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 

Merkel uncertain whether Ukraine talks will succeed

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US Secretary of State John Kerry pressed Iran's foreign minister on the Obama administration's desire to reach the outline of a nuclear deal by the end of March, in keeping with a target set by negotiators last year.
	Kerry delivered the message to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif during a two-hour meeting on the sidelines of an international security conference in Munich, according to a US official.
	Kerry "reiterated our desire to move toward a political framework by the end of March," the official said. "They agreed to stay in close touch and that they would try to meet again soon." The official was not authorized to discuss the meeting publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
	The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany will resume negotiations with Iran soon, with an eye on the March target they set in November after missing two earlier deadlines.
	Their ultimate goal is to reach a final agreement by July that would, in exchange for a ...

Kerry presses Iran FM on nuke deal outline by end of March

Islamic State extremists claimed that an American woman held hostage by the group has been killed in a Jordanian airstrike in northern Syria, but the government of Jordan dismissed the statement as "criminal propaganda" and the US said it had not seen any evidence to corroborate the report.
	The woman was identified as Kayla Jean Mueller, an American who went to Syria to do aid work, but there was no independent verification of the militants' claim. The statement appeared on a militant website commonly used by the group and was also distributed by Islamic State-affiliated Twitter users.
	The 26-year-old Mueller, of Prescott, Arizona, is the only known remaining US hostage held by the Islamic State group.
	A 2007 article about Mueller from the same newspaper said she was a student at Northern Arizona University and was active in the Save Darfur Coalition. A statement from the office of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, said Mueller graduated in 2009 and had worked to help people in need in ...

Islamic State says airstrike killed US hostage, US skeptical

Iraqi police officials say a suicide bombing in eastern Baghdad has killed at least 13 people and wounded 30.
	The incident happened this afternoon in the New Baghdad section of the capital. Officials say the bomber targeted a street filled with hardware stores.
	There has been no claim for the attack thus far. Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke anonymously as they are not authorised to brief media.
	The incident comes ahead of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's decision to lift Iraq's longtime curfew beginning at midnight tomorrow.
	The capital has witnessed sporadic bombings but has remained relatively secured amid an onslaught by the Islamic State militant group.

Iraq officials: Suicide bomb in Baghdad kills 13, wounds 30

A proposed UN resolution to crack down on the financing of terrorist groups calls for sanctions on individuals and companies trading oil produced by the Islamic State and other al-Qaida-linked groups.
	The Russian-sponsored resolution, obtained yesterday by The Associated Press, would also require all 193 UN member states to take "appropriate steps" to prevent the trade in antiquities and other items of historical, cultural, rare scientific and religious importance illegally removed from Syria.
	A similar ban already exists for antiquities from Iraq.
	The draft resolution would also reaffirm that it is illegal to pay ransom to individuals and groups that are already subject to UN sanctions, and that all countries are required to freeze such funds.
	If adopted, the proposed measure would be another in a series of Security Council resolutions targeting terror that go back to the days immediately after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
	The earliest resolution bans all countries from ...

New sanctions proposed for Islamic State group oil trading

Six Bosnian immigrants have been accused of sending money and equipment to terrorists oversees, including fighters with the Islamic State group and al-Qaida in Iraq, the US attorney's office announced.
	An indictment unsealed yesterday in St Louis said the defendants donated money themselves and in some cases collected funds from others in the US and sent the donations oversees.
	It says two of the defendants used some of the money to buy US military uniforms, firearms accessories, tactical gear and other equipment, which was shipped to people in Turkey and Saudi Arabia who forwarded the supplies to terrorists.
	The supplies and money eventually made their way to fighters in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, according to the indictment. Money also was sent to support family members of people fighting in Iraq and elsewhere, the indictment says.
	All of the defendants knew where the money and supplies were going, the indictment says.
	The indictment alleges the conspiracy began no later than ..

US accuses 6 immigrants of helping Islamic State group

Against the backdrop of war and hardship, a severe lack of facilities and funds, cricket in Afghanistan has grown at a phenomenal pace in a dozen years.
     The national team that left Afghanistan to prepare for its first World Cup, the biggest stage for limited-overs cricket, has the kind of a conviction that belies its status as one of the so-called Associate teams.
     "It is a magnificent achievement," coach Andy Moles told a farewell gathering. He wants the cricket world to see his group of players and how they go out to make their country proud.
     "We are not going to win the tournament this year, but that is a target for eight to 10 years' time from now," Moles said.
     For now, it's important for the team to learn from the opportunity and enjoy playing some of the best players of the world.
     Afghanistan will be among 14 teams competing for cricket's top prize in the Feb. 14-March 29 tournament, which is being staged in 14 venues across Australia and New Zealand. ...

Afghan cricket team prepares for its first World Cup

Germany and a leading anti-corporal punishment group rejected as "unacceptable" the pope's comments that it's OK to spank your children to discipline them, as long as their dignity is maintained.
	In his general audience this week, Pope Francis had praised a father who admitted smacking his child "but never in the face so as to not humiliate them."
	Francis described the man's comment as "beautiful," adding: "He knows the sense of dignity! He has to punish them but does it justly and moves on."
	Verena Herb, a spokeswoman for Germany's Families Ministry, told reporters yesterday that "there can be no dignified hitting."
	"There must be no misunderstanding here, because any form of violence against children is completely unacceptable," she said.
	Germany is one of several countries where corporal punishment of children is illegal.
	Separately, the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, a leading advocacy group, said it was disappointed by Francis' comments given .

Germany hits back at pope over spanking comments

Yemen's Shiite rebels have proclaimed a formal takeover of the Arab nation, dissolving parliament in a dramatic move that completes their power grab in the region's poorest nation where an al-Qaida terrorist offshoot flourishes.
	Angry demonstrators protested the rebels' move in street rallies in several cities, raising fears of a full-blown sectarian conflict between Yemen's new Shiite tribal rulers, known as Houthis, and the disenfranchised Sunni majority.
	The unrest could strengthen Yemen's al-Qaida branch, considered the world's most dangerous wing of the terror movement, and complicate US counter-terrorism operations in Saudi Arabia's southern neighbor.
	While Houthi rebels are bitter enemies to al-Qaida, they also are hostile to the United States, and frosty to the predominantly Sunni Saudis. The region's Shiite powerhouse, Iran, looms as a potential key backer.
	White House spokesman Eric Schultz said the United States was "deeply concerned with this unilateral step," but ...

Shiite rebels take power in Yemen, fan fears of civil war

Equatorial Guinea's football federation was fined USD 100,000 today after at least 36 people were injured in crowd violence during the host country's loss to Ghana in the semifinals of the African Cup of Nations.
	The Confederation of African Football also ordered the Equatorial Guinea federation to pay for the treatment for all those people hurt when home fans threw bottles, rocks and other objects at Ghanaian fans, players and officials during last night's game at Malabo Stadium.
	Of the 36 people injured, 14 were taken to the hospital, CAF said. The African football body said one person required "close monitoring" but gave no more details.
	A third punishment forcing Equatorial Guinea to play its next home game without any fans was suspended, CAF said following a meeting of its disciplinary committee in Bata.
	That means Equatorial Guinea's supporters will be allowed to return to Malabo Stadium for Saturday's third-place game against Congo.
	Ghanaian fans fled onto the field for ...

Equatorial Guinea fined USD 100K for crowd violence

Treasures from Afghanistan's largely forgotten Buddhist past are buried beneath sandy hills surrounding the ancient Silk Road town of Mes Aynak along with enough copper to make the land glow green in the morning light.
	An estimated 5.5 million tons of copper, one of the biggest deposits in the world, could provide a major export for a war-ravaged country desperately in need of jobs and cash. But the hoped-for bonanza also could endanger rare artifacts that survived the rule of the Taliban and offer a window into Afghanistan's rich pre-Islamic history.
	"The copper mine and its extraction are very important. But more important is our national culture," said Abdul Qadir Timor, director of archaeology at Afghanistan's Culture Ministry. "Copper is a temporary source of income. Afghanistan might benefit for five or six years after mining begins, and then the resource comes to an end."
	The government is determined to develop Afghanistan's estimated USD 3 trillion worth of minerals and ...

Copper mining threatens Afghan site of ancient Buddhist past

A Russian Premier League referee has been cleared of racially abusing Zenit St Petersburg striker Hulk.
	The Brazil international accused Alexei Matyunin of racially insulting him in English during Zenit's 1-0 defeat to Mordovia Saransk in November, in a case which highlighted Russia's struggles with football racism.
	"A serious personal conflict took place" between Hulk and Matyunin, Russian Football Union ethics committee head Vladimir Lukin ruled on Friday, but there was no "direct proof" of racist behavior by the referee.
	Matyunin denied the accusation, and there were no other witnesses.
	"It is not possible to establish what exactly the match referee said to Hulk," Lukin said in a statement, telling Matyunin that in future he should "strictly keep to the status of an official, not breach the principles of fair play, and behave respectfully to the competition participants."
	Hulk was told that players should not have "any discussions" with referees.
	Matyunin was previously ...

Russian referee cleared of racially abusing Hulk

Authorities in southern Mexico say they have found 61 rotting bodies at a shuttered funeral home that offered cremation services.
	A government official in the state of Guerrero said today the funeral home is on the outskirts of the resort of Acapulco.
	The official, who was not authorised to be quoted by name, said the discovery was made last evening. Most of the bodies were male.
	Many were covered with sheets and some were doused with quick-lime, apparently to reduce the odour of rotting flesh.
	The funeral home apparently had stopped operating about a year ago, but some of the bodies appeared to have been left at the site more recently.

Mexican officials find 61 abandoned bodies at funeral home

Activists today said that Syrian army helicopters dropped two barrel bombs on a crowded square in a rebel-held neighbourhood in the northern city of Aleppo, killing at least 25 civilians.
	Three sources have provided different death tolls from the barrel-bombings in Aleppo. Disparate casualty figures are common in the Syrian conflict, especially in the immediate aftermath of big attacks.
	An activist group called the Local Coordination Committees said at least 25 died. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 27 died.
	And an Aleppo-based activist, Ahmad al-Ahmad, said 47 were killed in all. He said 27 died in or near a crowded bus, while 10 others were killed as they waited to collect water from a public tanker, and 10 more died later as ambulances ferried scores of wounded to hospitals.
	Among the casualties in the attack, which took place on last night, were people sitting on a bus and others coming to the square to collect water, the activists said. The .

Syrian barrel bombs kill at least 25 in Aleppo: activists

A secretly appointed Roman Catholic bishop detained by China for the past 14 years due to its feud over authority with the Vatican has died at age 94, a Roman Catholic website said today.
	Chinese officials informed the family of Bishop Cosmas Shi Enxiang on January 30 that he had died, but did not say when or provide his relatives a cause of death, ucanews.Com reported.
	Shi was ordained in 1947, two years before officially atheistic China was founded. Shortly afterward, Chinese leader Mao Zedong demanded Chinese Catholics sever their links with the Vatican, churches were closed and, like scores of priests, Shi suffered long terms of imprisonment and hard labour between 1957 and 1980.
	The Vatican secretly appointed Shi as bishop of the northern city of Yixian in 1982, but he was taken away again in 2001 and held at an undisclosed location.
	Beijing now allows Christians to worship openly, but it has no formal relations with the Vatican and insists that the Communist Party-controlled 

Catholic bishop detained in China for past 14 years has died

Officials in Brazil say at least 11 people are dead after a shootout between police and a group of robbers who were caught trying blow up an automatic teller machine.
	Police say the incident occurred today morning in the eastern state of Bahia as 15 would-be robbers were setting up explosives next to an ATM. According to police, the shootout wounded all 15 robbers, who were rushed to a nearby hospital, where 11 of them died. Information on the other four was not immediately available.
	Police did not immediately say whether any officers were killed or wounded. Calls to officials Friday were not answered.

Police shootout with ATM robbers in Brazil leaves 11 dead

A bus crash in western Afghanistan has killed seven people and wounded 12 others, according to Afghan officials.
	Framarz Sikandar, an official with the governor's office in the western province of Hirat, said the bus was travelling fast on a narrow road and the driver apparently lost control.
	Among the dead are several children.
	The same narrow stretch of road was the site of a similar bus crash last month that killed 22 people.
	Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a roadside bomb killed two people and wounded three others in Helmand province.
	Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the bomb detonated as a civilian car containing members of a wedding party was passing.

Bus crash kills 7 in Afghanistan

A snake-like robot designed to examine the inside of one of three melted reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant is ready to begin its expedition.
	Assessing the damage inside the reactors is a crucial step in the decommissioning of the plant, which was badly damaged by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
	Use of a remote-controlled robot is essential because no humans can go close to the reactor chambers because of their fatally high radiation levels.
	Using information gathered by the robot, the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, plans to repair the damaged chambers enough so they can be filled with water in preparation for the removal of melted radioactive debris, planned in about a decade.
	The 60-centimeter (2-foot) -long robot, developed by electronics giant Hitachi and its nuclear affiliate Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, was demonstrated this week at a Hitachi-GE facility in Hitachi, northeast of Tokyo.
	It has a lamp at the front and is designed to crawl like a snake ...

Japan readies first robot to probe melted Fukushima reactor

Observers say Syrian army helicopters have dropped two barrel bombs on a crowded square in the northern city of Aleppo, killing 47 civilians as they sat on a bus and collected water.
	Last night's attack by government forces on the rebel-held city came hours after rebels bombarded the capital, Damascus, killing nine.
	An Aleppo-based activist, Ahmad al-Ahmad, says one barrel bomb exploded beside a crowded bus, the second near a line of people waiting in line to fill their canteens from a public water tanker.
	He said today that 27 died on or near the bus, 10 more in the water line, and 10 others as ambulances ferried scores of wounded to hospital.
	Other activists reported that Syrian airstrikes on rebel-held suburbs of Damascus claimed more than 80 lives yesterday.

Syrian barrel bombs kill 47 in attack on Aleppo square

Pope Francis says it's OK to spank your children to discipline them - as long as their dignity is maintained.
	Francis made the remarks this week during his weekly general audience, which was devoted to the role of fathers in the family.
	Francis outlined the traits of a good father: one who forgives but is able to "correct with firmness" while not discouraging the child.
	"One time, I heard a father in a meeting with married couples say 'I sometimes have to smack my children a bit, but never in the face so as to not humiliate them'," Francis said.
	"How beautiful!" Francis remarked. "He knows the sense of dignity! He has to punish them but does it justly and moves on."
	The Rev. Thomas Rosica, who collaborates with the Vatican press office, said the pope was obviously not speaking about committing violence or cruelty against a child but rather about "helping someone to grow and mature".
	"Who has not disciplined their child or been disciplined by parents when we are growing up?" ...

Pope says it's OK to spank kids, if their dignity is kept

The Philippine president says he has accepted the resignation of the national police chief following the killing of 44 police commandos in a Jan. 25 assault which reportedly killed one of Asia's most-wanted terror suspects.
	President Benigno Aquino III said in a nationally televised statement that Gen. Alan Purisima participating in planning the raid but it should have been aborted because of potentially deadly defects.
	An anti-graft court had suspended Purisima last December for six months in a case unrelated to the anti-terror operation.
	The FBI has reported that preliminary results of DNA tests showed a man killed by the commandos was the target of the operation, suspected Malaysian bomb-maker Zulkifli bin Hir or Marwan.

AP

AP

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