TEL AVIV, Israel

Anti-Semitic attacks rise after two years of decline

Israeli researchers warned Sunday of a sudden upsurge in anti-Semitic attacks, topped by a deadly school shooting in France last year, noting a link to the rise of extremist parties in Europe.

The warnings emerge from an annual report on anti-Semitism in the world, released on the eve of Israel’s memorial day for the 6 million Jews killed by German Nazis and their collaborators in World War II.

The report noted a 30 percent jump in anti-Semitic violence and vandalism last year, after a two-year decline. It was issued at Tel Aviv University, in cooperation with the European Jewish Congress.

The report recorded 686 attacks in 34 countries, ranging from physical violence to vandalism of synagogues and cemeteries, compared to 526 in 2011. It said 273 of the attacks last year, or 40 percent, involved violence against people.

CAIRO

Christians clash with mob at main Coptic cathedral

Christians angered by the killing of four Christians in weekend sectarian violence clashed Sunday with a mob throwing rocks and firebombs, killing one and turning Cairo’s main Coptic cathedral into a battleground.

The clashes raised tempers in an already tense political atmosphere, as workers shut down the country’s trains in a strike over wages.

A liberal opposition group, the Popular Current, said the clashes were symptomatic of the failure of the state to protect its citizens, calling on Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and his government to resign.

Morsi said in a statement late Sunday that he gave orders to authorities to guard the cathedral and citizens in the area.

RENO, Nev.

Police suspect four people of robbing, killing top official

Investigators believe four suspects stole property in the apartment of Nevada’s chief insurance examiner before killing him and dumping his body in a river, authorities said Sunday.

Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong said all four suspects have been booked on murder charges in the death of William McCune, 62, whose blanket-wrapped, duct-tape-bound body was found Saturday.

The suspects are from the Carson City area, he said, and the case isn’t related to McCune’s work for the state. Detectives believe McCune knew two of the suspects socially, Furlong said, and the possible motive was the theft of property or money from him driven by illegal drug use.

LAKE FOREST, Calif.

Famous pastor’s son dies of apparent suicide

Members of Rick Warren’s Southern California church began Sunday services with a prayer for the popular pastor, as he and his family coped with the apparent suicide of his 27-year-old son, Matthew Warren.

Matthew Warren struggled with mental illness, deep depression and suicidal thoughts throughout his life, Saddleback Valley Community Church said in a statement.

Orange County authorities declined to release the cause of death pending an autopsy.

Rick Warren, the author of the multimillion-selling book “The Purpose Driven Life,” said in an email to church staff that he and his wife had enjoyed a fun Friday evening with their son, but he returned home to take his life in “a momentary wave of despair.”

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip

Police accused of crackdown on long hair, low pants

Police in Hamas-ruled Gaza have started grabbing young men with long or spiky hair off the streets, bundling them into vehicles and shaving their heads, two of those targeted and a rights group said Sunday. It’s the latest sign that the Islamic militants are imposing their strict practices on the population.

Hamas has been slowly forcing its fundamentalist interpretation of the religion on already conservative Gaza since it overran the territory in 2007, but the new crackdown on long hair and tight or low-waist pants — in several cases accompanied by beatings — appears to be one of the most aggressive phases of the campaign.

Two of those rounded up told The Associated Press the sweeps have included more than two dozen young men.

— From news service reports