Germany is pledging a further 300 million euros ($326 million) in aid for Syrians through the United Nations and select organisations, said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday, ahead of an EU-led donor conference in Brussels.

The EU has spearheaded efforts to restore diplomatic ties with Syria in recent months, including by lifting sanctions originally imposed against Assad’s regime, with several leaders pushing to send Syrian migrants who lack legal status in Europe back to their home country.

Germany on Monday kicked off a new pledging round of aid for Syria, as the EU hosts a donor drive for the war-torn country after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. For the first time, the Syrian authorities will be represented at the annual conference in Brussels -- with interim foreign minister Assaad al-Shibani set to attend.

With a trade war brewing between the United States, Canada, and the European Union, bourbon distillers worry they could soon be in trouble. Kristy Kilburn reports. Protesters assemble for mass demonst