The new Chinese year is the one to go bananas over. On Feb. 8, the zodiac calendar enters the Year of the Monkey — the ninth of 12 animal signs. Plastic monkeys are adorning shopping centers and office buildings, and government departments have been giving out toy monkeys.

Having a baby in the Year of the Monkey is generally thought to be more auspicious than in that of its predecessor, the sheep, and the cute creature is in any case largely beloved by the masses for its playful and human-like characteristics, despite a penchant for stealing food.

The body of the Italian student who was found this week in a Cairo suburb was flown back to Italy Saturday morning, Egyptian airport officials and Italy's foreign minister said.

Paolo Gentiloni told reporters in Amsterdam that the body of 28-year-old Giulio Regeni was being transported to Rome and eventually to the Italian city of Trieste.

Nine people were killed and more than 35 injured Saturday when a suicide bomber on a bicycle blew himself up near a security forces truck in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, officials said.

Two of the dead were paramilitary soldiers while seven were civilians, police said citing initial reports. 

The Czech defense minister said Friday that a military spy who was among five Czechs returned from Lebanon was seeking information about a fellow countryman kidnapped in Libya last year.

The minister, Martin Stropnicky, was quoted in the Hospodarske Noviny daily as saying the military agent, Martin Psik, went to Lebanon in an effort "to help our cook in Libya."

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is out for at least a month after surgery Thursday for a testicle injury he suffered during the team's win over New Orleans earlier this week.

Ginobili was injured with 2:26 remaining in the game Wednesday night. New Orleans forward Ryan Anderson had his back turned to Ginobili as he was working toward the basket when he spun quickly and struck the 38-year-old guard squarely in the groin with his right knee.

Brazilian organizers have reiterated they have no intention of canceling the Rio de Janeiro Olympics because of the outbreak of the Zika virus, with Sports Minister George Hilton saying the topic "is not in discussion."

Hilton issued a statement Thursday saying he "lamented material and opinions in the press" speculating that South America's first Olympics might be called off.

It may not be the mighty legs of Cam Newton or the beautiful mind of Peyton Manning that will decide who wins Sunday when the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos meet in the Super Bowl.

It could come down to the big right toe of either Brandon McManus or Graham Gano.

Toronto extended its lead in the NBA's Atlantic Division by ending Portland's winning streak at five, beating the Trail Blazers 110-103 on Thursday as Kyle Lowry led the way with 30 points.

The Raptors have won 13 of their past 14 games and moved 5-1/2 games clear atop the Atlantic, and are now a dozen games clear of third-placed New York, which came back from a big deficit at Detroit only to be beaten by three late 3-pointers.

The Czech Republic's justice minister has decided that a Lebanese national cannot be extradited to the United States to face weapons charges, a Prague official said on Thursday.

Prague's Municipal Court allowed the extradition in September but the minister, Robert Pelikan, has the final say and said "no" Thursday.

A 7-year-old Syrian girl suffering from a rare form of cancer arrived in Italy on Thursday, the first of an estimated 1,000 refugees who are being brought here on humanitarian grounds in a pilot project aimed at dissuading people from embarking on deadly sea crossings.

Little Falak al Hourani, her parents and 6-year-old brother landed on a commercial flight at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci airport thanks to the "humanitarian corridor" project launched by the Rome-based Catholic Sant'Egidio Community and the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy.