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ByBassemMroue and Zeina Karam The Associated Press BEIRUT A cease-fire bro- kered by the United States and Russia went into effect across Syria on Saturday, marking the biggest inter- national push to reduce vi- olence in the country's dev- astating conflict, but the Islamic State group and al-Qaida's branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, were ex- cluded. The cease-fire aims to bring representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition back to the negotiating table in Geneva for talks on a po- litical transition. The U.N.'s envoy, Staffan de Mistura, announced that peace talks would resume on March 7 if the cessation of hostilities "largely holds." If it does, it would be the first time international ne- gotiations have brought any degree of quiet in Syr- ia's five-year civil war. But success requires adherence by multiple armed factions — and the truce is made more fragile because it al- lows fighting to continue against the Islamic State group and Nusra Front, which could easily re-ig- nite broader warfare. The Syrian government and the opposition, includ- ing nearly 100 rebel groups, have said they will abide by the cease-fire despite serious skepticism about chances for success. Moments after the truce took hold, Mazen al-Shami, an opposition activist near Damascus, said an opposi- tion-held eastern suburb of the capital known as East- ern Ghouta was "quiet for the first time in years." The Ghouta region, which in- cludes the sprawling sub- urb of Douma, has been the scene of intense fight- ing during Syria's conflict. An Associated Press crew in Damascus said the sounds of explosions stopped three minutes be- fore midnight. An Aleppo- based opposition media collective, Aleppo24, said Russian warplanes left Aleppo skies at 12:19 a.m. There were some reports of violations, which could not be independently con- firmed, but they appeared to be relatively limited. Opposition activist Mo- hammed al-Sibai, who is based in the central prov- ince of Homs, told the AP that the cease-fire was vi- olated 15 minutes after it went into effect in the town of Talbiseh, which was be- ing subjected to shelling by government artillery based around the town. However, he said things later quieted down. Significantly, however, there were no immediate reports of any airstrikes. Ahmad al-Masalmeh, an opposition activist in Da- raa in the country's south said intense fighting sud- denly stopped at midnight when the cease-fire went into effect. "In the first half hour of the cease-fire the situa- tion is relatively calm but tense," al-Masalmeh said via Skype. He later said Syrian troops fired tank shells at the village of Lajat in Daraa province, wound- ing two people. "This is a regime that cannot be trusted," al-Ma- salmeh said. The Local Coordination Committees, an umbrella opposition activist group, also reported that Syrian troops violated the truce in Daraa. MIDDLE EAST We st -b ro ke re d ce as e- fir e goes into effect across Syria HASSANAMMAR—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS A dog drinks water between destroyed buildings in the old city of Homs, Syria, on Friday. By Ali Akbar Dareini The Associated Press TEHRAN, IRAN Iranians voted Friday in the coun- try's first election since its landmark nuclear deal with world powers, decid- ing whether to further em- power moderates backing President Hassan Rou- hani or support hard-lin- ers long suspicious of the West. The elections for Iran's parliament and a power- ful clerical body known as the Assembly of Experts are tightly controlled by the establishment headed by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which ultimately deter- mines who can run. But within the range al- lowed by the Islamic Re- public, the voting may pro- vide a referendum on Rou- hani's policies — and his promises that the nuclear deal, the lifting of most in- ternational sanctions and a greater degree of open- ing to the West can help boost a battered economy — a top concern for most voters. Nearly 55 million of Iran's 80 million peo- ple were eligible to vote. Participation figures and other statistics were not immediately available, though Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli predicted late Thursday there would be a turnout of 70 percent. Polls had been sched- uled to close at 6 p.m., but the Interior Ministry said it would extend vot- ing time until 11:45 p.m. in the capital. Authorities said election workers had begun counting ballots af- ter that. In Tehran, voter Hossein Gerami said he backed re- formists to support Rou- hani. "The country suffered under hard-liners," he said. "Today is the time to change Iran for the better." Sakineh Mamoudi, who backed hard-liners, said she worried about Western influence growing in Iran. "I voted for those who protect the values of the revolution and oppose for- eign domination of the country because I don't want pro-West figures to get control of the parlia- ment," Mamoudi said. The nuclear deal has been the centerpiece of Rouhani's policies since he was elected in 2013 — and the sealing of the deal won Iran the lifting of most in- ternational sanctions against it. Throughout, he and the negotiating team had to push against hard- liner opposition. Supreme leader Khamenei eventu- ally gave his consent to the final result. Now reformists want to build on that open- ing to the world, promising improvements in the econ- omy. Despite the nuclear deal, Iran and the West have a long history of enmity, fu- eled by the 1953 Britain and U.S.-engineered coup that installed the shah and the 1979 Islamic Revolution and takeover of the American Embassy. A billboard put up in Tehran before the elec- tion showed the face of Brit- ain's Queen Elizabeth II re- placed with that of a camel, warning voters about "for- eign meddling." The hard-line camp is largely made up of loyal- ists of Rouhani's predeces- sor, Mahmoud Ahmadine- jad, who during his two terms in office avidly stoked tensions with the U.S. and cracked down on internal dissidents. The vote is unlikely to radically change Iran, but reformists and moderates peeling away seats from hard-liners could help Rou- hani push through his do- mestic agenda. MIDDLE EAST Iranians to choose new parliament in first elections since landmark nuke deal By Mike Stobbe The Associated Press NEW YORK Zika infec- tions have been confirmed in nine pregnant women in the United States, includ- ing one who gave birth to a baby with a rare birth de- fect, health officials said Friday. All got the virus while visiting or living in places with Zika outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is also investigating 10 more reports of pregnant travelers with Zika. The U.S. cases add to re- ports out of Brazil. Officials there are exploring a possi- ble link to babies born with unusually small heads, a rare birth defect called mi- crocephaly that can signal underlying brain damage. Zika has become epi- demic in Latin America and the Caribbean since last fall. The virus — mainly spread by through mosquito bites — causes mild illness or no symptoms in most people. Since August, the CDC has tested 257 pregnant women for Zika; eight were positive and a state lab con- firmed a ninth. • Three of the women have delivered babies; two of the newborns are appar- ently healthy. One was born with microcephaly. • Two had miscarriages, but it's not known if the Zika infection was the cause. • Two women had abor- tions, one after scans showed the fetus had an undeveloped brain. Details were not provided for the second case. • Two pregnancies are continuing with no re- ported complications. Five of the women had Zika symptoms in the first trimester, including the miscarriages, abortions and newborn with micro- cephaly. In its report Friday, the CDC did not give the wom- en's hometowns; state health officials have said there were two pregnant women with Zika in Illi- nois, three in Florida and one in Hawaii, who gave birth to a baby with micro- cephaly. That mother had lived in Brazil early in her pregnancy. The CDC said all are U.S. residents, but declined to answer a question on their citizenship. The health agency said the nine women had all been to places with Zika outbreaks — American Sa- moa, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Hondu- ras, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Samoa. Those destinations are among the 30 places now on the CDC's travel alert. It recommends that pregnant women postpone trips to those areas. While the link between Zika and the birth defect has not been confirmed, the possibility has prompted health officials to take cau- tionary steps to protect fe- tuses. That includes advice that Zika-infected men who have a pregnant partner ei- ther use condoms or abstain from sex. DISEASE CDC: Zika infections confirmed in 9 US women Construction Burrows Construction Remodel, New Additions, Siding Repair and Replacement, Water and Dryrot New Construction Foundation to Finish Ph:(530) 515-9779 Residential•Commerical PATIOS•DECKS REFRENCES Lic#824770 Roofing Call for Estimates! 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