Real peacemaking takes goodwill

February 03, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

Peace talks in Geneva over the Syrian civil war have come and gone.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday brushed off US Secretary of State John Kerry’s warning that Israel faced a growing boycott threat if peace talks with the Palestinians fail, saying the campaign would not achieve its goal. In the latest flare-up between the two allies, two of Netanyahu’s Cabinet ministers went even further, lashing out at Kerry and accusing him of undermining the Jewish state’s legitimacy and the chances of reaching a peace agreement.

Beleaguered Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych will return to work today from a short sick leave, according to a statement posted on his office’s website Sunday. The announcement on Thursday that Yanukovych was on sick leave raised concerns that he may have been taking himself out of action in preparation for declaring a state of emergency as the country’s political crisis heads into its third month.

Syrian government helicopters and warplanes unleashed a wave of airstrikes on more than a dozen opposition-held neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, firing missiles and dropping crude barrel bombs in a ferocious attack that killed at least 36 people, including 17 children, activists said. Aleppo has been a key battleground in Syria’s civil war since rebels swept into the city in mid-2012.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won the Oscar for best actor in 2006 for his portrayal of writer Truman Capote in “Capote” and created a gallery of other vivid characters, was found dead Sunday in his New York City apartment with what law enforcement officials said was a syringe in his arm.

Saudi Arabia put into effect a sweeping new counterterrorism law Sunday that human rights activists say allows the kingdom to prosecute as a terrorist anyone who demands reform, exposes corruption, or otherwise engages in dissent. The law states that any act that “undermines” the state or society, including calls for regime change, can be tried as an act of terrorism. It also grants security services broad powers to raid homes and track phone calls and Internet activity.

Days after House Republicans unveiled a road map for an overhaul of the nation’s broken immigration system, one of its backers said legislation is unlikely to pass during this election year. Rep. Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin said distrust of President Obama runs so deep in the Republican caucus that he’s skeptical the GOP-led House would pass any immigration measure.

Campaigning officially opened Sunday in Afghanistan’s presidential election, with 11 candidates vying to succeed President Hamid Karzai in polls seen as a crucial test of whether the country can ensure a stable political transition. The April 5 presidential vote will be held in a climate of uncertainty as NATO combat forces ready their withdrawal at the end of 2014. If successful, the election will usher in the first hand-over from one elected president to another in Afghan history.

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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