Sydney (AFP) - Millions of Australians are "sickened" by the imminent execution of two of its citizens by Indonesia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Sunday, warning of a tough diplomatic response.

His comments came as the families of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran made emotional last-gasp pleas to Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

"I beg him (Widodo) again and again to please forgive them and give them, both of them, a second chance," Sukumaran's tearful grandmother Edith Visvanathan told reporters.

A statement from the Chan family said Andrew Chan "continues to pray".

"While there is life, there is hope. Let them live," it said.

No date has been set for their killing, but Indonesia has said governments with citizens on death row have been invited to talks at the foreign ministry on Monday.

Chan, 31, and Sukumaran, 33, are facing execution by firing squad as early as this week as ring leaders of the so-called Bali Nine group trafficking heroin from Indonesia's island of Bali into Australia.

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Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, pictured during a visit to Malaysia, on February 6, 2015 (AFP …

While all hope appears to be lost, Abbott put pressure on Jakarta for the second day in a row.

"Millions of Australians are feeling sickened by what might be about to happen in Indonesia," he told Channel Ten.

"If these executions go ahead, and I hope they don't, we will certainly be finding ways to make out displeasure felt."

Brazil and The Netherlands recalled their ambassadors in protest at executions of their citizens in January. Abbott has not said what Canberra's response would be.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop last week warned Jakarta that Australians could boycott Indonesia, including the island of Bali, a popular holiday spot for its travellers.

Abbott also stepped up criticism of Indonesia for trying to save its own citizens on death row in other countries for drug trafficking while rejecting pleas from Australia.

"What we are asking of Indonesia is what Indonesia asks of other countries when its citizens are on death row," he said.

"If it's right for Indonesia to ask and expect some kind of clemency, it's surely right for us to ask and expect some kind of clemency."

There are 360 Indonesians on death row around the world, including in Malaysia, Singapore, China and Saudi Arabia, Australian media reported. Of that, 230 are on drug charges.

As time runs out for Chan and Sukumaran, attorneys-general from across each of Australia's states and territory have sent a joint letter to Indonesia's government asking they be spared, broadcaster ABC reported.

Their families were presented Sunday with a petition signed by more than 150,000 people urging clemency.

Chan and Sukumaran, who have been on death row since 2006, claim they have been rehabilitated but lost their appeals to Widodo, who has vowed a tough approach to ending what he has called Indonesia's "drug emergency".

Widodo has been a vocal supporter of capital punishment and recently executed six convicted drug smugglers.

Press Association video
Copenhagen attacks: Police kill 'gunman' after shootings in Danish capital

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish police shot and killed a man early Sunday suspected of carrying out shooting attacks at a free speech event and then at a Copenhagen synagogue, killing a Danish documentary filmmaker and a member of the Scandinavian country's Jewish community. Five police officers were also wounded in the attacks.

"Denmark has been hit by terror," Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said. "We do not know the motive for the alleged perpetrator's actions, but we know that there are forces that want to hurt Denmark. They want to rebuke our freedom of speech."

Jens Madsen, head of the Danish intelligence agency PET, said investigators believe the gunman was inspired by Islamic radicalism.

"PET is working on a theory that the perpetrator could have been inspired by the events in Paris. He could also have been inspired by material sent out by (the Islamic State group) and others," Madsen said.

Islamic radicals carried out a massacre at the Charlie Hebdo newsroom in Paris last month, followed by an attack on Jews at a kosher grocery store, taking the lives of 17 victims.

At a news conference Madsen also said investigators have identified the suspect and that he is someone who had been on the agency's "radar." He did not reveal his identity.

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Police investigators work at the scene of Saturday's shooting at a free speech event in Copenhag …

Later Sunday, at least two people with handcuffs were taken out by police from an Internet cafe in Copenhagen, Danish media reported. Police spokesman Steen Hansen told The Associated Press that "the action was part of the police investigation" but declined to give further details.

The Danish Film Institute said the 55-year-old man killed at the free speech event was documentary filmmaker Finn Noergaard.

The institute's chief Henrik Bo Nielsen said he was shocked and angry to find out Noergaard was gunned down while attending a discussion on art and free speech.

Noergaard directed and produced documentaries for Danish television, including the 2004 "Boomerang boy" about an Australian boy's dreams to become a world boomerang champion and the 2008 "Le Le" about Vietnamese immigrants in Denmark.

Denmark's Chief Rabbi, Jair Melchior, identified the Jewish victim as Dan Uzan, 37, a longtime security guard for the 7,000-strong community. He was guarding a building behind the synagogue during a bat mitzvah when he was shot in the head. Two police officers who were there were slightly wounded.

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Police investigators work at the scene of Saturday's shooting at a free speech event in Copenhag …

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decried the attack and said his government plans to encourage a "massive immigration" of Jews from Europe.

"Again, Jews were murdered on European soil just because they were Jews," Netanyahu said at the start of his Cabinet meeting Sunday. "This wave of attacks is expected to continue, as well as murderous anti-Semitic attacks. Jews deserve security in every country, but we say to our Jewish brothers and sisters, Israel is your home."

Other leaders also condemned the attacks, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU President Donald Tusk,

"The shootings in Copenhagen are an appalling attack on free speech and religious freedom," Cameron said. "Two innocent people have been murdered simply for their beliefs and my thoughts are with their loved ones and all those injured at this tragic time."

The first shooting happened before 4 p.m. Saturday when the gunman used an automatic weapon to shoot through the windows of the Krudttoenden cultural center during a panel discussion on freedom of expression featuring a Swedish artist who had caricatured the Prophet Muhammad. The artist, Lars Vilks, was whisked away unharmed by his bodyguards, but Noergaard was killed and three police officers were wounded.

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ALTERNATIVE CROP - In this photo dated Saturday Feb. 14, 2015, issued by Copenhagen Police believed …

The attack at the synagogue occurred hours later, shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday.

About four hours later, the shooter was confronted by police as he returned to an address that they were keeping under surveillance. Investigators described him as 25 to 30 years old with an athletic build and carrying a black automatic weapon. They released a blurred photograph of the suspect wearing dark clothes and a scarf covering part of his face.

Oliver Larsen, 26, who lives in a building above the street where the suspect was shot dead, said he was awoken at 5 a.m. by the sound of shooting.

"I looked out of the window to see what was going on and I saw a lot of policemen and a guy lying on the street; he was probably dead," Larsen told the AP.

Vilks, a 68-year-old artist who has faced numerous death threats for depicting Muhammad as a dog in 2007, told The AP he believed he was the intended target of the first shooting, which happened at a panel discussion titled "Art, blasphemy and freedom of expression."

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In this photo dated Saturday Feb. 14, 2015, issued by Copenhagen Police believed to show the suspect …

"What other motive could there be? It's possible it was inspired by Charlie Hebdo," he said, referring to the Jan. 7 attack by Islamic extremists on the French newspaper that had angered Muslims by lampooning Muhammad.

The depiction of the prophet is deemed insulting to many followers of Islam. According to mainstream Islamic tradition, any physical depiction of the Prophet Muhammad — even a respectful one — is considered blasphemous.

Suspect shot dead in Copenhagen shootings: police (video)

The attacks took place two days after Denmark and its partners in the European Union agreed to dramatically boost cooperation in the counter-terrorism field as a result of the January attacks in Paris, which claimed the lives of 17 victims.

The EU's law enforcement agency, Europol, said Sunday it was in contact with Danish authorities and proposing its help to find out as much as possible about the Copenhagen gunman and whether he was acting alone or in concert with others.

"We are offering our expertise and capabilities from our anti-terrorist unit including access to our databases," said Europol spokesman Soeren Pedersen.

___

Danica Kirka in London, Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem, John-Thor Dahlburg in Brussels and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this story.

Zoomin.tv
The Minsk ceasefire deal summarized

LUHANSKE, Ukraine (AP) — A cease-fire that went into effect Sunday in eastern Ukraine appeared largely to be holding, officials said, except for around the strategic railway hub of Debaltseve.

Heavy fog shrouding sodden fields muffled the sound of artillery, but regular shelling could still be heard Sunday from Luhanske, a town about 15 kilometers (9 miles) to the northwest. Associated Press journalists were blocked from moving closer by Ukrainian troops, who said it was not safe to travel ahead.

The cease-fire has kindled slender hopes of reprieve from the conflict between the government troops and Russian-backed separatists that has claimed more than 5,300 lives since it began in April.

Attention will be focused in the coming days on Debaltseve, where Ukrainian forces have for weeks been fending off severe onslaughts from the rebels. The town is a railway link between the main separatist-held cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.

This latest cessation of hostilities was agreed after a marathon session of diplomacy last week that brought together the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France for talks in the capital of Belarus, Minsk.

Under the deal hammered out at those negotiations, the progress of the cease-fire is to be monitored by observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin complained Sunday that rebels had barred OSCE monitors from reaching Debaltseve to report on developments there.

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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks as he issues the order to start a cease-fire in the east …

"It quite clearly shows who is in breach of the Minsk agreement," Klimkin said.

The press office for government military operations in the east said in a statement that Sunday was characterized by a relative degree of calm.

"There has unfortunately not been a total cessation of fire, however," the statement said.

A spokesman for the Ukrainian army general staff, Vladislav Seleznyov, said during a morning briefing that shelling was noted 10 times, with all but one incident occurring in the Debaltseve area. Another military spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, said Sunday that nine Ukrainian troops had died over the previous day's unrest.

The rebels have in turn accused the Ukrainians of deploying artillery in the Debaltseve area shortly after midnight. Also, they argue that since they have fully encircled Debaltseve, the territory should be deemed as being theirs.

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A firefighter dismantles a roof to extinguish a building on fire after shelling between Russian-back …

But Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, as he issued the cease-fire order at one minute after midnight Kiev time Sunday (2201 GMT, 5:01 p.m. EST), said the road to the town remained open and that Ukrainian troops there had been resupplied with ammunition.

At an army checkpoint along the road to Debaltseve, a commander said the shelling appeared to have come from an area beyond Debaltseve controlled by "gangs other than the Russians and the separatists, such as Cossacks." The commander, who would identify himself only as Sanich, said these forces "submitted to no authority."

Donetsk, the separatist stronghold, was quiet Sunday morning with no shelling from government forces, the Donetsk News Agency, a separatist mouthpiece, reported, citing the city administration.

In the Luhansk region, two civilians were killed shortly after midnight in the town of Popasne as a result of shelling, regional authorities said. The town lies directly on the front line, only a few kilometers (a mile or two) from the nearest separatist positions.

The shells hit a shop, a medical clinic and a private residence, Luhansk Governor Hennadiy Moskal said in a statement. "The owners of the house — an 87-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman — died under the ruins," Moskal said.

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Ukrainian military vehicles travel on the road between the towns of Dabeltseve and Artemivsk, Ukrain …

The hours before the cease-fire were marked by ferocious battles around Debaltseve, as Ukrainian armed forces undertook desperate attempts to gain control over a highway linking the town to their rearguard.

The U.S. State Department said satellite images from eastern Ukraine offer "credible pieces of evidence" that the Russian military has deployed larger amounts of artillery and multiple rocket launchers around Debaltseve to shell Ukrainian forces. The images could not immediately be verified.

Russia has repeatedly denied Western claims that it has sent troops and equipment to aid the rebels.

Cessation of hostilities is only the first in a series of planned steps agreed to in Minsk.

Withdrawals of heavy weaponry from the front line, creating a zone roughly 50-140 kilometers (30-85 miles) wide, depending on the caliber of the weapons, are to begin Monday and be completed in two weeks. No provisions are envisioned for the withdrawal of troops.

The peace plan also requires the Ukrainian government to resume paying pensions and state benefits to citizens in rebel-held territory. Ukraine's financial blockade against the rebels has led to a catastrophic collapse in living standards in eastern Ukraine, depriving the poorest of any immediate means of support.

_____

Leonard reported from Kiev, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists Balint Szlanko in Artemivsk, Ukraine and Matt Lee in Washington also contributed to this report.

Warsaw (AFP) - Looking east to the bloody conflict gripping Ukraine, NATO-member Poland has kicked off an unprecedented military spending spree worth billions to overhaul its forces as Warsaw believes peace in Europe is no longer a given.

The escalation of tensions with Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and subsequent role in the crisis in that country's east has sounded the alarm on NATO's eastern flank in countries that were under Moscow's thumb during the Cold War.

Russia has also rattled its neighbours by repeatedly testing their air defences. NATO intercepted nuclear-capable Russian bombers and other warplanes in European airspace on more than 100 occasions last year, three times more than in 2013.

Even though a Ukraine ceasefire deal was hammered out this past week in Minsk by Paris, Berlin, Moscow and Kiev, the risk of the conflict heating up remains, Polish officials believe.

"The key to a political and military solution lies in Moscow," Poland's President Bronislaw Komorowski told reporters Thursday in Warsaw.

"The possibility of a lasting peace still isn't close," he said, insisting that the previous Minsk accord failed due to the "Russian separatists in Donbas."

- Missiles, choppers, drones -

Poland has earmarked 33.6 billion euros ($42 billion) on the upgrade over a decade, which includes a missile shield and anti-aircraft systems, armoured personnel carriers and submarines as well as combat drones.

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An Airbus EC 725 multi-role military helicopter at a military fair in Kielce, Poland, on September 4 …

The plans bring Warsaw in line with NATO's recommended defence spending level of 2.0 percent of gross domestic product.

Its long shopping list is full of pricey items including multi-role and combat helicopters, an anti-missile system and cruise missiles for submarines and drones.

Seventy multi-role helicopters top the list, a contract worth 2.5 billion euros.

The defence ministry is expected to name the winner of the lucrative tender soon and will ensure that Polish sub-contractors also reap benefits.

Aeronautics firms from both sides of the Atlantic have thrown their hats into the ring. The US-based Sikorsky is up against Airbus Helicopters -- formerly Eurocopter Group -- and the Anglo-Italian AgustaWestland.

"The Airbus offer is the only one that fully meets the specifications," a Western expert told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"It's proposing a single platform while the Americans are offering two -- Black Hawk and SeaHawk -- while the Italians have proposed an unarmed device."

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Submarine ORP "Sep" takes part in NATO's Dynamic Monarch exercises near Gdynia, Poland …

Airbus helicopters are more pricey. But having a single platform would cut maintenance costs that account for up to 80 percent of the total expenditures over the lifetime of the unit.

According to the expert, this factor will prove decisive in awarding the contract.

- Geopolitical considerations -

But strategic alliances will also play a role in Warsaw's choice of manufacturers; it regards the United States as a better bet in case of a conflict in Europe.

European bidders are therefore sweetening the pot by offering partnerships.

Airbus is opening a research and development centre in Poland's industrial hub of Lodz on February 19 in the hopes of swaying Warsaw.

The web of considerations in awarding contracts for anti-aircraft and medium range missile systems valued at up to ten billion euros is also complex.

Earlier this month, ten Polish state-owned defence manufacturers formed the PGZ consortium to work as subcontractors with a future foreign partner.

US-based Raytheon, makers of the Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, appear to be the favourites in a tender in which the Eurosam consortium comprising MBDA France, MBDA Italy and France's Thales Group have also bid.

Raytheon's units dovetail perfectly with NATO equipment already installed in Germany, observed Poland's Chief of Staff, General Mieczyslaw Gocul, according to Poland's leading Gazeta Wyborcza daily.

But doubts cropped up whether Patriots will still be a perfect fit in the future after the US announced a review of their anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems.

Those doubts have boosted the chances for the Eurosam consortium, according to Pawel Wronski, a defence analyst with Gazeta Wyborcza.

Its Aster 30s have a 360 degree radar capability while the current generation of Raytheon's Patriots is limited to 90-degree capability.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned the killing in North Carolina of three American Muslim college students as a "heinous terrorist" act, and called for an end to incitement against Muslims.

The statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency also condemned as a "terrorist" act the recent attacks that killed two people in Denmark, one at a panel discussion that included an artist who caricatured the Prophet Muhammad and the other outside a synagogue.

In neighboring Qatar, several thousand people held a march Sunday in the capital Doha in solidarity with the families of the North Carolina victims. The marchers appealed for protection against hate crimes for the tens of thousands of young Arabs studying in the United States on scholarships funded by the energy-rich governments of the Gulf.

Deah Barakat, 23; his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21; and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, were killed on Tuesday by their neighbor Craig Hicks, 46, an avowed atheist who was a vocal critic of all religions. Family members say all three were shot in the head at the newlywed couple's home, though police aren't saying exactly how the three victims died.

The victims' relatives are pressing for hate-crime charges against Hicks, and the FBI is now involved and investigating possible motives. Local police initially said a parking dispute sparked the murders and the U.S. attorney for the region described it as "an isolated incident."

However, the day after the attack, the pre-eminent institute of Islamic learning in the Sunni Muslim world, al-Azhar, described the murders as a "cowardly terrorist act."

Al-Azhar, which is based in Cairo, said it was deeply concerned that the killings appeared to have been prompted by "racism and Islamophobia."

Similarly, the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the world's largest bloc of Muslim countries, said the murders heightened international concerns about "rising anti-Muslim sentiments and Islamophobic acts" in the United States.