A CO₂ improvement

October 23, 2013 - Daily News Briefing

More people plus more activity equals more carbon dioxide emissions.

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The US and Europe are putting intense pressure on the main Syrian opposition group to attend a long-delayed peace conference aimed at ending Syria’s civil war, even though agreeing to join the talks could irreparably split the already-fragmented opposition in exile. A meeting Tuesday between the Syrian opposition and 11 of its foreign supporters, including the US, provided a venue for Washington to press its case. But the coalition, which has been deeply frustrated by what it sees as the West’s paltry aid for the rebellion, did not bend. Instead, it presented a list of demands that made the already-slim chances of the peace talks going ahead look bleak at best.

The European Union is resuming its long-running membership talks with Turkey. Foreign ministers from the bloc’s 28 member nations on Tuesday decided at a meeting in Luxembourg to open a new chapter in the negotiations on Turkey’s EU accession. Some EU states in June blocked the opening of new talks to protest Turkey’s heavy-handed response to the country’s protests.

Prosecutors across Greece were ordered Tuesday to conduct emergency checks of birth records from the past six years, after the arrest of a Gypsy couple on suspicion of abducting a little girl triggered fears of widespread welfare fraud. The blond-haired, fair-skinned girl, known as Maria and believed to be 5 or 6, drew the attention of police during a raid on a Gypsy camp last week because she looked unlike the couple raising her. DNA tests showed they were not her biological parents.

Chinese authorities are cracking down on how often broadcasters can air reality, dating, and talent shows such as the Chinese versions of “American Idol” and “The Voice,” which draw huge audiences. The official Xinhua News Agency reported that the “American Idol” kind of talent shows now need approval from the body that oversees broadcasting, which will license one such program per channel each quarter for prime-time viewing. There have been repeated efforts to limit light TV fare shown on satellite TV, or push them out of prime time, with stated reasons, including the need to stop vulgar content and promote more efficient use of resources.

Brunei’s sultan announced Tuesday that a new Islamic criminal law that could include penalties like amputation for theft and stoning for adultery will be enforced in six months. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said in a speech that the Shariah Penal Code, which would be applied to Muslims only, should be regarded as a form of “special guidance” from God and would be “part of the great history” of the tiny, oil-rich monarchy on Borneo island.

Russia has signed an $85 billion deal to supply oil to China, visiting Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday, expanding energy trade between the giant neighbors. The two governments also agreed to jointly construct an oil refinery in Tianjin east of Beijing. As the world’s fastest-growing energy market, China is eager to obtain Russian supplies that would help to curb China’s reliance on crude from the unstable Persian Gulf, which Beijing sees as a potential security weakness.

Trains in the San Francisco Bay Area were running again Tuesday after a tentative deal capped six months of contentious labor negotiations and two strikes that disrupted hundreds of thousands of daily commutes. The contract to break the four-day strike still requires approval from union members and from transit officials.

The Vatican served tea and cucumber sandwiches Tuesday as it launched its first cricket club, an initiative aimed at forging ties with teams of other faiths. Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See, John McCarthy, was the brainchild behind the sports initiative and said he hopes the St. Peter’s Cricket Club will field a team to play the Church of England at Lord’s sometime next fall.

The dome of the US Capitol is getting a new look. The 150-year-old, cast-iron dome will soon be sheathed in scaffolding, a requirement of its first major restoration since 1960. The architect of the Capitol, Stephen T. Ayers, announced the restoration work on Tuesday, saying it’s needed to address more than 1,000 cracks and other problems in the structure. The restoration is expected to cost about $59.5 million and take about two years.

The 12-year-old student in Sparks, Nev., who opened fire on a middle-school campus, wounding two classmates and killing a teacher before he turned the gun on himself, got the weapon from his home, authorities said Tuesday. Police said they are still working to determine how the boy obtained the 9-mm semiautomatic Ruger handgun used in the Monday spree at Sparks Middle School. The boy’s parents are cooperating with authorities and could face charges in the case.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

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