From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting.

Monitoring groups in Syria are reporting at least 35 civilians killed by Turkish airstrikes.

The deaths come as Turkish forces continued to move deeper into Syria in an operation against Islamic State and [Kurdish] Syrian Kurdish forces. Dorian Jones reports.

Turkish airstrikes supported by artillery attacked Syrian villages Sunday close to Turkey's border but are under the control of U.S.-allied Kurdish militia.

Turkish military officials say 25 Kurdish militia members were killed and denied there were any civilian fatalities. In the same statement, the military said it's committed to protecting civilians under international law.

Fighting had escalated since Turkey launched its Syrian operation Wednesday.

Dorian Jones, Istanbul.

Officials say Afghan security forces are preparing to retake a district in Paktia province that fell to the Taliban on Saturday.

Authorities say dozens of Afghan troops have been killed in the fighting.

Forces loyal to Libya's unity government Sunday began pushing into the last areas of the city of Sirte still held by the Islamic State group.

A number of Libyan fighters have been killed in the military operation to retake the city which was seized by IS forces in 2015.

Government forces say the insurgents are retreating.

Iran has arrested a member of a team that played a role in negotiating the recent nuclear agreement with world powers.

According to Iran's state media, a judiciary spokesman said Sunday a "spy who had infiltrated the nuclear team" was released on bail after being held in jail for a few days.

The negotiator's identity was not disclosed.

This is VOA news.

Bolivian officials have accused three miners, including the president of a mining federation, of killing the country's deputy interior minister.

Forty miners have been detained in the case.

Rodolfo Illanes was kidnapped and beaten to death Thursday by striking miners after he went to the town of Panduro to mediate a conflict over mining laws.

An autopsy found that Illanes died of trauma to the brain and thorax.

Protest leader Carlos Mamani was charged Saturday with murder, aggravated robbery, possession of firearms, criminal organization and attacking a state official. A hearing is expected in the coming days.

Taking a look at the U.S. presidential campaign.

Republican candidate Donald Trump told a crowd in Iowa on Saturday that policies of the Democratic Party are to blame for what he called the "deplorable conditions in many of America's inner cities." He has called Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent, a bigot.

But opinion polls show Clinton has a huge lead among black voters.

Trump's campaign says he plans to visit black communities in the coming weeks to make direct appeals for their support, including a stop in the troubled city of Detroit, Michigan.

In a communique Sunday, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland affirmed the need for cooperation among European Union nations as Britain prepares to leave the bloc.

The ministers met in Germany to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Weimar Triangle political forum.

They called for more flexible EU that reflects the different ambitions of member states regarding integration. They called also for the creation of an annual European Security Council meeting of EU heads of government.

Italian officials have opened an investigation to focus on different structures that collapsed in Wednesday's earthquake.

Public prosecutors say they will investigate why recently constructed buildings collapsed.

They will also look at private property owners who may have altered ancient houses in ways that breeched building codes.

Italy marked a day of national mourning Saturday for the nearly 300 people killed in the earthquake.

Muslim extremists who support the Islamic State group have staged a jailbreak in the southern Philippines.

Officials say at least 20 members of the Maute militant group raided a jail in Marawi on Saturday, freeing eight of their fellow radicals and allowing at least 15 other detainees to escape.

Turkey's president is reiterating his support for the death penalty.

Recep Tayyip Erdo?an says the reinstatement of the penalty is backed by a majority of his countrymen.

At a rally, he told hundreds of people that his remarks are also directed at members of the Turkish parliament.

In Washington, I'm David DeForest.

That's the latest world news from VOA.