Hezbollah killing: Jihadists blamed for Badreddine death
Hezbollah's top military commander in Syria, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, was killed in artillery fire by jihadists, the Lebanese group says.
Badreddine's death near Damascus airport was announced on Friday and initially blamed on Israel, Hezbollah's chief enemy.
Badreddine was believed to have run all Hezbollah's military operations in Syria since 2011.
Thousands of Hezbollah troops are supporting President Bashar al-Assad.
This has pitted it against several groups of anti-Assad rebels - from so-called Islamic State (IS) to the al-Nusra Front.
Afghanistan ready to sign truce with insurgent group Hezb-i-Islami
Kabul officials say deal could be inked as soon as Sunday, which it hopes will eventually lead to peace with Taliban
The Afghan government is expected to finalise a peace deal with a notorious militant insurgent group within days, marking a breakthrough in attempts to end the 15-year war, an official and a representative of the group said on Saturday.
Ataul Rahman Saleem, deputy head of Kabul’s high peace council, said that the deal with the armed wing of Hezb-i-Islami could be completed on Sunday, after two years of negotiations.
A senior representative of Hezb-i-Islami, Amin Karim, also said he expected President Ashraf Ghani to approve the final version of the agreement on Sunday. Such a deal would mark a much-needed success for Ghani in forging peace with insurgent groups fighting to overthrow the Kabul administration.
Chinese nursery schools ban religion after little girl recites Quran
The government reiterated rules strictly forbidding the presence of religion in public schools
A Chinese province with a large Muslim population has banned religion in nursery schools after a video of a little girl reciting the Quran was posted online.
The government in the northwestern province of Gansu reiterated the fiercely secular communist government's rules forbidding the presence of religion in public schools.
It said the country's constitution and education laws protect children.
"This video has drawn a gasp from the public, as many people are infuriated," a statement from the education authority said.
"The Education Department of Gansu province strongly condemns the act that harms the mental health of the youth, and demands education agencies of all levels to stop it resolutely and strictly bans religion from campuses."
Questionable Deal: EU to Work with African Despot to Keep Refugees Out
By Jürgen Dahlkamp and Maximilian PoppIn an effort to help keep refugees from Africa at bay, the EU is planning to deliver personal registration equipment to Sudan, whose president is wanted on war crimes charges. Germany is leading the way.
The ambassadors of the 28 European Union member states had agreed to secrecy. "Under no circumstances" should the public learn what was said at the talks that took place on March 23rd, the European Commission warned during the meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee. A staff member of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini even warned that Europe's reputation could be at stake.
Under the heading "TOP 37: Country fiches," the leading diplomats that day discussed a plan that the EU member states had agreed to: They would work together with dictatorships around the Horn of Africa in order to stop the refugee flows to Europe -- under Germany's leadership.
Venezuela president declares emergency amid fears country is headed for meltdown
May 14, 2016 - 4:31PMKaren DeYoung
Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has declared a 60-day state of emergency due to what he called plots from within the country and the United States to topple his leftist government.
It came as US intelligence officials told reporters they were increasingly worried about the potential for an economic and political meltdown in Venezuela and predicted Mr Maduro was not likely to complete his term.
"You can hear the ice cracking," an intelligence official said. "You know there's a crisis coming."
Venezuela's opposition is seeking to recall the unpopular leader, 53, amid a worsening crisis that includes food and medicine shortages, frequent power cuts, sporadic looting and galloping inflation.
Ambassador Jilani censures NYT over damning editorial on Pak role in Afghanistan
APP
Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani on Thursday rejected assertions made in a New York Times editorial published May 12, which implicated Pakistan for the mess in Afghanistan and termed Islamabad a “duplicitous” and “dangerous” partner for the United States and Afghanistan.
In a statement that was a rejoinder to the NYT indictment, Jilani came out hard against the organisation, questioning what he called its “partisanship”.
He said the situation in Afghanistan was a “collective failure of the international community”.
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