A day with possibilities

February 14, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

There’s only a thin thread that ties Valentine’s Day to its ancient origins.

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The governor of the central Syrian province of Homs says a cease-fire has been extended for three days as of Thursday.

Gov. Talal Barrazi says that as long as there are people who want to leave rebel-held besieged areas in Homs the truce will be extended. An official at Barrazi’s office said there were no evacuations of Homs on Thursday. The official said evacuations are expected to resume today. It was the second extension since the truce went into effect last week.

Yet another storm paralyzed the Northeast with heavy snow and sleet Thursday, giving the winter weary that oh-no-not-again feeling, while hundreds of thousands across the ice-encrusted South waited in the cold for the electricity to come back on. The sloppy and treacherous mix of snow and sleet grounded more than 6,500 flights Thursday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his South Korean counterpart warned North Korea on Thursday against any possible aggression amid mixed signals from the North over returning to denuclearization talks and improved ties with the South. Kerry, meanwhile, urged US allies South Korea and Japan to repair deep divisions between them that threaten to jeopardize coordination in dealing with North Korea.

A parked car bomb targeting Pakistan’s elite police commando force killed at least 12 officers and wounded 55 people in the southern city of Karachi on Thursday, police said, raising doubts about the success of an ongoing peace process with the Pakistani Taliban. Hours after the attack, Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday wished Egypt’s military chief victory in the nation’s presidential vote, even though he has yet to announce his bid – a strong endorsement signaling Moscow’s desire to expand its military and other ties with a key US ally in the Middle East.

Abandoned by an ambitious party rival, Italian Premier Enrico Letta announced Thursday he is resigning after losing essential support for his battered, 10-month-old coalition government. Hours earlier, Matteo Renzi, the leader of Letta’s Democratic Party, rallied party executives to an overwhelming vote for a change of command in the premier’s office.

Belgian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to extend the country’s euthanasia law to children under 18. The law empowers children with terminal ailments who are in great pain to ask to be put to death by their doctor if their parents agree and a psychiatrist or psychologist certifies they are conscious of what their choice signifies.

The Sochi Olympics said goodbye Thursday to one of figure skating’s all-time greats. Evgeni Plushenko, the first figure skater in the modern era to win medals in four Olympics, retired from competitive figure skating shortly after withdrawing from the men’s competition for medical reasons.

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.

The governor of the central Syrian province of Homs says a cease-fire has been extended for three days as of Thursday.

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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