2-7-15

* Islamic State fatwa points to Muhammad to justify burning pilot Once again, the Islamic State (IS) performs an atrocity that boggles the Western mind, and once again the Islamic State points to its namesake - Islam - to justify its depravity.

* Ukraine crisis: 'Last chance' for peace says Hollande A peace plan drawn up by France and Germany is "one of the last chances" to end the conflict in east Ukraine, French leader Francois Hollande says.

* Is the world really better off after U.S. retreated from superpower responsibilities? Take a look From Argentina to Yemen to Ukraine to Syria and Lebanon, entropy, the natural tendency of everything to disintegrate if there is no force to hold it together, is coming to dominate the international scene.

* Jordan says pilot's murder a 'turning point' in IS fight The burning alive of a Jordanian pilot by the Islamic State group is a "turning point" in the kingdom's fight against the jihadists, a minister said in remarks published Saturday.

* Yemen's Houthi Rebels Take Over the Government Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebel movement on Friday announced it is taking over the government and dissolving parliament.

* Iraq: Baghdad bomb blasts kill more than 30 At least 34 people have been killed in three bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, police say.

* US Boosts Pilot Rescue Team Against ISIS The US military has deployed aircraft and troops to northern Iraq to boost its ability to rescue downed coalition pilots, after a Jordanian airman was captured and killed by jihadists in Syria, a defense official said Thursday.

* NATO top commander in Europe says 'military option' possible in Ukraine NATO's commander in chief says the West should not rule out arming Ukraine.

* Obama quietly hands out names of Muslim leaders he met with privately The White House has finally divulged the names of American Muslim leaders who met with President Obama this week, including Imam Mohamed Magid, who has advised the administration on formulating responses to incidents that Islamists consider offensive.

* Iran warns West: Failure in nuclear talks would lead to pragmatist Rouhani's downfall Iran's foreign minister has warned the United States that failure to agree a nuclear deal would likely herald the political demise of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani.