Midday Roundup: ISIS rampages on as Obama hosts summit

Extreme. ISIS militants have reportedly burned to death 45 people in the Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi. The victims are believed to be a part of Iraqi security forces that last week tried unsuccessfully to keep the Islamic terrorist group out of the town. The news comes as the White House begins a three-day summit to combat what it calls violent extremism. The summit is, in part, a make-up gesture for the president skipping a solidarity march in Paris last month after the Charlie Hebdo attack.

What ceasefire? Ukrainian forces are retreating from the town of Debaltseve after pro-Russian rebels refused to end their siege of the town despite a ceasefire negotiated last week. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly called on the rebels to honor the ceasefire, but Western leaders say Russia is backing the rebels and not doing enough to support the peace plan. Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Ukraine to retreat from Debaltseve to avoid more bloodshed.

Hate crime? Police in Detroit say a Muslim man stabbed two people at a bus stop after asking them their religion. Terrence Lavaron Thomas, 39, pulled out a knife and attacked the men when they told him they didn’t share his beliefs. Police arrested him just minutes after the attack. Thomas stabbed one of the victims, a 52-year-old man, five times. The other man, a 51-year-old, suffered a stab wound in the hand when he tried to intervene. Both victims have been released from the hospital. Thomas has been charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder. Local police have called in the FBI to determine whether the incident qualifies as a hate crime.

Best in show. That perky tail, those big, dreamy eyes, and those draping ears—who could resist Miss P, the 4-year-old beagle who won the Westminster Dog Show in New York City Tuesday night? Apparently, Miss P’s win was an upset. Beagles, with their every-dog appearance, are thought to be better suited for the backyard than the stage. (As proof of the dog club’s preference for prissiness, no Labrador retriever has ever won Westminster.) But Miss P has greatness in her blood: Her great uncle Uno won top honors in 2008, breaking a 101-year losing streak for the beagle.

Little Luthers. What kid wouldn’t want to play with a Martin Luther doll? German toy manufacturer Playmobil was surprised at how many did. The diminutive plastic figurine of the father of the Protestant Reformation became its fastest-selling figure of all time when it came out last week. Parents snapped up all 34,000 of the figure’s first run in 72 hours, leaving the company scrambling to ramp up production at its Malta factory. The second run won’t be available until the end of April. Luther’s resurgence is part of a renewed interest in the Reformation, which will celebrate its 500th anniversary in 2017. Although Luther, who died on this date in 1546, is not as influential as he once was in Germany, he remains one of the country’s most prominent historical figures.

WORLD Radio’s Mary Reichard contributed to this report.