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Leaner New Year: China tones down the celebrations
BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese New Year is traditionally a time for colorful and noisy displays of fireworks and generous-portioned banquets. This year, the festivities are likely to be a little more austere.

Opposition slams Chavez allies over Venezuelan devaluation
CARACAS (Reuters) – Opposition leaders derided anot her currency devaluation by President Hugo Chavez's government as evidence of economic incompetence, while some anxious Venezuelans packed stores in fear of price increases. Though unseen in public since cancer surgery two months ago in Cuba, government ministers said Chavez personally ordered the fifth devaluation of the bolivar in a decade of socialist economics in the OPEC nation – this time by 32 percent. …

Bangladesh ferry sinking kills 14, five still missing
DHAKA (Reuters) – At least 14 people died and five were still missing after a ferry carrying 50 people collided with a sand barge and sank on Bangladesh's giant Meghna River on Friday, officials said on Saturday. "Rescuers found 12 dead bodies inside the salvaged ferry, while two bodies were recovered yesterday," said Mohammad Saiful Hassan Badal, administrator of Munshiganj district, where the accident happened. Six of the dead were children, aged between two and 10. …

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Loui Eriksson gets big goal as Dallas Stars top Anaheim Ducks 3-1
DALLAS – Trevor Daley and Jamie Benn scored power-play goals, Loui Eriksson added a third-period score and the Dallas Stars beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 on Friday night.

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Venezuela sharply devalues its currency
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuela's government announced Friday that it is devaluing the country's currency, a long-anticipated change expected t o push up prices in the heavily import-reliant economy.

Einhorn case against Apple rests on unusual legal tactic
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Hedge fund star David Einhorn wants to force Apple Inc to share some of its huge cash reserves with investors, but his lawsuit rests on a U.S. securities rule that has little legal precedent. Einhorn's Greenlight Capital sued the iPad and iPhone maker in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Thursday to try to prevent Apple from eliminating preferred stock from its charter. The suit is part of Einhorn's bid to pressure Apple to use some of its $137 billion in cash to issue perpetual preferred shares that pay dividends to existing shareholders. …

Ex-Argo Jackson retires a Lion and becomes team's new quarterbacks coach
SURREY, B.C. – When the 2012 CFL season ended, Jarious Jackson looked forward to helping the Toronto Argos win another Grey Cup.

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Canada rate hike views pushed back as economy struggles: Reuters poll
TORONTO (Reuters) – Half of Canada’s primary dealers have recently pushed back forecasts for the timing of the central bank’s next interest rate hike, a Reuters poll showed on Friday after weak jobs and housing starts data suggested the economy will struggle in 2013. The economic figures released on Friday were the latest in a string of dismal indicators. Earlier reports had prompted the Bank of Canada to say on January 23 that a rate hike would be further in the future than it had once thought. …

Venezuela devalues its currency by nearly half
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuela's government announced Friday that it is devaluing the country' s currency, a long-anticipated change expected to push up prices in the heavily import-reliant economy.

Google's Schmidt to sell roughly 42 percent of stake
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Google Inc Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt is selling roughly 42 percent of his stake in the Internet search company over the coming year, Google announced on Friday. Schmidt will sell 3.2 million shares of Class A common stock through a stock trading plan, Google said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The plan, which Google said would give Schmidt "individual asset diversification and liquidity," allows Schmidt to spread trades out over a period of one year to reduce the market impact. …

Potential jurors shown kinky pictures as NYC officer's cannibalism conspiracy trial begins
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Potential jurors seemed surprised at a New York City police officer’s cannibalism trial Friday when a judge began by describing some sexually violent and deviant conduct they must witness before deciding whether the officer’s plans to kill and eat women were fact or fiction.

Angolan court rejects opposition complaint on sovereign fund
LISBON (Reuters) – Angola’s constitutional court on Friday rejected a claim by an opposition party that President Jose Eduardo dos Santos had overstepped his powers to create the country’s $5 billion sovereign wealth fund. Angola launched the fund last October to invest in domestic and overseas assets by funneling the country’s vast oil wealth into infrastructure, hotels and other high-growth projects. Dos Santos has been accused of avoiding public scrutiny during his 33 years in power. …

Stella! Ornery dog leads to $1M Idaho lottery win for group of Utah maintenance workers
SALT LAKE CITY – A group of blue collar University of Utah workers will split $1 million in lottery winnings thanks to a set of keys left in a truck and an ornery little dog named “Stella.”

Having stable linemates has Canadiens centre Tomas Plekanec on a roll
BROSSARD, Que. – Having regular linemates has been a relief for Tomas Plekanec.

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International Judo Federation suspends members of Japan women's team after claims of violence
LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The International Judo Federation has indefinitely suspended members of the Japan women’s judo team while an independent enquiry is opened into complaints of ill treatment by former Olympic head coach Ryuji Sonoda.

London organizing committee set to break even on Olympic operating budget
LONDON – London Olympic organizers say they remain on course to break even on their operating budget.

Casino negotiating with Britney Spears for residency at Planet Hollywood on Las Vegas Strip
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – After weeks of speculation, Caesars Entertainment is confirming that it’s trying to lure Britney Spears to Las Vegas for a recurring gig at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

UK's Cameron savors EU budget win as battles loom
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron won praise from his party's anti-EU camp with a successful fight to cut the European Union budget, but tougher battles lie ahead when he seeks to win back powers from Brussels before a vote on Britain's EU membership. Supporters hailed the outcome as an "historic victory" for Cameron, comparing it to former Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher's winning of concessions from Europe at fiercely contested summits in the 1980s. …

Women a growing market for Canadian financial advisers
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian financial adviser Frances Summerhill has always felt a special connection with female clients, but her focus on serving women is about more than just rapport: she sees growth opportunities in their increasing wealth. “More women are starting businesses than men right now, more are graduating from university … and there will be a wealth transfer as women outlive their spouses. So women are going to be in control of a lot of money,” said Summerhill, a veteran financial planner at Scotia Capital Inc in Sudbury, Ontario, 400 km north of Toronto. …

Canadian officer who spied for Russia jailed for 20 years
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (Reuters) – A Canadian naval officer who handed over secrets to Russia for more than four years, damaging Canada’s relations with the United States and other key allies, was jailed for 20 years on Friday. Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Delisle had pleaded guilty to breach of trust and handing information to a foreign entity that could harm national interests. He was also fined $111,817 ($111,817), the sum he received from his Russian spymasters. Delisle, 41, worked at a security unit in Halifax that tracked vessels entering and exiting Canadian waters. …

Canada, EU fail to settle differences over free trade pact
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada and the European Union failed to settle their differences on a proposed free trade deal this week at top-level talks t o hammer out an agreement that is already well behind schedule. Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast and EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht spent Wednesday and Thursday in Ottawa discussing contentious issues including agricultural exports, intellectual property and public procurement. The EU indicated Canadian demands for increased access for its agricultural products were one of the major obstacles. …

JPMorgan says MF Global plan obscures possible recoveries
(Reuters) – A proposed liquidation plan for MF Global Holdings Ltd fails to take into account that its finance unit is being hit twice for the same debt , undercutting what some creditors might recover, JPMorgan Chase & Co said in a court filing. Creditors of the finance unit could get up to 47.7 percent of their money if the double liability were voided, according to the filing by JPMorgan, which is an agent and lender under the unit's $1.2 billion liquidity facility. That is more than the maximum 33. …

EU leaders approve budget, and everyone wins - at least politically
After a vigorous all-nighter of horse-trading, European Union leaders in Brussels overcame what appeared to be unsalvageable differences and on Friday approved a 960 billion euro ($1.3 trillion), seven-year budget for the 27-member block.

Locals: Mali suicide bomber tied to terror leader
GAO, Mali (AP) -- A young militant who locals say had ties with terror leader Moktar Belmoktar blew himself up Friday near a military checkpoint on the outskirts of Gao, fueling fears of a looming insurgency by the jihadists who fled into the nearby desert just two weeks ago.

Canada PM calls job losses "disappointing", sees positive trend
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday called the loss of nearly 22,000 jobs in January "disappointing" but said he was upbeat about the p rospects for employment despite the uncertain global economic outlook. "The job numbers of the past month are disappointing but the job numbers are quite volatile month to month," he said at a news conference. "The fact of the matter is that the pattern over the last several months has actually been quite positive … …

Sinn Fein chief asks IRA die-hards to end violence
DUBLIN (AP) -- Sinn Fein party leader Gerry Adams appealed Friday to Irish Republican Army die-hards to stop their violence and to support his seemingly Qui xotic campaign for a vote in Northern Ireland on uniting politically with the rest of the island, the long-elusive dream of Irish republicans.

The nose knows: Edmonton police charge three people in theft of perfume
EDMONTON – Police officers in Edmonton may have followed their noses in a recent arrest.

With Rio in the grips of Carnival fever and outsiders pouring in, some residents try to escape
RIO DE JANEIRO – As samba queens get final touch-ups on their sequins and feathers and hundreds of thousands of revelers take command of Rio’s streets for Carnival’s opening on Friday, Leo Name is hunkering down. The self-avowed Carnival Scrooge has stocked up on frozen TV dinners and hopes he won’t have to set foot outside his apartment during the five days of festivities.

Trumpeting its technological strength, Iran releases video from downed US drone
Iran claims to have decrypted the brain of a CIA stealth drone it captured in late 2011, and has published video it says is extracted from its data banks.

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Mistaken-identity murderers jailed for 40 years
LONDON (AP) -- Two drug-addicted hit men who went to the wrong address and stabbed a teenager to death have been sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in jail.

Town of Tessalit in Mali falls to French
GAO, Mali (AP) -- A Malian official says French forces have taken another town in north Mali from Islamic insurgents. They're now in Tessalit.

Anti-government protesters march across Egypt
CAIRO (AP) -- Thousands of Egyptians are staging rallies in cities across the country to denounce the rule of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and his fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood.

Saga of speeding politician rivets Britain
LONDON (AP) -- It was just a speeding ticket.

US trade gap shrinks to $38.5B, lowest in 3 years, on drop in oil imports, higher exports
WASHINGTON – The U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in December because oil imports plummeted and total exports rose. The smaller trade gap means the economy likely performed better in the final three months of last year than first estimated last week.

German national election set for Sept. 22
BERLIN (AP) -- Germany’s president has confirmed Sept. 22 as the date for the country’s parliamentary election, in which conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel will seek a third term.

Tunisians mourn slain opposition leader amid concerns of rising turmoil
o A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

US police say ailing homeless man sent dog with note to get help for him
TUMWATER, Wash. – Police say an ailing homeless man attached a note seeking help to his dog’s harness and sent the animal out in hopes someone would read the message.

Car bombs kill 36 in Iraq's bloodiest day since November as Sunnis hold protests
BAGHDAD – Car bombs struck two outdoor markets and a group of taxi vans in Shiite areas across Iraq on Friday, killing at least 36 people and wounding nearly 100 in the bloodiest day in more than two months, as minority Sunnis staged large anti-government protests.

Fixing Mr. Bean's car: It costs a fortune to fix actor Rowan McLaren's McLaren F1
LONDON – Everyone who’s had a fender bender knows the cost of repairs is going up. But few cars can be as costly to fix as “Mr. Bean” actor Rowan Atkinson’s rare McLaren F1.

Sonny Bill fight controversially cut by two rounds
(Reuters) – Former New Zealand All Black Sonny Bill Williams won his sixth professional boxing fight in farcical circumstances on Friday when his contest with Francois Botha in Brisbane was cut short by two rounds in mid-fight. Williams was clearly in trouble at the end of the WBA international heavyweight title bout against the veteran South African but held on to defy a flurry of punches and win the fight on points. There was much confusion, however, when the bout, scheduled for 12 rounds, was ended after 10. …

Russian investigators seek house arrest for opposition leader
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia's top investigative a gency said on Friday it was seeking to put under house arrest a prominent opposition leader charged with plotting mass disorder in protests against President Vladimir Putin. The leftist Sergei Udaltsov is among several opposition figures charged with riots and violence against police during a protest against Putin in May on the eve of the former KGB spy's inauguration for a third presidential term. …

South Africans called to arms over raped teenager
JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- The chime sounds every four minutes on the radio station, reminding listeners that statistically yet another child or woman in South Africa is being raped.

Canada trade gap down as imports drop faster than exports
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s trade deficit in December almost halved to C$901 million from the previous month as imports dropped at a faster pace than exports, Statistics Canada said on Friday. Market analysts had predicted a deficit of C$1.36 billion after a C$1.67 billion shortfall in November. Trade, a crucial driver of Canada’s economy, has been hit by the strong Canadian dollar and weak markets. For 2012 as a whole, Canada posted a record trade deficit of C$11.95 billion, compared with a C$912 million surplus in 2011. In December, imports dropped by 2.8 percent while exports fell by 0. …

Canadian dollar slides to one-week low after soft jobs data
TORONTO (Reuters) – The Canadian dollar dropped to its softest level in more than a week on Friday following data that showed Canada’s economy unexpectedly shed 21,900 jobs in January, almost entirely in full-time work. The Canadian dollar weakened to C$1.0037 against the U.S. dollar, or $0.9963, its lowest level since January 30. It had ended the North American session Thursday at C$0.9980 against the greenback, or $1.0020. (Reporting by Jeffrey Hodgson Editing by W Simon)

Fifty killed in Syria bombing: monitor group
BEIRUT (Reuters) – More than 50 workers at a military factory in central Syria were killed in a bombing earlier this week, an opposition watchdog which monitors violence in Syria said on Friday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 54 people died in Wednesday’s explosion which struck their bus as they were preparing to return home at the end of their shift, and the number could rise further. The Observatory said 11 of the victims from the bombing in Buraq, about 10 km (six miles) south of the city of Hama, were women. The workers were from cities of Homs, Hama and the town of …

Canada sheds 21,900 jobs in Jan, unemployment rate down
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s economy unexpectedly shed 21,900 jobs in January but a drop in the number of people seeking work pushed the unemployment rate down to a four-year low of 7.0 percent, Statistics Canada data indicated on Friday. Market analysts had forecast a gain of 5,000 positions and predicted the jobless rate would edge up to 7.2 percent from the 7.1 percent in December after strong job gains in three of the previous four months. The economy lost 20,600 full-time and 1,400 part-time jobs in January, with the hard-hit manufacturing sector shedding 21,600 positions. …

TSX may open lower, jobs and trade data eyed
(Reuters) – Canada's main stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower open on Friday, despite encouraging Chinese trade data that set the scene for economic recovery. Canadian jobs and housing data both came in weaker than expected. (Reporting by Chandrashekhar Modi; Edi ting by Janet Guttsman)

Canadian dollar weakens to session low after housing data
TORONTO (Reuters) – The Canadian dollar weakened to a session low on Friday following the release of domestic housing starts data that was much weaker than expected. The Canadian dollar weakened to C$1.0008 against the U.S. dollar, or $0.9992. It had ended the North American session Thursday at C$0.9980 against the greenback, or $1.0020. (Reporting by Jeffrey Hodgson Editing by W Simon)

Canada housing starts plunge in January
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian housing starts plunged in January as both single and multiple starts fell, particularly in Ontario, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp said on Friday in a report that showed the housing market was even weaker than expected. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of housing starts was 160,577 units in January, down from 197,118 in December. The December figure was revised down from the 197,976 units reported previously. The number of starts in January was well below the forecasts of analysts in a Reuters poll, who had expected 195,000 starts. …

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Rugby-Sonny Bill fight controversially cut by two rounds
Feb 8 (Reuters) – Former New Zealand All Black Sonny Bill Williams won his sixth professional boxing fight in farcical circumstances on Friday when his contest with Francois Botha in Brisbane was cut short by two rounds in mid-fight. Williams was clearly in trouble at the end of the WBA international heavyweight title bout against the veteran South African but held on to defy a flurry of punches and win the fight on points. There was much confusion, however, when the bout, scheduled for 12 rounds, was ended after 10. …

Armenia holds 2 in attack on presidential hopeful
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) -- Armenia’s National Security Agency says it has arrested two suspects in the shooting of a presidential candidate.

Polls show Berlusconi gaining in national election
MILAN (AP) -- The last political polls to be published before Italy’s national elections suggest that ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi is gaining ground on the center-left candidate.

Canadian job market seen flat in January, jobless rate up
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s labor market likely came back to earth in January after gravity-defying job gains in the final months of 2012, with analysts predicting almost no new hiring in the month and a rise in the unemployment rate. The average forecast in a Reuters poll of market players was for 5,000 net new jobs in January compared with 31,200 in December. Statistics Canada considers that a flat reading and well within the margin of error for its household survey. Analysts see the unemployment rate ticking up to 7.2 percent from 7.1 percent. …

Airbus studies dropping Li-Ion batteries for A350: sources
PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus is considering dropping Lithium-Ion batteries and switching back to traditional units on its new A350 aircraft as safety inve stigators probe battery incidents on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, several people familiar with the matter said. The move comes amid a wider rethink in the aerospace industry on whether the powerful but delicate backup energy systems are technically "mature," they said. An Airbus spokesman said the company would study and evaluate the outcome of the ongoing U.S. battery investigation. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said. …

Tunisian youth clash with police outside cemetery
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) -- Police have used tear gas and clashed with groups of young men outside the cemetery where Tunisians were preparing to bury an assassinated leftist politician.

Toronto FC by the numbers: The 411 of TFC's jersey numbers
ORLANDO, Fla. – What’s your number? The 411 of some Toronto FC jersey numbers:

Thang Dinh Tran loves maps and Vietnam. That may put him in the eye of a storm.
In 1995 Thang Dinh Tran invited an expert on traditional Vietnamese music to give a talk at the University of Connecticut (UConn). That summer, the distinguished Tran Van Khe, who taught at the Sorbonne University in Paris, visited the UConn campus.

Suspected drunk Romanian pilot halts flight from London
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romanian airline Tarom cancelled a flight to Bucharest because the pilot was suspected of being drunk before takeoff from London’s Heathrow airport, it said on Friday. In a story reminiscent of Denzel Washington’s portrayal of flying under the influence of alcohol in the movie “Flight”, British authorities refused permission for the pilot to take off in the Airbus A318 from Heathrow on Wednesday morning. “We cancelled the flight because one crew member was not physically fit to operate. …

Aurizon Mines in talks with a number of potential buyers
(Reuters) – Gold miner Aurizon Mines Ltd said it was in talks with a number of potential buyers, after rejecting last month an unsolicited C$780 million ($785 million) offer from Alamos Gold Inc . Confidentiality agreements have been reached with the potential buyers and they are conducting due diligence, Aurizon said in a statement on Friday. It did not identify the parties involved. Aurizon adopted a poison pill on January 22 to give itself time to consider alternatives to the Alamos offer. (Reporting by Shounak Dasgupta in Bangalore; Editing by Rodney Joyce)

Aurizon Mines in talks with a number of potential buyers
(Reuters) – Gold miner Aurizon Mines Ltd said it was in talks with a number of potential buyers, after rejecting last month an unsolicited C$780 million ($785 million) offer from Alamos Gold Inc . Confidentiality agreements have been reached with the potential buyers and they are conducting due diligence, Aurizon said in a statement on Friday. It did not identify the parties involved. Aurizon adopted a poison pill on January 22 to give itself time to consider alternatives to the Alamos offer. (Reporting by Shounak Dasgupta in Bangalore; Editing by Rodney Joyce)

Assad's forces try to beat back rebels edging into Damascus
AMMAN, Feb 8, Reuters – President Bashar al-Assad's forces fought back on Friday in an effort to retake sections of the Damascus ring road from rebels trying to tighten their noose around the ca pital, opposition activists said. Rebel fighters based in the eastern Ghouta region broke through defensive lines two days ago, capturing parts of the road and entering the neighborhood of Jobar, 2 km (a mile) from main security installations in the heart of the city. …

Cracks appear in European banking union scheme
BRUSSELS/ FRANKFURT (Reuters) – It was billed as a reform that would tighten policing of Europe’s banks and end their ability to suck states into crisis. Now fears are growing that a central element of banking union will be scaled back, undermining the whole scheme. When it takes the role of watchdog for euro zone banks in March next year, the European Central Bank will be confronted with a financial system that is still limping. In some countries, such as Cyprus and Spain, it is in critical condition. …

Iraq bombs kill 36, Sunnis stage protest rallies
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Car bombs struck two outdoor markets and a group of taxi vans in Shiite areas across Iraq on Friday, killing at least 36 people and wounding nearly 100 in the bloodiest day in more than two months, as minority Sunnis staged mass anti-government protests in a sign of mounting sectarian tensions.

Blast near mosque kills 10 in Pakistan's northwest
PARACHINAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – A bomb blast killed 10 people and injured 18 in Pakistan on Friday, government officials said, in an area that the government said it had cleared of Taliban fighters. “Most of the dead and injured were returning from Friday prayers at a mosque,” said Mehmood Aslam, the top government official in the area. The blast took place near a shop in Kalaya, the capital of the semi-autonomous Orakzai region in the ethnic Pashtun belt that runs through northwestern mountains along the Afghan border. No group claimed responsibility. …

Yemen's main oil pipeline attacked, pumping halted
SANAA (Reuters) – Attackers blew up Yemen’s main oil export pipeline on Friday, halting the flow of crude, an official working for the state-run Safer oil company said, the latest in a series of attacks. Yemen’s oil and gas pipelines have been repeatedly sabotaged by insurgents and tribesmen, especially since anti-government protests created a power vacuum in 2011, causing fuel shortages and slashing export earnings for the impoverished country. …

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Suicide bombing in north Mali
GAO, Mali (AP) -- A suicide bomber hit a checkpoint in northern Mali on Friday, killing only himself in the first known suicide bombing since French military forces intervened in this chaotic African nation whose northern half was ruled by armed Islamic extre mists.

Damning drug report fuels anger in Australia
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australian sports administrators responded angrily to a government report saying doping was widespread among professional and amateur athletes and demanded investigators name offenders to protect clean athletes’ reputations. The report released on Thursday, the result of a year-long probe by Australia’s top criminal intelligence unit, said players and teams from several sports codes were implicated in the use of performance-enhancing drugs, but withheld names for legal reasons. …

UPDATE 1-Doping-Damning drug report fuels anger in Australia
* Coaches, athletes call for authorities to name and shame * Australian Rules football announces sweeping anti-doping measures (Adds details) MELBOURNE, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Australian sports administrators responded angrily to a government report saying doping was widespread among professional and amateur athletes and demanded investigators name offenders to protect clean athletes’ reputations. …

Madrid town of Alcorcon chosen for EuroVegas gambling resort that Spain hopes will bring jobs
MADRID – Las Vegas Sands casinos and Madrid officials have chosen the town of Alcorcon on the outskirts of the Spanish capital as the site for the multibillion-dollar “EuroVegas” casino project, which authorities hope will bring much-needed jobs and investment to the recession-wracked country.

Iraq bombs kill 31, Sunnis stage protest rallies
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Car bombs struck two outdoor markets in Shiite areas of Iraq on Friday, killing at least 31 people and wounding dozens in the bloodiest day in nearly a month, as minority Sunnis staged mass anti-government protests in a sign of mounting sectarian tensions.

Magnitude 7.1 quake off Solomons, no reports of damage
(Reuters) – An earthquake with a preliminary 7.1 magnitude struck 270 miles east of Kira Kira on the Solomon Islands on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate tsunami warnings or reports of damage. An 8.0 magnitude earthquake set off a tsunami that killed at least five people in a remote part of the Solomon Islands on Wednesday and triggered evacuations across the South Pacific. There have been numerous aftershocks. (Editing by Nick Macfie)

UPDATE 1-Cricket-Australia beat West Indies despite defiant Pollard
* Australia take 4-0 series lead * Pollard hits century in losing cause (Updates at end of match) SYDNEY, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Opener Shane Watson top-scored with 76 as Australia continued to dominate West Indies during a convincing five-wicket victory in the fourth one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. Kieron Pollard earlier hit a defiant unbeaten century to haul West Indies almost single-handedly to 220 all out but it never looked like being enough and the hosts took a 4-0 lead in the five-match series with 31 balls to spare. …

Tunisians mass for slain leader's funeral
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) -- Tens of thousands of Tunisians chanting anti-government slogans converged on a cemetery for the funeral of an assassinated leftist opposition politician as military helicopters hovered overhead amid fears that tensions could boil over into further violence.

Bomb kills 10 people in northwest Pakistan
PARACHINAR, Pakistan (AP) -- A bomb planted near a market in northwestern Pakistan killed 10 people and wounded 23 others Friday, the latest in an uptick in attacks in recent months, government officials said.

Quiet lunch shatters EU boycott of India's Modi
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – A quiet lunch between European Union ambassadors and Indian prime ministerial contender Narendra Modi has shattered what remained of a decade-old informal boycott of the Hindu nationalist political leader. The January 7 lunch at the German ambassador's residence in New Delhi will likely be seen as a major boost to Modi's quest for mainstream acceptance. The meeting went unpublicized until an Indian newspaper reported on it on Friday. …

Cricket-Australia v West Indies, fourth ODI - scoreboard
SYDNEY, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Scoreboard after Australia beatWest Indies by five wickets in the fourth one-day internationalat Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday West Indies won the toss and elected to bat – - West Indies innings K. Powell c Maxwell b Johnson 9 J. Charles b Johnson 0 DM Bravo c Finch b Johnson 4 DJ Bravo lbw b Maxwell 3 K. Pollard not out 109 N. Deonarine c Finch b Cutting 10 D. Thomas c Finch b Cutting 7 D. Sammy c Clarke b Cutting 25 A. Russell c Maxwell b Faulkner 18 S. Narine c Wade b McKay 23 T. Best run out 1 Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-9) 11 Total (all out, 49. …

Beitar arson attack linked to racial incitement
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A suspected arson attack damaged the main club house of Israeli Premier League side Beitar Jerusalem on Friday, a day after four fans were cha rged in court in connection with racist incitement against the team's recruitment of Muslim players, police said. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the fire, which caused no injuries, caused "extensive damage" to the premises next to the team's main training grounds. Reuters television footage showed trophies and other memorabilia were destroyed. …

Witnesses: Suspected members of Nigeria Islamic sect attack polio vaccine drives, killing 12
KANO, Nigeria – Witnesses in northern Nigeria’s largest city say gunmen suspected to belong to a radical Islamic sect have opened fire on polio vaccine drives in the city, killing at least 12 people.

News Corp. pays Sarah Ferguson, duchess of York, over phone hacking
LONDON – Lawyers for Sarah Ferguson, the former wife of Prince Andrew, say that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. has agreed to pay her for repeatedly intercepting her voicemail messages.

Pakistani official: Bomb explosion near market in northwest kills 8 people
PARACHINAR, Pakistan – A government official says a bomb explosion near a market in northwestern Pakistan has killed eight people.

News Corp. pays Sarah Ferguson over phone hacking
LONDON (AP) -- Lawyers for Sarah Ferguson, the former wife of Prince Andrew, say that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. has agreed to pay her for repeatedly intercepting her voicemail messages.

Daimler denies report on internal sales targets
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Daimler has denied a magazine report which claimed to publish the German carmaker’s internal sales targets for its core Mercedes-Benz Cars division. German weekly magazine Focus said on Friday, in a brief excerpt of a report, that the division aimed to grow sales by 6.9 percent to 1.55 million vehicles this year. The report, citing internal targets, also said sales of Mercedes and Smart cars in the key Chinese market should jump roughly 30 percent to 274,000 vehicles this year. …

Bomb kills 8 people in northwest Pakistan
PARACHINAR, Pakistan (AP) -- A government official says a bomb explosion near a market in northwestern Pakistan has killed eight people.

Italy's center-left likely to need Monti to govern: final polls
ROME (Reuters) – The center-left is on course to win Italy's election but it may have to form a coalition with outgoing premier Mario Monti, final pol ls before the Feb 24-25 vote showed on Friday. Polls published before a pre-vote blackout mostly showed Pierluigi Bersani's Democratic Party still five or more points ahead, despite a scandal over a bank it is linked to and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's continuing resurgence. …

Witnesses: Nigeria sect group attacks polio drives
KANO, Nigeria (AP) -- Witnesses in northern Nigeria’s largest city say gunmen suspected to belong to a radical Islamic sect have opened fire on polio vaccine drives in the city, killing at least 12 people.