Russian and Ukrainian leaders have agreed to a ceasefire and to swap prisoners by the end of the year.  This agreement was reached during a four-way meeting in Paris on Monday involving France and Germany.

The four heads of state said they had made progress and that just talking was a key step forward. They are to meet again in four months.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky said he was confident the ceasefire would take place this month.  In a late-night press conference, Zelensky outlined both steps forward and progress still to be made.

This is the first meeting between Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, since the Ukrainian president took office earlier this year. It’s the first such four-way summit since 2016.

Putin confirmed that there was a possible thaw between Russia and Ukraine he said there was progress on most issues.

These talks are an effort to resolve the ongoing conflict between the two countries—conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2014. Both sides have since accused each other of failing to honor a 2015 peace agreement.  But president Zelensky, a political newcomer, has made ending the conflict a priority.

The International Federation of Journalists said on Monday far fewer journalists are being killed this year compared to last.   But it warned that part of the reason may be that media workers are going to the most dangerous areas in fewer numbers.

The IFJ said 49 journalists have been killed so far this year, down from 95 overall last year. The group says even if it is good that journalists show more caution, it also means that the public is less informed about some of the worst war and human rights claims.

IFJ general secretary, Anthony Bellanger said that lack of security that has led to loss of lives among journalists and media workers in several conflict zones in recent years has deterred many journalists from covering these events from the field.  He said this has resulted in people being less informed about matters of public interest.

French airport workers, teachers and others joined nationwide strikes on Tuesday as unions stepped up pressure on the government to scrap changes to the national retirement system.

Police ordered shops and restaurants closed in many parts of Paris, for fear of violence springing up on the fringes of what government opponents hope is another mass march in the afternoon. At least 800,000 persons demonstrated around France when the strike movement kicked off last Thursday.

Protests were also ongoing on Tuesday in other cities, as the strike pushes on into a sixth straight day.  Unions fear president Emmanuel Macron’s retirement reform will force people to work longer for smaller pensions.

Only about a fifth of French trains ran normally on Tuesday.  Tourists were frustrated at empty train stations and cancelled trains.  Most Paris subways were grounded.

Overall the number of striking workers is lower than last week but travelers’ patience is wearing thin, as commuters struggle to squeeze on scarce regional trains to get to work.

Air France, the national carrier, said the strike will ground more than a quarter of its domestic traffic on Tuesday.