President Barack Obama has thanked Afghanistan's leaders for ratifying a bilateral security agreement allowing US troops to stay in the country after this year.
	The White House says Obama yesterday spoke by video conference with President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. They spoke shortly after the release of a Senate report on harsh interrogation techniques the US used during the George W Bush administration.
	The report includes details of interrogations at a facility referred to as COBALT, which is understood as the CIA's "Salt Pit" facility in Afghanistan.
	The White House readout of the video conference did not mention the Senate report. Instead, it said the leaders focused on the impending end of the US combat mission in Iraq and the mission to train and advise Afghan forces.

Obama thanks Afghans for approving treaty

PTI Automatic

Israel says it has indicted a 30-year-old American Christian from Texas for plotting to blow up Muslim holy places in Jerusalem.
	The Ministry of Justice said today that a court had indicted Adam Everett Livix in connection with the plot.
	It said that Livix had cooperated with his roommate, a serving soldier in the Israeli military, to obtain 1.4 kilograms of explosive material to use to blow up the unidentified Jerusalem holy places. The ministry said the plot was discovered by a police agent in October.
	It said that Livix was indicted on Monday and is currently undergoing psychiatric evaluation.
	Livix's indictment comes at a time of rising tensions in Jerusalem, mostly over a disputed holy site that is holy both to Muslims and Jews.

Israel indicts American over plot to bomb Muslims

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel today that his army is taking the offencive against the Islamic State group but needs more air power and heavy weaponry to prevail.
	Hagel, who flew to Baghdad to get a first-hand report on progress against the Islamic State militants, was holding a series of meetings with top Iraqi government officials and conferring with American military commanders.
	He met with al-Abadi at the prime minister's office after making remarks to a group of US and Australian soldiers at Baghdad International Airport.
	Al-Abadi told Hagel as their meeting began that "Daesh (Islamic State) is on the descent at the moment." He said their capabilities had been reduced.
	"We are very thankful for the support that's been given to us," al-Abadi said. "Our forces are very much advancing on the ground. But they need more air power and more ... Heavy weaponry. We need that."
	US officials assert that the Iraqis' biggest need is competent ..

Iraqi leader asks US for more air power, weaponry

Luxury automaker BMW said today that CEO Norbert Reithofer will leave his post early to become chairman of the board as part of "generational change" at the top of the German automaker.
	The company said that he would be replaced as CEO by BMW production executive Harald Krueger.
	Reithofer has headed the company since 2006 and has seen it through steady profits, strong margins and expansion of its business in China.
	Krueger joined BMW as a trainee in 1992 and worked his way through several top jobs. He was responsible for the company's MINI brand and its motorcycles before becoming production chief in 2013. He has also been project engineer for the plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in the 1990s and director of engine production at Hams Hall in the UK.
	The Munich-based company said in a statement that Reithofer will replace board chairman Joachim Milberg at the shareholder meeting on May 13.

BMW CEO Reithofer to take over as chairman

A top executive of Korean Airlines today resigned amid mounting public criticism that she delayed a over how she was served macadamia nuts.
	Company officials said today that Chairman Cho Yang-ho has accepted the resignation of Cho Hyun-ah, his eldest daughter and a vice president.
	The junior Cho was under public fire following media revelations that a recent Korean Airlines flight from New York to South Korea returned to the gate because she ordered a senior crew member off the plane. Cho was angered that she was served bagged macadamia nuts instead of nuts on a plate.
	The airline had apologised for inconveniencing the passengers. But it also said it was "natural" for Cho to fault crew's ignorance of procedures.

Korean Airlines executive resigns over nut dispute

A South African prosecutor today argued in court for an appeal in the case against Oscar Pistorius, who was acquitted of murder for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
	Prosecutor Gerrie Nel outlined his objections to the culpable homicide verdict and sentence against the Olympic runner, saying Judge Thokozile Masipa erred in her interpretation of the law. In October, Masipa convicted Pistorius of the lesser charge of culpable homicide and sentenced him to a five-year prison term. He could be released from prison to go under house arrest after 10 months.
	"There is a very good prospect that we may convince an appeal court that the shortest possible incarceration in a case like this, my lady, is shockingly inappropriate," Nel said, addressing Masipa in the same Pretoria courtroom where the murder trial was conducted.
	The double-amputee athlete is serving his sentence in a Pretoria prison and was not in court. The two front rows of the public gallery were empty. Those seats had been ...

SAfrican prosecutor seeks appeal in Pistorius case

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in Baghdad today to consult with Iraqi government officials and confer with US commanders about the campaign to defeat Islamic State fighters.
	Hagel, on what is expected to be his last overseas trip as Pentagon chief, landed at the Baghdad international airport under tight security. He is the first U.S. Defense secretary to visit Iraq since Leon Panetta was here in December 2011 to mark the end of the US military mission.
	Hagel said yesterday during a visit to Kuwait that he believes Iraq's security forces have gained a new momentum, thanks in part to sustained US airstrikes against Islamic State militants.
	The US is committed to helping Iraq roll back the territorial gains the militants made earlier this year, but President Barack Obama has ruled out sending American ground combat forces. He maintains that any lasting solution in Iraq can only be carried out by a newly unified Iraqi government.
	At the peak of the war in Iraq the US had ...

Hagel in Baghdad to meet with Iraqi officials

Two clinical finishes from Robin van Persie gave Manchester United a 2-1 victory against Southampton in the Premier League, despite the visitors being pegged back for much of the game at St. Mary's.
     Van Persie scored with United's only two efforts on target to give Louis van Gaal's side its fifth win a row and overtake Southampton in third place. Southampton dropped to fifth behind West Ham after its third straight loss against the teams it hopes to challenge for a top-four spot -- Manchester City, Arsenal and United.
     Van Persie punished a wasteful performance from the home side, which created enough chances to win the game comfortably.
     He took advantage of a defensive blunder to put United ahead after 12 minutes, and went unmarked to meet Wayne Rooney's free kick at the far post to poke in the winner after Graziano Pelle had levelled for Southampton in the 31st.
     "I don't think we played our best football today," Van Persie said. "In the end, it's a fifth straight .

Man United beats Southampton 2-1 in Premier League

The Palestinians have officially became observers at the summit meeting of the 122 countries that are members of the International Criminal Court, a move they say is a step toward joining the world's permanent war crimes tribunal.
	Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to seek membership in the ICC in order to press charges against Israel for alleged war crimes.
	The Palestinian United Nations ambassador, Riyad Mansour, said his government is moving in that direction "but that's another step in that process," and the timing will be decided by Abbas.
	"The Palestinians have been promising to join the court but have repeatedly delayed action," Balkees Jarrah, international justice counsel at Human Rights Watch, yesterday told AP.
	"We've been calling on them to join the court which could open up the prospect of justice for serious crimes by all sides."
	The Palestinians' official acceptance as an observer at the two-week meeting came in a procedural move at the opening ...

Palestinians become observers at ICC meeting

A Chinese man accused of conspiring to export to Iran devices that can be used in nuclear production has been held without bail after an initial court appearance in Boston.
	Sihai Cheng attended a brief hearing yesterday and agreed to be detained until his arraignment Friday. He's accused of conspiracy, illegal exporting of US goods to Iran and smuggling. He arrived in Boston on Friday after being arrested in Britain earlier this year.
	An indictment accuses him of establishing shell companies in China to receive pressure-measuring sensors known as pressure transducers from the Shanghai subsidiary of Andover-based MKS Instruments Inc.
	The instruments have commercial applications but can be used to convert natural uranium into a form that can be used in nuclear weapons.
	A defense attorney says Cheng didn't know there was anything illegal about what he was selling.

Chinese man in Iran export case held without bail

A jail guard has been arrested in connection with the death of a homeless ex-Marine inside a 101-degree Fahrenheit jail cell in a special Rikers Island unit for mentally ill inmates, prosecutors have said.
	Carol Lackner, who surrendered to authorities, faces multiple counts of falsifying business records and official misconduct for making logbook entries indicating she toured every half hour to check on 56-year-old Jerome Murdough and other inmates in his unit even though video didn't show her doing so, according to prosecutors in the Bronx.
	She faces up to four years if convicted on all counts. Her next court date is February 17. Her lawyer didn't immediately return a request for comment.
	The Associated Press first reported the shocking February 15 death of Murdough in the overheated cell, after a city official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Murdough "basically baked to death" when he was left unchecked for at least four hours as malfunctioning equipment caused his cell 

Guard arrested in death of NYC inmate in hot cell

Islamic State fighters have lost the initiative in Iraq and are now "on defense" with far less ability to generate the kind of ground maneuvers that enabled the extremists to capture large chunks of Iraq earlier this year, a senior US general said today.
 	Army Lt Gen James Terry, the top commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US campaign to defeat IS, also said the nascent effort to rebuild Iraq's army will soon get a boost from coalition countries that plan to commit roughly 1,500 military trainers. Much of the Iraq army collapsed or proved ineffective in the face of IS's onslaught last summer.
 	In his first extensive interview since taking command of the counter-Islamic State campaign in October, Terry told a small group of reporters that IS is "on defense, trying to hold what they have gained." He added that the group, which is armed with tanks and other US made war equipment captured from the Iraqi army, is "still able to conduct some limited attacks."
 	Terry said his ...

General: Islamic State fighters on their heels

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says Russia hasn't done enough to have two warships ordered in France delivered.
	The delivery was suspended by France after coming under intense pressure from its allies to suspend the sale because of tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Russia is accused of supplying pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine with manpower and weapons.
	After meeting Czech counterpart Bohuslav Sobotka, Valls said through an interpreter Monday: "We have interrupted the delivery for diplomatic reasons."
	Valls says the issue wasn't likely discussed by President Francois Hollande during Saturday's impromptu meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow but that France's "goal and priority is a long-term political solution" of the Ukraine crisis.
	Valls also said French companies hope to participate in expanding Czech Republic's nuclear program.

French PM: Russia not done enough to get warships

Ralph Baer, a video game Pioneer who created both the precursor to "Pong" and the electronic memory game Simon and led the team that developed the first home video game console, has died. He was 92.
	Baer, a longtime resident of Manchester, died at his home Saturday, the Goodwin Funeral Home in Manchester confirmed today.
	Born in Germany, Baer escaped the Holocaust with his family.
	He started thinking about what later became the home video game console while working as a television set designer in the 1950s. In the next decade, he started working on television games as chief engineer for Sanders Associates, now BAE Systems.
	That led to The Brown Box, which was licensed by Magnavox and came out with the Odyssey in the early 1970s. The console, which connected to a television, could play about two dozen games, including one called "Table Tennis" that was a precursor to "Pong."
	Baer received the National Medal of Technology from President George W. Bush in 2006 and was inducted into .

Pioneer of video games, Simon dies at 92

A small, private jet crashed into a house in Maryland today, killing three people on board the plane and leaving three residents of the home unaccounted for, authorities said.
	Three people were on board the jet when it crashed into the home in Gaithersburg, a Washington, DC suburb, county Fire and Rescue Chief Steve Lohr said during a news conference.
	They were all killed and three residents who live at the home are unaccounted for, he said. He released no other details about the home's residents.
	The two-story, wood-frame home was gutted by the impact of the crash and ensuing blaze. The first floor was nearly completely blown out and smoke drifted from a gaping hole in what was left of the collapsing roof. Two adjacent homes also had significant damage, with one of them clearly having caught fire, as well.
	Fred Pedreira, 67, who lives near the crash site, said he had just returned home from the grocery store and was parking his car when he saw the jet and immediately knew ...

3 unaccounted for, 3 dead in US jet crash in home

The United States and France have signed an accord that will compensate thousands of Holocaust survivors and their families who were deported to concentration camps by France's state rail company during Nazi occupation.
	At a State Department ceremony Monday, French human rights ambassador Patrizianna Sparacino-Thiellay said the agreement will cover thousands of survivors, their spouses or heirs in the US who have not been covered by earlier compensation funds.
	The money is available to survivors of all nationalities who were deported by French rail company SNCF between 1940 and 1944.
	The USD 60 million compensation fund still must get approval from the French Parliament, which could take months. US Special Adviser on Holocaust Issues Stuart Eizenstat called the agreement a belated and imperfect justice for one of history's darkest eras.

US, France sign accord for Holocaust survivors

A small plane has crashed into a house in Maryland, outside Washington DC.
	Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer could not immediately say whether anyone was in the house at the time of the today crash or how many people were injured or killed.
	Piringer says the plane appears to seat between six and 10 people, and that it crashed into one home, setting it and two other homes on fire. He says crews have the fire under control and are conducting a search and rescue operation to find anyone who was in the three homes and the plane.
	The crash happened less than 1 mile from the Montgomery County Airpark.
	A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman says the agency is sending an investigator to the scene.

Small plane crashes into US house in DC suburbs

A senior military commander of al-Qaida in Yemen denounced today beheadings carried out by the group's Islamic State rivals, calling the act and its filming for propaganda purposes barbarous and asserting that US drone strikes are expanding al-Qaida's popularity in the country.
	The comments, by Nasr bin Ali al-Ansi, came in a video response to questions by reporters posted on one of the group's Twitter accounts.
	It appeared to have been recorded before Saturday's killing of two hostages an American and a South African during an attempted US rescue from al-Qaida militants. Both groups regularly execute prisoners but beheadings and other brutal acts have become a trademark of IS.
	Al-Qaida in Yemen seen by Washington as the group's most dangerous al-Qaida affiliate globally has criticised the IS before for trying to expand its territory.
	IS extremists initially fought to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. But other groups, including al-Qaida central command, denounced them as too ...

Yemen's al-Qaida denounces beheadings

Pope Francis has prayed that humanity be freed of "slavery" to material things as he visited Rome's swank shopping area near the Spanish Steps.
	Shoppers crowded into the square today to see Francis keep an annual appointment that marks both the Dec. 8 Catholic feast day honoring the Virgin Mary and the traditional start of the city's holiday shopping season.
	Wearing a long white coat in the chilly early evening, Francis prayed that "humanity be freed of all spiritual and material slavery." He stood before a flower-adorned statue of Mary atop a towering column and expressed hope that in the run-up to Christmas, people would "go countercurrent" by concentrating less on themselves.
	Francis wants the church to pay more attention to the poor and others on the margins of society.

Pope decries 'material slavery' as holidays start

The first family's longtime personal chef is leaving the White House.
	The White House says the newly married Sam Kass is moving to New York, where his wife lives. Kass has worked for the first family since President Barack Obama was in the Senate. Kass moved to Washington after the 2008 presidential election to serve as the Obamas' primary chef.
	 But he has also taken on policy work, serving as executive director of first lady Michelle Obama's anti-childhood obesity initiative and becoming the White House's first-ever senior adviser on nutrition.
	In a statement, Obama says Kass "has made a real difference for our next generation." Mrs. Obama says Kass will "continue to be a leader in the vitally important work to build a healthier country.

Obamas' longtime personal chef leaving White House

The US Geological Survey says an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 has struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of western Panama.
	The quake struck at 3:54 am today, 12 miles (20 kilometers) off Punta de Burica, close to the border with Costa Rica. It was at a relatively shallow depth of 12.4 miles (20 kilometers).
	The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no danger of a tsunami, and there were no immediate reports of damage.

AP

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