USA

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday to discuss issues concerning Syria and Libya, said the White House on Sunday.

During their talks, Trump expressed concern over the violence in Idlib, the last rebel-held stronghold in Syria, and called for a political solution to the Syrian conflict, a White House statement said.

Trump and Erdogan exchanged views on ending the crisis in Idlib as soon as possible.

JACKSON, Feb 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mississippi urged thousands of people in the Pearl River flood plain to evacuate as the river reached its highest level in 37 years near the state capital and was not expected to recede for days.

Governor Tate Reeves had declared a state of emergency on Saturday as managers of the Ross Barnett Reservoir just upstream from the state capital of Jackson warned they had to start releasing more water into the Pearl River because it had reached capacity.

WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Fourteen people who had tested positive for the new coronavirus were among more than 300 US citizens and family members evacuated by plane from a quarantined ship in Japan, the US State Department said.

WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Donald Trump has called for Russia to end its support for the Syrian regime’s “atrocities” as he expressed US concern over violence in the Idlib region, the White House said.

In a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump “expressed concern over the violence in Idlib, Syria and… conveyed the United States’ desire to see an end to Russia’s support for the Assad regime’s atrocities.”

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — For I.S. Leevy Johnson, the Democrats’ search for a challenger to take on President Donald Trump is personal.

“There is what I call an ‘ABT mood’ in the black community: Anybody but Trump,” said the 77-year-old who was the first black graduate of the University of South Carolina’s law school. “It has people of color very motivated and excited about voting this time because they know how his administration has adversely affected them.”

VAIL, Colo. (AP) — Searchers have recovered the bodies of two Colorado men who died after being caught in a weekend avalanche in central Colorado, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported Sunday.

Three men were riding snowbikes Saturday afternoon when they were caught in the slide about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Vail. One man was able to dig himself out and called for help at about 4:45 p.m, the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office said.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — With the waters in the Pearl River continuing to rise in and around Mississippi’s capital city and more rain on the way this week, the governor warned residents that it would be days before flood waters start to recede.

Gov. Tate Reeves said Sunday morning that the Pearl would continue to rise throughout the day, and he warned that the state faces a “precarious situation that can turn at any moment.”

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — With the Nevada caucuses less than a week away, Democratic presidential candidates campaigning Sunday were fixated on a rival who wasn’t contesting the state.

Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg all targeted billionaire Mike Bloomberg, accusing him of buying his way into the election and making clear they were eager to take him on in a debate.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is allowing U.S. airlines to resume operations over large areas of the Gulf, saying that a lower military posture by Iran has reduced the threat of miscalculation or misidentification of civilian flights.

A notice issued on Friday by the FAA rescinded restrictions imposed on U.S. air carriers in early January that prohibited flights over large swaths of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman as tensions rose between Iran and the United States.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Saturday condemned the detention of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s uncle as politically motivated and demanded his immediate release.

Juan Jose Marquez was detained on Tuesday on his return to Venezuela after a three-week international tour. He was together with Guaido, who is recognized by more than 50 countries as Venezuela’s legitimate president.