Baton Rouge news

• Electric company building on property, man wants it to stop

  28-12-2016 17:46
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - A property owner in Livingston Parish says DEMCO is tearing up his land, but DEMCO says it has the right to be there.In addition to making a mess, David Henderson says DEMCO is also taking land away from him. Henderson contacted 2 On Your Side, which found out an easement decades old allows DEMCO to be there.If you'd drive by Henderson's property at the southeast corner of I-12 and Juban Road, you would think he's building something. Construction equipment is busy moving around
  
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• Outgoing Mayor Kip Holden says last year was tough

  28-12-2016 17:37
  
  BATON ROUGE – With days left in the office, outgoing Mayor-President of Baton Rouge Kip Holden said that he is leaving behind a tough year. "This year has been more trying matter of fact, so trying, I switched from Rogaine to Brogaine to get more hair," Holden joked. Holden's first test in office was dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that impacted the Gulf Coast in 2005.
  "We had some people who had vowed that they were going to run over Baton Ro
  
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• Reports: Debbie Reynolds hospitalized in Los Angeles

  28-12-2016 17:36
  
  LOS ANGELES - Media reports say Debbie Reynolds has been rushed to the hospital after suffering a medical emergency in Los Angeles one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher died.The Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ, which was first to report the incident, said unnamed sources told them Reynolds was rushed to the hospital Wednesday afternoon after paramedics were called to her son's home.Reynolds' son, Todd Fisher, did not answer a call or return messages from The Associated Press. Repr
  
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• Debbie Reynolds has died

  28-12-2016 17:36
  
  LOS ANGELES - Actress Debbie Reynolds, the star of the 1952 classic "Singin' in the Rain," has died. She was 84.
      
  Her son, Todd Fisher, said Reynolds died Wednesday, a day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher, who was 60.
      
  "She's now with Carrie and we're all heartbroken," Fisher said from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where his mother was taken by ambulance earlier Wednesday.
      
  He said the stress of his sist
  
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• BREAKING: Debbie Reynolds has died

  28-12-2016 17:36
  
  UPDATE:LOS ANGELES (AP) - Actress Debbie Reynolds, star of the 1952 classic 'Singin' in the Rain' and mother of Carrie Fisher, has died, son says.ORIGINAL STORY:LOS ANGELES - Media reports say Debbie Reynolds has been rushed to the hospital after suffering a medical emergency in Los Angeles one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher died.The Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ, which was first to report the incident, said unnamed sources told them Reynolds was rushed to the hospital Wednes
  
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• Half a million dollars in cocaine found in Hammond traffic stop

  28-12-2016 16:15
  
  HAMMOND – State Police say a traffic stop on I-12 near Hammond led troopers to find nearly a half a million dollars worth of cocaine Wednesday morning.According to Louisiana State Police, the traffic stop happened around 7 a.m. on I-12 east near I-55 in Hammond. Troopers stopped a 2014 Ford F-150 pickup truck driven by Maria Delores Daniel for a traffic violation.“Troopers became suspicious of criminal activity and requested written consent to search the vehicle,” T
  
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• Child left in Walmart trash can will remain in state custody, for now

  28-12-2016 15:50
  
  NEW ROADS – A Pointe Coupee Parish judge ordered that the infant born Friday in a New Roads Walmart bathroom and left in a trash can will remain in state custody, at least for now.Sources close to the investigation tell WBRZ News 2’s Brett Buffington that investigators have located the child’s father.The child’s mother, 34-year-old Kyandrea Thomas, was charged with second-degree attempted murder charges. Thomas was working as a Salvation Army holiday greet
  
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• Man charged after missing Baker teen returned home

  28-12-2016 15:29
  
  BAKER – Police say an 18-year-old has been arrested after a statewide missing juvenile alert.Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn tells WBRZ News 2 that Mejia Vasquez was charged Tuesday night with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.Dunn said Vasquez was seen on social media with 13-year-oldErica Acosta who had been missing since Christmas morning. Acosta was returned home just hours after a Louisiana State Police Endangered/Missing Child alert was is
  
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• Man arrested following fatal shooting on Education Street

  28-12-2016 15:27
  
  BATON ROUGE – An arrest has been made in connection to a fatal shooting that occurred on Education Street on Dec. 23. BRPD arrested 33-year-old Johnny Matthews on charges of second degree murder, illegal use of a weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
  Police found 43-year-old Charles Porter fatally shot in the road in the 500 block of Education Street. He suffered a gunshot wound to the head and died at the scene.
  Matthews was booked into the East Baton Rouge
  
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• Mom says she ate twigs, snow to survive 26-mile hike in snow

  28-12-2016 15:12
  
  GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK - A Pennsylvania woman who walked 26 miles through the snowy Arizona backcountry for help after her family's car got stuck says she survived by eating twigs and snow and a desire to rescue her stranded husband and 10-year-old son.Karen Klein told NBC News and ABC's "Good Morning America" this week that to keep going, she told herself that this wasn't how she was supposed to die.The family was on its way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon last week when their car got
  
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• Report: Many mentally ill people needlessly in nursing homes

  28-12-2016 15:03
  
  BATON ROUGE - A federal investigation has found that Louisiana unnecessarily isolates and segregates thousands of mentally ill people in costly nursing facilities instead of providing them with community-based services.In a 30-page letter to Gov. John Bel Edwards last week, the Justice Department says its civil rights division concluded the state violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by relying on nursing facilities to house approximately 4,000 people with serious mental illness.The depar
  
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• Two wanted for car burglaries in Monticello subdivision

  28-12-2016 14:27
  
  BATON ROUGE – Deputies are seeking the public’s help to find two suspects responsible for multiple vehicle burglaries in the Monticello subdivision.According to East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, the crimes happened throughout the month of December.The first suspect is described as a black male, 5’7” to 6” tall with a thin build. The second suspect is described as a black male with 5’5” to 5’7” ta
  
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• Man steals $2,000 in tools from trucks outside Ascension restaurant

  28-12-2016 13:59
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE – Deputies in Ascension Parish say one man is on the run after stealing thousands of dollars in tools out of pickup trucks parked at a Prairieville restaurant.According to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened on Nov. 12 around 7:39 p.m. Deputies say an unknown male was seen rummaging through tool boxes in pickup truck beds outside Frank’s Restaurant on Airline Highway.Investigators describe the suspect as a man with dark hair, ab
  
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• Juvenile arrested for vandalizing Gonzales Christmas decorations

  28-12-2016 13:48
  
  GONZALES – Police say one person has been arrested after employees found Jambalaya Park vandalized earlier this year.According to a spokesperson for Gonzales Police, one female juvenile has been charged with simple criminal damage. Police say the juvenile is not cooperating with investigators.Earlier this month, Gonzales City Hall employees found ornaments from the city’s Christmas tree smashed on the ground and lights ripped from fences.“This is incredibly upsettin
  
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• News photos of 2016: Louisiana flooding rescues and recovery

  28-12-2016 13:30
  
  The Louisiana Flood of 2016 ravaged communities across South Louisiana, killing 13 people and damaging tens of thousands of homes and businesses.
  
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• Second Louisiana cougar spotted Tangipahoa Parish

  28-12-2016 13:26
  
  TANGIPAHOA – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has spotted a second cougar in Louisiana this year.
  A photo taken from a trail camera in Tangipahoa Parish six days before a previous sighting was reported in northeast Louisiana on Dec. 21. Officials said that sighting was the first in the state since 2011.
  Officials say that due to the timing and distance between the two sightings, it is unlikely to be the same animal in the photos.
  If any cougars are spotted with trail
  
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• FAKE: Officials now say Tangipahoa Parish cougar was hoax

  28-12-2016 13:26
  
  TANGIPAHOA – The same day that officials said another cougar was spotted in the state, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said the second sighting was a hoax."It was a fake! Thanks to our friends at The Cougar Network, we have determined this is the same image of a cougar on the Internet (originally taken from a trail cam in Oklahoma)," the department's official Facebook page shared Wednesday afternoon.Earlier in the day, officials shared the photo that had reporte
  
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• Louisiana to begin accepting state tax returns on Jan. 23

  28-12-2016 13:14
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Revenue says it will start accepting 2016 state individual income tax returns on Jan. 23.That's the same date that the IRS begins accepting federal tax returns.Jan. 23 also is the date when taxpayers can begin downloading paper tax forms from the state revenue department's website. The department says taxpayers who file returns electronically will get faster processing.The deadline for filing state individual income tax returns is May 15.Permalink| Comme
  
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• Armed Brew-Bacher's employee scares off robber Tuesday night

  28-12-2016 13:00
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police say an armed Brew-Bacher’s employee scared off an armed robber Tuesday night in Baton Rouge.According to Baton Rouge Police, the incident happened around 9 p.m. at the Brewbacher’s restaurant on Government Street.Police say 22-year-old Erneston Nelson, armed with a gun, approached two employees outside the building’s rear entrance. Nelson grabbed one the of the victims by the back of the neck and followed the second employee into the r
  
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• Donaldsonville man wanted for hitting woman in face

  28-12-2016 12:28
  
  ASCENSION – The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is searching for a man wanted on second-degree battery charges.The man deputies are searching for is 29-year-old Markquincy Chatman of Donaldsonville wanted for second-degree battery after he hit a woman in the face on Dec. 13.Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Chatman is urged to call the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office at 225-621-4636.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Five Mid-City businesses robbed, gun pointed at owner's head

  28-12-2016 12:20
  BATON ROUGE- A store owner in a flourishing part of town said she's lucky to be alive after facing off with an armed robber. Maria Saia peeled out of her parking lot at Anthony's Italian Deli Friday night as a gunman gave chase."It's very scary, that we're even still alive," she said Wednesday.The masked man and his accomplice knocked her husband Anthony to the ground. Saia pulled away from the melee, the robber turned back to her husband and pointed the gun at his head.That's when Saia laid on
  
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• No Baton Rouge garbage pickup Jan. 2; recycling to continue

  28-12-2016 11:59
  
  BATON ROUGE – City-Parish officials have announced that garbage will not be picked up on Jan. 2. However, recycling will be picked up as normally scheduled throughout the holidays.All sizes of folded, flattened cardboard boxes will be picked up if they are inside or next to the curbside recycling cart. Wrapping paper may also be placed in the cart, however no tissue paper or foil paper will be accepted.Residents who need to report a missed recycling collection or who need a recycling c
  
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• Baton Rouge garbage, recycling pickup on Jan. 2

  28-12-2016 11:59
  
  BATON ROUGE – City-Parish officials have announced that garbage and recycling will be picked up on Jan. 2. The City-Parish originally announced that garbage pickup would not be conducted that day, however an updated announcement was released on Wednesday afternoon. All sizes of folded, flattened cardboard boxes will be picked up if they are inside or next to the curbside recycling cart. Wrapping paper may also be placed in the cart, however no tissue paper or foil paper will b
  
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• Kerry offers vision for Israel with single state

  28-12-2016 11:58
  
  WASHINGTON - Secretary of State John Kerry says that if Israel rejects a two-state solution for peace with the Palestinian people, "it can be Jewish or it can be democratic."Kerry was responding to withering Israeli criticism of the United States' abstention from a vote condemning Israeli settlement construction. He reiterated the American position that a two-state solution giving both Israelis and Palestinians a home state is the best roadmap to peace. He also made it clear that despit
  
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• One arrested after manhunt near Burbank Drive, one still at large

  28-12-2016 11:16
  
  BATON ROUGE – One 18-year-old suspect has been taken into custody and another is still on the run following a manhunt with multiple law enforcement agencies off Burbank Drive Wednesday morning.Police arrested Devante Roberson on charges of aggravated flight of of an officer, operation of a motor vehicle, speeding and driving without a license and will be booked accordingly. Louisiana State Police tried to initiate a traffic stop with a Dodge Charger
  
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• Carrie Fisher's books become best sellers after her death

  28-12-2016 11:06
  
  NEW YORK - There's been a run on Carrie Fisher's books since the "Star Wars" actress and humorist died on Tuesday.Fisher's book, "The Princess Diarist," was on top of Amazon's list of best-selling books on Wednesday, just ahead of "Zero Sugar Diet.""Wishful Drinking" and "Postcards From the Edge" were also in Amazon's top 10, with "Shockaholic" ranked as No. 57.Five of the top 10 books on Amazon's "Movers and Shakers" list, which measures titles that show the greatest upward movement in sales ov
  
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• Man wanted for stealing power tools from bed of truck parked at restaurant

  28-12-2016 09:43
  
  ASCENSION – The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in identifying a man who stole several tools from the bed of a truck parked at a restaurant. The incident occurred on Nov. 12 around 7:40 a.m. when a man was seen rummaging through tool boxes in the beds of trucks in the parking lot of Frank's Restaurant on Airline Highway.The man found an unlocked tool box and stole several power tools worth about $2,000. He loaded the tools into a vehicle he was d
  
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• Dylann Roof won't work to spare his life in church massacre

  28-12-2016 09:12
  
  Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof says he won't call any witnesses or present evidence while representing himself during the punishment phase of his death penalty trial, but he is working hard to keep secret potentially embarrassing evidence about himself and his family.Just exactly what that evidence is remains a mystery. Roof, the judge and prosecutors carefully tiptoed around describing it during a hearing Wednesday. The judge has indicated that it may be allowed during the penalty phase
  
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• Dylann Roof won't submit evidence to spare life

  28-12-2016 09:12
  
  Dylann Roof has told a judge he plans on calling no witnesses and presenting no evidence to try to convince a jury to spare his life for killing nine black Charleston church worshippers in a hate crime.Roof told U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel at a hearing Wednesday he still plans to act as his own lawyer when the penalty phase of his federal death penalty trial begins next Tuesday.Gergel told Roof to talk to his grandfather, who is a lawyer, and other family members one last time. He says Ro
  
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• Fire destroys Tangipahoa Parish sheriff's deputies' home

  28-12-2016 09:06
  
  ARCOLA - A fire burned to the ground the home of two Tangipahoa Parish sheriff's deputies, killing three pets and destroying three vehicles in the process.The New Orleans Advocate reports the fire happened late Monday at Capt. Don Alexander's home on La. 10 east of Arcola. His wife, Jeannie, who's also a deputy, was inside at the time and made it out alive. She managed to save one dog, but the family lost everything, including two dachshunds and a cat.A sheriff's office patrol vehicle t
  
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• Teen arrested for multiple car burglaries in Livingston

  28-12-2016 09:02
  
  LIVINGSTON – The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office has arrested a suspect wanted for multiple car burglaries in the parish.Deputies arrested 17-year-old Blayson Fife following a joint investigation with the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office and the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office.Surveillance video captured Fife burglarizing vehicles in the Quail Creek subdivision. According to Sheriff Jason Ard, the investigation began in late October. The investigation led to a suspect,
  
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• Hammond Police looking for suspect in early morning murder

  28-12-2016 08:27
  
  HAMMOND - The Hammond Police Department is investigating the murder of a 22-year-old that happened Wednesday morning.Hammond Police said the victim was shot and killed around 2 a.m. at 54 Whitmar Drive. The victim's identity has not yet been released.Police have several leads, but no suspects have been identified yet. The motive is also unknown at this time.Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact Detective Ronney Domiano at 985-277-5739 or Detective Corey Morse a
  
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• Florida Boulevard is now open

  28-12-2016 08:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - Florida Boulevard is now open.Wednesday morning, Florida Boulevard was closed at Sherwood Forest Boulevard due to an accident with injury.News 2's Ashley Fruge is monitoring the roadways. We will have updates on WBRZ.com and Twitter.EB Florida is closed at Sherwood Forest due to accident with injury— WBRZ Traffic (@WBRZtraffic) December 28, 2016Permalink| Comments
  
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• Florida Boulevard closed EB at Sherwood Forest

  28-12-2016 08:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - Commuters may want to take an alternate route Wednesday morning as Florida Boulevard is closed eastbound at Sherwood Forest Boulevard due to an accident with injury.News 2's Ashley Fruge is monitoring the roadways during Good Morning America. We will have updates on WBRZ.com and Twitter.EB Florida is closed at Sherwood Forest due to accident with injury— WBRZ Traffic (@WBRZtraffic) December 28, 2016Permalink| Comments
  
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• Germany: Tunisian contact of Berlin attacker arrested

  28-12-2016 08:06
  
  BERLIN (AP) - German prosecutors say they've detained a Tunisian man they think may have been involved in last week's truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.Federal prosecutors said Wednesday the 40-year-old was detained during a search of his home and business.They said that the man's number was saved in the cellphone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven a truck into the market on Dec. 19, and that "further investigations indicate that he may have been involved in the a
  
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• GPS monitoring ordered last week for man charged in slaying

  28-12-2016 08:03
  
  WASHINGTON - Court records show that GPS monitoring was ordered last week for a Maryland man now charged in the death of a Washington, D.C., actress and yoga teacher who went missing at Christmas.Adrian Duane Johnson of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was charged with theft earlier this month and online court records show he was released Dec. 20. After Johnson's attorney said he couldn't be screened for mental health court under high intensity supervision, he was ordered to report the next morning to
  
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• 2 quakes hit near Lake Tahoe, rumblings felt across region

  28-12-2016 07:24
  
  SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two earthquakes struck early Wednesday near Lake Tahoe, and their rumblings were felt across areas of two states.The U.S. Geological Surveys says the two magnitude 5.7 temblors were both centered in a remote area of Nevada near the California line, about 70 miles southeast of Lake Tahoe.The moderate quakes, which struck at 12:18 a.m. and 12:22 a.m., were followed by a series of smaller aftershocks.The USGS says the quakes were felt in such areas as Carson City, Nevada,
  
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• California teens rescued after boat capsizes in Florida Keys

  28-12-2016 07:10
  
  LITTLE TORCH KEY, Fla. - Three visiting California teens are safe in the Florida Keys thanks to a marine deputy who rescued them from atop a capsized boat.Monroe County Sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin says 18-year-olds Zack Sowder and Brent Shishido and 16-year-old Jacob Sowder - all of Orange County, California - climbed atop the capsized boat and called 911 on a cellphone Tuesday.The teens were perched on the overturned hull, their life jackets trapped under the 22-foot vessel, when Marine
  
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• Prosecutors: Man pulled gun, threatened family over TV show

  28-12-2016 07:00
  
  WORCESTER, Mass. - Prosecutors say an argument over which television show to watch prompted a Massachusetts man to threaten his family members with a gun on Christmas morning.Corey Hodgdon was ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing at his arraignment Tuesday on charges that include assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.Prosecutors say Hodgdon had gotten upset over what show the family was watching on television before he pulled a gun and issued threats during the inciden
  
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• 4 arrested after disturbance at Philadelphia shopping mall

  28-12-2016 06:58
  
  PHILADELPHIA - A disturbance at a northeast Philadelphia shopping mall has led to the arrest of four people.Police responded to the Philadelphia Mills mall Tuesday evening for a report of a large group of juveniles causing a disturbance.Four people were arrested. Police say one person tried to attack an officer who was working to disperse the crowd.No injuries were reported.Police tell WPVI-TV that the gathering was planned on the mobile messaging app Snapchat.The incident comes after a number o
  
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• Roof has death penalty case hearing acting as own lawyer

  28-12-2016 06:57
  
  Dylann Roof may soon show how hard he intends to fight to save his life as prosecutors seek the death penalty for killing nine black worshippers in a hate crime at a Charleston church.A judge scheduled a hearing Wednesday in federal court to hear motions before the penalty phase in Roof's trial starts next week.Roof is now acting as his own lawyer after letting go of his defense attorneys after a jury convicted him of 33 counts of hate crimes and obstruction of justice earlier this month.Roof's
  
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• Turkish FM says Syria political solution 'close'

  28-12-2016 06:54
  
  ANKARA, Turkey - Turkish media reports are quoting Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying a lasting cease-fire and political solution in Syria are "close."His comments to a small group of journalists on Wednesday, and reported by state television and other media, come hours after the state-run news agency said Russia and Turkey had reached an agreement for a cease-fire plan comprising the whole of Syria.Cavusoglu said terror organizations would be kept out of the cease-fire agreement, CNN T
  
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