UN invites Iran to Syria peace talks
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has invited Iran to take part in preliminary Syrian peace talks this week in Switzerland, an offer Tehran has accepted. But Syria's main opposition group said it would withdraw from the talks unless Mr Ban retracted the offer to Iran.And the US said the offer must be conditional on Iran's support for the 2012 deal on Syria's transition. (BBC)
Protesters clash with police at large Ukraine rally
Protesters clashed with riot police in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday after tough anti-protest legislation, which the political opposition says paves the way for a police state, was rushed through parliament last week. The rally, the biggest of the new year, was the latest in a cycle of public protests in the former Soviet republic since Yanukovich made a policy U-turn in November away from the European Union towards Russia, Ukraine's former Soviet overlord. (Reuters)
Unchecked global warming 'will double extreme El Niño weather events'
The world's most devastating global weather phenomenon – the weather events associated with "El Niño" – will double in frequency to once a decade if global warming remains unchecked, according to what scientists believe is a major step forward in the understanding of such events. (Guardian)
Malaysia's God problem erupts, tarnishing moderate image
A long tussle over who can say "Allah" in Malaysia has flared anew, as Islamisation that many see as driven by political forces threatens to erode the secular constitution and minority rights in the ethnically diverse country following a divisive election last year. (Reuters)
Alarm to sound for comet mission
One of the most daring space missions ever undertaken reaches a key milestone on Monday. Europe's Rosetta probe was launched a decade ago on a long quest to chase down and land on a comet, and has spent the past two-and-a-half-years in hibernation to try to conserve power. But at 10:00 GMT, an onboard "alarm clock" is expected to rouse the spacecraft from its slumber. (BBC)
