Protesters were withdrawing from Baghdad's Green Zone today after breaking into the fortified area and storming Iraq's parliament in an unprecedented security breach the day before.
	   The move, which lessens the pressure on politicians in Baghdad, came as rare bombings in the south killed 33 people and wounded dozens.
	   "The protest organising committee announces the withdrawal of the demonstrators from the Green Zone," it said in a statement, citing respect for a major Shiite pilgrimage as the reason for their departure.
	   The statement was distributed by the office of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose supporters make up the vast majority of the demonstrators.
	   Demonstrator Hussein al-Ali said that the announcement was made at the square where protesters had gathered, and that they accepted it and complied.
	   Protesters pulled down or scaled slabs of heavy concrete blast wall yesterday to enter the Green Zone, where Iraq's main government institutions are located, the ..

Iraq protesters quit Green Zone after unprecedented breach

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Fifteen migrants are missing after their boat sank on Friday, the second shipwreck that day in the Mediterranean, bringing the number of lives lost to almost 100, the UN said today.
	   A boat carrying around 120 people had sunk early Friday, four hours after leaving Libya for Italy, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokeswoman Carlotta Sami told AFP, adding that "some 15 persons went missing".
	   Among the missing were four Nigerians, two people from the Ivory Coast, three from Guinea, two from Sudan and one from Mali, she said.
	   Survivors were being disembarked in Pozzallo, Sicily, she said, adding that eight people had been taken straight to hospital "due to their serious health conditions," and that two bodies had also been disembarked.
	   The news came a day after the International Organization for Migration said that only 26 people were rescued from an inflatable boat carrying around 110 migrants when it sank off Libya in a separate shipwreck Friday.
	   Sami said Sunday that 27 ..

Up to 100 missing in two Mediterranean shipwrecks: UN

The departure hall at Brussels' Zaventem airport partly re-opened today, 40 days after suicide attacks claimed by the Islamic State group which killed 32 people, half of them at the air hub.
	"We are back to the familiar scene of our passengers in the departure hall," said Arnaud Feist, head of Brussels Airport, which operates Zaventem, at an opening ceremony.
	Twin explosions killed 16 people there on March 22 and devastated the departure hall, shattering the building's glass facade, collapsing ceilings and destroying check-in desks.
	Today Belgian flags were displayed on each side of a stage put up for the ceremony, with the date of the attacks and written tributes to the victims.
	The messages in several languages included "Love beats hate" and "Violence will never be the answer." On the floor in front lay bouquets of flowers, candles, photos of the victims and messages addressed to them.
	Some 400 passengers for only three flights were able to check in Sunday afternoon in the ...

Brussels airport partly re-opens, 40 days after attacks

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka announced today it was setting up a special panel to chase after nationals likely to figure in the "Panama Papers," a trove of leaked documents on global tax evasion.
	The government, which came to power in January last year on a promise to clean up corruption, has accused former president Mahinda Rajapakse and his family of siphoning off billions of dollars during his decade in power, a charge he has denied.
	The new administration has also been weighed down by huge foreign loans taken out by the Rajapakse regime. Colombo last week secured an IMF bailout of USD 1.5 billion to head off a balance of payments crisis.
	Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said Colombo would investigate "each and every Sri Lankan" whose names were likely to come up when the Panama Papers became publicly available on May 9.
	He accused the former government of failing to look into 46 Sri Lankans whose names came up in a 2013 probe known as the Offshore Leaks, by the International ...

Sri Lanka sets up panel to investigate 'Panama Papers'

The Islamic State group has beheaded four teenagers and young men in its Syria stronghold of Raqa for allegedly providing intelligence to the US-led coalition, a monitoring group said today.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS beheaded them after accusing them of "photographing sites and handing information to the crusader coalition causing bombing and the death of Muslims".
	"ISIS Executed 4 people they Accused them for spying for Coalition," citizen journalist group Raqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS) said on Twitter, using another acronym for the jihadist group.
	RBSS documents abuses in areas under IS control in Syria.
	Since 2014, a US-led coalition has been targeting IS in Syria, where the jihadists have made Raqa their de facto capital.
	IS has previously carried out several beheadings in Raqa.
	And last October, the decapitated bodies of two RBSS activists originally from Raqa were found in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa, 55 kilometres (35 miles) from the ...

IS beheads four young 'spies' in Syria's Raqa: monitor

Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal believes his call for all his anti-doping tests throughout his career to be released to the public is the only way to end the scourge of doping accusations in tennis.
     Nadal filed a lawsuit against former French sports minister Roselyne Bachelot on Monday after she accused him of covering up a failed drugs test.
     The Spaniard then requested that the International Tennis Federation release the results of his anti-doping tests throughout his career and in the future.
     "My philosophy is easy to understand. I believe in my sport, that is the most important thing, I believe my rivals are clean, our sport is clean and I believe in our anti-doping programme and it is independent one," Nadal said on Sunday.
     "The sport should be clean and must look clean. In my opinion it is much better for the transparency of the sport in general to say Rafa Nadal is doing an anti-doping control today, the result will be in two weeks and in two ..

Transparency can prevent "stupid" accusations - Nadal

Nico Rosberg became only the fourth driver in Formula One history to record seven successive wins when he cruised to victory ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in today's incident-filled Russian Grand Prix.
     The 30-year-old German started from pole and produced an imperious performance as he pulled clear of the field to take his fourth win of the 2016 season and the 18th of his career.
     He won the final three races of 2015 and is now unbeaten since defending three time world champion Hamilton triumphed in last year's United States Grand Prix to secure the championship.
     The only three men to have reeled off seven straight wins were Italian Alberto Ascari and Germans Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, whose race on Sunday was ended by a first lap accident.
     Hamilton, who started 10th, avoided the carnage of a first lap multiple collision that eliminated Vettel to sear through the field and, briefly, threaten a challenge for the lead.
     Hamilton's race, .

Seven-up Rosberg enjoys stroll in Sochi

The first US cruise ship bound for Cuba in 50 years was set to sail from Miami today and give travelers a taste of local art, music and dance in a festive offshoot of the restoration of diplomatic relations.
	The Adonia, a vessel from the Carnival cruise's Fathom line, was set to raise its anchors at 3:30 pm (1930 GMT) with some 700 passengers aboard.
	It is scheduled to sail into the port of Havana tomorrow, its first stop on a visit to the communist-run island.
	The voyage is the first of what Carnival says will become weeklong cruises to Cuba twice a month, with the goal of promoting cultural exchange between the two countries following a warming of ties that began in December 2014 and culminated last year with the restoration of full diplomatic ties.
	"Fathom offers a truly historic opportunity for travel to Cuba: a chance to help build new bridges to a rich and vibrant culture that, until now, most US travelers have only seen in photographs," the cruise ship web page ...

First US-to-Cuba cruise ship in decades set to sail

An Indian-flagged tanker has been forced to return a shipment of oil smuggled out of Libya thanks to international intervention, according to the country's National Oil Corporation (NOC).
	"The Indian vessel Distya Ameya, which was illegally attempting to export Libyan oil, has this morning... Returned its unlawful cargo to Libya," it said in a statement posted yesterday on its website.
	The NOC instructed the tanker to discharge at the Zawiya refinery west of Tripoli, where it will be used "for the benefit of all Libyans" in the cash-strapped country, it said.
	"I would like to thank all the people involved for helping to bring about a swift and safe resolution of this matter," said NOC chairman Mustafa Sanallah, praising the "action of the international community".
	The United Nations on Wednesday added the Distya Ameya to a UN sanctions blacklist after it left Libyan shores bound for Malta.
	A UN Security Council diplomat said the tanker's final destination could be the United Arab 

Tanker carrying illegal Libya oil forced back to port

Donald Trump hit out hard at Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz today, sounding unapologetic two days ahead of a key primary in Indiana he says will decide the Republican presidential race.
	Speaking on Fox News today, the Republican frontrunner concentrated on attacking Clinton, doubling down on his much-criticized statement that the likely Democratic nominee's only appeal to voters is the "woman's card."
	"She's done a lousy job in so many ways and even women don't like her," he said. "But it is the woman's card and she plays it and I will let you know in about six months whether or not she plays it well, but I don't think she'll play it well."
	"If she were not a woman she wouldn't even be in this race," he added.
	The real-estate billionaire also targeted Cruz, dismissing his closest Republican rival's criticism of Trump's endorsement by former boxing champion Mike Tyson, whom Cruz called a rapist.
	"No big deal, I didn't have a meeting or anything, I haven't seen Mike in years," Trump .

Trump hits out at Clinton and Cruz ahead of Indiana primary

Thousands of protesters were inside Baghdad's Green Zone today after breaking into the fortified area and storming parliament, as Iraq's premier called for rioters to be pursued and punished.
	Demonstrators pulled down or scaled slabs of heavy concrete blast wall to enter the fortified area where Iraq's main government institutions are located, the culmination of weeks of political turmoil and inaction by parliament.
	While there is still the potential for escalation, the situation was calm on Sunday, with protesters touring the area and taking photos of places they have rarely if ever been able to access.
	"This is the first time I've been here since I came with my school under Saddam (Hussein)," said 32-year-old Yusef al-Assadi, who took a "selfie" in front of the unknown soldier's monument.
	"It's one of the most beautiful places to be in Baghdad. It should be for everyone, yet the people were not allowed here," he said.
	Assadi said it was striking "how rich this place is. Here, ..

Protesters in Green Zone,Iraq PM orders action against rioters

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for rare bombings in southern Iraq that killed at least 33 people today.
	The jihadist organisation claimed in a statement posted on social media that two suicide attackers detonated car bombs targeting members of the security forces in the city of Samawa.

Islamic State group claims rare southern Iraq bombings

Yemen's government suspended today its participation in "direct" talks with Iran-backed rebels in protest at their takeover of a military base in the war-torn country despite a ceasefire, officials said.
	But government representatives will remain in Kuwait where they will continue to take part in indirect talks through UN mediator Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, delegates said.
	"We have decided to suspend direct talks with the rebels to protest continuing violations of the ceasefire" that came into effect on April 11, a senior government official told AFP.
	"We call on the United Nations to act seriously to end these violations which threaten to undermine the peace talks," said the government official who declined to be named.
	He said a session that had been scheduled for today afternoon would not take place, adding however that "contacts will continue with the UN mediator and sponsors" of the peace talks.
	Yesterday, Yemen's warring parties held their first face-to-face talks since the .

Yemen govt suspends 'direct' talks with rebels

Turkish police today clamped down on unauthorised protests during a tense May Day in Istanbul, using tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators and imposing a heavy security blanket on the city.
	In a separate incident, a man was killed when he was run over by a police water cannon vehicle.
	The authorities prevented all public access to Taksim Square in the centre of the city -- the traditional focus for protests -- and the usually bustling area was deserted save for police.
	Hundreds of labour and union activists, brandishing slogans promoting workers' solidarity, took part in an officially-sanctioned action at a vast market ground in the outlying district of Bakirkoy close to the international airport.
	However police used tear gas against members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) who sought to stage a protest of their own in Bakirkoy, roughly arresting several people, an AFP photographer said.
	Police also used water cannon and tear gas on protesters in the ...

Turkey police clamp down on May Day protests

At least 16 people were killed when a six-storey residential building due for demolition collapsed in Nairobi in torrential weekend storms, local authorities said today.
	"The people dead from this incident is now 16," said National Disaster Management Unit head Pius Masai.
	Authorities had initially put the death toll from Friday's building collapse in the northern district of Huruma at 12 last night.
	President Uhuru Kenyatta had yesterday visited the ruins of the building, where residents perished after concrete floors collapsed on top of each other.
	Building authorities had condemned the bloc, home to more than 150 families, but the order to evacuate and carry out the demolition had been ignored.
	The overall death toll from the severe rains meanwhile rose to 23 for Nairobi as a whole.
	The collapse of the residential bloc in a torrential downpour prompted questions over the quality of a construction completed only two years ago near a river.
	Two neighbouring buildings were ...

Kenya death toll after building collapse reaches 16

Four Yemeni guards were killed in a bombing that targeted the convoy of Aden's police chief, officials said, the second such attack on him in the southern city this week.
	A bomb-laden car in Aden's Mansura district exploded as General Shallal Shayae's convoy passed, damaging military vehicles and prompting clashes between his guards and Al-Qaeda suspects in the area, the officials added.
	Shayae himself escaped unharmed, according to his aides, but medical sources said that four of his guards were killed and eight others were wounded.
	There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but Shayae has survived attacks by jihadists more than once, the last of which was just days ago.
	On Thursday, a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives when he was stopped at a checkpoint on the perimeter of the compound around Shayae's house, wounding a guard.
	In February, suspected Al-Qaeda militants opened fire on a convoy carrying Shayae and Aden governor Aidarus ...

4 Yemen troops dead as Aden police chief survives bombing

Two bomb blasts in the southern Iraqi city of Samawa today killed at least 33 people and wounded more than 50, security and medical officials said.
	"The hospitals have received 33 dead," a senior official in the Muthanna health department, which covers Samawa, told AFP. An officer in Muthanna Operations Command confirmed the toll.

Twin bombings in southern Iraq kill 33: security officials

Turkish police today detained four suspected Islamic State jihadists who were allegedly planning an attack on May Day celebrations in the capital Ankara, the state-run Anatolia news agency said.
	Initial investigations showed that the four were Syrian citizens who had been in Ankara for some time, the agency added, without giving details on the nature of the attack.
	Turkey is on high alert after a string of attacks blamed on jihadists and Kurdish militants this year. Earlier today, two police were killed in a car bomb attack on the police headquarters in the city of Gaziantep.
	Turkish authorities have blamed IS for the double suicide bombing on a pro-Kurdish peace rally in Ankara last October that killed 103 people, the bloodiest attack in the country's history.

Turkey detains 4 jihadists 'planning Ankara May Day attack'

Iran's outgoing parliament approved a motion today to increase the capabilities of the country's ballistic missiles, a military programme that has been ruled dangerous by the United Nations.
	Tehran considers the missile programme an essential deterrent, citing the unprovoked attacks on its cities by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the nations' 1980-1988 war.
	However the United States and other Western countries has said the Islamic republic's missiles threaten the Middle East, particularly Israel. Tehran's clerical rulers do not recognise the Jewish state.
	The motion was passed by the lame duck conservative-dominated parliament one day after election results showed that reformists had beaten them in polls.
	Lawmakers said measures must be taken "to develop and increase ballistic missile capability" and "short, medium and long range anti-aircraft capabilities."
	The new parliament will be sworn in later this month.
	The ballistic missile programme was not covered by the ...

Iran parliament urges ballistic missile improvements

Twin bombings in southern Iraq kill 33: security

Iran's new parliament will have more women than clerics when its members are sworn in this month, a first in the Islamic republic and a sign of the country's evolving politics.
	Official results yesterday showed that reformist and moderate politicians allied with President Hassan Rouhani won a big victory in second round parliamentary elections.
	The outcome saw them outnumber their conservative rivals many hardliners lost seats for the first time since 2004 and capped a remarkable comeback for reformists after years of isolation.
	After the second round of elections a record 17 women will become lawmakers in the 290-seat parliament one more than the number of clerics, which has hit an all time low.
	In the first parliament that followed the Islamic revolution in 1979 there were 164 clerics elected.
	Some of the country's most prominent politicians are clerics and have previously been lawmakers including Rouhani who was an MP between 1980 and 2000.
	Two earlier presidents, Ayatollah ..

AFP

AFP

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