Reuters, Istanbul
Turkish police detained 82 suspected ISIS terrorists, 77 of them foreign nationals, in raids across Istanbul, state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday.
It said counter-terror police squads targeted suspects believed to have acted on behalf of the terror group, going to conflict zones in Syria and Iraq and preparing urban attacks in Turkey.
Maldives AG says court can’t oust President
AP, Male
The Maldives’ attorney general warned the country’s Supreme Court on Sunday that a move to unseat the president would be unconstitutional, amid a political crisis that has left the government in chaos since late last week.
Attorney General Mohamed Anil said at a news conference that he had heard “rumors that the Supreme Court is going to order the impeachment” of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
One dead as record snowfall hits Moscow
AFP, Moscow
At least one person died and several were injured after Moscow experienced its heaviest day of snowfall since records began, the city’s mayor and agencies said Sunday.
Russia’s meteorological service said Moscow had seen more than half its average monthly snowfall in the space of 24 hours, with 43 centimetres (17 inches) blanketing the capital by Sunday morning, agencies reported.
Cyprus votes in close presidential run-off
AFP, Nicosia
Voters in Cyprus cast ballots Sunday in a presidential run-off, with incumbent Nicos Anastasiades and his leftist challenger sparring over who is best placed to reunify the island and boost a fragile economic recovery. In a first round on January 28, conservative Anastasiades garnered 35.5 percent of the ballots, while Communist-backed opponent Stavros Malas came second with 30 percent.
US flu outbreak claims 53 lives
Reuters,
The U.S. flu outbreak worsened over the past week as more people headed to doctors’ offices and emergency rooms, with hospitalisations at the highest in nearly 10 years, U.S. health officials said on Friday.
Sixteen children died of the flu in the week ended January 27, bringing total pediatric deaths to 53 for the season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly report.
Guinea holds local elections
AFP, Conakry
Guinea holds its first local elections since the end of the era of military dictatorship on Sunday, as voting gets underway to elect municipal councils following eight years of delays.
The elections, originally scheduled in 2010, have been repeatedly delayed due to a lack of funds, political infighting and the 2013-16 Ebola crisis.
