In Geneva, the Syrian peace talks are slated to begin today, although it is not yet clear which parties have agreed to participate. On Thursday, the opposition coalition backed by Saudi Arabia said they would “certainly” not attend the talks unless food and medical aid is delivered to roughly 400,000 people in besieged cities. Other opposition groups, including the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, were not invited. Turkey had threatened to boycott the talks if the Syrian Kurdish group participated. More than 250,000 people have died in Syria over the past five years.