| Russia keeps bombing despite Syria truce; Assad vows to fight on Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:22 PM PST  By John Irish and Warren Strobel MUNICH/AMMAN (Reuters) - Major powers agreed on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country. Although billed as a potential breakthrough, the "cessation of hostilities" agreement does not take effect for a week, at a time when Assad's government is poised to win its biggest victory of the war with the backing of Russian air power. If implemented, the deal hammered out during five hours of late night talks in Munich would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns.
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| South Korea, U.S. to discuss missile defense; South cuts power to Kaesong park Posted: 12 Feb 2016 11:17 AM PST  By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States are expected to begin talks next week on possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system following North Korea's recent rocket launch, officials said on Friday, as Seoul cut power to a factory park run jointly with the North. The discussions would focus on placing one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system with the U.S. military in South Korea, a South Korean defense official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
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| Iran says ready to put rivalries aside with Saudi Arabia Posted: 12 Feb 2016 11:15 AM PST  By Robin Emmott and Noah Barkin MUNICH (Reuters) - Iran and Saudi Arabia must overcome strained relations and work for stability in Syria and the Middle East, Iran's foreign minister said on Friday, a day after Syrian peace talks brought the rivals to the same table for the first time in months. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference hours after his Saudi counterpart addressed the event, Mohammed Javad Zarif said he wanted to stop the bickering and had a simple message: "We need to work together." "Iran and Saudi Arabia cannot exclude each other from the region," he said, referring to Riyadh as "our Saudi brothers". "We are prepared to work with Saudi Arabia ... I believe Iran and Saudi Arabia can have shared interests in Syria." Arch-rivals for regional hegemony, the two oil producers are on opposite sides in Syria's war and increasingly bad-tempered exchanges between the conservative Sunni-ruled kingdom and the revolutionary Shi'ite theocracy bode ill for the region.
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| Iraq says moving troops, preparing offensive to retake Mosul Posted: 12 Feb 2016 11:20 AM PST  Iraq's military said on Friday it was mobilizing troops to prepare for an offensive the government has pledged to launch this year to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State. Hundreds of forces from the army's 15th division reached Makhmour base, 70 km (45 miles) south of Mosul, and more forces, including Sunni Muslim tribal fighters, were expected to arrive in coming days, said Brigadier-General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the joint operations command. Defense Minister Khaled al-Obaidi told Reuters last month that Iraq would launch the Mosul operation in the first half of the year and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said 2016 would see the "final victory" against the militants.
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| After 1,000-year split, pope and Russian patriarch embrace in Cuba Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:03 PM PST  By Philip Pullella and Daniel Trotta HAVANA (Reuters) - Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill embraced and kissed on Friday in a historic meeting, uniting to issue a global appeal for the protection of Christians under assault in the Middle East. Nearly 1,000 years after the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity split apart, the meeting at an airport terminal in Cuba was the first ever between a Roman Catholic pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch. "Their churches are being barbarously ravaged and looted, their sacred objects profaned, their monuments destroyed." They also said large-scale humanitarian aid was required to tend to refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq, lamenting the "massive exodus of Christians." Cuban President Raul Castro stood to the side during the ceremony, enjoying another moment in the international limelight after receiving Francis last year and restoring diplomatic relations with the United States recently, meeting President Barack Obama in Panama in April.
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| 'No Bashar al-Assad in the future', says Saudi foreign minister: report Posted: 12 Feb 2016 03:02 PM PST  Bashar al-Assad will not be ruling Syria in the future and Russia's military interventions will not help him stay in power, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a German newspaper in an interview published on Saturday. "There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," al-Jubeir told newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. "It might take three months, it might take six months or three years - but he will no longer carry responsibility for Syria.
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| FIFA presidential candidates make presentations to CONCACAF Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:53 PM PST MIAMI (AP) — Four of the five candidates for FIFA president made presentations to CONCACAF officials Friday. |
| Klopp backs Benteke to end barren run Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:51 PM PST  Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has backed misfiring striker Christian Benteke to rediscover his goal touch in time for his return to Aston Villa on Sunday. The Belgium striker missed a series of inviting chances against West Ham United in the Reds' midweek FA Cup fourth-round replay defeat and his dismal run without a goal has now extended to 11 matches. "I saw really good signs at West Ham.
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| Leicester and Arsenal play pass the pressure Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:41 PM PST  Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has scoffed at suggestions that the Premier League leaders are under increased pressure ahead of their trip to title rivals Arsenal on Sunday. Long considered plucky overachievers, Leicester went five points clear after winning 3-1 at Manchester City last weekend and were subsequently installed as title favourites by some British bookmakers.
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| Kang flirts with 59 and doesn't even know it Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:36 PM PST  PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Sung Kang didn't know anything about his amateur partner until he went on the Internet and looked up actor Ray Romano. He didn't realize the par at Monterey Peninsula was 71 until he scrambled for par on his final hole and realized while signing his card Friday that he set the course record with a career-low 60.
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| Egyptian doctors revolt against escalating police abuses Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:33 PM PST  CAIRO (AP) — When a doctor at a Cairo hospital told a police officer that his cut didn't require stitches, the response was startling and brutal. Police beat up the doctor and a colleague and dragged them off into custody.
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| The Latest: Pope sends Mexico condolences over prison riot Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:30 PM PST  HAVANA (AP) — The latest on Pope Francis's historic meeting in Cuba with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and his subsequent trip to Mexico (all times local):
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| Nevada will move all solar customers to new rates Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:27 PM PST (Reuters) - Nevada's utility regulator voted unanimously on Friday to require households with solar panels to move to a new, less generous rate structure, angering supporters who said existing solar owners should be able to preserve their previous rates. The new rates will be phased in over 12 years for all customers with solar panels on their rooftops. The solar industry had lobbied to have existing solar customers "grandfathered" under the current rates for at least 20 years. |
| 'Finally': Pope meets Russian Orthodox leader Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:27 PM PST  HAVANA (AP) — With a hug and an exclamation of "Finally," Pope Francis met Friday with Patriarch Kirill in the first ever meeting between a pontiff and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a historic development in the 1,000-year schism that has divided Christianity.
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| Fritz youngest American in ATP semifinal since Chang in '89 Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:26 PM PST  MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Teenager Taylor Fritz beat Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (5) on Friday at the Memphis Open, becoming the youngest American to reach an ATP semifinal since 1989.
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| Historic pope-patriarch declaration: key points Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:12 PM PST  Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on Friday held the first meeting in nearly a millennium between heads of their two branches of the Christian church. "Attempts to justify criminal acts with religious slogans are altogether unacceptable.
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| Experts identify cases of Syria chemical attacks to probe Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:11 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The international body charged with establishing who is responsible for chemical attacks in Syria says it has identified at least five potential cases for investigation — four where chlorine gas was allegedly used against rebel-held areas and one involving mustard gas. |
| Klizan and Mahut win to set up Rotterdam semifinal Posted: 12 Feb 2016 04:08 PM PST ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Martin Klizan of Slovakia saved five match points before beating Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday and setting up a semifinal against French qualifier Nicolas Mahut at the World Tennis Tournament. |
| Six UN peacekeepers among 9 troops killed in Mali attacks Posted: 12 Feb 2016 03:56 PM PST  Six UN peacekeepers were killed and some 30 wounded on Friday when suspected Islamists attacked their base in northern Mali, officials said, while three Malian soldiers died in an ambush as jihadists intensify attacks in the restive region. The six Guinean peacekeepers were killed in an early morning assault on a camp in the northeastern town of Kidal belonging to the United Nation's MINUSMA, according to a Guinean source in the mission and a military source in Conakry. The latest attacks highlighted the vulnerability of Mali's sprawling arid north, where UN troops and Malian soldiers are struggling in their fight against jihadists who seized vast swathes of territory in 2012.
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| Australia leads NZ by 55 runs at lunch on day 2, 1st test Posted: 12 Feb 2016 03:54 PM PST  WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Usman Khawaja extended his purple patch of form with his fourth test century which steered Australia to a 55-run first innings lead over New Zealand by lunch Saturday on the second day of the first cricket test.
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| The Latest: Atlanta mayor criticizes Bernie Sanders Posted: 12 Feb 2016 03:49 PM PST  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The Latest on the 2016 presidential campaign (all times local):
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| Australia 238-3 at lunch on day 2, 1st test vs. New Zealand Posted: 12 Feb 2016 03:40 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Scores at lunch Saturday on the second day of the first cricket test between New Zealand and Australia at the Basin Reserve: |
| Tanaka feels good, but unsure about status for 1st start Posted: 12 Feb 2016 03:36 PM PST  TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, coming back after arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow last October, says he feels perfectly healthy but isn't sure when he'll make his first regular-season start.
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| Pope, patriarch urge Christian unity at historic talks Posted: 12 Feb 2016 03:18 PM PST  Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill called in a historic meeting Friday for restored Christian unity and urgent action to help Christians threatened by violence in the Middle East. "In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated," they went on.
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| Michigan warning on Flint Legionnaires' outbreak came late Posted: 12 Feb 2016 03:15 PM PST  State officials knew about an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease and its suspected link to water system issues in impoverished Flint, Michigan, at least 10 months before a public announcement was made, documents released on Friday showed. The state's disclosure of the documents, among thousands of pages of emails and other material released, comes as Michigan's Republican governor, Rick Snyder, faces pressure to resign over his administration's handling of the Flint water crisis. Michigan's Genesee County, which includes Flint, had 87 cases of Legionnaires' from June 2014 to November 2015.
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| Dominican police kill suspect in attack on German tourist Posted: 12 Feb 2016 03:03 PM PST SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Police in the Dominican Republic say they have killed one of two men suspected in the slaying of an elderly German tourist during a robbery. |
| Heralding Schengen suspension, EU gives Greece three months to fix borders Posted: 12 Feb 2016 03:03 PM PST By Alastair Macdonald and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union took a step on Friday towards suspending its cherished free-travel Schengen zone for two years by setting a deadline for Greece to stem the chaotic influx of migrants into the bloc. EU ministers give Greece three months to fulfil 50 recommendations to put its house in order - a target that officials and diplomats acknowledged few expect Athens to meet. The point is, if the external border is not being controlled, it allows member states to keep the controls that are in place on their own internal borders," said an EU official. |
| Porto beats Benfica 2-1, gets back in contention in Portugal Posted: 12 Feb 2016 02:50 PM PST  LISBON, Portugal (AP) — FC Porto rallied to defeat Benfica 2-1 on Friday, snapping the rival's eight-game winning streak and getting back to the title race at the Portuguese league.
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| Langer shoots 62 to take 4-stroke lead in Chubb Classic Posted: 12 Feb 2016 02:47 PM PST NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Bernhard Langer had a hard time choosing what kind of putter to use. |
| US, European stocks rebound to end brutal week Posted: 12 Feb 2016 02:39 PM PST  US and European stocks rallied strongly Friday, ending a painful week on a positive note following solid US and German economic data and a surge in oil prices. London jumped 3.1 percent and Frankfurt and Paris gained 2.5 percent, brushing off another slump in Asia.
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| Mainz beats Schalke 2-1, moves 5th for now in Bundesliga Posted: 12 Feb 2016 02:39 PM PST  BERLIN (AP) — Mainz captain Julian Baumgartlinger's first Bundesliga goal gave his side a 2-1 win over Schalke that lifted the side provisionally fifth on Friday.
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| U.S. okays sale of eight Lockheed F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan: Pentagon Posted: 12 Feb 2016 02:38 PM PST  The U.S. government said on Friday it had approved the sale to Pakistan of up to eight F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp, radar and other equipment in a deal valued at $699 million. The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, said it had notified lawmakers about the possible deal. The agency said the F-16s would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate in all-weather environments and at night, while improving its self-defense capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter terrorism operations.
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| Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia 1st to draw lifetime drug ban Posted: 12 Feb 2016 02:37 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia became the first player to receive a lifetime ban under Major League Baseball's drug agreement after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance for the third time.
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| Nadal into semifinals in Argentina; sets up match with Thiem Posted: 12 Feb 2016 02:35 PM PST  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Defending champion Rafael Nadal has reached the semifinals of the Argentina Open with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over Paolo Lorenzi of Italy on clay in the Argentine capital.
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| Cameron confident of reaching EU deal to avoid Brexit Posted: 12 Feb 2016 02:34 PM PST  Prime Minister David Cameron expressed confidence Friday that a deal could be reached allowing Britain to remain in the European Union and avoid a so-called "Brexit". "When it comes to the question of Britain's place in Europe, I have always been confident that together we can secure the reforms that address Britain's concerns and also work for Europe as a whole," Cameron told a banquet in the German city of Hamburg, where he was guest of honour alongside Chancellor Angela Merkel. Britain has "always been a country that reaches out," Cameron told guests of Hamburg's historic "Matthiae-Mahl" banquet in the ornate town hall.
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| Austrian team doctor dies day after collapsing at ski venue Posted: 12 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST INNSBRUCK, Austria (AP) — A team doctor of the Austrian ski federation died in a hospital in Sion on Friday, one day after he collapsed before a women's World Cup downhill training in Crans-Montana. |
| Shaq, Iverson finalists, Yao could join them in Hall of Fame Posted: 12 Feb 2016 02:27 PM PST  TORONTO (AP) — Shaquille O'Neal was just 9 years old when his stepfather began teaching him basketball with a plan to dominate like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
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| Japan veteran Kasai, 43, takes third in Vikersund Posted: 12 Feb 2016 02:24 PM PST  Berlin (AFP) - Evergreen Japanese ski jumper Noriaki Kasai shrugged off his 43 years to take third place in Friday's World Cup contest at Vikersund, knocking world number one Peter Prevc off the podium.
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