Activists: 1,900 killed during talks

Activists: 1,900 killed during talks

BEIRUT

Fighting in Syria killed nearly 1,900 people, including at least 430 civilians, during the week of U.N.-hosted peace talks in Switzerland, activists said Friday. The death toll indicates that violence barely paused as the warring parties met but struck uncompromising stances, failing to reach any agreements that could help resolve the conflict.

The figures were reported by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Its director, Rami Abdurrahman, said the week’s bloody toll was about average at this point in the three-year conflict.

The number included at least 430 civilians, killed by bombs, snipers, missiles, and other causes. The rest were rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar Assad. The Observatory obtains its information from activists on the ground, and also keeps a running total.

Presidential library search kicks off

WASHINGTON

The formal process to build a library housing President Barack Obama’s presidential records and artifacts began Friday with the formation of a new foundation, launched by top supporters with Obama’s blessing, that will develop and build the monument to his legacy.

The nonprofit Barack H. Obama Foundation will be led by Marty Nesbitt, a close Obama friend from Chicago, and Julianna Smoot, a former White House social secretary and top official in Obama’s re-election campaign.

A vigorous competition to host the library already is underway. Hawaii, where Obama was born, and Illinois, his longtime home, have been lobbying the Obamas both publicly and privately. New York, where Obama went to college, also has expressed interest.

Egypt: Airstrikes kill 13 militants

EL-ARISH, Egypt

Egyptian military aircraft pounded suspected positions of al-Qaida-inspired fighters in the Sinai Peninsula, killing 13 people, officials said Friday, as fears rise over an increasingly well-armed insurgency that is striking with increasing regularity in the capital. In the latest attack, bombs on a highway on Cairo’s outskirts hit a police truck.

At the same time, protests by Islamist supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi brought further violence, with clashes in several provinces.

In an eastern Cairo district, an attempt by pro-Morsi protesters to commemorate dozens killed in clashes a week ago turned into new battles with police and pro-military civilians that authorities said involved fire by automatic weapons. The Islamist protesters had tried to set up a stage in Naam Square, blocks from the fighting last Saturday, when civilians descended on them, firing birdshot and throwing stones, participants in the protest said.

FBI: Powder seems to be harmless

NEWARK, N.J.

A suspicious powder mailed to several locations in New York and New Jersey, including at least five hotels near the site of Sunday’s Super Bowl, appears not to be dangerous, the FBI said Friday.

The agency said further testing was being conducted on the substance, but it is “within normal values.”

White powder also was found in a letter sent to former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s business in New York City, where police said preliminary tests showed it posed no threat.

A federal law enforcement official, who wasn’t authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said powder from one envelope tested positive for baking soda. It’s not clear where that letter was sent.

Associated Press