| U.N. announces start of Syria peace talks as government troops advance Posted: 01 Feb 2016 12:43 PM PST  By Tom Miles, John Irish, Tom Perry and Arshad Mohammed GENEVA/BEIRUT/ROME (Reuters) - The United Nations announced the formal start of peace talks for Syria on Monday and urged world powers to push for a ceasefire even as government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, launched their biggest offensive north of Aleppo in a year. Government troops and allied fighters captured hilly countryside near Aleppo on Monday, putting a key supply route used by opposition forces into firing range, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.
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| Nations gather in Rome to discuss anti-Islamic State push, Libya Posted: 01 Feb 2016 03:03 PM PST  By Arshad Mohammed ROME (Reuters) - Nearly two dozen nations gather on Tuesday to plot their fight against the Islamic State militant group in Syria and Iraq and how to choke off its rise in Libya. The meeting takes place as talks have begun in Geneva to try to end the five-year Syrian civil war, which has killed at least 250,000 people, driven more than 10 million from their homes and drawn in the United States and Russia on opposite sides. Twenty-three nations from the wider Global Coalition to Counter ISIL will review their efforts to regain Syrian and Iraqi territory from the jihadist group and to discuss ways to curb its wider influence, notably in Libya, officials said.
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| Putin is fanning Syrian civil war, Britain's Hammond says Posted: 01 Feb 2016 03:05 PM PST  By Guy Faulconbridge ZAATARI, Jordan (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is undermining international efforts to end the Syrian civil war by bombing opponents of Islamic State in an attempt to bolster Bashar al-Assad, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Monday. In a clear sign of frustration with the Kremlin, Hammond scolded Putin for paying lip service to a political process aimed at ending the civil war while also bombing opponents of Assad who the West hopes could shape Syria once Assad is gone.
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| Snowden, Colombia, Greek islanders among Nobel Peace Prize tips Posted: 01 Feb 2016 05:32 AM PST  By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, peace negotiators in Colombia or Greek islanders helping Syrian refugees were among tips for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize at the deadline for nominations on Monday. Nobel watchers also speculated that negotiators of an accord over Iran's nuclear program could be in the running after a surprise award last year to a coalition of Tunisian democracy campaigners, the National Dialogue Quartet. "2016 may finally be Edward Snowden's year ... His leaks are now having a positive effect," Kristian Berg Harpviken, head of the Peace Research Institute, Oslo, told Reuters, putting him top of his list of candidates.
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| U.S. weighs options to speed Iraq's fight to retake Mosul Posted: 01 Feb 2016 10:17 AM PST  By Yeganeh Torbati and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is willing to deploy Apache attack helicopters and advisers to help Iraq retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State as it considers options to speed up the campaign against the militant group, a top U.S. general said on Monday. U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama, have said they want to accelerate the campaign against Islamic State militants, and have called on allies to increase their military contributions to efforts to destroy the group in Iraq and Syria.
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| Five Czechs missing in Lebanon since July have been found Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:28 PM PST PRAGUE/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Five Czech citizens who went missing in Lebanon in July are now with the Lebanese security services, a security source told Reuters on Monday. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the five, who went missing in eastern Lebanon last year, were found late on Monday. "We will send a plane for them as soon as possible," the Czech foreign minister, Lubomir Zaoralek, on a visit to Oman, said on his Twitter account. |
| The Latest: Brazilian gov't welcomes WHO's Zika declaration Posted: 01 Feb 2016 04:28 PM PST  GENEVA (AP) — The Latest on developments regarding the Zika virus (all times local):
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| Turkey's Erdogan woos Latin America Posted: 01 Feb 2016 04:18 PM PST  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he was in Latin America to pursue a "strategy of opening" as he kicked off a three-country regional tour in Chile. "Chile is a key country for our opening in Latin America and the Caribbean. This strategy of opening of the past 10 years has gotten a very important boost," he said after meeting Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
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| Venezuela's UN envoy: Not concerned about US investigations Posted: 01 Feb 2016 04:17 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Venezuela's ambassador to the United Nations dismissed the possibility of cooperating with U.S. investigations into billion-dollar bribery schemes that allegedly occurred at the country's state-run oil company while he was in charge.
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| Syria refugee women in Lebanon face abuse, exploitation: Amnesty Posted: 01 Feb 2016 04:08 PM PST  Tightened restrictions and plummeting international aid have left Syrian refugee women in Lebanon more vulnerable to exploitation including sexual harassment, rights group Amnesty International said in a report on Tuesday. Released ahead of a key donor conference for Syria in London this week, the report urges greater financial support and more resettlement opportunities for Syrian refugees from the international community. Amnesty said 70 percent of the more than one million Syrian refugees in Lebanon were living well below the local poverty line.
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| Interview: Infantino consults Platini during FIFA campaign Posted: 01 Feb 2016 03:58 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Although banished from power in world football, Michel Platini remains a guiding voice for Gianni Infantino as the FIFA presidential campaign enters the final stretch.
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| Transfer deadline day: Mid-ranking Everton, Stoke spend $45M Posted: 01 Feb 2016 03:46 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — The heaviest spending as European football's transfer window closed on Monday was not by traditional powers but mid-ranking English clubs Stoke and Everton collectively paying around $45 million on two players.
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| Trump, Greek islanders in running for Nobel Prize Posted: 01 Feb 2016 03:37 PM PST  Donald Trump, Greek islanders helping desperate migrants, Angela Merkel and the pope -- some may seem more likely than others but all are understood to be in the running for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. Nominations for the award, won last year by four Tunisian groups that led the country's transition to democracy, must be posted to Norway by February 1 at the latest. An online petition had on Monday picked up some 630,000 signatures calling for the Nobel to go the residents of Greek islands on the front line of Europe's migrant crisis, who have come to the aid of refugees turning up on their shores after perilous sea journeys from neighbouring Turkey.
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| Snedeker winds up a winner at Torrey Pines Posted: 01 Feb 2016 03:36 PM PST  SAN DIEGO (AP) — With his glove tucked in his back pocket and a putter in his hand, Brandt Snedeker walked off the green pumping his arms to celebrate a six-shot comeback to win the Farmers Insurance Open. That was the only part of his victory that looked normal.
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| Haiti president attacks critics in carnival hit Posted: 01 Feb 2016 03:22 PM PST  Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Outgoing Haiti President Michel Martelly, a former music star, has found fresh success with a sexually loaded song attacking his critics, amid a political crisis over who will succeed him. The popular six-minute carnival song by Sweet Micky -- the president's stage name -- takes particular aim at a famous Haitian female journalist and is loaded with sexual innuendo and double entendre. It also had success with listeners checking out carnival hits, racking up more than 100,000 plays online in less than 24 hours.
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| Top 10 Premier League transfer window deals Posted: 01 Feb 2016 03:19 PM PST  London (AFP) - AFP Sport lists the 10 biggest incoming Premier League transfers of the January transfer window after the deadline passed on Monday (* denotes fee approximate and as reported by British media):
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| TV cash scramble pushes Premier League spending past £1bn Posted: 01 Feb 2016 03:13 PM PST  Fear of missing out on the English Premier League's huge television money bonanza in 2016 has propelled transfer spending beyond £1 billion ($1.43 billion, 1.3 billion euros) for the first time. England's 20 elite clubs have collectively spent more than £1 billion on new players in the season's two transfer windows, financial consultants Deloitte revealed before the mid-season transfer deadline fell on Monday. "We've seen Premier League clubs again use the January window to invest significantly in playing talent," said Dan Jones from Deloitte's Sports Business Group.
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| Iowa votes to kick off long 2016 White House race Posted: 01 Feb 2016 03:03 PM PST  Iowans were set to vote Monday in the opening test of the US presidential race, with Republican Donald Trump looking to capitalize on his stunning campaign success and Hillary Clinton defending her status as the Democratic favorite. At most, a few hundred thousand people are expected to attend, highlighting the importance of voter turnout in an Iowa race where success can be the bedrock to a candidate's long-term success. After months of rallies, several debates and millions of dollars worth of advertising from the 12 Republicans and three Democrats in the race, it is the moment of truth for the hopefuls in Iowa.
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| Coach says Lionel Messi will skip Rio de Janeiro Olympics Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:49 PM PST  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Lionel Messi will skip the Rio de Janeiro Olympics because his coach Gerardo Martino says he needs some rest.
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| 4 ex-Blackwater contractors appeal convictions in shootings Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:49 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Four former Blackwater security contractors found guilty in a deadly Baghdad shooting appealed their convictions on Monday, saying a key witness against them had changed his testimony after the trial and that prosecutors lacked jurisdiction to even bring the case.
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| Haiti opposition alliance declining to meet with OAS mission Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:48 PM PST  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A Haitian opposition alliance is declining to meet with a regional mission that traveled to this troubled Caribbean nation to help ease a political crisis that has postponed elections indefinitely.
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| Two ex-soldiers tried in Guatemala for sex slavery, murder Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:44 PM PST  Two retired soldiers were in court Monday facing charges of murder, forced disappearance, and forcing 11 indigenous women into sexual slavery during Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war. Earlier in the trial, indigenous women with their faces and heads covered told the court of what they had suffered as sexual slaves.
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| A lot going wrong for Gary Neville, but not all his fault Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:44 PM PST  MADRID (AP) — Gary Neville knew that coaching at a high level wasn't going to be easy. He certainly didn't expect to be struggling so badly so early.
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| Israel lifts post-attack restrictions on access to Ramallah Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:38 PM PST  Israel late Monday lifted day-long restrictions on access into and out of the Palestinian political capital Ramallah on the occupied West Bank, imposed after a checkpoint shooting that wounded soldiers, in a stepped-up response to such attacks. It was the first time such a step was taken by Israel since the wave of Palestinian attacks that began in October, according to Israeli media. The move kept commuters from leaving or exiting the West Bank city and led to frustration as lengthy queues formed in some areas.
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| U.S. judge orders explanation of Iran prisoner deal Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST By Yeganeh Torbati and Joel Schectman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge has challenged the U.S. government's move to drop charges against an Iranian man accused of sanctions violations as part of a U.S. prisoner trade agreed with Iran last month. Federal prosecutors filed a motion on Jan. 16 to drop the case against Alireza Moazami Goudarzi, an Iranian man accused in 2012 of trying to buy aircraft parts for Iran, including those for military aircraft engines. The dismissal was part of a wider deal which also saw U.S. officials move to drop international arrest orders and any charges against 13 other Iranians outside America. |
| Baghdatis reaches 2nd round in Montpellier Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:24 PM PST MONTPELLIER, France (AP) — Eighth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis advanced to the second round of the Open Sud de France on Monday with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Lukas Lacko. |
| Belgium, France agree to boost anti-terror cooperation Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:19 PM PST  The Belgian and French prime ministers on Monday agreed on the need to boost counter-terror cooperation, after Belgium came under fire for failing to help prevent November's Paris terror attacks. Prime Minister Charles Michel of Belgium and French counterpart Manuel Valls were keen to present a united front following a row over alleged Belgian intelligence failings ahead of the jihadist attacks that killed 130 people in the French capital. "The main message is that we stand side by side and are determined to work to increase the level of security for our citizens," Michel told a joint press conference after the two leaders met in Brussels.
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| Mexico OKs 2 more permits to import medicinal cannabis Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:10 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government is letting the parents of two more sick girls import a cannabis-derived medicine for their treatment. |
| France and Netherlands seal historic 160 mn euro Rembrandt purchase Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:07 PM PST  France and the Netherlands signed a historic deal Monday acquiring two large Rembrandt portraits for 160 million euros ($174 million), the French culture ministry announced. The agreement, signed by French culture minister Fleur Pellerin and her Dutch counterpart Jet Bussemaker seals the multi-million dollar deal agreed upon in September for two of the Dutch master's works. The acquisition -- costing the Louvre 80 million euros -- is the largest ever made by a French museum.
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| The Latest: Fletcher joins Marseille on loan Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:07 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — The Latest on European soccer transfer deadline day (all times local):
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| What we know: WHO declares global emergency over Zika virus Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:07 PM PST  The World Health Organization has declared a global emergency over the rapidly spreading Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas, saying it is an "extraordinary event" that poses a threat to the rest of the world. Here is what we know about the mosquito-borne virus:
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| Guatemala tries 2 for alleged abuse of women in civil war Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:06 PM PST  GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A retired military officer and a former paramilitary went on trial Monday for alleged abuses against women during this Central American nation's long and bloody civil war.
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| Bid to tow stricken ship away from French coast a 'success' Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:05 PM PST  Maritime experts on Monday successfully managed to tow a stricken South Korean cargo ship away from France and prevent it from crashing into the country's picturesque Atlantic coast. Spanish maritime authorities confirmed they had accepted a request from the vessel's owner, South Korean firm Cido Shipping, to take it to the northern port of Bilbao, where it will be stabilised. A French maritime official said weather conditions were "favourable" as the cargo ship was dragged slowly towards the Spanish coast, where it is due to arrive Wednesday morning.
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| Tunisia police, Islamist militants clash, two dead: government Posted: 01 Feb 2016 02:02 PM PST Tunisian police have clashed with Islamist gunmen in a remote mountainous area in the southern region of Gabes, killing at least two militants, the interior ministry said on Monday. Tunisia's security forces are on a campaign against Islamist militants who have targeted military checkpoints and patrols in outlying areas. Islamic State has also claimed three deadly urban attacks last year that hit Tunisia's tourism industry. |
| How the Dow Jones industrial average fared on Monday Posted: 01 Feb 2016 01:56 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market was able to recover from steep losses to close slightly lower on Monday as investors looked past another steep drop in the price of oil and renewed concerns about economic growth in China and the U.S. Oil and gas companies remained in the red. |
| WHO declares international health emergency over Zika Posted: 01 Feb 2016 01:47 PM PST  The World Health Organization on Monday said a surge in serious birth defects in South America was "strongly suspected" of being caused by the Zika virus and constituted an international health emergency. The WHO is under pressure to move swiftly to tackle Zika, after admitting it was slow to respond to the recent Ebola outbreak that ravaged parts of west Africa.
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| Deportivo La Coruna held 2-2 by Rayo in La Liga Posted: 01 Feb 2016 01:47 PM PST MADRID (AP) — Deportivo La Coruna twice came from behind to draw 2-2 against visiting Rayo Vallecano on Monday, extending its winless streak in the Spanish league to six games. |
| Syrian child labour found in Turkey clothes factories: charity Posted: 01 Feb 2016 01:46 PM PST  High-street clothes retailers Next and H&M found Syrian refugee children being employed in Turkish factories that supply them, according to a survey by a British charity released on Monday. The report by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, a corporate responsibility watchdog, said both companies had acted to tackle the problem after finding Syrian children working in three of their suppliers. The charity says an estimated 250,000 to 400,000 Syrian refugees are working illegally in Turkey, from around 2.2 million who have fled the almost five-year civil war at home.
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| Canada protects ancient coastal forest from logging, hunting Posted: 01 Feb 2016 01:31 PM PST  Decades of protests and then negotiations that brought together loggers, natives and environmental activists resulted Monday in a landmark deal to protect a huge swath of forest on Canada's Pacific coast. The agreement to ban logging in 85 percent of the Great Bear Rainforest and put an end to a commercial trophy hunt in the region for a rare white Kermode bear was announced by the government of British Columbia. The remaining 15 percent of the ancient forest will be subject to the most stringent standards in North America for commercial logging.
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| FIFA halts payments to confederations in Americas Posted: 01 Feb 2016 01:25 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — FIFA has halted payments to the regional soccer bodies of the Americas during ongoing investigations into corruption. |
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