1. Jordan hangs two Iraqi militants

    Jordan hanged two Iraqi jihadists* on Sunday, including a female militant* in response to an Islamic State video showing a captured Jordanian pilot being burnt alive by the group.

    Islamic State had demanded the release of the woman, Sajida al-Rishawi, in exchange for a Japanese hostage who it later beheaded. Sentenced to death in 2005 for her role in a suicide bomb attack in Amman, al-Rishawi was executed* at dawn.

    2. India inmates escape using bedsheets

    A group of 91 juvenile inmates* staged an escape by tying their bed sheets together to scale down the walls of a prison in India. Police have recaptured 43 esceapees, with 48 still at large*, The Hindu reported on February 2.

    Some 91 inmates escaped from the young offenders detention center in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh state.

    Cops have managed to track down 43 of the felons* — all of whom are aged under 18.

    3. Boy suspended from school over magic

    A 9-year-old boy from Texas, the United States, with a fondness for magic and “The Lord of the Rings” movies, has been suspended from school after telling a classmate he would make him disappear by doing a trick he saw in one of the films, the boy’s father said on February 2.

    Jason Steward told west Texas broadcaster KOSA that he got a call from Kermit Elementary School last week saying his son Aiden was suspended because of a movie-inspired magic trick, which was seen as threatening the safety of another child.

    4. Lawyers: Saudi Arabia aided 9/11 hijackers

    Lawyers for victims of the September 11 attacks said they had new evidence that agents of Saudi Arabia “directly and knowingly” helped the hijackers, including sworn testimony* from the so-called 20th hijacker, Zacarias Moussaoui, and from three principals of the U.S. Government’s two primary probes of the attacks.

    The Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington said in a statement on February 3 that Moussaoui’s claims come from a “deranged* criminal” and that there is no evidence to support them. It said Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with the deadly 2001 attacks.

    The lawyers filed documents in Manhattan federal court to buttress* claims Saudi Arabia supported al-Qaida and its leader at the time, Osama bin Laden, prior to the attacks.

    5. Police kill 13 would-be bank robbers

    Brazilian police killed 13 men suspected of plotting to rob a bank in the northeastern city of Salvador on February 6, officials said.

    “A group of 30 men was planning to rob a bank branch” and opened fire on police when they approached after receiving a tip*, said the Bahia state headquarters of the military police.

    Three suspects and a police sergeant were also wounded in the shootout, police said.

    Police said they seized high-caliber guns and drugs after the shootout.

    6. Ukraine leader seeks cease-fire

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and leaders of Russia, France and Germany expect their talks in Minsk, Belarus, today to lead to a “swift and unconditional cease-fire*,” his website said.

    A statement from Poroshenko’s administration said progress had been made during a phone call between him and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on Sunday.

    “The participants achieved progress in discussing a range of measures for implementation of the Minsk agreements,” Poroshenko said referring to a cease-fire plan.

    (SD-Agencies)