Seventeen Ukrainian soldiers crossed into Russia's southern Rostov region on Saturday and laid down their arms after fleeing the fighting, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said.

"It happened this morning," Nikolay Sinitsyn, the official regional representative of the FSB, told RT. "They were provided with food, and they're safe here. We're carrying out a probe."

"Whoever wants to stay, can do so - after the probe," Sinitsyn said.

On Sunday morning, all the Ukrainian soldiers returned to their country.

According to the soldiers, they made the decision to cross into Russia after their group came under fire in a forest and they had no weapons left to shoot back with.

"We came under mortar shelling," one of the 17 Ukrainian servicemen told Russia's NTV channel. "We were in the forest - out of weapons, out of everything," the man, wearing a black mask hiding his face, said. "The chief told us to get out of the place. So, we got out."

King Abdullah calls on Arabs to stand together against "attempts to destabilise" Egypt.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its people and government stood and stands by today with its brothers in Egypt against terrorism," he said in a statement read on state TV on Friday, backing Egypt's military leadership.

"I call on the honest men of Egypt and the Arab and Muslim nations ... to stand as one man and with one heart in the face of attempts to destabilise a country that is at the forefront of Arab and Muslim history," he added.

He also said that they were confident that Egypt will recover.

Saudi Arabia was a close ally of former President Hosni Mubarak and has historically had a difficult relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood.

It pledged $5bn in aid to Egypt after Mohamed Morsi of the Brotherhood was ousted from the presidency last month.

Saudi Arabia "has stood and stands with its Egyptian brothers against terrorism, deviance and sedition, and against those who try to interfere in Egypt's internal affairs... and its legitimate rights in deterring those tampering with and misleading" its people, he said.

H A Hellyer from the Brookings Institution and the Royal United Services Institute, speaking from Cairo, said Saudi Arabia would back whoever they think can actually hold on to order in the country.

"At present that seems to be the interim government as well as the military. Also Saudi Arabia has a very uncomfortable history with the Muslim Brotherhood" he told Al Jazeera.

A young woman has been legally forced to give birth by caesarean section after being denied an abortion in Ireland, in a case experts say exposes flaws in recent reform meant to allow limited terminations.

The woman, who is an immigrant and cannot be named for legal reasons, was refused an abortion even though at eight weeks she demanded a termination, claiming she was suicidal.

After she then threatened a hunger strike to protest the decision, local health authorities obtained a court order to deliver the baby prematurely - at around 25 weeks according to some reports - to ensure its safety. The infant has been placed in care.

The case is the first proper test of the 2013 Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, which allows for limited abortions in Irish hospitals. The law provides for cases where the woman's life would be in danger if she goes full term, or in cases where she is suicidal in such instances as rape and incest. Critics say that in this instance the law has proved of no practical value to the woman concerned.

© RIA Novosti / Taras LitvinenkoMinister of Communications and Mass Media Nikolay Nikiforov

Russia and China plan to increase technology cooperation, with Moscow set to increase exports of software in exchange for data storage, Russia's Communications Minister said.

Nikolay Nikiforov, head of Russia's Ministry of Communications, announced via Twitter that Russia and China have agreed to increase the supply of Chinese servers and storage systems and production in Russia, and to boost the supply of Russian software to China.

The technology turn toward China is part of a larger overall pivot toward Asia after Western sanctions have endangered certain Russian industries, with technology feared to be next.

All operations on Russia's Gazprom-led project South Stream have been suspended, as they do not meet the requirements of the European Commission, Bulgaria's Ministry of Economy and Energy said on its website.

"Minister of Economy and Energy Vasil Shtonov has ordered Bulgaria's Energy Holding to halt any actions in regards of the project," the ministry said. This specifically means entering into new contracts.

There has been mounting pressure from the EU to put the project on hold, and now the European Commission will be consulted each step of the way to make sure it complies with EU law.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has called in Germany's ambassador in Ankara to explain media reports that Germany's secret services had been spying on its NATO ally.

"This is a grave situation that needs to be explained by Germany if there is slightest truth to these allegations," the ministry said in a statement Monday. "Such practices in relations among friends and allies, which should be built on mutual trust and respect, are in no way acceptable."

"It is expected that the German authorities present an official and satisfactory explanation on the claims reported by German media and end these activities immediately if the claims are true."

Turkey's acting Foreign Ministry undersecretary, Erdogan Iscan, met German Ambassador Eberhard Pohl to voice Turkey's concerns.

Germany said that its ambassador had not been "summoned" but rather invited for a discussion, which was conducted "in a friendly manner."

Earlier, German media reported that the national Federal Intelligence Service (BND) had been spying on its NATO ally Turkey since at least 2009.

A Moscow court has found four people guilty of rioting and attacking police, sentencing two of them to prison terms of three and a half years, one to two and a half years, and letting the fourth protester go free under a suspended sentence.

As the verdict was pronounced, about 100 people protested near the court building, prompting police to carry out several detentions.

The only convict to receive a suspended sentence was Elena Kokhtareva, who had pleaded guilty during the court proceedings. Opposition activist Ilya Gushchev, who pleaded guilty to some of the charges, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison - six months less than the minimum punishment of three years behind bars ordered by the criminal code for participation in mass unrest.

The maximum sentence allowed for the crime is eight years.

Two more opposition activists were sentenced to three and a half years in prison each.

As the sentences were pronounced on Monday afternoon, around 100 people held an unsanctioned protest near the court building, shouting "Freedom!" and unfurling a banner reading "Russia is not a prison." After repeatedly asking the protesters to disperse, police officers detained several people.

The European Commission said it will provide up to €125 million from Monday till the end of November to compensate food producers coping with Moscow's food ban.

"The exceptional measures announced today will include market withdrawals especially for free distribution, compensation for non-harvesting and green harvesting. The financial assistance will cover all producers whether they are organized in producers organizations or not," the European Commission said in the statement.

Among the products that will get the special support are in season varieties that have no immediate storage option or market available. They include tomatoes, carrots, white cabbage, peppers, cauliflowers, cucumbers, and gherkins, mushrooms, apples, pear, red fruits, table grapes and kiwis.

"All farmers of the concerned products - whether in producer organisations or not - will be eligible to take up these market support measures where they see fit. Acting early will provide an efficient support to the price paid to producers on the internal market, help the market adjust and be cost effective," said EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner.

The EU member states are scheduled to meet for further discussions on Friday.

David Cameron said the UK won't deploy "boots on the ground" in Iraq, but could arm Kurdish fighters in its efforts to aid the fight against IS jihadists. Meanwhile, the Defence Secretary said British involvement in Iraq could last for months.

"We are not going to be putting boots on the ground, we're not going to be sending ine British Army," Cameron said.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Monday, Cameron reiterated that British troops would not be sent to Iraq to combat the threat of Islamist extremists.

"Britain is not going to get involved in another war in Iraq," the prime minister said. He added that Kurdish forces were the "first line of defence" against Islamic State fighters.

However, while ruling out ground troops, he promised tougher action.

Against a backdrop of widespread bloodshed and devastation in Gaza, a mounting body of evidence indicates military equipment used by Israel during Operation Protective Edge was made in the UK.

As violence wanes in the besieged Palestinian enclave, scrutiny of UK arms exports to Israel is amplifying. While Cairo peace talks between Israel and Hamas bring a sense of reprieve to Gaza's rubble-laden streets, damning evidence indicates Israel used UK military wares during Operation Protective Edge. UK government statements, photographic evidence, IDF commanders' recent praise of drones deployed in Gaza, and Israel's purchasing patterns of foreign military equipment all appear to indicate this is the case.

Britain's arms trade relations with Israel are extremely lucrative. Since 2010, British authorities have presided over the sale of £42 million worth of military produce to the Middle Eastern state. And on an annual basis, the British government grants up to £15 million worth of licenses to UK defense firms for the export of military equipment to Israel. These figures stem from in-depth research conducted by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), a London-based NGO dedicated to tackling the global arms industry's impact on human rights.

Approximately 44 defense companies spanning Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland broker UK arms exports to Israel, according to the CAAT. Four such firms are Raytheon, Schleifring Systems, Selex Galileo, and UAV Engines. Each of these defense factories epitomize an acutely profitable yet contentious set of military trade relations between Britain and Israel. Amidst nationwide concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, there is strong reason to surmise drone engines, bomb components and other parts produced by these firms were deployed by the IDF during its recent military attacks on the region.