ABC NewsMail - Morning Edition

NewsMail Morning Edition Sat 25 Jan, 2014 Top Stories More Top Stories » Syria warring sides agree to meet in same room By Europe correspondent Barbara Miller, wires The Syrian government and Western-backed opposition have agreed to sit down for their first face-to-face talks in Geneva. Pulled together by the UN, Russia and the US, delegations from president Bashar al-Assad's regime and the opposition were due to sit down at UN headquarters on Friday. However, the Syrian National Coalition refused to go ahead with the talks until the government formally agreed to a UN-backed communiqué which foresees the establishment of a transitional government. The government in turn threatened to walk away from Geneva over the weekend if no serious discussions could be held. The UN special envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, held separate meetings with the two sides before emerging last night to say they'd agreed to meet face-to-face. More » Clashes break out after deadly blasts in Cairo Firefighters melt ice to retrieve bodies after Quebec nursing home blaze Nadal into Aus Open final after beating Federer UN trying to 'corroborate' asylum seeker accounts after abuse claims Pakistan court sentences Briton to death for blasphemy England snaps losing streak, beating Australia in fourth ODI at WACA More Analysis » A death at sea In a measured but sombre voice, the captain explained someone had gone overboard. Our cruise ship, Pacific Pearl, was involved in a search for the missing person. Somewhere out there was a man in a white T-shirt. And with that thought rippling among us, the beautiful, benign sea made me feel insignificant. We weren't just looking for a speck in the sea, we were all specks. We were at the mercy of the Pacific. More » It's not just the rich who benefit from free markets Drinking is Australian - overdrinking shouldn't be Brace yourself for China's creative destruction When is a blue tie more than just a blue tie? What an "Anglo" foreign policy actually looks like Tony Abbott's inflation headache All's quiet on the Nauru front Wasting energy on climate change sceptics Abbott's constitutional curveball on paid parental leave Just In More Just In » Syria warring sides agree to meet in same room By Europe correspondent Barbara Miller, wires The Syrian government and Western-backed opposition have agreed to sit down for their first face-to-face talks in Geneva. Pulled together by the UN, Russia and the US, delegations from president Bashar al-Assad's regime and the opposition were due to sit down at UN headquarters on Friday. However, the Syrian National Coalition refused to go ahead with the talks until the government formally agreed to a UN-backed communiqué which foresees the establishment of a transitional government. The government in turn threatened to walk away from Geneva over the weekend if no serious discussions could be held. The UN special envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, held separate meetings with the two sides before emerging last night to say they'd agreed to meet face-to-face. More » Firefighters melt ice to retrieve bodies after Quebec nursing home blaze Clashes break out after deadly blasts in Cairo Dozens arrested for drug offences at Melbourne's Big Day Out India court orders probe into gang rape Country music fans and musicians flock to Tamworth ahead of Golden Guitars North Korea proposes family reunions with South Bundaberg flood heroes honoured with Australia Day awards England records first victory of tour at the WACA Thai court rules election commission can defer vote World More World » Syria warring sides agree to meet in same room By Europe correspondent Barbara Miller, wires The Syrian government and Western-backed opposition have agreed to sit down for their first face-to-face talks in Geneva. Pulled together by the UN, Russia and the US, delegations from president Bashar al-Assad's regime and the opposition were due to sit down at UN headquarters on Friday. However, the Syrian National Coalition refused to go ahead with the talks until the government formally agreed to a UN-backed communiqué which foresees the establishment of a transitional government. The government in turn threatened to walk away from Geneva over the weekend if no serious discussions could be held. The UN special envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, held separate meetings with the two sides before emerging last night to say they'd agreed to meet face-to-face. More » Firefighters melt ice to retrieve bodies after Quebec nursing home blaze Clashes break out after deadly blasts in Cairo India court orders probe into gang rape Thai court rules election commission can defer vote Pakistan court sentences Briton to death for blasphemy Business More Business » Shadow-banking sector threatens Chinese economy with debt crisis By China correspondent Stephen McDonell Experts are warning China's surging economy could be derailed by a debt crisis arising from it reliance on the so-called shadow-banking sector. China's big banks have strict lending requirements and give preference to large state-owned enterprises, forcing many companies and even government entities to look elsewhere for loans. Inevitably they turn to the shadow-banking sector. More » Workers told to accept entitlement cuts to keep Toyota in Australia Head of infrastructure body critical of proposed overhaul Bank and retail sell-off drives market down US senator demands fraud probe into vitamin company Herbalife Politics More Politics » India court orders probe into gang rape India's top court is investigating the case of a village court ordering the gang rape of a young woman. More » UN trying to 'corroborate' asylum seeker accounts after abuse claims 'No boats for 36 days': Morrison says asylum arrivals at five-year low US senator demands fraud probe into vitamin company Herbalife North Korea urges end to hostile military acts in letter to South Korea Sport More Sport » Nadal into Aus Open final after beating Federer Rafael Nadal is one win from a 14th major title after taking down Roger Federer in the Australian Open semi-finals. More » England records first victory of tour at the WACA Roar win A-League thriller over Phoenix Li hoping it is third time lucky in Australian Open final Errani and Vinci win second straight Aus Open Greipel wins fourth TDU stage, Evans still overall leader Science and Technology More Science and Technology » Fish with nostrils sheds light on birth of breathing Palaeontologists have come up with a finding that could answer the age-old question of how ancient fish first gained a foothold on land before flourishing and evolving. Researchers have shown that small holes on the top of the head of one bony fish species are primitive nostrils and were essential for its ancestor to emerge from the water 380 million years ago. They say the discovery could also explain how humans developed such an acute sense of hearing. More » Ex-military spy drone to conduct NASA climate tests in Australian skies National Zoo unveils rare tree kangaroo joey Federal Government to seek costs over Antarctica rescue Facebook predicted to fade 'like a disease' Environment More Environment » Retired racehorses enlisted in fight against South African rhino poachers By Alexandra Fisher in Kruger National Park Former racehorses are being given a new lease of life on the frontline of South Africa's war on rhino poachers. More » 'Cave-dwelling' scientists unlocking secrets of valuable groundwater Twitchers in a flap after croc blocks sewerage 2013 fourth hottest year on record for planet: reports China pollution wafting in large quantities across Pacific to the US: report About this email You received this email because you are subscribed to ABC News email alerts. This message was sent to you at starnewsposting@gmail.com Please add newslists@your.abc.net.au to your email address book to see images by default and stop the email being treated as spam. This email address is not monitored - Please don't reply to this email. Manage your preferences | Unsubscribe | Contact Us   This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 700 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007 © 2014 ABC | Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Discover other ABC Email newsletters