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For Mali amputee, Islamist legacy lingers
GAO, Mali (AP) -- The Islamists in Mali came to Issa Alzouma's cell and brought him out to the public square they had renamed Place de Shariah. They laid him out, tying down his arms and legs before amputating his right hand with a knife.

Bell Aliant profit falls on restructuring charge
(Reuters) – Canadian telecom services provider Bell Aliant Inc posted a 12 percent fall in fourth-quarter profit as it took a restructuring charge. Net income fell to C$70.3 million ($70.38 million), or 31 Canadian cents per share, from C$80 million, or 35 Canadian cents per share, a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 37 Canadian cents per share. Analysts were expecting a first-quarter profit of 41 Canadian cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Bell Aliant, which provides the FibreOP fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) services, said operating revenue fell 0. …

AP Interview: Egypt pope criticizes constitution
AL-MUHARRAQ MONASTERY, Egypt (AP) -- Egypt's Coptic Christian pope has sharply criticized the country's Islamist leadership in an Associated Press interview, saying the new constitution is discriminatory and Christians should not be treated as a minority.

Iran says nuclear talks with West on for Feb. 26
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran’s state TV says the country will hold talks with six world powers in Kazakhstan on Feb. 26 over its controversial nuclear program.

Lufthansa halts Tripoli flights on security grounds
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Germany's Lufthansa and unit Austrian Airlines have halted flights to Tripoli due to the situation on the ground in Libya, a spokeswoman said on Tuesda y. "We have taken the decision given the developments in Tripoli and the tense situation in the region," the spokeswoman said. The airline, which flew three times a week to Tripoli, had restarted flights to the Libyan capital in February 2012 after rebels in 2011 ousted former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. (Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Tuareg rebels in Mali arrest Islamist extremists
TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) -- Secular rebels from Mali’s Tuareg people say they have arrested two Islamist extremists, including the man blamed for enforcing stoning deaths and amputations in Timbuktu.

European recovery hopes help shore up markets
LONDON (AP) -- Markets recovered Tuesday, a day after suffering steep losses, as new indicators suggested the economy of the 17-country eurozone may be on the cusp of recovery.

Syrian lawmaker rejects preconditions for dialogue
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- A prominent lawmaker from Syria's ruling party has rejected preconditions for dialogue set by the opposition chief to help end nearly two years of bloodshed.

Obama to Kenya: Reject violence during election
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- United States President Barack Obama is urging citizens in his father’s homeland of Kenya to reject intimidation and violence in next month’s national elections.

Stray cats dying in Belarus basements
MINSK, Belarus (AP) -- The plaintive meows haunt the people of Minsk in the dead of night.

Kuwait arrests 3 former MPs for emir insults
KUWAIT CITY (AP) -- Kuwait says three former opposition lawmakers have been charged with insulting the country’s ruler in the latest crackdown on perceived political dissent in the Gulf nation.