LONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - European shares climbed to a two-week high on Thursday, boosted by a rally in mining stocks, after the U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and projected a less aggressive path for hikes next year and in 2018.

BERLIN (Reuters) - International airlines have requested anti-trust immunity from the United States to allow them to discuss routes to Venezuela, which is blocking ticket revenues from leaving the country, the International Air Transport Association said on Thursday.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican federal prosecutors have taken over two local investigations that include embezzlement charges against the governor of the Gulf state of Veracruz, an official said.

BRUSSELS/BERLIN (Reuters) - Britain will resist new European Union defense proposals if it feels they undermine NATO, British officials say, in a warning to France and Germany that London will defend its military interests even as it negotiates to leave the EU bloc.

Sept 22 (Reuters) - British naturalist David Attenborough on Thursday unveiled a portrait of himself, commissioned for this 90th birthday, at the same museum where he used to volunteer as a teenager.

WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The United States' top general called Monday's strike on an aid convoy in Syria an "unacceptable atrocity," and added it was his judgment that Russia likely carried out the strike even if a Syrian role could not be completely be ruled out.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Users of ride-hailing firm Grab will be able to book driverless cars from Friday as it partners with a start-up testing the technology in Singapore, just days after rival Uber [UBER.UL] debuted its self-driving vehicles in the United States.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to appoint Sergei Naryshkin, outgoing speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, as head of the foreign intelligence service, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

GENEVA, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The United Nations appealed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebel groups on Thursday to allow aid convoys to enter eastern Aleppo as U.N. relief operations in Syria resumed after a 48-hour suspension due to a deadly attack.