Jordan has launched 56 airstrikes against Islamic State group weapons depots, training centers and military barracks since militants released a video of them burning a Jordanian pilot to death, Jordan's air force chief said today.
	Jordanian officials have said they would retaliate harshly for the slaying of the pilot, Lt Muath al-Kaseasbeh, who was set ablaze while trapped in a cage.
	Since Thursday, the Jordanian air force has attacked and destroyed 56 Islamic State targets, the air force chief, Gen Mansour al-Jabour, told reporters.
	This includes 19 targets on the first day, 18 on the second and 19 on the third, he said.
	"We achieved what we were looking for: revenge for Muath," the general said. "And this is not the end. This is the beginning."
	In recent days, Jordanian officials have delivered tough warnings to Islamic State, saying the retaliation campaign would not stop until the group has been destroyed.
	The US and several Arab allies, including Jordan, have been striking .

Jordan says it launched 56 airstrikes against Islamic State

PTI Automatic

Two staff members of a Sydney cafe revealed in interviews broadcast today how they plotted to stab a gunman who held them hostage during a 16-hour siege in December, while two others told how they escaped the ordeal.
	Joel Herat, 21, and Jarrod Morton-Hoffman, 19, said in paid interviews broadcast by Nine Network television that they armed themselves with box cutters after gunman Man Horan Monis took them and 16 other people hostage in the Lindt Cafe in downtown Sydney.
	"I've got this knife in my pocket and I know Joel has a knife in his pocket and we are so close, we can do this," Morton-Hoffman said.
	Morton-Hoffman said if someone had jumped Monis and pinned his arms, "I would stab him in the jugular" artery in neck.
	"But he had his gun. He had it on his knee and I could see that it was pointed directly at Julie Taylor," a pregnant hostage, Morton-Hoffman said.
	Herat said he contemplated stabbing Monis as Herat was forced to stand holding an Islamic flag against a cafe ...

2 hostages say they plotted to stab gunman in Sydney siege

A centre-left political party says it will boycott Egypt's elections next month in protest at what it calls the government's human rights violations.
	Yesterday's announcement by the Dostour party raises fresh doubts about whether the elections, due to start March 21, will produce a parliament that represents a wide range of public opinion.
	Dostour said in a statement that the military-backed government made it impossible for opposition parties to campaign openly. "The current political climate does not encourage political parties to participate in public life," it said.
	Egypt has had no parliament since 2012, when a court ordered the dissolution of the previous Islamist-dominated legislature. Dostour held no seats in the previous parliament. Next month's election would have been its first political contest.
	The Muslim Brotherhood of former Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, ousted in 2013, is barred from next month's elections because the government has outlawed the movement. ...

Opposition party to boycott Egypt election, slams government

Witnesses say a suicide bomber detonated explosives near a pepper market in a border town in the West African nation of Niger just hours after the army successfully repulsed an attack by the Nigeria-based extremist group Boko Haram.
	Kader Lawan, a resident of the town of Diffa, said the bomb attack occurred mid-morning today. No casualty figures were immediately available.
	Boko Haram has used suicide bombers driving explosive- laden cars and wearing explosive vests in dozens of deadly attacks on crowded markets and bustling bus stations that have killed hundreds of people. This would be the first such attack outside of Nigeria.
	The fight against Boko Haram has taken on an increasingly regional dimension in recent months, and Niger has been attacked multiple times in recent days.

Witnesses: Suicide bomber strikes Niger border town

French authorities have detained six people in the Toulouse region suspected of involvement in a network to send Islamic fighters abroad.
	The Sunday morning sweep was the latest of several targeting suspected radicals since attacks a month ago by three French extremists that left 20 people dead, including the gunmen.
	Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the six people detained today around the cities of Toulouse and Albi in southern France are in custody.
	He said in a statement that they were arrested as part of a terrorism investigation and suspected of involvement in a jihadi network.
	He did not indicate whether there was any link to the gunmen behind the January 7-9 attacks.

France detains 6 suspected in jihadi network

With an approaching deadline on reaching a nuclear deal with Tehran, Iranian officials today signaled a willingness to come to an agreement, with Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif telling a gathering of the world's top diplomats and defense officials that "this is the opportunity."
	The United States and its five negotiating partners, the other members of the UN Security Council and Germany, hope to clinch a deal setting long-term limits on Tehran's enrichment of uranium and other activity that could produce material for use in nuclear weapons.
	Both sides are under increasing pressure ahead of two deadlines: to agree on main points by late March, and to reach a comprehensive deal by June 30.
	Zarif said that now was the window of opportunity to come up with a final deal. He met individually at the Munich security conference with each country involved, except France which was scheduled later today.
	"This is the opportunity to do it, and we need to seize this opportunity," he ...

Iran FM: Now the time for a nuclear deal

TransAsia Airways representatives met today with relatives of the victims of last week's plane crash in Taiwan to discuss compensation after it began distributing USD 38,000 to families of the deceased for funeral costs.
	At the river crash site, divers tried to find the bodies of three people still missing by using metal detectors to locate their watches or seat belts.
	At least 40 people died after the propeller-jet crashed into the muddy Keelung River minutes after takeoff Wednesday from Taipei's airport. Fifteen people were rescued.
	Preliminary investigations indicate the pilots of the TransAsia Airways ATR 72 shut off a running engine after its other engine went idle, a move that aviation experts said was an error.
	The bulk of the passengers were from the Chinese mainland.
	A TransAsia spokeswoman, Fang Chia-wen, said that a second meeting would be held on Wednesday to discuss compensation matters further.
	She said the airline had already begun distributing 1.2 million Taiwan .

TransAsia discusses compensation with victims' families

Bahraini authorities say three policemen have been wounded in a petrol bomb attack while securing roads in the capital.
	Police said yesterday that one of the three is in serious condition after they were attacked by a "group armed with Molotov cocktails" as they were trying to extinguish burning tires.
	Anti-government activists drawn mainly from Bahrain's Shiite majority frequently set tires alight in protests against the Western-backed Sunni monarchy.
	The three policemen were taken to the hospital for treatment. An investigation is underway.

Molotov cocktails in Bahrain capital wound 3 police

At least 12 people have been kidnapped in the southern Mexico state of Guerrero in the same municipality where federal authorities say 43 college students were killed and burned by a drug cartel in September.
	There were conflicting reports yesterday on how many were taken and whether some were workers for Media Luna, a Canadian-owned gold mining project in the municipality of Cocula, where police officers were charged with participating in the student killings.
	A state prosecutor's spokesmen said 12 people were taken, including some mine workers. A second government official said that 19 were taken and eight later released and that those held included some mine workers.
	Both insisted on not being quoted by name because the case had not been officially announced. The state official said the kidnappers were disguised as police or military.
	But the president of Toronto-based Torex Gold Resources Inc, which owns the mine, said the reports about his employees being abducted were ...

Abduction reported in Mexico area where students disappeared

Five people were dead, including the gunman, after a shooting in a housing development in suburban Atlanta that also left two children injured, police said.
	Authorities arrived at the subdivision of two-story homes west of Atlanta after receiving a police call around 3 pm (local time), Douglas County Sheriff's Lt Glenn Daniel said.
	Daniel said a man came to a house and shot his ex-wife and several children. Police were still working yesterday to identify the victims and confirm their relationships, he said.
	The shooter, whose name has not been released, is believed to have died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Daniel said. Daniel said he did not immediately know when the couple divorced or whether the family had prior contact with police.
	"I've been in law enforcement out here 20 years and this is the worst I've ever seen," Daniel said.
	Daniel said that neighbors apparently heard or saw the shooting and came outside to assist the victims until rescuers arrived. Some victims ...

Police: 5 dead, including gunman, in US shooting

Alabama will tomorrow become the 37th US state where gays can legally wed unless the US Supreme Court orders a last-minute stay of a federal judge's decision overturning the state's ban on gay marriage.
	The ruling brings gay marriage to the Deep South and to a state considered one of the Bible Belt's most socially conservative. While gay marriage is now legal in much of the US, over half of the 14 states still enforcing bans on gay marriage were located in the South, a swath of resistance stretching from roughly Texas to Kentucky.
	Couples are expected to seek marriage licenses at courthouses across Alabama tomorrow morning when the ruling by US District Judge Callie Granade overturning Alabama's ban goes into effect.
	Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange has asked the US Supreme Court to put aside the judge's order since justices are expected to decide the issue of gay marriage on a nationwide basis later this year. As of yesterday, the high court had not ruled on the ...

Alabama set to become 37th state to allow gay marriage

Ahead of Baghdad ending a decade-old nightly curfew, bombs exploded across the Iraqi capital today, killing at least 40 people in a stark warning of the dangers still ahead in this country torn by the Islamic State group.
	The deadliest bombing happened in the capital's New Baghdad neighbourhood, where a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a street filled with hardware stores and a restaurant, killing 22 people, police said.
	"The restaurant was full of young people, children and women when the suicide bomber blew himself up," witness Mohamed Saeed said. "Many got killed."
	The Islamic State group later claimed the attack, saying their bomber targeted Shiites, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, a US-based terrorism monitor. The militants now hold a third of both Iraq and neighbouring Syria in their self-declared caliphate.
	A second attack happened in central Baghdad's popular Shorja market, where two bombs some 25 meters apart exploded, killing at least 11 people, ...

Ahead of curfew ending, bombs kill 40 in Iraq's capital

Authorities in southern China have seized about 8,000 rolls of toilet paper and another 20,000 packages of tissues containing unflattering images of Hong Kong's pro-Beijing chief executive, according to an official of the small political party that placed the order.
	The items were to be sold at a market in Hong Kong during Lunar New Year celebrations later this month, said Lo Kin-hei, a vice chairman of the Hong Kong Democratic Party.
	The seizure came after Hong Kong was shaken by a massive pro-democracy movement in which demonstrators demanded greater electoral freedom than Beijing is willing to grant.
	During the demonstrations, protesters expressed anger at Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, calling him a puppet of Beijing, and asked him to step down.
	No reason was given for the seizure of the USD 12,900 worth of goods in the city of Shenzhen, outside of Hong Kong, Lo said.
	"I guess (the Chinese authorities) don't like people mocking government officials, especially high-ranking .

China seizes toilet paper bearing image of Hong Kong leader

Charges against a costumed Spider-Man accused of slugging a police officer in Times Square have been dismissed after prosecutors decided not to pursue them.
	The Daily News reports the Manhattan district attorney's office consented today to dismiss Junior Bishop's case for lack of a speedy trial. Prosecutors didn't say why they were doing so.
	Bishop was arrested in July on assault and other charges. Police said he punched an officer in the face after being told to stop hassling tourists to give him more money than they offered for photos with him.
	Bishop denied demanding more money. He said Times Square's costumed characters, ticket agents and others who interact with passers-by "make it what it is."
	His arrest came as reports of misbehaving costumed characters were prompting calls for regulation.
	In August police distributed fliers to tourists saying tipping was not required when taking photos with the Elmos, Mickey Mouses, SpongeBobs and Statues of Liberty that flock to the ...

Case dismissed against 'Spider-Man' in Times Square scuffle

A military transport plane has flown a coffin carrying human remains recovered from the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 back to the Netherlands.
	The remains were recovered in recent days from eastern Ukraine along with parts of the wreckage of the Boeing 777 that was downed July 17.
	Forensic experts have so far identified the remains of all but three of the 298 people killed when the plane was brought down by what authorities suspect was a surface-to-air missile.
	Pall bearers carried the coffin from the plane to a hearse at a military air base in Eindhoven on today. The remains will be examined by a forensics team working at a military barracks in the central Dutch city of Hilversum.

Plane brings human remains from MH17 crash to Netherlands

Pope Francis emphasised the right to food as fundamental in a video address today to 500 experts starting work on a wide-ranging document aimed at raising awareness and proposing solutions to issues including hunger, obesity and food waste.
	Francis said the paradox of abundance described by Pope John Paul II -- whereby there is food for everyone yet not everyone can eat -- continues to be an issue "despite the multiplication of organisations and responses by the international community on nutrition."
	The pope addressed a session of experts drafting the so-called Milan Charter that seeks commitments from governments, organisations and individuals during the Expo 2015 world fair to resolve such issues as ensuring food security, decreasing food waste and combating both hunger and obesity.
	Italy is hosting the Expo 2015 from May 1-Oct. 31.
	Francis gave his blessing to the delegates, and some guidelines, urging them to focus on resolving "the structural causes of poverty," not just ...

Pope emphasises right to food in address to 500 experts

Thousands of people took to the streets of several Yemeni cities today to protest a Shiite rebel takeover of the government.
	In the capital, Sanaa, rebel gunmen fired in the air to disperse the protesters, beating them back with sticks and clubs. Protest marches were also held in the cities of Hodeida, Taiz and Ibb.
	Earlier, security officials said that a bomb exploded on a street leading to the presidential palace, wounding three people.
	The rebels have taken over state institutions, dissolving parliament and installing a new committee to govern the region's poorest nation, home to what Washington considers al-Qaida's most dangerous offshoot.
	While the rebels, known as Houthis, are bitter enemies to al-Qaida, they also are hostile to the United States, and frosty to Yemen's predominantly Sunni northern neighbor, Saudi Arabia. The region's Shiite powerhouse, Iran, looms as a potential key backer.
	The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to ...

Thousands march in Yemen to protest rebel takeover

A series of bombings in the Iraqi capital today killed more than three dozen people hours before the city's longtime curfew was set to come to an end.
	The deadliest attack happened in the New Baghdad section of the city. Police officials said a suicide bomber targeted a street filled with hardware stores, killing 22 people and wounding at least 45.
	The second attack took place shortly afterward in central Baghdad's popular Shorja market. Police said two devices detonated 25 meters apart from one another, killing at least 11 people and wounding 26.
	Also, at the Abu Cheer market on a Shiite block of southwestern Baghdad, at least four people were killed and 15 wounded when a bomb detonated outside an outdoor food market.
	There has been no claim for any of the attacks thus far. Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke anonymously as they are not authorised to brief the media.
	The incident comes ahead of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's decision to lift Iraq's 

Iraq officials: Multiple Baghdad bombings kill 37, wound 86

Nigeria's electoral commission will postpone February 14 presidential and legislative elections for six weeks to give a new multinational force time to secure northeastern areas under the sway of Boko Haram, an official close to the commission said today.
	Millions could be disenfranchised if the voting went ahead while the Islamic extremists hold a large swath of the northeast and commit mayhem that has driven 1.5 million people from their homes.
	The Nigerian official, who is knowledgeable of the discussions, told AP that the Independent National Electoral Commission will announce the postponement later today. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
	A major offensive with warplanes and ground troops from Chad and Nigeria already has forced the insurgents from a dozen towns and villages in the past 10 days. Even greater military strikes by more countries are planned.
	African Union officials and representatives of countries supporting the ...

Nigeria postponing Feb 14 vote amid Boko Haram violence

A pair of bombings in the Iraqi capital today killed nearly two dozen people hours before the city's longtime curfew was set to come to an end.
	The deadliest attack happened in the New Baghdad section of the city. Police officials said a suicide bomber targeted a street filled with hardware stores, killing 14 people and wounding at least 38.
	The second attack took place shortly afterward in central Baghdad's popular Shorja market.
	Police said two improvised explosive devices detonated 25 meters apart from one another, killing at least 11 people and wounding 26.
	There has been no claim for either attack thus far.
	Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke anonymously as they are not authorised to brief the media.
	The incident comes ahead of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's decision to lift Iraq's longtime curfew beginning at midnight tomorrow.
	Baghdad has remained relatively calm amid a rampage in northern and western Iraq by the al-Qaida-inspired Islamic ..

Iraq officials: Multiple Baghdad bombings kill 25, wound 64

German Chancellor Angela Merkel today said it's uncertain whether a flurry of diplomacy aimed at resolving the crisis in Ukraine will succeed, and warned that there are no guarantees that any deal would stick.
	Merkel, speaking after two days of hastily arranged meetings in Kiev and Moscow, also bluntly underlined her opposition to the idea of supplying lethal weapons to the Ukrainian government.
	Merkel offered no details of the proposals that have been thrashed out over recent days, which she plans to discuss in a phone call tomorrow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and French President Francois Hollande.
	The urgent diplomacy comes as Western anxiety over the conflict grows and sanctions bite ever harder on Russia's economy.
	More than 5,300 people have been killed since fighting began in April, according to a UN tally, and the bloodshed has markedly increased over the past two weeks.
	The resurgent fighting has prompted the US to consider 

AP

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