• U.S. To Open New Screening Centers for Syrian Refugees, State Department Reveals

  The Obama administration is moving to increase and accelerate the number of Syrian refugees who might be admitted into the United States by opening new screening outposts in Iraq and Lebanon, administration officials told Reuters on Friday.

  

• Schoolgirls in Sierra Leone Forced to Undergo 'Humiliating' and 'Degrading' Public Pregnancy Tests

  Thousands of schoolgirls in Sierra Leone have been forced to undergo humiliating and degrading public pregnancy tests since the government banned pregnant girls from attending mainstream schools and taking exams, Amnesty International said on Friday.

  

• Terminally ill 'Star Wars' Fan Granted Wish To See 'Force Awakens' Before Film's Release

  A terminally ill "Star Wars" fan, who was given just a few months to live, was granted his wish to see the new "The Force Awakens" film on Thursday, nearly two months before it comes out in theaters.

  

• Germany, France See Significant Progress in Ukraine Peace Talks

  Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists have agreed to complete a withdrawal of heavy weaponry from their frontlines in eastern Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Friday after a round of peace talks in Berlin.

  

• U.S. Justices To Hear Religious Objections To Obamacare Contraception Coverage

  The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear appeals brought by Christian groups demanding full exemption from the requirement to provide insurance covering contraception under President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law.