Main news of February 4

WORLD

* U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said she was "disgusted" by the Russian and Chinese veto on a Security Council resolution on Syria that urges President Bashar al-Assad to step down

* At least 217 people have been killed in a new major army offensive in the central Syrian city of Homs, Al-Jazeera reported citing UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

* At least 12 people were killed in riots in Egyptian cities in the last two days, a spokesman for the country’s health ministry said

* Iran has launched of the Zafar (Triumph) marine cruise missile for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) naval forces, Iranian news networks Press TV reported

* A namesake of Vladimir Lenin, the late leader of the global proletariat, was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by an Ecuadorian legislator

RUSSIA

* Protesters from all walks of life and of all political persuasions packed downtown Moscow to express their opposition to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s expected return to the Kremlin next month

* Speakers at the rival pro-government rally in Moscow lambasted the opposition, which held a parallel protest event elsewhere in the city, for plotting a revolution in the interests of Western powers

* Over a hundred thousand people braved the bitter cold at two major rallies in downtown Moscow as a power play between champions of political liberalization and supporters of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin continues to unfold

* There has been no shift on the issue of a European missile defense system, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said

SPORTS

* Svetlana Kuznetsova powered past Carla Suarez Navarro to give Russia a 2-0 lead in a Fed Cup quarterfinal against Spain