Dozens of Palestinian protesters have hurled eggs and shoes at the convoy of the visiting Canadian foreign minister.
	John Baird was in Ramallah today to meet Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki.
	Protesters also held signs reading: "Baird you are not welcome in Palestine." Activists from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party earlier called for a boycott of Baird because of Canada's perceived pro-Israel stance.
	Baird is in the region for five days of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
	In a statement, Baird described his meeting with Malki as "cordial and constructive" and included "candid and frank exchanges on areas where we differ in opinion."
	Canada is opposed to the recent Palestinian bid to pursue war crime charges against Israel.

Palestinians hurl eggs at Canadian foreign minister's convoy

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Egyptian leader Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is in the United Arab Emirates on his first official visit since being elected president of the Arab world's most populous country.
	Emirati state news agency WAM says el-Sissi arrived in the capital of Abu Dhabi late yesterday and met with the powerful Abu Dhabi crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
	The visit reflects the strong support the Emirates has given el-Sissi's government since he was elected in June after leading the 2013 military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
	He previously visited the oil-rich Gulf federation in March 2014, when he was Egypt's interim military chief, to mark the end of joint military exercises between the two countries.

Egyptian President el-Sissi pays visit to Gulf ally UAE

A delegation of US senators led by John McCain has met with Saudi Arabia's crown prince in the kingdom, where talks focused on the training of Syrian rebels.
	A message on the official Twitter feed for McCain, a Republican from Arizona, said that the US delegation also met Saturday with the head of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition, Ahmed al-Jarba, and the commander of Saudi Arabia's training and equipment program. They also met in Qatar with the country's emir.
	Saudi Arabia is part of a US-led coalition conducting airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State group.
	On Friday, the Pentagon said that as many as 1,000 US troops and trainers would be sent to training sites in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to help arm and train select Syrian rebels.

US senators in Saudi Arabia talk about Syrian rebel training

Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos filled Manila's main park for Pope Francis' final Mass today, braving a steady rain to hear the pontiff's message of hope for the Southeast Asian country's most downtrodden and destitute.
	Organisers expect as many as 6 million people at the afternoon Mass, surpassing the 5 million record set by St John Paul II at the same Rizal Park in 1995.
	Francis drew a huge crowd earlier today when he addressed young people at Manila's Catholic university, coming close to tears himself when he heard two young children speak of their lives growing up poor and on the streets.
	Francis has dedicated his four-day trip to the Philippines to the poor. He has denounced the corruption that has robbed them of a dignified life, visited with street children and travelled to eastern Tacloban to offer prayers for the survivors of the deadly 2013 Typhoon Haiyan that devastated one of the Philippines' poorest regions.
	Francis ditched his prepared remarks again, speaking off .

Philippine crowd building for papal Mass

A delegation of congressional Democrats is visiting Cuba to discuss expectations for the normalization of relations between the United States and the island nation.
	The delegation's leader, senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, says in a statement yesterday that the lawmakers want to explore opportunities for greater cooperation and to encourage Cuban officials to address issues of concern to Americans and their representatives in Congress.
	The three-day trip ends tomorrow. Traveling with Leahy are Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and congressmen Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont.
	Last month, President Barack Obama announced plans for renewed economic ties and other administration-led initiatives aimed at re-establishing relations with Cuba. Many congressional Republicans have been cool to the effort.

Democratic lawmakers visit Cuba amid changes in US relations

Don Harron, who entertained TV audiences in Canada and the US with his comic alter ego Charlie Farquharson and helped bring the Canadian classic novel "Anne of Green Gables" to the stage, has died. He was 90.
	Harron's eldest daughter Martha said her father died yesterday morning surrounded by family at his Toronto home after choosing not to seek treatment for cancer.
	The wit and humour that landed him roles on CBC radio and television programs continued to define her father to the very end, Martha Harron said.
	"He was still sharp. He was still capable of being funny even though his voice was barely above a whisper," she said.
	"It's horribly sad, but it's beautiful too."
	Harron introduced his Farquharson character, a country bumpkin from rural Ontario dressed in a frayed grey cardigan sweater who poked fun at almost anything Canadian, on a CBC television revue in 1952, drawing inspiration from a stint working on an Ontario farm.
	He went on to perform as Farquharson on the ...

Canadian actor-writer Don Harron dies at age 90

President Nicolas Maduro was greeted by the Venezuelan equivalent of a ticker tape parade as he returned to an increasingly stricken economy from a two-week fundraising trip.
	Crowds of government supporters yesterday danced to live salsa, clutched brightly colored balloons and cheered as the socialist leader and former bus driver arrived at the presidential palace, driving himself at the head of the motorcade.
	The administration called the festivities to welcome Maduro back from a tour of China, Russia and five other countries. He had sought to win new loans and to persuade fellow oil-producing countries to work together to stop the dive of crude prices, which has been disastrous for Venezuela's already struggling economy, which gets 96 percent of its export revenue from oil sales.
	Maduro has said he achieved what was needed, touting an infusion of investments from China and a new financial alliance with Qatar. Downtown Caracas was lined yesterday with banners featuring pictures of 

Venezuela president receives parade amid looming crisis

An Egyptian court trying demonstrators for holding an unauthorised protest forged evidence at its latest hearing, a prominent Egyptian activist and the sister of one of the defendants said today.
	Mona Seif, the sister of Alaa Abdel-Fattah, issued a statement on Facebook saying that a kitchen knife taken as evidence against another defendant in the proceedings had gone missing.
	She claims a completely different knife had appeared as evidence and accused the prosecution of fraud.
	"Today, like magicians, the prosecution presented a new knife blade, brand new and different dimensions than what's on official case files, and new evidence claiming it's the original evidence of the case," she wrote.
	Abdel-Fattah, a prominent figure in Egypt's 2011 uprising, was convicted in June for organising an unauthorised demonstration in November 2013 and assaulting a police officer.
	He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was granted a retrial in August and currently remains in custody.
	The ...

Egypt activist accuses court of forging evidence

Now that's a special delivery!
	A group of real estate agents meeting in Ann Arbor, Michigan, surprised a man by giving him a USD 2,084 tip for delivering one pizza on Thursday.
	The man, identified only as Rob, was stunned and said on video, "All I did was deliver pizza."
	Agents from Keller Williams Realty all pitched in while attending the company's regional conference. Stacey McVey says they wanted to show their appreciation to someone from the service industry.
	Besides cash, the man received a Visa gift card, lottery tickets and letters of encouragement.
	Brian LeFevre, delivery manager at Pizza House in Ann Arbor, says the lucky delivery man was "ecstatic." He says "that's a pretty good day's work" for just one pizza.

US man delivers 1 pizza gets USD 2,084 tip

For the first time in his presidency, Barack Obama will stand before a Republican-led Congress to deliver his State of the Union policy address and try to convince lawmakers newly empowered to block his agenda that they should instead join with him on education, cyberprotection and national security proposals.
	With Obama firmly in the legacy-building phase, his address is expected to be as much about selling a story of US economic revival as it is about outlining initiatives. The approach reflects the White House's belief that it has been too cautious in promoting economic gains out of fear of looking tone deaf to the continued struggles of 0many Americans.
	White House advisers have suggested that their restraint hindered Democrats in the November elections and helped Republicans take full control of Congress for the first time in eight years. But with hiring up and unemployment down, the president has been more assertive about the improving state of the economy in the new year and .

For speech, Obama faces Republican Congress for first time

A shooting this morning at a mall in central Florida left one person dead and two others injured, police said.
	Melbourne Police tweeted that the "shooter is contained" and that officers were clearing the Melbourne Square Mall store by store.
	It wasn't immediately clear whether the suspect was dead or one of the injured people taken to a hospital, Cmdr Vince Pryce said.
	The shooting occurred before the mall opened at 10 am local time. Mall officials posted a statement to Facebook saying the mall was closed until further notice as police investigate.
	Local television news broadcasts showed yellow police tape stretched across a mall entrance and the parking lot.
	Donna Evans of Melbourne said she was in the food court when she heard gunfire about 20 feet to 25 feet away.
	"We had just gotten our food to sit down by Starbucks and Chik-fil-A, and you just hear the 'pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,' and you just drop everything and your body just makes you run," Evans told Florida ...

Florida police say 1 dead, 2 injured in mall shooting

A French court has upheld the Paris police chief's order to ban a planned demonstration against radical Islamists in the wake of France's worst terrorism in decades.
	The Paris administrative tribunal ruled in an accelerated judgment today that police were authorized to ban tomorrow's "Islamists out of France" rally. Two groups that promote secular and republican values were key organizers of the planned demonstration.
	A police official confirmed the ruling after Paris police chief Bernard Boucault ordered the ban because the rally might incite civil unrest.
	The decision came as municipal leaders begrudgingly assented to secret burials of the two brothers behind the deadly shootings at the Charlie Hebdo newspaper last week.
	That attack was part of a three-day terrorism spree by three gunmen who killed 17 people in Paris.

Court upholds Paris police ban of anti-Islamist rally

High waves and strong currents in the Java Sea again prevented Indonesian navy divers from accessing the fuselage and what is believed to be the cockpit from the AirAsia plane that crashed three weeks ago, officials said.
	A team of 15 navy divers tried to get to the wreckage to examine it and calculate its weight, but failed to reach it due to the unfavorable conditions, said Suryadi Bambang Supriyadi, director of operations for Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency.
	Indonesian survey ships have located at least nine big objects, including the jet's fuselage, what is believed to be the cockpit and an engine, Supriyadi said.
	The fuselage is sitting on the seabed at a depth of 28 meters.
	The 30-meter-long fuselage and an attached wing were sighted Wednesday. Divers attempted to reach the wreckage Thursday and Friday, but were turned back because of the rough sea conditions.
	Authorities believe many of the bodies are still inside the fuselage. There were 162 people aboard ...

Sea conditions prevent divers from reaching AirAsia fuselage

Iran's judicial authorities have banned a newspaper for publishing a front-page headline allegedly indicating support for French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.
	Mohammad Ghoochani, chief editor of the daily Mardom-e-Emrooz, or Today's People, is quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying his paper has been ordered closed for publishing a front-page story on the French magazine controversy.
	The article's headline on Tuesday quoted filmmaker and activist George Clooney as saying "I am Charlie Hebdo."
	Iran has condemned both the magazine's publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad and the deadly assault on the magazine's Paris office by Islamic extremists who killed 12 people.
	Elsewhere in the Middle East, unknown vandals scrawled graffiti on the walls of the French Cultural Center in Gaza City, capital of the Gaza Strip.

Iran bans paper over article on Charlie Hebdo

Embattled comedian Bill Cosby is set to take the stage in Denver today, despite a protest planned over sexual assault claims directed against him.
	Cosby, 77, performed at a packed show in Pueblo without disruption yesterday and is slated for two shows in Denver, where protesters are expected outside the downtown venue.
	About 25 demonstrators gathered outside the Pueblo show, chanting "No means no" and "Colorado believes the women."
	But inside the venue, the crowd warmly welcomed Cosby.
	Making his first appearance in Pueblo since a 1996 show at the Colorado State Fair, Cosby was embraced by a mostly middle-aged and older crowd.
	The comedian is facing sexual assault allegations from more than 15 women, with some claims dating back decades. He has denied the allegations through his lawyer and has never been charged.
	Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred is planning a news conference with one of Cosby's alleged victims before the Denver shows. The gathering is billed as a "teach in" to 

Cosby set to take stage in Denver despite planned protest

An Afghan official says that nine insurgents have been killed during a raid by Afghan security forces backed by local citizens in the country's north.
	Sayed Sarwar Hussaini, spokesman for the police chief in Kunduz province, said today that four insurgents were wounded in the battle in the Khan Abad district.
	Five local civilians, who participated in the fight against the insurgents, were also wounded, Hussaini added.
	Elsewhere in Afghanistan, hundreds in the eastern province of Paktika protested on Saturday against the continued publishing of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad by the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, said Mukhlis Afghan, the governor's spokesman.
	President Ashraf Ghani has strongly condemned the latest caricature on the cover of the new issue and called it an insult to Islam and the Muslim world.

9 insurgents killed in northern Afghanistan

City officials in Reims say one of the terrorists responsible for attacks last week that killed 17 people was buried in the eastern French city over their objections and despite concerns that the grave could become a shrine for extremists.
	Said Kouachi, the elder of the two brothers who together gunned down 12 people Jan. 7 in their attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, was buried at the demand of the French government, officials in Reims said in a statement today.
	"Given the risk of disturbance of the peace and in order to quickly turn the page of this tragic episode, it was decided to do the burial quickly," the city said.
	Earlier in the week Reims Mayor Arnaud Robinet said he'd "categorically refuse" a request by Kouachi's family to bury him in Reims, 144 kilometers east of Paris, where he lived before police killed him and his brother Jan. 9. "I don't want a grave that serves to attract fanatics. I don't want a place that promotes hate," Robinet said in an interview ..

Anonymous burial for 1 of 3 terrorists behind France attacks

A fire in a truck being transported through the Channel Tunnel triggered an alarm which led to suspension of all passenger and freight rail services between Britain and France today, police said.
	No injuries were reported.
	Kent Police said the fire was at the French end of the tunnel.
	Eurostar said rail passenger services between Britain and France were suspended after smoke was detected in the tunnel beneath the English channel.
	Tunnel operator Eurotunnel said in a statement that a C02 alarm went off just before midday and that it was investigating the cause.
	"If you were planning to travel today, we advise you to postpone your journey and not to come to the station," Eurostar said in a statement.

Police: fire on truck triggered alarm in Channel Tunnel

Five foreigners and an Indonesian woman sentenced to death on drug charges will be executed by firing squad despite international pleas, Indonesian officials said today.
	A last-minute personal appeal by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to spare her countryman, ex-pilot Marco Moreira, and the Dutch government for its citizen, Ang Kiem Soei, "will not change or delay the execution" tomorrow, said Attorney General Office's spokesman Tony Spontana.
	The men are among five foreigners and an Indonesian woman convicted on drug charges from 2000 to 2011, and sentenced to death. The executions are due to take place simultaneously in pairs, but at different locations.
	Spontana said the men and two other foreign convicts -- Namaona Denis of Malawi and Nigerian Daniel Enemuo -- along with an Indonesian woman, Rani Andriani, were today moved to isolation cells.
	Execution spots were prepared at the Nusakambangan island prison. The other woman, Tran Thi Bich Hanh of Vietnam, is due to be ...

Indonesia prepares to execute 6 drug smugglers

Lithuania's defense ministry is advising its citizens how to react in case of war, reflecting jitters over neighboring Russia's intervention in Ukraine and a recent increase of reported airspace violations in the Baltic region.
	The 98-page booklet, entitled "How to act in extreme situations or instances of war," is to be distributed next week in Lithuania, a NATO member that was under Moscow's rule from 1940 until 1991.
	Defense Minister Juozas Olekas has told Lithuanian radio such advice were "more urgent than ever" because of what he called "Russia's aggression against its neighbors, presently in Ukraine."
	The booklet, written by military experts and already available on the ministry's web site, also gives advice on coping with natural disasters, major accidents and terrorist attacks.
	Russia's increased military activity in the Baltic Sea area has prompted some officials to compare it to the Cold War. Part of Lithuania's border runs along the Russian Kaliningrad enclave, where ...

Lithuania: Stay calm in case of foreign invasion

Libyan security officials say a bomb thrown near the Algerian Embassy in the country's capital has wounded three security guards.
	The officials say the bomb came from a passing car and struck the guard's station and damaged a diplomatic vehicle today.
	No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief journalists.
	The attack comes as Libya remains mired in chaos since the overthrow and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
	Libya has two rival governments, each backed by an array of militias that have effectively split the nation.
	The internationally recognized parliament was pushed out of the capital, Tripoli, when a previous parliament backed by rival Islamist militias refused to cede power.

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