Argentina's Supreme Court has ruled that an American who took refuge and started a new life in the South American country can be extradited to face charges that he killed his wife over a decade ago, a court spokeswoman confirmed today.
	Kurt Sonnenfeld moved to Argentina in 2003 after prosecutors in Denver charged him with first-degree murder. The decision to extradite him brings to an end a longstanding dispute between the U.S. Justice Department and Argentine courts that centered in part on differences over the death penalty.
	In the ruling, which was made Dec. 11, the justices said U.S. Prosecutors had assured Argentina that "the death penalty will not be imposed, or if it were ruled, it will not be exercised in this case." The ruling does not specify when the extradition may take place.
	Maria Bourdin, a spokeswoman for Argentina's Supreme Court, confirmed the ruling but declined to comment beyond what was in it. Calls to the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires today seeking comment were 

Argentine court says US fugitive can be extradited

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A federal appeals court has refused to delay or move the trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
	The 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston issued its decision today, saying defense attorneys haven't made "the extraordinary showing" required to justify a delay or change of venue.
	The trial is scheduled to begin Monday in Boston. Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 charges connected to the April 2013 explosions that killed three people and wounded more than 260.
	If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
	Yesterday, the judge hearing his case said jury selection will start as scheduled because it would be inconvenient to delay it.
	Tsarnaev's lawyers had asked the appeals court to delay the trial and move it out of Massachusetts.

Appeals court won't delay or move Tsarnaev trial

A clash between about 200 migrants trying to get to Britain from the northern French port city of Calais left seven injured early today.
	The fight near a tent camp between migrants from Afghanistan and Eritrea left one with a broken leg. Others suffered superficial wounds, police union official Gilles Debove said.
	Calais is the destination of choice for migrants trying to sneak by truck or ferry across the English Channel. Many reached Europe via Italy.
	The clash grew out of a dispute that erupted during the evening meal serving after someone cut the food line.
	Tensions were high because of tough, winter living conditions and slow truck traffic that diminished chances to sneak to Britain, said Christian Salome of the Auberge des Migrants association, which distributes meals.
	"We know the least thing can spark differences," Debove said. Three clashes erupted between migrant groups in the heat of summer, leaving 51 injured.

Migrants clash in French port city amid tensions, 7 injured

Masked gunmen in central Libya kidnapped 13 Coptic Christians on today after seven were abducted days earlier, said a witness and a priest, in a new wave of assaults against Egypt's Christians working in the war-torn North African nation plagued with Islamic extremists.
	Witness Hanna Aziz told The Associated Press that the gunmen in the Libyan city of Sirte went room to room in their residence at 2:30 am today and asked for identification papers to separate Muslim workers from Christians. Aziz says the gunmen handcuffed the Christians and drove away with them.
	"They were 15 armed and masked men who came in four vehicles. They had a list of full names of Christians in the building. While checking IDs, Muslims were left aside while Christians were grabbed," Aziz said, adding that he survived simply because he didn't open his door.
	"I heard my friends screaming but they were quickly shushed at gunpoint. After that, we heard nothing," said Aziz who said he has three relatives among the 

At least 20 Egyptian Christians kidnapped in Libya

Abu Anas al-Libi, a man accused by federal prosecutors of being an al-Qaida member involved in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, died of complication from liver surgery, his wife said today.
	US forces raided Libya in 2013 and seized him in the streets of the capital, Tripoli, bringing him back to America to stand trial in New York. He was 49.
	Today, his wife, Um Abdullah, told The Associated Press that the experience only worsened his ailments, including hepatitis C, leading to his death.
	"I accuse the American government of kidnapping, mistreating, and killing an innocent man. He did nothing," Abullah said.
	Federal authorities had no immediate comment. Al-Libi's lawyer did not immediately respond to a message for comment.
	Al-Libi, also known as Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, was indicted more than a decade ago in US federal court of being involved in the twin 1998 bombings at the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people, including a dozen ...

Wife: Libyan on trial for US embassy bombings dies

Thousands of Australians fled their homes as wildfires raged across the nation's south today, with firefighters struggling to contain the blazes fanned by strong winds.
	Six homes were destroyed by the fires in South Australia and Victoria states, officials said, though no serious injuries have been reported.
	Dry conditions and temperatures in the upper around 100 degrees Fahrenheit were causing headaches for firefighters battling the blazes. Officials said it would likely take days to get the fires under control.
	The worst of the fires was in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, where the flames had destroyed five homes and put hundreds of others at risk, state Country Fire Service spokesman Daniel Hamilton said.
	 Residents of 19 communities had been asked to evacuate as a predicted shift in the winds later Saturday prompted fears the flames could worsen.
	The forecast was also calling for increased humidity, which could slow the fire's progress Saturday night, Hamilton ...

Thousands flee homes as Australian wildfires rage

A 7-year-old girl has survived a plane crash that killed four people, and the disoriented little girl walked away from the wreckage and reported the crash to a local resident, authorities said.
	The small Piper PA-34 reported engine trouble and lost contact with air traffic controllers as it was flying over the southwestern part of the state about 6:55 pm (local time) last night, the FAA said.
	About a half hour later, a Lyon County resident called emergency services and told dispatchers that a 7-year-old girl had walked to his home and said she had been involved in a plane crash, said Sgt Dean Patterson of the Kentucky State Police.
	"This girl came out of the wreckage herself and found the closest residence and reported the plane crash," Patterson said. "It's a miracle in a sense that she survived it, but it's tragic that four others didn't."
	The girl was in emotional distress and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Patterson said. At that point, authorities ...

Police: Girl says she survived Kentucky plane crash

A Libyan army spokesman says armed militants have shot and killed 17 soldiers and one civilian at a checkpoint.
	Mohammed Hegazi told The Associated Press that the attack occurred yesterday in the central district of Jufra. He blamed the attacks on "terrorists roaming the desert areas freely."
	Widespread militia violence has plunged Libya into chaos less than four years after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
	Islamic extremist militias are battling troops in the second largest city of Benghazi in the west. Other militias have taken over the eastern city of Darna and the capital Tripoli.

17 soldiers, 1 civilian, killed in southern Libya

Wearing gas masks against the smoke, Italian firefighters and investigators boarded the charred Norman Atlantic ferry today and retrieved a data recorder they hope will help them discover what caused a deadly blaze.
	But with some parts of the ferry still burning, they emerged hours later to admit they must put off for at least a day the search for any more bodies in the maritime disaster that has already killed 11 people.
	The team will attempt to go back on board on Saturday.
	Greece says 19 people are still unaccounted for after a fire broke out Sunday as the ferry travelled from Greece to Italy, and disputes Italian claims of a higher number of missing.
	Italy says 477 passengers and crew were rescued from the burning ferry, most by helicopters operating in gale-force winds.
	Both nations fear the ferry car deck where the fire started could contain more bodies, possibly those of unregistered migrants trying to slip into Italy.
	The badly damaged ferry was towed for 17 hours across 

Firefighters find black box on still-burning ferry

The World Health Organization says more than 8,000 people are thought to have died last year from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
	The Geneva-based body says the total number of confirmed, probable and suspected deaths from the disease in the three most affected countries reached 7,989 by December 31.
	The United Nations agency said Friday that 2,827 deaths had been reported from Sierra Leone, some 3,423 from Liberia and 1,739 from Guinea. It said those countries had a total of 20,381 cases to date.
	The current outbreak, which began about a year ago, has also claimed some 15 lives elsewhere.
	The Ebola virus causes a form of hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate. It can be transmitted through bodily fluids such as blood.

UN tally of Ebola-linked deaths tops 8,000

Two Afghan soldiers have been arrested in connection with the deaths of at least 28 people, mostly women and children, who were killed by artillery fired from military checkpoints at a wedding party, an official said today.
	Gen Sultan Mahmoud, the head of the army in southern Helmand province, where the incident took place on Wednesday night, said the soldiers were arrested late on Friday. Another eight soldiers were still under investigation, he told The Associated Press.
	"There is still a possibility of more arrests because the investigation is not over yet but those who were directly involved have been arrested today," he said.
	Investigators sent from Kabul by the Defense Ministry arrived in Helmand's capital of Lashkar Gah earlier in the day, Gen. Dawlat Waziri, deputy Defense Ministry spokesman said.
	An initial probe found soldiers had fired at a house from two directions while the wedding party was in full swing in the volatile district of Sangin, in the poppy-producing ...

Afghan arrests 2 soldiers after fatal army attack on wedding

Israel police say Jewish settlers have attacked American consular officials during a visit the officials made to the West Bank to investigate claims of damage to Palestinian agricultural property.
	Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the settlers today threw rocks at the officials who were forced to return to their vehicle.
	She said that accompanying American security personnel did not use their weapons during the incident.
	The American Consulate General in Jerusalem had no immediate comment.
	Settlers have often spoken against what they call foreign interference in their affairs, but physical attacks against diplomatic personnel are extremely rare.
	The United States is by far Israel's most important foreign ally, providing the country with some USD3 billion in annual aid and supporting its positions in international forums, despite frequent criticism.

Israel police say settlers attack US officials in West Bank

If AirAsia bounces back from its first fatal disaster, much of the credit will go to its effusive founder Tony Fernandes and a well-oiled communications machine.
	From the highly visible compassion shown by Fernandes to details such as changing the airline's bright red logo to a somber gray online, experts say the Malaysia-based budget carrier's initial response to the tragedy is a textbook example of how to communicate in a crisis.
	AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed into the Java Sea on Sunday with 162 people on board. More than two dozen bodies have been recovered so far.
	It was the first deadly air accident for the 13-year-old carrier, which has made air travel affordable for tens of millions of people in fast-growing Southeast Asia.
	AirAsia's handling of the disaster has drawn favourable comparisons with the bungled communications by Malaysia Airlines after Flight 370 disappeared March 8.
	But experts say the situations faced by the two airlines are so different it's unfair to liken ..

AirAsia boss applies deft touch in crash response

Police say a couple and their 12-year-old son have been stabbed to death in their apartment in northern Greece, and the alleged attacker was injured by falling from a balcony of the building.
	The attack occurred today in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, and police said they have no information about a possible motive for the attack.
	The slain parents, aged 54 and 42, and their son were not immediately identified.
	Police say the suspected attacker, a 60-year-old man, was hospitalised under police guard and has been formally arrested.
	He appeared to have suffered a stab wound, believed to be self-inflicted.

Greece: Family killed in knife attack

Two Polish teams will search this year for the Polish submarine ORP Orzel, which disappeared in the North Sea in May 1940 during a mission with the Allies in World War II.
	The two searches will be conducted by the Culture Ministry and the Maritime Museum in the Baltic port of Gdansk.
	Built in the Netherlands, ORP Orzel started service in 1939, and fought German ships after Hitler's army invaded Poland September 1, 1939.
	The vessel was held that month in Tallinn by then-neutral Estonia, but escaped.
	Working with the Allies, the submarine then took part in patrol and escort missions for the British navy.
	On May 23, 1940, it left Rosyth, Scotland, and never returned.
	Searches undertaken since 2008 have been unsuccessful.

Poland to search for its famous WWII submarine

The main Western-backed Syrian opposition group opened a three-day meeting today to discuss a range of issues, including a Russian initiative to hold peace talks in Moscow to broker a resolution to Syria's civil war.
	The Syrian National Coalition is also expected to elect a new president during the closed-door proceedings that opened in Istanbul.
	The meeting comes amid a push by Russia, a key supporter of President Bashar Assad, to try to bring the Syrian government and the opposition together in Moscow for talks to end a civil war that has killed more than 200,000 people.
	Russian diplomats have been shuttling between the sides in recent weeks to sound out their willingness to attend the meeting that the Kremlin has said it hopes to convene after Jan 20.
	The Coalition has not ruled out participating, but has so far insisted that any negotiated settlement be based on the so-called Geneva platform, which states that there should be a political transition toward democracy through the 

Syrian opposition to discuss Russian peace plan

The euro has fallen to its lowest level against the dollar since the middle of 2010 after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi indicated the bank could soon buy government bonds.
	In today's edition of the German daily Handelsblatt, Draghi said the risk the bank won't fulfill its mandate to keep prices stable is greater than six months ago, underlining the likelihood that it may soon back a Fed-style stimulus.
	In the wake of his comments, the euro fell to USD 1.2034, its lowest level since June 2010, when the currency was reeling from the fallout of Greece's first financial bailout.
	Inflation in what is now the 19-country eurozone following Lithuania's adoption of the euro yesterday stands at 0.3 per cent, far below the ECB's target of just below 2 per cent.

Euro down after Draghi gives another stimulus hint

Scotland's ambulance service says two people were injured when a plane veered off a runway on Scotland's wind-whipped Isle of Lewis.
	The Saab 340 plane operated by Scottish regional airline Loganair came off the runway as it tried to take off this morning from Stornoway Airport in strong winds.
	Photos showed the plane sitting in the grass with its nose touching the ground.
	The plane, with 28 people aboard, was trying to leave the island off Scotland's west coast and fly to Glasgow.
	The Scottish Ambulance Service said two people were taken to Western Isles Hospital with minor injuries.
	Stornoway Airport said "efforts to remove the aircraft from the runway are ongoing and investigations into the cause of the incident are underway.

2 injured as plane veers off runway in Scotland

Four more maritime officials were put under formal investigation today as a charred ferry was towed into the Italian port of Brindisi and authorities prepared to search it for possible more dead.
	The blaze that broke out Sunday and torched the Norman Atlantic ferry has killed at least 11 people. Italy says 477 people were rescued, most by helicopters that plucked survivors off the top deck in gale-force winds and carried them to nearby boats.
	The probe into the disaster widened today. In addition to the ship's captain and the head of the company that built the ferry both Italians the prosecutor's office in Bari put two other crew members and two representatives of the Greek ferry line Anek, which rented the Norman Atlantic, under investigation, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
	Towing the ferry overnight across the choppy seas of the Adriatic took 17 hours.
	Tugboat company owner Giuseppe Barretta told The Associated Press in Brindisi that firefighters and a prosecutor will be 

4 more under investigation in Greek ferry fire

Gunmen killed three Sunni clerics near the mostly Shiite city of Basra in southern Iraq, a government spokesman said today, an apparent sectarian attack that drew immediate calls for calm.
	Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan told The Associated Press that the assailants ambushed a car last night carrying the clerics in the mostly Sunni district of Bab al-Zubeir near Basra, shooting dead the three and seriously wounding two other clerics travelling with them.
	The ministry, he said, was investigating the killings. He gave no other details.
	There was no claim of responsibility for the ambush and no reports of retaliatory attacks by Sunnis.
	Iraq's sectarian violence peaked in 2006-07, when thousands of Shiites and Sunnis perished in attacks. The violence later eased but has partially resumed after Sunni militants of the Islamic State group swept across much of northern and western Iraq last year.
	Shiites make up a majority of Iraq's estimated 30 million people and have dominated ...

Gunmen kill 3 Sunni clerics in Iraqi city of Basra

California today will start taking driver's license applications from the nation's largest population of immigrants in the country illegally.
	The state Department of Motor Vehicles expects 1.4 million people will seek a license in the first three years of a program aimed at boosting road safety and making immigrants' lives easier.
	California officials say they can not predict how many people will line up immediately to apply, but the number of people making appointments for a license more than doubled when immigrants were allowed to sign up. Appointments are required to apply for a license except at four newly-created DMV offices.
	California is one of 10 states that now provide licenses to immigrants in the country illegally. The licenses issued to immigrants without legal status will include a distinctive marking and are not considered a valid form of federal identification.
	Immigrants in the country illegally have not been allowed to apply for a driver's license in California ...

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