China's foreign minister has arrived in Switzerland for the start of the Syrian peace talks. 

Wang Yi will lead the Chinese delegation in Geneva.

Meanwhile, It appears the Syrian government's delegation is going to be unwilling to discuss the idea of President Bashar al-Assad's removal from power.

Speaking ahead of the start of the meetings today, Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem says subjects connected to the status of Bashar al-Assad are "red lines" which "can't be touched."

The Syrian government has been insisting that it's participation in the Geneva conference is to negotiate with the opposition.

It's hoping the conference in Geneva will create an opportunity for internal talks among the opposition and the Syrian government within the confines of Syria itself.

 

UN chief condemns car bombing in Beirut

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is condemning the latest suicide attack to hit the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Ban Ki-moon has released a statement, calling on all sides within Lebanon to come together to support the state institutions and the country's security forces.

The comments follow a suicide car bombing in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday which has left at least 5-people dead and over 50-others wounded.

The suburb where the bombing took place is a stronhold of Hezbollah.

An al-Qaeda-linked group, the al-Nursa Front, is claiming responsibility for the attack.

Lebanon has seen a growing number of attacks by al-Qaeda-linked groups in recent weeks.

Sectarian violence between the country's Sunni population and the minority Alawite is also threatening to destabilize the country.

The Sunni population in Lebanon mostly supports the rebels in neighboring Syria, while the minority Alawite population supports the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

 

Chinese, Japanese leaders won't meet on Olympic sidelines: FM

The Chinese government is ruling out any meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japan's Prime Minister during the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Russia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Russia from Feburary 6th to 8th to attend the opening ceremony at Sochi.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also plans to attend.

And while he's not going to meet with Abe, Xi Jinping is scheduled to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the event.

 

WEF kicks off in Davos

The annual World Economic Forum has officially kicked off in the the Swiss resort of Davos.

Some 25-hundred world leaders and economic elites have attend the opening ceremony.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will join U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and British central bank head Mark Carney and others at the forum.

Rising income disparity and social unrest are among the topics to be discussed.

 

Thai government declares state of emergency

The Thai government has declared a 60-day state of emergency in the capital Bangkok and surrounding areas starting from today.

The announcement follows a increasing number of attacks amid the political protests aimed at forcing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from power.

The new emergency decree allows security forces to impose curfews, ban political gatherings and detain suspects without charges. 

Yingluck says the police, not the military, will lead the security sweeps.

She also says her government has no intention of confronting the protesters. 

The military has so far stayed neutral in the continuing political upheaval in Bangkok.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of Yingluck ahead of the planned national election next month.

 

Meeting between the Ukrainian president and top opposition leader cancelled at the last minute

Planned talks between Ukraine's president and a top opposition leader have been cancelled at the last minute.

The meeting was planned after President Viktor Yanukovich appealed to people to distance themselves from protesters who have been engaged in violent acts in recent days.

He's also been calling for "dialogue and compromise". 

A senior official from the National Council of Security and Defence claims opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko walked out of, what has been described, as an emotional meeting. 

Klitschko claims he was turned away from the meeting by presidential aides.

Klitschko has returned back to the main protest site in central Kiev where a truce is being overseen between police and protesters.

 

Algerian presidential election campaign to start on March 23

Electoral authorities in Algeria have set the dates for this year's Presidental election campaign.

The official campaign for the Presidency of the north African country will run from March 23rd to April 13th.

The vote itself will take place on April 17th.

So far 42 candidates have applied to contest the Presidency.

The application process will remain open until March 4th.

Current President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is eligable to run for a 4th term in office.

However, the 76-year old hasn't said whether he's planning to run again.

 

One shot dead at Purdue University

One person is dead following a shooting at Purdue University in the United States.

A man walked into a classroom in the Electrial Engineering department of the university in West LaFayette, Indiana around noon on Tuesday and shot and killed a man.

The gunman then walked out and surrendered to police shortly after.

The incident put the entire campus of 30-thousand students in a state of emergency.

Authorities say the suspect specifically targeted his victim, and made no effort to target anyone else. 

It's unclear what the motivation for the killing is.