Main News of February 1

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton dismissed Russia’s fears that a “Libyan scenario” could be repeated in Syria

* Two more Russian diplomats have quit Canada following the arrest of a Canadian sailor charged in January with handing over secrets to a foreign power, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported

* The ten-day celebration of the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution began in Iran as thousands of Iranians brought flowers to the mausoleum of the republic’s founder

RUSSIA

* Russia will not support any arms embargo on Syria, Russia’s envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin said

* The United Nations is not a useless organization, however, it needs gradual reform, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with young lawyers in Moscow

* The first Mistral class amphibious assault ship will be put in service with the Russian Navy in 36 months, Russian Navy Commander Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said

* Billionaire presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov said on Wednesday that if he wins the March election he will not keep Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in his cabinet.

BUSINESS

* The federal budget deficit this year may come in at 1 percent of GDP, Russian Deputy Economic Development Minister Andrei Klepach said

* Greece needs to ease up on the effort to reduce the budget deficit but hasten the implementation of reforms, head of the International Monetary Fund's supervisory mission in Greece Poul Thomsen said

* Russia's food safety and sanitary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor imposed a temporary ban on cattle from several EU states on Wednesday following the spread of the highly virulent Schmallenberg virus

SPORTS

* A top Russian luge coach accused German sliders of "getting around the rules" with the help of a compatriot-friendly international federation that is reluctant to investigate suspicious practices