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ByJennyBarchfield The Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO Brazil's health minister says the country is sending some 220,000 troops to bat- tle the mosquito blamed for spreading a virus sus- pected of causing birth de- fects — but he also says the war is already being lost. Marcelo Castro said that nearly 220,000 members of Brazil's Armed Forces would go door-to-door to help in mosquito eradica- tion efforts ahead of the country's Carnival cele- brations. Agency spokes- man Nivaldo Coelho said Tuesday details of the de- ployment are still being worked out. Castro also said the gov- ernment would distribute mosquito repellent to some 400,000 pregnant women who receive cash-transfer benefits. But the minister also said the country has failed in efforts against the Ae- des aegypti mosquito that transmits Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. "The mosquito has been here in Brazil for three de- cades, and we are badly losing the battle against the mosquito," the minis- ters told reporters as a cri- sis group on Zika was meet- ing in the capital, Brasilia. A massive eradication effort eliminated Aedes aegypti from Brazil dur- ing the 1950s, but the mos- quito slowly returned over the following decades from neighboring nations, pub- lic health experts have said. That led to outbreaks of dengue, which was re- corded in record numbers last year. The arrival of Zika in Brazil last year initially caused little alarm, as the virus' symptoms are gener- ally much milder than those of dengue. It didn't become a crisis until late in the year, when researchers made the link with a dramatic in- crease in reported cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect that sees babies born with unusually small heads and can cause lasting devel- opmental problems. The World Health Orga- nization repeated Tuesday that the link remains cir- cumstantial and is not yet proven scientifically. But worry about the rapid spread of Zika has expanded across the nation, and the hemisphere beyond. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised pregnant women to reconsider travel to Brazil and 21 other countries and territories with Zika out- breaks. One of them, the U.S. ter- ritory of Puerto Rico, re- ported 18 new confirmed cases of Zika on Tuesday, though none involve preg- nant women. One case had been reported earlier. Officials in El Salvador, Colombia and Brazil have suggested women stop get- ting pregnant until the cri- sis has passed. VI RU S Br az il i s lo si ng b at tl e ag ai ns t mo sq ui to By Frances D'Emilio The Associated Press VATICAN CITY Pope Fran- cis held talks with Iran's president at the Vatican Tuesday, calling on Teh- ran to play a key role in stopping the spread of terrorism as Iran tries to improve its image in the global arena following an agreement on its nuclear program. The pontiff warmly clasped the hand of Pres- ident Hassan Rouhani in the first official call paid on a pontiff by an Iranian president since 1999. They held 40 minutes of private talks before Rouhani met with other top Vatican of- ficials, The talks "delved into the conclusion and applica- tion of the nuclear accord, and the important role that Iran is called upon to play, together with other coun- tries of the region, was highlighted," the Holy See said. It added that that role should "foster adequate political solutions to the issues plaguing the Middle East, fighting the spread of terrorism and arms traf- ficking." The "cordial" talks also stressed common spiritual values, the statement said. Usually it's the pope who asks his audience to pray for him. This time, after the two men spoke with the help of Italian and Farsi language translators, it was the guest who asked the pope for prayers. "I ask you to pray for me," Rou- hani said. The Vatican meeting was a key part of the Ira- nian effort to take a more prominent place on the world stage after the nu- clear deal with Western powers. Iran, which agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for an end to economic sanctions, is ea- ger to carve out a bigger role in mediating Middle East conflicts. Francis' pa- pacy has emphasized me- diation and conflict-reso- lution, including his role in helping Cuba and the United States to normal- ize their relations. Rouhani heads to France Wednesday on his four-day European trip seeking to boost Iran's image abroad as well as to rehabilitate economic ties with a con- tinent that had been a big trade partner before the sanctions. Francis gave Rouhani a medal depicting St. Mar- tin giving his cloak to a poor man in the cold, de- scribing the saint's act as "a sign of unsolicited brotherhood." Rouhani brought a gift of a hand-made rug that he said was made in the Ira- nian holy city of Qom. Before going to the Vat- ican, Rouhani told a fo- rum of business leaders in Rome that "Iran is the saf- est and most stable country of the entire region." Italy also sees Iran as a potential peacemaker in Syria's civil war, as the Italian government fears the warfare will further destabilize Libya — just across the Mediterranean from southern Italy — fuel terrorism and jeopardize energy security. "Italy has always backed the role of Iran as a re- gional player in resolving tensions in the area, start- ing with the Syrian crisis," Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said after meet- ing his Iranian counter- part, according to his of- fice. Rouhani has described the political talks leading to the nuclear deal as a po- tential blueprint for pur- suing peace in the Middle East. His European trip was originally planned for No- vember but postponed be- cause of the attacks in Paris. TALKS Vatican: Iran must join fight against terrorism By Zeina Karam and Philip Issa The Associated Press BEIRUT Multiple bomb- ings struck a government- run checkpoint in the cen- tral Syrian city of Homs on Tuesday, killing at least 20 people and wounding over a hundred amid intense political jockeying ahead of U.N.-backed peace talks scheduled to begin in Ge- neva on Friday. The office of the U.N. envoy for Syria said it sent out invitations for the talks, but with just three days to go, the op- position is still undecided about whether it will at- tend. One opposition offi- cial suggested the Saudi- backed opposition delega- tion may boycott the talks. Khawla Mattar, a spokeswoman for Staffan de Mistura, told The As- sociated Press in Geneva that the envoy would not make public the numbers and identities of the invi- tees until his office gets "feedback from the in- vited parties" — a sign of the delicacy of his task. The talks are meant to start a political process to end the conflict that be- gan in 2011 as a largely peaceful uprising against Assad's rule but esca- lated into an all-out war after a harsh state crack- down. The plan calls for cease-fires in parallel to the talks, a new constitu- tion and elections in a year and a half. The attack in Homs, which was claimed by the Islamic State group, came as government forces re- took a southern town from opposition fighters and other militants. Homs Governor Talal Barazi told the SANA news agency that the check- point was hit "first by a car bomb, which was then fol- lowed by a suicide bomb- ing." Syrian state televi- sion broadcast footage of the aftermath of the at- tack, showing cars ablaze and extensive damage to shops and apartments around the site of the ex- plosion in the Zahra neigh- borhood, which is inhab- ited mostly by members of President Bashar Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. The dis- trict has been a frequent target of bombings in re- cent months. The Britain-based Syr- ian Observatory for Hu- man Rights, an opposi- tion group which relies on a network of informants across Syria, quoted wit- nesses at the scene as say- ing the first bomber at- tracted a crowd of security agents by shouting curses about the Homs governor, then blew up his vehicle. Meanwhile, in south- ern Syria, government forces seized the town of Sheikh Maskin, culminat- ing an offensive that began in late December to retake the town after seizing the nearby Brigade 82 military base. Sheikh Maskin lies near the highway connecting Damascus and the Jorda- nian border, and connects the Syrian capital to Da- raa, a border town held by opposition fighters. Its fall is the latest in a string of battlefield successes for Assad's military that have bolstered his hand ahead of the planned peace talks. ATTACK SANA–THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Syrian citizens gather at the scene where twin bombs exploded at a government-run security checkpoint, at the neighborhood of Zahraa, in Homs province, Syria, on Tuesday. ANDREW MEDICHINI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Pope Francis shakes hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, right, on the occasion of their private audience at the Vatican, on Tuesday. Bombings kill 20 in Syria as peace talk invitations go out FollowusonTwitterandFacebook. (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson St. Red Bluff $ 25 .00 No Enrollment Fee New Year Special month 741 Main Street, Suite #2 Red Bluff, CA 96080 1-800-287-2187 (530) 527-2187 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.redbluffcoldwellbanker.com See All Tehama County Listings at If you are Considering Selling Your Home, Now is the Time! PropertyisSelling and Listings are in Short Supply! CallTehamaCountiesLargest Real Estate Office and let our Knowledgeable and Professional Realtors assist you Today! 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