1. U.S. hostage held by IS dead

    U.S. President Barack Obama confirmed the death of U.S. hostage Kayla Mueller.

    Obama vowed that Washington would hunt down the jihadists* it held responsible for the 26-year-old aid worker’s death.

    “No matter how long it takes, the United States will find and bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible for Kayla’s captivity and death,” Obama said.

    2. Violence flares in Myanmar, China border

    Clashes have flared between Myanmar’s army and rebels in an ethnic Chinese northern border area, state media said on February 12, as multiple conflicts in minority regions overshadow efforts to agree to a countrywide ceasefire*.

    China expressed concern on February 12 about the renewed fighting, which forced civilians to cross the border to seek refuge* in China.

    Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China would pay close attention to how the situation developed and it would maintain peace and stability on the border.

    3. Men find plane lost 53 years ago

    After a grueling* journey up into the rarefied air* of the Andes mountains, an expedition team announced it has discovered the fuselage* of a passenger plane that went missing over a half century ago.

    The LAN Chile Douglas DC-3 twin-propeller aircraft was reported missing April 3, 1961, near the city of Linares, some 300 kilometers south of the Chilean capital of Santiago. Eight players and the coach of the top-flight Green Cross soccer club as well as three referees were among the 24 passengers traveling aboard the plane.

    4. Ceasefire agreed for eastern Ukraine

    The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine have agreed a deal to end fighting in eastern Ukraine, participants at the summit talks said on February 12.

    The deal reached after all-night negotiations in the Belarussian capital Minsk included a ceasefire that would come into effect on February 15, followed by the withdrawal of heavy weapons.

    The news came as Ukraine was offered a US$40-billion lifeline by the International Monetary Fund to stave off financial collapse.

    5. Aust. police foil attackers linked to IS

    Two men behind what Australian police called a foiled* attack were linked to the IS group referred in a seized video to “stabbing the kidneys and striking the necks” of their intended victims, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on February 12.

    Australian counter-terrorism police on February 11 said they had foiled an attack after arresting two men in Sydney and seizing knives, a video and a flag associated with the militant group.

    Police said the men, aged 24 and 25, were arrested after a raid on a home in a western Sydney suburb on February 10 and had been charged with planning a terrorist act.

    6. Egypt ends U.S. arms ‘monopoly’

    Egypt’s decision to buy 24 Rafale jet fighters from France underscores its determination to diversify its sources of weapons and reduce its dependence on the United States.

    The 5.2-billion-euro (US$5.9 billion) deal is a historic first foreign sale of the Rafale for France.

    Rights group Amnesty International has criticized the sale of the jets and a frigate to a nation that it has accused of “alarming” human rights abuses.

    The United States — a longtime strategic partner of Egypt, to which it gives about US$1.5 billion in aid each year including roughly US$1.3 billion in military assistance — has played down the impact of the sale.

    (SD-Agencies)