Ban Ki-moon withdraws Iran's invite to Syria peace talks

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• Ban Ki-moon withdraws Iran's invite to Syria peace talks
• Syria's National Coalition says to decide on Geneva 2 after U.N. statement
• U.N. spokesman to address reporters on Syria shortly
• Speeches, marches honor Martin Luther King Jr.
• Iran says won't join Syria talks if required to accept 2012 deal
• US Rep. Lankford announces run for US Senate seat
• Top pope ally urges Vatican doctrine chief to loosen up
• Central African Republic names new leader, EU to send troops
• Peugeot moves closer to Dongfeng deal as sales sag
• Comet-chasing probe wakes up, signals Earth
• Italian conductor Claudio Abbado dies at 80
• Iran, US, Europe start implementing nuclear deal
• US consumers to blame for some air pollution from China
• Christie aide: Hoboken treated no differently
• Family of man held in NKorea worried, encouraged
• Surprise Iran invitation may scuttle Syria talks
• 'Sleepy Hollow' star teases finale 'revelations'
• PBS' 'Salinger' has more on war, teen relationship
• Scene and heard at the Sundance Film Festival
• NJ lieutenant gov.: Aid-for-development claim false
• U.S. begins Iran sanctions relief, sees tough talks ahead
• 10 hurt in explosion at Omaha animal feed plant
• U.N. invitation to Iran throws Syria talks into doubt
• Katie Couric makes documentary debut at Sundance
• Ken Burns making documentary on country music
• Scramble to save Syria peace talks after Iran invite
• Stephens denies cheering Williams exit
• Red Cross ready to step up Syria aid, help prisoner swaps
• Obama celebrates MLK holiday, visits soup kitchen
• Iran curbs enrichment as nuclear deal takes effect
• West, Iran activate landmark nuclear deal
• US eases sanctions as Iran starts halting nuclear program
• Commemorations ask what would Martin Luther King Jr. do in 2014?
• Knox lawyers to have last word before verdict
• Areva and Gamesa to team up in offshore wind
• Ukrainian leader urges dialogue after street battles
• Canada, South Korea in 'tremendous' free-trade talks: minister
• Iraq warns militants possess major firepower
• Sandusky's son takes part in film on Penn St. case
• 'Sleeping beauty' comet probe awakens from slumber

Ban Ki-moon withdraws Iran's invite to Syria peace talks Posted: 20 Jan 2014 01:19 PM PST U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday withdrew an offer for Iran to attend Syria peace negotiations after Tehran declared it does not support the June 2012 political transition deal that is the basis for the talks. "He (Ban) continues to urge Iran to join the global consensus behind the Geneva communiqué," Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said. "Given that it has chosen to remain outside that basic understanding, (Ban) has decided that the one-day Montreux gathering will proceed without Iran's participation." Ban said earlier that Iran's public statement that it did not support the 2012 Geneva deal calling for a transitional government for Syria was "not consistent" with assurances he had been given by Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Syria's National Coalition says to decide on Geneva 2 after U.N. statement Posted: 20 Jan 2014 01:05 PM PST Syria's main political opposition in exile said on Monday it would decide whether to attend the Geneva 2 conference in Switzerland after an announcement by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Iran's attendance at the talks. "It is expected that the Secretary-General of the UN will be holding a press conference during the next few hours in order to show the position of the United Nations from the invitation sent to Iran to attend Geneva 2," the National Coalition's statement said. "The Coalition will send its final position on the basis of the statement of the Secretary-General." Coalition spokesman Louay Safi later said his group would not attend Geneva 2 unless the invitation to Tehran was withdrawn. "I expect the Secretary-General to withdraw the invitation and if he does not withdraw it we will not go and there will not be a conference and the responsibility for that will be Ban Ki-moon's." The National Coalition had earlier said it would pull out of the talks scheduled this week unless Ban revoked his invitation to Iran, President Bashar al-Assad's main backer, setting a deadline of 1900 GMT for the invitation to be withdrawn.

U.N. spokesman to address reporters on Syria shortly Posted: 20 Jan 2014 01:03 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A United Nations spokesman will speak to reporters "shortly" about developments related to Syria, the U.N. press office said on Monday. U.N. diplomats said they were expecting an announcement from the United Nations on the possible participation of Iran in Syrian peace talks in Switzerland after Tehran said it was unwilling to accept a June 2012 deal agreed in Geneva that called for a political transition in Syria. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau, editing by G Crosse)

Speeches, marches honor Martin Luther King Jr. Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:59 PM PST ATLANTA (AP) — As the nation remembered and reflected Monday on the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., leaders and everyday Americans talked about how far the country has come in the last 50 years and how much more is to be done.

Iran says won't join Syria talks if required to accept 2012 deal Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:52 PM PST Iran's U.N. ambassador on Monday issued Tehran's most unambiguous statement so far on Iranian participation in this week's peace talks on Syria, saying that Iran will definitely not take part if it is required to accept a June 2012 deal agreed in Geneva. "If the participation of Iran is conditioned to accept Geneva I communiqué, Iran will not participate in Geneva II conference," Iran's U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said in a statement after U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon suggested he was reconsidering his invitation to Iran to attend the talks.

US Rep. Lankford announces run for US Senate seat Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:51 PM PST OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. James Lankford announced his candidacy Monday for the U.S. Senate seat left open by Sen. Tom Coburn who said last week he would resign the post at the end of this congressional session.

Top pope ally urges Vatican doctrine chief to loosen up Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:51 PM PST By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor PARIS (Reuters) - An influential aide to Pope Francis criticized the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog on Monday and urged the conservative prelate to be more flexible about reforms being discussed in the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, the head of a "kitchen cabinet" the pope created to draw up reform proposals, said that Archbishop Gerhard Mueller - who has opposed any loosening of Church rules on divorce - was a classic German theology professor who thought too much in rigid black-and-white terms. "The world isn't like that, my brother," Rodriguez said in a German newspaper interview, rhetorically addressing Mueller in a rare public criticism among senior Church figures. Rodriguez, archbishop of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa, did not cite any possible reforms in particular but said the pope's critics, such as those upset by his attacks on capitalism, were "people who don't understand reality." Former Pope Benedict picked Mueller in 2012 to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the successor office to the Inquisition.

Central African Republic names new leader, EU to send troops Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:49 PM PST By Paul-Marin Ngoupana and Adrian Croft BANGUI/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Central African Republic lawmakers chose their capital's mayor to become interim president on Monday and lead the country out of months of sectarian killings, as the European Union agreed to send in 500 troops to help restore order. "I am the president of all Central Africans, without exception," said Mayor Catherine Samba-Panza, succeeding Seleka leader Michel Djotodia who stepped down as interim president this month under international pressure over his failure to end the bloodshed. "I appeal to my anti-balaka and Seleka children to listen to me and lay down your weapons," said the Chadian-born politician, who moved to Central African Republic when she was 18. A senior U.N. official warned last week of the possibility of genocide in the nation that borders six other countries in the heart of Africa, including strife-hit South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Peugeot moves closer to Dongfeng deal as sales sag Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:48 PM PST By Laurence Frost and Sophie Sassard PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen has taken a decisive step towards a tie-up with China's Dongfeng Motor Co. as the board approved the outlines of a contentious survival plan that divided the founding Peugeot family. In a blow to Chairman Thierry Peugeot, who had championed an alternative plan, the board agreed in principle to a capital increase that would see the Chinese state-owned carmaker and French government acquire minority stakes and the family cede control, sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. Peugeot confirmed in a statement that it was looking to raise 3 billion euros ($4.1 billion) in a deal with Dongfeng, after unveiling a further 4.9 percent decline in global vehicle deliveries for 2013 earlier on Monday. The French government would subscribe to the share issue "on the same terms and conditions as Dongfeng", Peugeot said, an assertation later confirmed in a joint statement from French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici and Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg.

Comet-chasing probe wakes up, signals Earth Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:48 PM PST BERLIN (AP) — Waking up after almost three years of hibernation, a comet-chasing spacecraft sent its first signal back to Earth on Monday, prompting cheers from scientists who hope to use it to land the first space lander onto a comet.

Italian conductor Claudio Abbado dies at 80 Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:45 PM PST ROME (AP) — Claudio Abbado, a star in the great generation of Italian conductors revered for developing a rapport with members of the world's leading orchestras while still allowing them their independence, died Monday. He was 80.

Iran, US, Europe start implementing nuclear deal Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:45 PM PST TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran unplugged banks of centrifuges involved in its most sensitive uranium enrichment work on Monday, prompting the United States and European Union to partially lift economic sanctions as a landmark deal aimed at easing concerns over Iran's nuclear program went into effect.

US consumers to blame for some air pollution from China Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:42 PM PST Air pollution from China blows across the Pacific Ocean and ends up over the US west coast -- and American consumerism is to blame for a portion of it, said a study Monday. On some days, nearly a quarter of the pollutants in the air over California, Oregon, Washington and Portland were initially spewed into the air in China, during the making of televisions, toys, cellphones and other products for export. "We've outsourced our manufacturing and much of our pollution, but some of it is blowing back across the Pacific to haunt us," said co-author Steve Davis, a scientist at the University of California, Irvine. The study found that 22 percent of carbon monoxide and 17 percent of black carbon emitted in China were associated with the production of goods for export.

Christie aide: Hoboken treated no differently Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:40 PM PST TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie's administration is continuing its push to show that Hoboken has not been treated differently than other cities in its efforts to gain Superstorm Sandy relief funding.

Family of man held in NKorea worried, encouraged Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:39 PM PST SEATTLE (AP) — The family of an American missionary held more than a year in North Korea was heartbroken and encouraged by a brief news conference in which Kenneth Bae, wearing a gray cap and inmate's uniform with the number 103 on his chest, apologized and said he committed anti-government acts.

Surprise Iran invitation may scuttle Syria talks Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:37 PM PST GENEVA (AP) — A last-minute U.N. invitation for Iran to join this week's Syria peace talks threw the long-awaited Geneva conference into doubt Monday, with the U.S. saying the offer should be rescinded and the main Western-backed Syrian opposition group threatening to skip the event entirely.

'Sleepy Hollow' star teases finale 'revelations' Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:34 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Mison, who plays Ichabod Crane on the Fox series "Sleepy Hollow," predicts fans are in for a sleepless night.

PBS' 'Salinger' has more on war, teen relationship Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:28 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — After making headlines with his book and movie about J.D. Salinger, Shane Salerno is ready for his final stop: the director's cut on PBS.

Scene and heard at the Sundance Film Festival Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:15 PM PST PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Associated Press reporters at the Sundance Film Festival share what's in their notebooks:

NJ lieutenant gov.: Aid-for-development claim false Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:14 PM PST TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey's lieutenant governor on Monday strongly denied a claim that Superstorm Sandy relief funding was withheld from a severely flooded city because the mayor wouldn't sign off on a politically connected real estate venture.

U.S. begins Iran sanctions relief, sees tough talks ahead Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:12 PM PST By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has followed through on promised sanctions relief for Iran covering oil exports, trade in precious metals and automotive services as part of a nuclear agreement that began taking effect on Monday, U.S. officials said. In exchange for steps that Tehran had taken to halt its most sensitive nuclear-related activity, the White House said the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union "will today follow through on our commitment to begin to provide the modest relief agreed to with Iran." "At the same time, we will continue our aggressive enforcement of the sanctions measures that will remain in place throughout this six-month period," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. The move is the controversial culmination of a promise that President Barack Obama made as a presidential candidate to engage with U.S. adversaries, including Tehran. "While the positive economic impact on Iran will go beyond this relief, as foreign investors are rushing in, our leverage over Iran shrinks," said Representative Ed Royce, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives' foreign affairs committee.

10 hurt in explosion at Omaha animal feed plant Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:12 PM PST OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — At least 10 people have been hospitalized and others could be trapped after an explosion and partial building collapse Monday at an Omaha animal feed processing plant.

U.N. invitation to Iran throws Syria talks into doubt Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:10 PM PST By Louis Charbonneau and Parisa Hafezi UNITED NATIONS/ANKARA (Reuters) - An unexpected last-minute U.N. invitation for Iran to a peace conference on Syria threw the talks into doubt on Monday, with Washington demanding Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon withdraw his offer and the Syrian opposition threatening to pull out. Iran is the main foreign backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its presence has been one of the most contentious issues looming over the first talks to be attended by both Assad's government and opponents. After the clamorous response to his invitation, Ban was "urgently considering his options" his spokesman said. The West and the Syrian opposition have long said Iran must be barred from the conference unless it first accepts an accord reached in Geneva in 2012 calling for a transitional government for Syria, which they see as a step towards unseating Assad.

Katie Couric makes documentary debut at Sundance Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:09 PM PST PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Along with her soon-to-end daytime talk show, fall engagement and recent move from TV to the web as Yahoo's global anchor, Katie Couric also made a documentary feature shown at Sundance.

Ken Burns making documentary on country music Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:08 PM PST PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — PBS documentary maker Ken Burns is examining the roots of country music and how it has changed through the present day for a multi-episode series on public broadcasting.

Scramble to save Syria peace talks after Iran invite Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:59 AM PST The United States and United Nations were scrambling Monday to rescue the much-heralded Syrian peace talks, thrown into disarray by a surprise UN invite to Iran. The deeply divided Syrian opposition, which had struggled to agree to join the so-called Geneva II conference, is now threatening a boycott unless the invitation to Tehran is withdrawn. Adding to the tensions, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad bluntly ruled out a power-sharing deal and said in an exclusive AFP interview that the talks opening Wednesday should focus on what he called his "war against terrorism". UN leader Ban Ki-moon, who sparked the furor with his invitation to Tehran Sunday, was "dismayed" by Iran's refusal to back an international statement calling for a transitional government in Syria and by the Syrian opposition's threat to boycott the talks, his spokesman said.

Stephens denies cheering Williams exit Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:52 AM PST American Sloane Stephens Monday denied celebrating Serena Williams' shock exit from the Australian Open after she was filmed smiling and laughing as she watched on TV. The relationship between the pair has been frosty since Stephens knocked world number one Williams out of last year's tournament in the quarter-finals. Stephens later took aim at Williams for unfollowing her on Twitter and also reportedly accused the 17-time Grand Slam champion of ignoring her. Local media seized on the footage of Stephens, filmed without her knowledge while was she was watching the Williams match and joking with hitting partner Andrew Fitzpatrick.

Red Cross ready to step up Syria aid, help prisoner swaps Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:52 AM PST By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The Red Cross is ready to deliver aid to besieged towns in Syria and facilitate prisoner exchanges if the warring sides agree to confidence-building measures at peace talks in Switzerland, a senior official told Reuters on Monday. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Friday he had handed Russia plans for a ceasefire with rebel forces in Syria's biggest city, Aleppo, and was ready to exchange lists on a possible prisoner swap. "The ICRC has a very clear stand on this. We can offer to play a role of neutral intermediary in the event of an exchange of prisoners provided this is done according to our modalities," Robert Mardini, head of operations for the Near and Middle East at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Reuters in an interview in Geneva.

Obama celebrates MLK holiday, visits soup kitchen Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:44 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama honored Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of service Monday by helping a soup kitchen prepare its daily meals and a host of administration figures fanned out across the capital to appear at holiday events.

Iran curbs enrichment as nuclear deal takes effect Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:42 AM PST Iran halted production of 20 percent enriched uranium on Monday, marking the entry into force of an landmark deal with world powers on its disputed nuclear programme. After nearly a decade of negotiations between Western powers and Iran over its nuclear drive, which the West suspected was aimed at developing weapons despite Tehran's denials, the two sides reached the interim agreement in November. And the powers kept to their part of the deal, with both the European Union and United States announcing they were easing crippling sanctions on Iran. The move came as the United Nations invited Iran to a peace conference on the war in Tehran's ally Syria, despite objections from Arab and Western nations.

West, Iran activate landmark nuclear deal Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:40 AM PST By Fredrik Dahl and Justyna Pawlak VIENNA/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran has halted its most sensitive nuclear operations under a preliminary deal with world powers, winning some relief from economic sanctions on Monday in a ground-breaking exchange that could ease a threat of war. The United States and European Union both suspended some trade and other restrictions against the OPEC oil producer after the United Nations' nuclear watchdog confirmed that Iran had fulfilled its side of an agreement made on November 24. The announcements, which coincided with a diplomatic row over Iran's role at peace talks on Syria [ID:nL5N0KU1X2], will allow six months of negotiation on a definitive accord that the West hopes can end fears of Tehran developing nuclear weapons and Iran wants to end sanctions that are crippling its economy. Iranian officials hailed a warming of ties that will also see their new president make a pitch to international business leaders at Davos later this week: "The iceberg of sanctions against Iran is melting," the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Ali Akbar Salehi, told Iranian state television.

US eases sanctions as Iran starts halting nuclear program Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:34 AM PST The United States Monday approved a waiver to ease sanctions on Iran, its part of an international deal after the Islamic republic began imposing curbs on its suspect nuclear program. "Iran has begun to take concrete and verifiable steps to halt its nuclear program," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, adding it was "an unprecedented opportunity" to resolve global concerns over the atomic program. US Secretary of State John Kerry has approved the waiver, which will allow limited relief to help Iran's crippled economy, and it would be sent to Congress on Monday, she added. Earlier Monday, Iran announced it had halted production of 20 percent enriched uranium, marking the entry into force of the landmark interim deal with world powers.

Commemorations ask what would Martin Luther King Jr. do in 2014? Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:34 AM PST (Reuters) - Visions of what Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would do to promote civil rights in 2014, had he not been slain decades ago, marked speeches and commemorations held across the country to honor his memory on Monday. Recalling King's famous "I Have a Dream," speech, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said the late civil rights leader would want school children to hear it as a call to stay in school and become educated to better the world. "We need to swap the lesson plan for a dream plan," Reed told a crowd at Ebenezer Baptist Church gathered for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday. He said King would want children to hear: "You are not going to school just to study math, you're going to school to be somebody." In New York City, newly elected Mayor Bill de Blasio, who swept into office promising broader opportunities for poorer residents, said at a tribute: "Dr. King would tell us we can't wait" to bring income equality to New Yorkers.

Knox lawyers to have last word before verdict Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:34 AM PST FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — A prosecutor urged a court on Monday to take steps to make sure that American Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend would serve their sentences, if they are convicted of murdering British student Meredith Kercher.

Areva and Gamesa to team up in offshore wind Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:33 AM PST France's Areva and Spain's Gamesa said Monday they were holding talks on combining their offshore wind turbine activities to create a leading player in the sector. The companies do not yet have a name for the joint venture and did not release any financial details other than to say each would hold a 50 percent stake. Calling the offshore segment one of the most promising areas for the development of renewable energies, the companies said a joint venture would help them share the heavy costs to develop the next generation of larger turbines and "become one of the leading players in the global offshore wind market." Gamesa has been in the wind turbine business for nearly two decades, although it has been traditionally involved in land-based rather than offshore projects.

Ukrainian leader urges dialogue after street battles Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:28 AM PST By Richard Balmforth KIEV (Reuters) - President Viktor Yanukovich, reeling from the worst violence for decades in the Ukrainian capital, appealed for compromise on Monday as police and demonstrators clashed again in the streets. Yanukovich is battling to reassert his authority after scores of people were injured in Kiev on Sunday in pitched battles between protesters and police that could seriously hurt his chances of re-election next year. With tension still high, about 1,000 protesters confronted police on Monday near Kiev's main government headquarters. After weeks of mass protests over Yanukovich's decision to shun a trade pact with the European Union and turn instead towards Russia, demonstrators have been further enraged by sweeping laws rammed through parliament to curb public protest, "I ask you not to join those who seek violence, who are trying to create a division between the state and society and who want to hurl the Ukrainian people into a pit of mass disorder," Yanukovich said in an appeal on his website.

Canada, South Korea in 'tremendous' free-trade talks: minister Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:25 AM PST Canada and South Korea are having "tremendous discussions" toward a free-trade agreement, said Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, a deal that could increase trade in meat and autos. Talks began in 2005, but were later hung up over disputes such as a delay in South Korea scrapping its ban on Canadian beef. South Korea lifted its nine-year-old ban in 2012. "It (would be) a great agreement to have free trade into Korea," Ritz said on a broad-ranging conference call.

Iraq warns militants possess major firepower Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:24 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Islamic militants controlling a mainly Sunni area west of Baghdad are so well-armed that they could occupy the capital, a top Iraqi official warned Monday, a frank and bleak assessment of the challenge posed in routing the insurgents as a new wave of bombings killed at least 31 people.

Sandusky's son takes part in film on Penn St. case Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:21 AM PST STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — The son of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky participated in a documentary about his father's sexual-abuse case and hopes to become an advocate for child victims.

'Sleeping beauty' comet probe awakens from slumber Posted: 20 Jan 2014 11:12 AM PST The European probe Rosetta woke up Monday after a 31-month hibernation in a nearly decade-old quest to explore a comet, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced. Europe's most ambitious space mission, the craft was launched in 2004 on a trek of seven billion kilometres (4.3 billion miles) around the inner Solar System. Analysing this primeval stuff should unlock secrets of how the Solar System formed -- and possibly how life on Earth was kickstarted. "This was one alarm clock not to hit snooze on, and after a tense day we are absolutely delighted to have our spacecraft awake and back online," said Fred Jansen, ESA's Rosetta mission manager.

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