| Sisi warns of response after Islamic State kills 21 Egyptians in Libya Posted: 15 Feb 2015 03:29 PM PST  By Ahmed Tolba and Michael Georgy CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State released a video on Sunday that appeared to show the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned that his country would respond to the deaths as it saw fit. Speaking on national television hours after the release of the video, Sisi said Cairo would choose the "necessary means and timing to avenge the criminal killings". Egypt's state news agency MENA quoted the spokesman for the Coptic Church as confirming that 21 Egyptian Christians believed to be held by Islamic State were dead. The beheadings could stiffen Sisi's resolve in dealing with security threats from militants thriving in neighboring Libya's chaos who want to topple his U.S.-backed government.
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| Australian PM Abbott threatens repercussions over Indonesia executions Posted: 15 Feb 2015 03:59 PM PST  By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has warned Indonesia of the potential for diplomatic fallout if Jakarta goes ahead with the looming execution of two Australian citizens on death row for drugs charges. Indonesia has harsh penalties for drug trafficking and resumed executions in 2013 after a five-year gap. Five foreigners were among six people executed last month, the first executions since President Joko Widodo took office in October. Australia has been pursuing an eleventh-hour campaign to save the lives of Myuran Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 31, two Australian members of the so-called Bali Nine, convicted in 2005 as the ringleaders of a plot to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia.
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| U.N. council demands Houthis withdraw, end Yemen violence Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:19 PM PST  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Sunday demanded Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen withdraw from government institutions, called for an end to foreign interference and threatened "further steps" if the violence does not stop. The United Nations has warned that Yemen is collapsing. Shi'ite Muslim Houthi fighters have sidelined the central government after seizing the capital Sanaa in September and expanding across Yemen, which borders oil giant Saudi Arabia. Al Qaeda and other Sunni Muslim militants have since stepped up attacks.
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| Facing cover-up allegations, Argentina's Fernandez says she's 'tough' Posted: 15 Feb 2015 12:20 PM PST  By Hugh Bronstein BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine President Cristina Fernandez struck a defiant note on Sunday in her first national address since a prosecutor announced he would continue to investigate allegations she tried to cover up a 1994 bombing, saying harsh Patagonian winters had taught her to be tough. The accusations - first brought by a state investigator whose mysterious death last month threw the Fernandez administration into turmoil - were deemed credible on Friday by a newly-named prosecutor who said he would press on with the investigation. In a televised speech, Fernandez did not refer to the probe. "To live in southern Argentina you have to be tough." Fernandez' image has taken a hit from allegations that she tried to whitewash the alleged involvement of a group of Iranians in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, in which 85 people died.
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| UN Security Council urges Yemen's Huthis to cede power Posted: 15 Feb 2015 04:16 PM PST  The UN Security Council on Sunday urged Yemen's Shiite Huthi militia to cede power, release President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and negotiate to emerge from the crisis. All 15 members of the council unanimously adopted a resolution drafted by Britain and Jordan to that effect. Ahead of the vote, the Huthis had made clear their determination to maintain their grip on power, despite intense pressure from the UN, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League. The Arab League has called a meeting of its diplomatic chiefs on Yemen to take place Wednesday.
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| Hundreds of tombs defaced in French Jewish cemetery: minister Posted: 15 Feb 2015 04:13 PM PST  Sarre-Union (France) (AFP) - France's interior minister said Sunday several hundred tombs had been defaced at a Jewish cemetery in the northeast of the country, in what he called "a despicable act". "The country will not tolerate this new injury which goes against the values that all French people share," said Bernard Cazeneuve of the incident in the town of Sarre-Union in the Alsace region. "Every effort will be made to identify, question and bring to justice the person or persons responsible for this despicable act," he added.
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| Japan says economy grew 2.2 pct in Oct-Dec as exports jumped Posted: 15 Feb 2015 04:12 PM PST TOKYO (AP) — Japan's economy grew at a 2.2 percent clip in the last quarter on a sharp recovery in exports. |
| Nishikori 3-peats as Memphis champ, beats Anderson 6-4, 6-4 Posted: 15 Feb 2015 04:11 PM PST  MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — All the big names from Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe to Pete Sampras, Michael Chang and Andy Roddick are on the list of past champions.
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| Video purports to show IS militants beheading hostages Posted: 15 Feb 2015 04:10 PM PST  CAIRO (AP) — A video purporting to show the mass beheading of Coptic Christian hostages was released Sunday by militants in Libya affiliated with the Islamic State group.
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| Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 15 Feb 2015 04:02 PM PST LUCKNOW, India (AP) — A building under rushed construction in a northern Indian town collapsed overnight, killing 13 members of a family of weavers who were sleeping on the ground floor, police said Sunday. Three people escaped unhurt when the partially built structure crashed down in the town of Mughalsarai, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Uttar Pradesh's state capital of Lucknow. |
| Ronaldo looks to break out of slump in Champions League Posted: 15 Feb 2015 04:01 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo finds himself in a rare position: the goals are drying up for the Real Madrid star.
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| Japan says its economy exited recession in last quarter, growth at 2.2 percent on export surge Posted: 15 Feb 2015 04:01 PM PST TOKYO (AP) — Japan says its economy exited recession in last quarter, growth at 2.2 percent on export surge. |
| Carnival parades begin at Rio's Sambadrome, despite deluge Posted: 15 Feb 2015 03:56 PM PST  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The world's most celebrated Carnival parades have kicked off, with thousands of feather-clad dancers, wildly costumed marchers and musicians defying a tropical deluge at Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome.
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| Iraschko-Stolz, Takanashi tie for women's ski jump victory Posted: 15 Feb 2015 03:54 PM PST LJUBNO, Slovenia (AP) — Daniela Iraschko-Stolz of Austria and Sara Takanashi of Japan tied for the win Sunday in a women's ski jump event, meaning the two will fight for the overall World Cup title in the final competition of the season next month. |
| UN Security Council OKs resolution against Yemen rebels Posted: 15 Feb 2015 03:51 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations Security Council on Sunday unanimously adopted a resolution demanding that Shiite rebels immediately relinquish control of Yemen's government in a crisis that has pushed the Arab world's poorest country near collapse.
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| Police say Copenhagen gunman had criminal record, gang past Posted: 15 Feb 2015 03:30 PM PST  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The suspected gunman killed by police after shooting attacks against a free speech event and outside a Copenhagen synagogue was 22 years old and had a background in criminal gangs, police said Sunday.
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| Boca Juniors start with victory in new-look Argentine league Posted: 15 Feb 2015 03:27 PM PST BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Boca Juniors defeated Olimpo 2-1 Sunday as the new-look Argentine first-division opened play this weekend with 30 teams instead of 20. |
| Chapuis, Holmlund win skicross races on freestyle World Cup Posted: 15 Feb 2015 03:11 PM PST  ARE, Sweden (AP) — Jean-Frederic Chapuis of France earned his first freestyle World Cup victory of the season by winning a skicross race on Sunday, while Anna Holmlund of Sweden climbed atop the podium for the first time since 2011.
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| Carnival suspended in Paraty, Brazil after deadly shooting Posted: 15 Feb 2015 03:09 PM PST  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Authorities have suspended Carnival festivities in the Brazilian city of Paraty after gunfire killed one person and injured nine others.
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| Messi hits hat trick for Barca; Arsenal advances in FA Cup Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:59 PM PST  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi scored another hat trick as Barcelona took its winning streak to 11 games on Sunday, while Arsenal advanced in the FA Cup.
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| Copenhagen gunman had 'history of violent crime' Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:59 PM PST  The suspected gunman behind double shootings in Copenhagen was identified by Danish media Sunday as a 22-year-old with a history of violent crime who had only been freed from jail two weeks ago. With Europe fearful of a new wave of jihadist violence, police said the man who killed two people at a cultural centre and a synagogue before being shot dead by police may have been inspired by last month's Paris attacks. Expressions of sympathy and horror poured in from across the world after the weekend shootings described by Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt as a "cynical act of terror". At the synagogue in the centre of Copenhagen, tearful Danes laid flowers and lit candles for the victims of the worst such attack in the normally peaceful Scandinavian nation.
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| Israeli leader calls for mass Jewish influx after attack Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:52 PM PST  JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Sunday for the "massive immigration" of European Jews to Israel following a deadly shooting near Copenhagen's main synagogue, renewing a blunt message that has upset some of Israel's friends in Europe.
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| Lyon misses chance to move 4 points clear after Lorient draw Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:48 PM PST PARIS (AP) — French league leader Lyon missed the chance to move four points clear of title rivals Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille after drawing 1-1 away to Lorient on Sunday. |
| Italy rescues more than 2,000 migrants off Libyan coast Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:37 PM PST  The Italian coastguard launched a massive operation Sunday to rescue more than 2,000 migrants in difficulty between the Italian island of Lampedusa and the Libyan coast, local media said. The emergency rescue came on the same day Italy said it was evacuating staff from its embassy in Libya and suspending operations there, highlighting the worsening security situation in the violence-plagued country. Some 2,164 migrants coming from Libya had to be saved from a dozen boats, Italian media reported, citing the country's emergency services. By Sunday evening around 520 migrants were on board an Italian navy ship, the TGcom24 television station's website said.
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| Freund wins ski flying event; Fannemel sets world record Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:19 PM PST  VIKERSUND, Norway (AP) — Severin Freund of Germany won a ski flying event on the ski jump World Cup on Sunday while Anders Fannemel of Norway set a world record by soaring 251.5 meters in the first round.
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| Leaders decry Denmark attack as assault on freedom of speech Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:10 PM PST  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Public figures across Europe and beyond on Sunday condemned the attack by an unidentified gunman against a free speech event and a synagogue in Copenhagen that left three people dead, including the suspected perpetrator. Investigators in the Danish capital say the gunman could have been inspired by the terror attacks in Paris last month, in which three Islamic radicals killed 17 people at the Charlie Hebdo newspaper, a kosher grocery store and elsewhere.
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| IS in Libya says it has beheaded Egyptian Christians Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:09 PM PST  The Islamic State group released a video on Sunday purportedly showing the beheading of Egyptian Coptic Christians the jihadists say they captured in Libya. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi immediately called an urgent meeting of the country's top security body and declared seven days of mourning. The Coptic Church issued a statement saying it was "confident" the killers would be brought to justice, while Al-Azhar, the prestigious Cairo-based seat of Islamic learning, denounced the "barbaric" killings. In the latest issue of the IS online magazine Dabiq, the group said 21 Egyptian hostages were being held in Libya, and in Sunday's video, shot from several angles, the beheadings of at least 10 hostages were seen.
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| Filmmaker and Jewish community activist, victims of Denmark attacks Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:07 PM PST  Gunshots rang out on the normally peaceful streets of Copenhagen this weekend killing two Danes -- a documentary filmmaker and a well-loved member of the Jewish community. The lives of Finn Noergaard, 55, and Dan Uzan, 37, were cut short in a rampage that police said could be traced to a lone 22-year-old gunman, identified by the media as Denmark-born Omar El-Hussein. He was open-minded, cosmopolitan with an interest in religions, another friend, Malene Trock Hempler, told the daily Berlinske. Dan Uzan, the second victim, was mortally injured while guarding Copenhagen's main synagogue as a bar mitzvah ceremony was taking place.
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| Lima nets 2 as Benfica protects lead in Portugal Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:07 PM PST LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Lima scored two goals to secure Benfica's 3-0 win at home over Setubal on Sunday, as the defending champion protected its lead of the Portuguese league. |
| Thousands rally against austerity across Greece Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:05 PM PST  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — About 20,000 people gathered in central Athens Sunday to support the newly elected government's push for a better deal on Greece's debt.
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| Hackers steal up to $1 billion from banks, security co. says Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:02 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — A hacking ring has stolen up to $1 billion from banks around the world in what would be one of the biggest banking breaches known, a cybersecurity firm says in a report scheduled to be delivered Monday. |
| Messi nets 3 more goals in Barcelona's 5-0 rout of Levante Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:00 PM PST BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi kept up his scoring streak by netting a hat trick as Barcelona swept aside an outclassed Levante 5-0 in the Spanish league on Sunday. |
| Armed migrant smugglers threatened Italian Coast Guard Posted: 15 Feb 2015 02:00 PM PST  ROME (AP) — Four smugglers brandishing Kalashnikovs threatened an Italian Coast Guard motorboat involved in one of several operations that rescued more than 2,000 migrants leaving Libyan shores on Sunday.
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| Ebola-hit nations pledge to eradicate virus in 60 days Posted: 15 Feb 2015 01:59 PM PST  The leaders of the countries devastated by the west African Ebola outbreak vowed at a summit in Guinea on Sunday to eradicate the virus by mid-April. The outbreak, which began 14 months ago, has killed more than 9,200 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and savaged their economies and government finances. Guinea's President Alpha Conde and his Liberian and Sierra Leone counterparts Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Ernest Bai Koroma made the pledge after day-long closed talks in the Guinean capital Conakry. Hadja Saran Daraba Kaba, the secretary-general of the Mano River Union bloc grouping the countries, said their presidents "commit to achieving zero Ebola infections within 60 days, effective today".
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| Cricket World Cup: Ireland wins toss, will bowl vs WIndies Posted: 15 Feb 2015 01:56 PM PST NELSON, New Zealand (AP) — Ireland captain William Porterfield won the toss Monday and decided to bowl first against the West Indies in their Cricket World Cup match under mostly sunny skies at Saxton Oval. |
