Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal released - family sources

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has been released from detention, family sources said on Saturday, more than two months after he was taken into custody in the kingdom's sweeping crackdown on corruption.

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Scores killed, wounded in ambulance blast in Afghan capital Kabul

KABUL (Reuters) - A bomb hidden in an ambulance killed at least 40 people and wounded about 140 in Afghanistan on Saturday when it blew up in an area of the capital near foreign embassies and government buildings.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2BwdWss

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Fox News Breaking News Alert

Ambulance used in deadly Kabul suicide bombing, officials say

01/27/18 5:53 AM

Toll from blast in Afghan capital up to at least 40 dead, 140 wounded: official

KABUL (Reuters) - The toll from a car-bomb blast in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday rose to at least 40 dead and 140 wounded, health ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said.

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Irish Prime Minister says he will campaign for liberalization of abortion laws

LONDON (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Saturday that he would campaign for a liberalization of the country's restrictive abortion laws ahead of a referendum in the coming months, adding that his views on the issue had evolved.

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Leading member of Egyptian opposition Hisham Genina attacked and badly injured

CAIRO (Reuters) - A leading member of an opposition campaign which was until this week challenging Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in upcoming elections was attacked and severely wounded outside his home on Saturday, his wife, lawyer, and a campaign spokesman said.

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U.S. holding Russia responsible for chemical weapons in Syria

WARSAW (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Saturday the United States believed it was Russia's responsibility to curb Syria's use of chemical weapons.

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South Korea minister says military option 'unacceptable' on North Korea crisis

By Soyoung Kim DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - South Korea's foreign minister said on Thursday the standoff over North Korea's nuclear programme must be resolved diplomatically, and she was certain Washington would consult her government first if a military option were to be considered. "The nuclear issue has to be solved through negotiations and diplomatic endeavours. This idea of a military solution is unacceptable," Kang Kyung-wha said at a news briefing on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Donald Trump accuses Palestine of 'disrespecting' the US in blow to peace talks

Donald Trump has accused the Palestinians of "disrespecting" the US in a blow to the administration's attempt to broker peace in the region.  Palestinian officials refused to meet with Mr Trump's vice president, Mike Pence, following a row over the US' controversial recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. During a warm meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Trump said he would be withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in aid  from the Palestinians until they agree to US-brokered peace talks. "They disrespected us a week ago by not allowing our great vice president to see them," the US president said.  "We give them hundreds of millions," Mr Trump added.  "That money is not going to them unless they sit down and negotiate peace." US President Donald Trump speaks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  Credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, echoed Mr Trump's comments, saying the US will not "chase after a Palestinian leadership that lacks what is needed to achieve peace". Haley accused the veteran president of lacking the courage needed for a peace deal. "To get historic results, we need courageous leaders," she said. The UN ambassador went on to unfavourably compare Mr Abbas to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and King Hussein of Jordan, who negotiated treaties with Israel.  But her comments were mocked by spectators, who highlighted that Mr Sadat had been assassinated by Islamic militants, in large part due to his agreement with Israel. NEW: Nikki Haley presses Arab leaders to step up in peace process, asking: "Where is the Palestinian Anwar Sadat?" Note: Sadat was assassinated two years after he signed a peace deal with Israel.— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) January 25, 2018 The Palestinians have claimed the US can no longer be considered a neutral broker of peace talks in the region. President Mahmoud Abbas has said the Palestinian Authority would not meet with the US administration until it withdrew its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Hanan Ashrawi,  another senior Palestinian official, said: "not meeting your oppressor is not a sign of disrespect; it is a sign of self-respect." Palestinians see at least the east of the city as the capital of their future state, and the announcement set off street protests and diplomatic fury. Diplomatic positions on Jerusalem However, sitting alongside Mr Netanyahu in Davos, Mr Trump said: "Israel has always supported the United States so what I did with Jerusalem was my honour." Last week the Trump administration announced it is withholding more than half the funding that the US provides to a United Nations agency that aids Palestinian refugees. Heather Nauert, the State Department spokeswoman, said the US would withhold $65 million from the UN Relief and Works Agency “for future consideration”. Meanwhile a new poll has found Mr Trump's recognition of Jerusalem led to a spike in Palestinian support for "armed struggle". Jerusalem - Israel Nearly twice as many Palestinians said they supported "armed struggle" against Israel compared with an identical survey six months previously, while there was also a fall in support for the two-state solution, the joint Israeli and Palestinian poll found. The poll of 1,270 Palestinians across east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza was conducted in the days after Mr Trump's December 6 declaration that he would move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognise the city as Israel's capital. The same poll in June found 21 percent support for armed struggle, while 45 percent backed a peace agreement.

New Fallout After the Sentencing of Former USA Gymnastics Team Doctor Larry Nassar

The entire USA gymnastics board has resigned and the Michigan State University athletic director has stepped down.

Alcatraz mystery deepens after discovery of letter signed by fugitive claiming prisoners survived escape

Authorities have never determined whether brothers John and Clarence Anglin and fellow inmate Frank Morris survived the daring jail break. The FBI closed its case in 1979, concluding the men were unlikely to have survived the 1.5-mile journey across San Francisco Bay’s frigid waters from the island prison to the mainland. “My name is John Anglin,” the handwritten missive begins.

Boos and brass band greet Trump in Davos

US President Donald Trump drew boos from the audience at the elite Davos summit Friday when he attacked the press, repeating his charge that critical media indulge in "fake" news. The calm atmosphere established by a brass band at the start of his appearance, and Trump's measured tone during his speech, gave way to a flash of tetchiness afterwards. Trump went off-script in a brief question-and-answer exchange with World Economic Forum host Klaus Schwab.

Escaped Inmate Arrested Running Back to Texas Jail With Bag of Booze, Food

Authorities in Texas captured an escaped inmate as he ran back towards the prison with a duffel bag full of booze and food on Wednesday.

For Myanmar’s Army, Ethnic Bloodletting Is Key to Power and Riches

By RICHARD C. PADDOCK from NYT World http://ift.tt/2Gmh5Ph

In Kenya, and Across Africa, an Unexpected Epidemic: Obesity

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN from NYT World http://ift.tt/2nf6RIv

A Minneapolis Hotel With Northwoods Style (and Flavor)

By ELAINE GLUSAC from NYT Travel http://ift.tt/2FnBYrF

In Tahoe, a Wild Intersection of Golf and Celebrities

By MALIKA ANDREWS, JOE DRAPE and KAREN CROUSE from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2DHjxC3

Reese Witherspoon’s Second Act: Big-Time Producer

By JOHN KOBLIN from NYT Business Day http://ift.tt/2rIhRCL

It’s Not a Roar, but the Global Economy Is Finally Making Noise

By PETER S. GOODMAN from NYT Business Day http://ift.tt/2Ee4j4D

At least 17 dead in car bomb at checkpoint near embassies in Afghan capital

KABUL (Reuters) - A bomb hidden in an ambulance killed at least 17 people and wounded about 110 at a police checkpoint in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, in an area near foreign embassies and government buildings, officials said.

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U.S. to end weapons support for Syrian Kurdish YPG, Turkey says

ANKARA (Reuters) - The United States has told Turkey it will not provide any more weapons to the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, the Turkish presidency said on Saturday, as Turkey's offensive against the U.S.-backed YPG in Syria entered its eighth day.

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Turkey to U.S.: End support for Syrian Kurd YPG or risk confrontation

By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Dahlia Nehme ANKARA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey urged the United States on Thursday to halt its support for Kurdish YPG fighters or risk confronting Turkish forces on the ground in Syria, some of Ankara's strongest comments yet about a potential clash with its NATO ally. The remarks, from the spokesman for President Tayyip Erdogan's government, underscored the growing bilateral tensions, six days after Turkey launched its air and ground operation, "Olive Branch", in Syria's northwestern Afrin region. In Washington, the Pentagon said that it carefully tracked weapons provided to the YPG and would continue discussions with Turkey.

Dozens Feared Dead as Massive Explosion Rocks Kabul

By MUJIB MASHAL and FATIMA FAIZI from NYT World http://ift.tt/2FmujtE

Heavy casualties in car bomb at checkpoint near embassies in Afghan capital

KABUL (Reuters) - A bomb hidden in an ambulance killed and wounded scores of people at a police checkpoint in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, in an area near foreign embassies and government buildings, officials said.

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