Biggest news you missed this weekend
American Peter Kassig beheaded by Islamic State
The Islamic State militant group released a video Sunday that shows American aid worker Peter Kassig being beheaded in Syria, the latest killing the group posted on the Internet. The White House said that a review of the video by the intelligence community confirms Kassig's death. Kassig, 26, a former U.S. Army Ranger from Indianapolis, worked for charity groups in Lebanon and Syria and was captured in Syria by militants in October last year. During his captivity, his family said Kassig converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdul-Rahman, which means "servant of the most merciful." The video released Sunday is more than 15 minutes long and appears to show several other men, perhaps as many as a dozen, being beheaded.
G-20 nations OK plan for $2 trillion growth boost
Leaders of G-20 nations meeting in Australia on Sunday finalized a plan to boost global GDP by more than $2 trillion over five years by investing in infrastructure and increasing trade. A G-20 communique said that if the $2 trillion initiative is fully implemented, it would lift global GDP by 2.1% above expected levels by 2018 and create millions of jobs. A key part of the plan involves the creation of what the G-20 called a "global infrastructure hub" that will help match potential investors with infrastructure projects around the world.
Lawyer: Bill Cosby won't address sex abuse allegations
Bill Cosby will not dignify "decade-old, discredited" claims of sexual abuse with a response, his attorney said Sunday, the first reaction from the comedian to an increasing uproar over allegations that he sexually assaulted several women in the past. There has been a growing uproar over allegations that Cosby assaulted several women in the past. On Saturday, during an interview with NPR's Weekend Edition, interviewer Scott Simon asked Cosby about the "serious allegations raised" about him. The comedian, in response, shook his head to signify no. So Simon asked if he wanted to address the allegations. Cosby again shook his head, and said nothing. Cosby was never criminally charged in any of the cases.
Coach Muschamp out at Florida at end of season
Head coach Will Muschamp will not return next year to the University of Florida. Athletics director Jeremy Foley announced in a statement Sunday on the Florida website that Muschamp will step down at the end of the regular season. Foley will discuss the move on Monday at Muschamp's regular game-week news conference. Florida lost to South Carolina 23-20 in overtime on Saturday, its sixth loss in its last eight home games. Muschamp was 27-20 during his time at Florida and 17-15 in the SEC. He has three years left on his contract, which would have paid about $6 million.
New video of MH17 downing in Ukraine surfaces
Four months after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine, the Associated Press has obtained video that shows how close the burning passenger jet came to hitting village homes. The video is perhaps the first taken immediately after the plane came down. Workers on Sunday began collecting debris from the crash site, under the supervision of Dutch investigators and officials from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The recovered fragments will be loaded onto trains and taken to the government-controlled eastern city of Kharkiv. The investigation into what happened to MH17 is being conducted there and in the Netherlands.
Report: Bynes discusses killing parents on tape
Amanda Bynes' rage at her parents shows no signs of dissipating. Early Saturday morning, TMZ posted two recordings it says are Bynes conversing with a friend about wanting to kill her parents, who currently have control over her finances and medical care. On the tape, which appears to have been made in a car, Bynes says she wants to murder her father but hasn't decided how. She also says she's called her mother and threatened to "slit her wrists and burn down her house." She ends the rambling spiel by telling the friend, "you're so gay, it hurts my feelings."