An Azerbaijani freight plane has crashed in Afghanistan killing seven crew members while two survived, the Caucasus nation's aviation authorities said today.
	The Antonov-12 plane that belonged to Azerbaijan's Silk Way cargo airline crashed on takeoff from Dwyer airbase in the southern Helmand province, Azerbaijan's civil aviation authority said in a statement.
	The plane crashed on Wednesday afternoon at around 14:30 local time (10:00 GMT), the statement said.
	Seven of the plane's nine crew -- five Azerbaijanis, one Ukrainian, and one Uzbek -- were killed in the crash.
	Two Ukrainain aircraft mechanics survived the accident. "Their condition is stable and satisfactory," the statement said.
	The plane had been leased from Silk Way and was flying without cargo to Mary in Turkmenistan to refuel. It had earlier flown from Bagram airfield to Helmand.
	Azerbaijan's civil aviation authority said it had "launched an investigation into the incident."
	Previously a cargo plane operated by ...

Azerbaijani cargo plane crashes in Afghanistan killing 7

PTI Automatic

Five Chadian peacekeepers were killed and three others wounded in a shootout during an ambush in northeastern Mali, the United Nations said today.
	"Five... Peacekeepers were killed and three seriously wounded during an ambush," which occurred yesterday, according to a statement posted on the UN Mali mission's social media accounts.
	The attack in Aguelhok, in the Kidal region, occurred when the soldiers were escorting a convoy, according to the statement.
	"Following the attack, three suspects were captured and will be transferred to the relevant authorities," said interim mission chief Koen Davidse.
	He described the ambush as "despicable" and condemned it "in the strongest terms".
	The UN mission, known by the acronym MINUSMA, has been particularly deadly for UN peacekeepers and seen sharp internal tensions since its launch in July 2013.
	UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has referred to "persistent operational difficulties" faced by the force, and called in March for the Malian ...

Five peacekeepers killed in Mali ambush: UN

NATO foreign ministers meet today to finalise the alliance's biggest military build-up since the end of the Cold War to counter what they see as a more aggressive and unpredictable Russia.
	At a Warsaw summit in July, NATO leaders will sign-off on the revamp which puts more troops into east European member states as part of a "deter and dialogue" strategy, meant to reassure allies they will not be left in the lurch in any repeat of the Ukraine crisis.
	Ministers will also discuss the growing challenges on NATO's southern flank, from conflict in Syria and Iraq to instability across North Africa amid fears terrorist groups such as Islamic State (IS) can exploit the turmoil.
	In November, IS attacks in Paris left 130 dead and fellow jihadis followed that up with more killings in March in Brussels -- home to NATO HQ, the European Union and a host of diplomatic and corporate offices.
	The EU is also grappling with the worst migrant crisis since the end of World War II and the bloc is ...

NATO finalises build-up details to counter Russia

Several scenarios could explain the mysterious disappearance of the Egyptair flight between Paris to Cairo early today, but experts say a terrorist attack is the most likely.
	Both France and Egypt have been leading targets for Islamist extremists in recent months.
	In October, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for bombing an A321 plane belonging to Russian charter company Metrojet that crashed into the Sinai desert on its way from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg, killing 224 passengers and crew.
	Experts say the chances of a mechanical malfunction in the case of today's Egyptair disappearance are slim.
	"A major technical fault -- the explosion of a motor, for instance -- seems improbable," said aeronautics expert Gerard Feldzer, underlining that the A320 in question was "relatively new", having entered service in 2003.
	In addition, the A320 has an excellent safety record as the best-selling, medium-range airliner in the world. An A320 takes off .

Terror attack most likely scenario for Egyptair disappearance

The pilot of an EgyptAir flight that vanished over the eastern Mediterranean early today with 66 people on board, had "not mentioned a problem" in his final contact, the Greek civil aviation said.
	"The flight controllers contacted the pilot (with the plane) at a height of 37,000 feet (near Athens)... He did not mention a problem," civil aviation chief Constantinos Litzerakos told Antenna TV.
	Litzerakos said the controllers had last spoken to the pilot "around 0005 GMT", some 25 minutes before the plane disappeared from Greek radar.
	A civil aviation statement said the pilot "was in a good mood and gave thanks in Greek when authorised to exit the Athens flight information region.
	"We tracked the entire process from the plane's entry (into Greek airspace) to its exit, it does not appear to deviate at all from the coordinates we gave," Litzerakos said.
	The plane vanished from radar screens at 0029 GMT after crossing into the Cairo flight information region, the Greek civil aviation ..

'No problem mentioned by EgyptAir pilot in last contact'

Syrian troops backed by fighters from the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah retook a key town outside Damascus from rebels today, a monitor said.
	Pro-regime fighters used clashes between rival rebel factions Jaish al-Islam and Faylaq al-Rahman as an opportunity to retake Deir al-Assafir, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
	As rebels summoned their fighters from Deir al-Assafir to the frontline, regime forces launched "a violent attack and heavy air campaign resulting in them controlling the town," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
	Islamist rebels had controlled Deir al-Assafir, located in the opposition bastion of Eastern Ghouta, since 2012.
	In April fighting erupted opposing Jaish al-Islam against Faylaq al-Rahman and another rebel group, Jaish al-Fustat -- both allied to Al-Nusra Front, Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate.
	The regime had been trying to retake Deir al-Assafir since February, Abdel Rahman said, despite the Eastern Ghouta region being included in a ...

Syria regime retakes key town outside capital: monitor

A rogue Afghan policeman shot dead eight of his colleagues in southern Afghanistan today, officials said, the latest in a series of insider attacks which have blighted government forces battling the Taliban.
	The incident occurred at a police checkpoint in Qalat, capital of Zabul province, as the Taliban ramp up their annual spring offensive launched last month against Western-backed Afghan forces.
	"Around 3:00 am today a policemen opened fire on his colleagues in Zabul, killing eight of them," Ghulam Jilani Farahi, deputy police chief of Zabul, told AFP.
	"The attacker fled to the Taliban after the incident. He also stole a pick-up truck, weapons and ammunition."
	The provincial governor's office confirmed the incident and death toll.
	Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said the insurgents were behind the assault.
	So-called insider attacks -- when Afghan soldiers and police turn their guns on their colleagues or on international troops -- have been a major problem during NATO's ..

Eight Afghan police killed in insider attack: officials

French President Francois Hollande confirmed today that the EgyptAir flight that disappeared from radar screens over the Mediterranean had "crashed".
	"We must ensure that we know everything on the causes of what happened. No hypothesis is ruled out or favoured," he said in a televised address.
	"Whether it was an accident or another hypothesis that everyone has on their mind - a terrorist hypothesis... At this stage we must focus on our solidarity with the families and the search for the causes of the catastrophe," Hollande added.
	The Paris prosecutor's office said its accident department had opened an investigation into the crash.
	The EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo crashed into the Mediterranean between the Greek islands and the Egyptian coast early today with 66 people on board.
	"We feel solidarity and compassion. It's not the first such catastrophe, and we know what it means for families and loved ones," Hollande said.

Hollande confirms EgyptAir flight 'crashed'

French President Francois Hollande confirms EgyptAir

Days after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an Army leader briefed a group of top government officials at the Department of War in Washington.
	The officer, Major General Leslie Groves, carried with him a bundle of photos that may have shocked even those war-hardened men.
	In fine resolution, the black-and-white pictures depicted the two mushroom clouds that defined the course of modern history, and showed what was left of the Japanese cities after the mega-blasts of August 6 and 9, 1945.
	Groves had directed the Manhattan Project, in which physicists including Robert Oppenheimer designed and created the world's first nuclear bombs.
	"If you were a cabinet secretary, or one of the few who received this briefing, think of the sense of ... Awe and dread," Michael Krepon, co-founder of Washington think tank the Stimson Center, said this week as he showed AFP the historic images.
	"There's no defense against this bomb."
	The institution has had the ...

US center gifts atomic bomb images to Hiroshima museum

Hong Kong student pro-democracy leader Joshua Wong was among five protesters detained today after they ran onto a motorway to intercept the motorcade of a top Chinese official during a highly-charged visit to the city.
	Their bid came on the final day of a three-day trip by Zhang Dejiang, who chairs China's communist-controlled legislature, where frustrated protesters have been kept out of sight behind barricades in a security lockdown.
	Zhang's visit is the first by such a senior official for four years and comes as concerns grow that freedoms are under threat in semi-autonomous Hong Kong as China tightens its grip.
	Police chased the group of five protesters as they ran along a major highway in eastern Hong Kong which had been cleared for Zhang, with Wong carrying a sign calling for "self-determination".
	The group were detained before Zhang's motorcade emerged from the motorway tunnel.
	The protesters were all members of Demosisto, a political party led by Wong, who became the face 

Hong Kong protesters detained after bid to stop China official

EgyptAir plane crashed off Greek island of Karpathos in

Leicester City's billionaire owners say they hope to use the Premier League winners to nurture young football talent with the aim of Thailand qualifying for the World Cup within a decade.
     The newly crowned English champions are on a celebratory post-season tour of Thailand, home of publicity-shy billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his son Aiyawatt -- better known as 'Top'.
     The two men, alongside manager Claudio Ranieri, are credited with steering the club to one of football's greatest fairytale wins.
     Vichai now hopes some of that success will rub off on his homeland, a nation mad about football but with little international success to boast of.
     "I'd like to see Thailand secure their first ever World Cup berth in 10 years," he told reporters in Bangkok on Wednesday during the first day of a publicity tour.
     The Midlands club is already hosting 16 young Thai players who are studying and training there, with plans to send more in the coming years.
     "We ...

Leicester owners shoot for Thai World Cup entry

French PM says 'no theory can be ruled out' on missing

30 Egyptians, 15 French among passsengers on vanished

Oil prices extended their retreat in Asia today after hawkish US Federal Reserve meeting minutes strengthened the dollar and a weekly report showed a rise in US crude stockpiles.
	Prices hit fresh 2016 highs on Wednesday due in part to production outages resulting from persistent wildfires around the Canadian oil sands hub of Fort McMurray but pulled back to settle lower after the dollar climbed.
	A stronger greenback makes dollar-priced oil more expensive, denting demand and hurting prices.
	Minutes from the US Federal Reserve's policy meeting in April and released Wednesday showed that policymakers kept open the door to raising interest rates in June.
	Higher interest rates typically encourages investors to move to the dollar for higher yields, lifting the currency.
	At about 0900 IST, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for June delivery fell 72 cents, or 1.49 per cent, to USD 47.47 a barrel. Brent for July dipped 84 cents, or 1.72 percent, to USD 48.09.
	Before Fed minutes .

Oil prices extend pullback as dollar rises

Two Chinese fighters have conducted an "unsafe" intercept of a US spy plane in international air space over the South China Sea, the Pentagon said, as tensions mount in the strategically vital waters.
	Tensions between China and the United States are high in the disputed waterway, an important shipping route thought to be home to vast energy deposits, and which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.
	"The Department of Defence (DoD) is reviewing a May 17 intercept of a US maritime patrol reconnaissance aircraft by two tactical aircraft from the People's Republic of China (PRC)," Pentagon spokesman Major Jamie Davis said in a statement yesterday.
	"Initial reports characterised the incident as unsafe," he added, without giving additional details.
	The incident comes more than a decade after a collision between a Chinese fighter jet and a US Navy EP-3 spy plane which killed the Chinese pilot and forced the US aircraft to make an emergency landing on the Chinese island province of ...

Chinese jets conduct unsafe intercept of US spy plane:Pentagon

Twelve months after his latest bid to complete a career Grand Slam was thwarted, Novak Djokovic targets an elusive French Open title with time and history threatening to conspire against him.
     The world number one was left in tears in 2015 when Stan Wawrinka unleashed a battery of single-handed backhand winners to all corners of Court Philippe Chatrier on his way to a shock Paris title.
     Djokovic turns 29 on Sunday and will be playing Roland Garros for a 12th time where he remains the overwhelming favourite to secure a trophy which would also place him halfway to the first calendar Grand Slam since 1969.
     But tennis is littered with great names whose Grand Slam pedigree endured shattering reality checks on Roland Garros's unforgiving crushed red brick surfaces.
     Pete Sampras won 14 majors but 13 times the great American tried to win the French Open and 13 times he failed.
     Stefan Edberg also made 13 fruitless visits while Djokovic's coach Boris Becker tried nine ...

Djokovic confronts greatest challenge as clock ticks

An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo with 69 people on board has vanished from radar, the airline said on its verified Twitter feed today.
	A tweet on the airline's official account said flight MS804 left Paris at 23:09 pm local time (0239 IST), "heading to Cairo (and) has disappeared from radar".
	Further tweets in Arabic said contact was lost at 02:45 Cairo time, when the plane was just inside Egyptian airspace and at an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,000 metres).
	There were 59 passengers and 10 crew aboard, according to the airline.
	"EGYPTAIR has contacted the concerned authorities and bodies and inspection is underway through the rescue teams," another tweet in English said.
	An EgyptAir flight from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked in March and forced to divert to Cyprus, where the "unstable" hijacker demanded to see his ex-wife.
	He surrendered after a six-hour airport standoff, which ended peacefully.

EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo disappears from radar

EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo disappears from radar:

The head of France's internal intelligence agency has warned that the country is "clearly targeted" by the Islamic State group which could launch a "terrorist campaign" of bombings in places where big crowds gather.
	DGSI agency chief Patrick Calvar made the comments at a hearing before a parliamentary committee on national defence on May 10, an account of which was made public yesterday.
	"We know that Daesh (Arabic acronym for IS) is planning new attacks -- using fighters in the area, taking routes which facilitate access to our territory -- and that France is clearly targeted," Calvar said.
	He noted that IS has suffered military setbacks in Syria and Iraq and wants to take revenge for the strikes by members of the anti-IS coalition, of which France is a member.
	Calvar noted that while last November's attacks in Paris that killed 130 people were conducted by suicide bombers and jihadists armed with Kalashnikovs, a new form of attack was possible.
	"We risk being confronted with a .

AFP

AFP

Page 1695 - Afp