Obama hosts Super Bowl bash with mixed feelings

His beloved Chicago Bears aren't in the big game, but President Barack Obama is swallowing hard and throwing a Super Bowl party anyhow, in a bipartisan celebration of the nation's biggest sporting event.

But it's hard to know which part of the evening will give him more heartburn - seeing the Bears' archrivals, the Green Bay Packers, clashing with the Pittsburgh Steelers for football's crown, chewing on the Wisconsin sausage the mayor of Milwaukee is bringing or sitting for a pregame interview with Fox's Bill O'Reilly.

The conservative show-host and pundit has been granted the interview since Fox is broadcasting this year's game from Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas. It's certainly not out of love for Fox, which has been denounced by Obama aides as a vitriolic mouthpiece for his foes. Last year, when CBS had the game, Obama was interviewed by Katie Couric.

Ahead of his interview, O'Reilly forecast it'll be "the most watched . that's ever been done in the history of mankind."

Despite the sometimes hard feelings, it's hardly Obama's first interview with Fox, and not even his first with O'Reilly. The two faced off in September 2008 when he was a candidate.

Xavier beats Saint Louis 76-68, extends streak

Tu Holloway scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half on Saturday, rallying Xavier from a four-point deficit to a 76-68 victory over Saint Louis that extended the Musketeers' home winning streak in Atlantic 10 play.

The Musketeers (16-6, 8-1) have won their last 37 A-10 home games, the league record. They relied on their guards to keep it going after falling behind by four early in the second half.

Guard Mark Lyons added 15 points, 10 of them in the second half. Center Kenny Frease had 12 points, all in the first half.

Saint Louis (8-14, 3-6) has the league's worst offense but made its first nine shots to open the second half, taking the lead before Holloway turned it around. Forward Brian Conklin led the Billikens with a career-high 24 points, going 11 of 15 from the field. Rob Loe added 18.

The Billikens lost sophomore forward Cody Ellis to a shoulder injury with 57 seconds left in the first half. He dived for a loose ball and drove his right shoulder into Xavier's Dante Jackson before hitting the floor. Ellis lay on the floor for several minutes holding the shoulder, then went directly to the locker room.

Ellis, who is the Billikens' second-leading rebounder, sat on the bench with his arm in a sling during the second half.

Bush visit to Geneva canceled after protest threat

GENEVA (AP) -- Organizers have canceled a visit next week by former U.S. President George W. Bush to Switzerland because of security concerns.

Bush's spokesman David Sherzer says the two-term president was informed Friday by the United Israel Appeal that his Feb. 12 dinner speech in Geneva had been called off.

Saturday's edition of Swiss daily Tribune de Geneve cited the Jewish charity's lawyer, Robert Equey, saying the visit was canceled because of the risk that protests by left-wing groups could result in violence.

Several human rights groups including Amnesty International were also planning to ask Swiss prosecutors to open a criminal investigation of Bush over his admission that he personally authorized the waterboarding of terrorism suspects.

Russia's Lavrov against further Iran sanctions

MUNICH (AP) -- Russia's foreign minister is indicating that he opposes slapping more international sanctions on Iran in the standoff over its nuclear program.

Iran has been hit with several rounds of U.N. sanctions over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. Tehran again rebuffed U.N.-drafted proposals at talks in Istanbul in January, generating speculation about more economic pressures.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday that "any new proposals ... would basically be aimed at suffocating the Iranian economy."

He says that "was not part of the agreement" when the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members and Germany started trying to allay doubts over Iran's nuclear intentions with a combination of incentives and pressure.

Lavrov argues the Istanbul meeting was "not a total failure."

Protest leaders meet with Egypt PM

CAIRO (AP) - Leaders of unprecedented wave of anti-government protests Egypt held talks with the Prime Minister on ways to ease out President Hosni Mubarak of Office. Under one proposal, the 82-year-old leader of the hand of his powers to his vice president, but not his title immediately, give him a graceful exit.

Mubarak has refused to leave faith, insist on serving the remainder of his term until September, and his aides have repeatedly said in recent days that the country's leader of nearly 30 years may be dumped in a humiliating way.

The protesters say they can not turn their huge rallies to stop or to enter into substantive negotiations on democratic reform Mubarak concluded. Thousands continued to gather Saturday in downtown Cairo Tahrir Square, one day after some 100,000 demonstrators are demanding massive Mubarak immediately leave power.