure. Health officials in Texas say they are now monitoring about 18 people who came into direct contact with him.

The United States is to partially lift its arms embargo on its former foe Vietnam which has been in place for nearly four decades. Catherine Davis has the details.

The State Department said it was adjusting its policy to allow the transfer of defence equipment for the purposes of maritime security only. Any specific weapon sales will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The arms embargo has been in place since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. But in the years since, relations have changed with diplomatic ties restored and growing bilateral trade. These days Vietnam is among several nations locked in a territorial dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea. However Washington denies the policy change is anti-China.

At least 16 people have been killed in the town of Bambari in the Central Africa Republic, some by French peacekeepers. A French military spokesman said the peacekeepers killed between five and seven people after they were attacked by a group using heavy weapons. He said the group appeared to be made up of criminals who later looted the offices of a number of humanitarian agencies.

Anti-terror police in Greece said they foiled a bomb attack by a far-left militant group. They said the suspected target was the headquarters of a conservative New Democracy Party which heads the government coalition. The Public Order Minister said details of the attack planned for the weekend were found in a police raid in Athens on Wednesday. A suspect was arrested and held on terror charges. He said police also found a list of potential targets.

BBC News.