Libya's internationally recognised parliament will meet "in the coming weeks" to give its backing to a UN-backed unity government aimed at ending chaos in the country, its speaker said today.
	An agreement for a power-sharing unity government was inked in December by lawmakers from Libya's rival parliaments but neither administration has so far formally backed the UN-brokered accord.
	"The parliament will meet in the coming weeks to consider an amendment to its constitutional declaration to give a vote of confidence to the national unity government," Aguila Saleh said during a visit to Cairo.
	Libya has had two rival administrations since mid-2014 when a militia alliance overran Tripoli, setting up its own authority and forcing the internationally recognised parliament to flee to the country's east.
	The head of a UN-backed administration, prime minister-designate Fayez al-Sarraj, arrived earlier this month in Tripoli after weeks of delay to begin garnering support for his ...

Libya govt meeting soon to back power-sharing plan: speaker

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Peruvians voted today on whether Keiko Fujimori, daughter of an ex-president jailed for massacres, should become their first female leader in an election marred by alleged vote-buying and deadly attacks.
	Polls opened at 8:00 am (local time) and were due to close at 0230 IST, with 23 million of the South American country's 30 million inhabitants called to cast ballots in the compulsory vote.
	Half the candidates have dropped out or been excluded from the running under a tough new electoral law that saw Fujimori and other leading candidates accused of wooing voters with gifts.
	The 40-year-old daughter of former leader Alberto Fujimori survived the charges and is likely to win about a third of the vote, according to three opinion polls published on Friday.
	That would send her to a runoff vote in June against whoever finishes second.
	Fighting it out for second place are ex-prime minister and Wall Street banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, 77, and left-wing lawmaker Veronika Mendoza, ...

Peru votes on Fujimori daughter in chaotic election

Student leaders behind Hong Kong's 2014 pro-democracy protests launched a new political party today and said it would campaign for a referendum to decide the city's future - including possible independence.
	The semi-autonomous Chinese city is self-governing and retains many freedoms not seen on the mainland. But Beijing sees the concept of eventual independence as unthinkable.
	Joshua Wong, 19, who announced the launch of the Demosisto party, was at the forefront of the mass rallies which brought parts of the city to a standstill as residents called for fully free elections for future leaders.
	But the 79-day protest fizzled out without winning any concessions from the Hong Kong or Chinese governments.
	"It is time to fight for our self-determination," Wong told a press conference at which the party - whose key policy is to push for a referendum - was launched.
	"Independence should be one of the options inside the self-determination referendum," he said, adding he hopes it could ...

New party to seek vote on possible Hong Kong independence

Iraqi Shiite paramilitary forces have launched an operation to retake a town from which the Islamic State group launched a chemical weapons attack that killed three children, commanders said today.
	"The operation aims to liberate Bashir, after we succeeded several days ago in cutting off supplies to (IS) in the Bashir area," said Abu Ridha al-Najjar, who is leading the operation.
	Sheikh Maitham al-Zaidi, the commander of Furqat al-Abbas, one of the groups involved, also confirmed that the operation had begun.
	Najjar said that four pro-government fighters were killed and 40 wounded in clashes with IS on Sunday.
	The jihadist group fired rockets suspected of carrying a mustard agent last month from Bashir on Taza Khurmatu, another town in the northern province of Kirkuk.
	 The attack killed three children, wounded a large number of people and pushed thousands more to flee Taza out of fear that it would be repeated.
	IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but has ...

Iraq forces fight to retake chemical attack town: commanders

Loyalist Syrian troops are preparing a major operation to retake control of the northern city of Aleppo with Russian air cover, Syria's Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said today.
	"With our Russian partners we are preparing an operation to free Aleppo and block all illegal armed groups that have not joined or have broken the ceasefire deal," Interfax news agency quoted Halqi as saying following a meeting with Russian lawmakers in Damascus.
	He said that regaining control of Aleppo from rebels hostile to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad would allow government forces to advance east to Deir Ezzor, some 60 percent of which is under the control of the Islamic State group.
	Damascus has vowed with the support of its Russian allies to drive IS out of the area after its recent victory over the group two weeks ago in the ancient city of Palmyra.
	Aleppo, formerly Syria's economic capital and the country's second city, has since 2012 been divided into zones held between rebel groups and ..

Syrian army preparing to retake Aleppo: prime minister

John Kerry will not apologise for the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima during his visit to the city for weekend G7 talks, a State Department official said today.
	Speculation has been building that Kerry's planned visit to a Hiroshima blast memorial tomorrow could see the US secretary of state issue a first-ever apology for the wartime attack.
	But a State Department official said a formal apology from America's top diplomat was not on the cards.
	"If you are asking whether the secretary of state came to Hiroshima to apologise, the answer is no," the official, who asked not to be named, told reporters travelling with Kerry.
	"If you are asking whether the secretary and I think all Americans and all Japanese are filled with sorrow at the tragedies that befell so many of our countrymen, the answer is yes."
	Kerry is the first secretary of state to visit the Japanese city, which was obliterated by a US nuclear bomb on August 6, 1945 that killed 140,000 people, including those who died ...

Kerry apology for Hiroshima bombing not on table: US official

Jordan Spieth comfortably outplayed Rory McIlroy in their keenly anticipated Masters showdown Saturday, but found himself under threat instead from an unlikely trio of pursuants after a dismal last hole.
	   The 22-year-old defending champion led the tournament by one from the 26-year-old from Northern Ireland at the start of the day.
	   But their head-to-head duel never really materialized and, by the end of it, Spieth was five clear of his rival as McIlroy's hopes of a career Grand Slam were severely compromised.
	   The American, seeking to become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters, fired at 73 to finish the day on three-under par 213, leading the tournament for a record seventh straight time, four coming last year when he won his first major.
	   Despite an erratic display off the tee, he walked away with a one-stroke lead over American debutant Smylie Kaufman, with Asia's top player, Hideki Matsuyama, and German veteran Bernhard Langer a stroke further back.
	   .

Spieth holds firm, Langer steals the show at Masters

France's oldest nuclear power plant, scheduled for closure in 2018, could be turned into a factory producing electric cars or batteries, the French environment minister said today.
	Segolene Royal said Paris and Berlin had agreed during ministerial talks last week to work together to decide the future of the Fessenheim site, which lies on their shared border in northeastern France.
	"What the Germans suggested was to work on developing the land to set up a Tesla factory or a factory for making third-generation batteries," Royal said in an interview with French media.
	Tesla Motors, led by entrepreneur Elon Musk, this month launched a new model of its electric car aimed at the mass market, drawing some 325,000 orders in a week.
	Last year the American automaker unveiled a domestic battery that allows people to run their homes from stored power taken from solar panels or from the electricity grid at night when it is typically cheaper.
	A French-German working group will be set up to ...

French nuclear plant could become electric car factory

Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said in a televised address today that he  has decided to resign, less than two months after surviving a no-confidence vote in parliament.
	"I decided to step down from the post of prime minister of Ukraine," he said in a message aired by Ukrainian channels, Interfax news agency reported.

Ukraine PM Yatsenyuk announces resignation: report

Roger Federer was giving absolutely no guarantees about his form on Sunday, as the four-time finalist prepared for his first ATP start in more than two months at the Monte Carlo Masters.
     The 17-time Grand Slam winner will be starting afresh in the second round on the Monte Carlo Country Club clay after his early February knee operation.
     After hitting for nearly a week at the seaside venue overlooking the Mediterranean, the Swiss said that next week will be key for deciding his further schedule ahead of the French Open - the second major of the season.
     "I feel more rust than rest, but I am rested, mentally and physically," the 34-year-old said.
     "I don't think about the Roland Garros title," the 2009 Paris champion added.
     "I believe I can do it; every event at the Grand Slam gives me another opportunity to do that. I've been training super hard on clay, I'll be able to decide better about playing any of the Masters 1000 tournaments which come later (Madrid and ..

Modest hopes for Federer ahead of injury comeback

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced his resignation today in the wake of a months-long political crisis that has paralysed the government and frozen the release of vital Western aid.
	"Having done everything to ensure stability and make a smooth transition of power possible, I decided to step down from the post of prime minister of Ukraine," the 41-year-old pro-Western cabinet chief said in a video address.
	The tough-talking prime minister's decision comes barely two months after he survived a no-confidence vote in his government.
	He said President Petro Poroshenko's party had already nominated parliament speaker Volodymyr Groysman to his post and that he would not stand in the way.
	"From today onwards, I see my goals in a broader light than just heading the government," said Yatsenyuk.
	He vowed to push through "new election legislation, consitutional reform, legal reforms, a coalitions controlling the future government's course, international support for Ukraine, 

Embattled Ukraine PM Yatsenyuk resigns

A 6.6-magnitude quake struck northeast Afghanistan today, the US Geological Survey said, with tremors also felt in Pakistan.
	The quake at a depth of 210 kilometres (130 miles) occurred at 2:58 pm (1028 GMT), 282 km northeast of the capital Kabul.
	The quake was felt for a few seconds in Kabul and in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, where some residents evacuated apartment blocks after tremors shook ceiling fans and furniture.
	Last October a 7.5-magnitude quake ripped across Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing almost 400 people and flattening buildings in rugged terrain that impeded relief efforts.

Deep 6.6-magnitude quake rocks NE Afghanistan: USGS

Saudi King Salman called today for a joint fight against "terrorism" in the Middle East at a time when Riyadh is engaged in several conflicts the region.
	The 80-year-old monarch is on a rare five-day visit to Egypt, a trip seen as a clear show of support for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former military chief who toppled his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
	The two leaders have already signed a slew of multi-billion-dollar investment deals, and yesterday Egypt agreed to demarcate its maritime borders with Saudi Arabia by officially placing two islands in the Straits of Tiran in Saudi territory.
	"The other mission that we should work on together is the fight against extremism and the fight against terrorism," King Salman said in an address to the Egyptian parliament broadcast live on state television.
	In December, Saudi Arabia announced the creation of an "anti-terrorism" coalition whose members it said would share intelligence, counter violent ideology ...

King Salman calls for joint fight against 'terrorism'

Nigerian secret police have accused a Biafra separatist group of killing 55 people after discovering their bodies in shallow graves in a thick forest in the country's southeast.
	The Department of State Service (DSS), Nigeria's domestic spy agency, said the graves were found in Umuanyi forest in Abia state, home to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement.
	It issued a statemant late Saturday accusing IPOB members of playing a "heinous role" in the abduction of five Hausa-Fulani residents, although the claims were dismissed by another Biafran group.
	"The abducted men were later discovered at the Umuanyi forest, Abia state, where they were suspected to have been killed by their abductors and buried in shallow graves, amidst 50 other shallow graves of unidentified persons," spokesman Tony Opuiyo said in the statement.
	"Arrests and investigation conducted so far revealed that elements within the IPOB carried out this dastardly action," he said.
	IPOB was founded by Nnamdi Kanu, .

Nigeria blames Biafra group after dozens found in graves

Dozens of people were hurt on Sunday when police fired tear gas on a group of migrants as they tried to break through a fence on the Greece-Macedonia border, the medical charity Doctors without Borders (MSF) said.
	"Dozens of people were hurt, mainly suffering respiratory problems, and three had to be taken to hospital," MSF official Achileas Tzemos told AFP of the incident near the Idomeni crossing, a frequent flashpoint.
	A Macedonian police source said three officers were also injured by stones thrown by the protesting migrants.
	Tzemos also said several of the migrants were injured by plastic bullets but Macedonian police denied using such ammunition.
	"We are using all allowed chemical means," police spokeswoman Liza Bendevska told AFP.
	"We are not using any kind of bullets as they are in Macedonia forbidden by law. We are not using batons as we are on the other side of the fence," she said.

Police tear gas migrants on Greece-Macedonia border

SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo ship, carrying lettuce seeds, lab mice and an inflatable pop-up room, arrived today at a crowded International Space Station where six spacecraft are now docked.
	British astronaut Tim Peake reached out with the station's robotic arm and grappled the Dragon, carrying its nearly 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilogrammes) of gear, at 7:23 am (1123 GMT).
	"We show load is safe, and it looks like we've caught a Dragon," said Peake.
	Four Russian spaceships -- two Progress cargo carriers and two Soyuz capsules which ferry astronauts -- are docked at the space station, along with Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo ship and SpaceX's Dragon.
	Not since 2011, during the final flight of the space shuttle Discovery, have there been six vehicles parked at the ISS at the same time, NASA said.
	Included in the Dragon's cargo is an expandable room that will be temporarily attached to the orbiting outpost.
	Known as the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), the habitat is not ...

SpaceX cargo arrives at crowded space station

The world's Islamic countries began their annual meeting today in Istanbul, where they are set to focus on the Palestinian cause, conflicts in member states and combating terrorism.
	The meeting of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) comes once again at a time of turmoil in many Muslim nations, with conflicts in Syria and Yemen dragging on, and several states including Turkey, bloodied by militant attacks.
	The 13th annual OIC conference began with senior officials adopting the agenda and will be followed by a foreign ministers meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. Over 30 heads of state and government will attend the summit hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday and Friday.
	With guests set to include Saudi King Salman, the event is taking place under the highest security, with police stationed all around the venue in central Istanbul.
	The OIC said the summit was to issue a resolution on the Palestinian issue and support for international efforts to ...

Muslim body to focus on Palestinians, terror at Turkey summit

The unauthorised use of the International Red Cross's name by entities listed in the Panama Papers poses "enormous" risks for its operations and staff, the head of the humanitarian body said in an interview published today.
	Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), made the comments in Le Matin Dimanche, after the Swiss paper detailed how shell companies set up by Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca inaccurately listed the ICRC as their beneficiary.
	"The (risks) are enormous. If we were found, for example, to be associated with an offshore company owned by an armed group, I dare not imagine what we could be implicated in," Maurer told the paper.
	"We are going to do to everything in our power to stop this abuse," he added.
	According to the Swiss paper, Mossack Fonseca set up two entities -- Brotherhood Foundation and Faith Foundation -- which it offered to clients as an asset holding body.
	The ICRC was listed as a beneficiary of the two ...

'Red Cross threatened by unauthorised Panama Papers link'

The European Union today criticised the "unprecedented level of violence" in eastern Ukraine after international monitors came under fire despite a truce between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.
	"The significant increase of ceasefire violations in the Donetsk region represents an unprecedented level of violence" since the latest truce agreement in 2015, the office of EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.
	The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said late on Saturday that a team of its monitors carrying out an observation mandate in eastern Ukraine had come under fire 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of rebel hub Donetsk.
	A patrol in government-held territory on Saturday first heard an explosion 100-200 metres away from their car, after which there was gunfire from the same direction, with "at least three-four bullets flying one-two metres above their heads," the mission said.
	There was no damage to the vehicle or people, .

EU slams Ukraine violence after monitors attacked

The Toronto-based Iranian filmmaker Mostafa Azizi has been released in Tehran one year into a eight-year prison term, according to his family, having been convicted of spreading anti-regime propaganda.
	"#Breaking: My father was included in an amnesty and has been RELEASED. Yohooooo!," the filmmaker's son, Arash, wrote on his verified Twitter account late Saturday.
	"Thanks for all those who were with us in these tough times."
	Parastoo Azizi, Arash's Toronto-based sister, confirmed the release of her 54-year-old father on Facebook.
	"Finally after more than a year of nightmares!! After more than a year of struggles!! We shall sleep calm tonight!!! My father is free!," she posted, alongside a screen shot of her smartphone bearing a picture of him.
	The filmmaker had returned to his birth country from Canada, where he has residency, to care for his ailing father, and was considering staying when he was arrested on February 1 last year.
	"He wanted to move back to Iran," Arash told AFP .

Toronto-based filmmaker freed from Iran jail: family

Olympic medal hope Kento Momota has been kicked off Japan's badminton team for the Olympics this summer for gambling at an illegal casino, officials said on Sunday.
     The Nippon Badminton Association threw the book at the 21-year-old world No 2, banning him from competition indefinitely, after an emergency meeting to decide the player's fate.
     Team-mate Kenichi Tago, also found guilty of placing illegal bets, was removed from the organisation's official player list for an indefinite period.
     Momota became the first Japanese man to win a world championship medal with a bronze in Jakarta last August and had been tipped to challenge for the title in Rio.
     The controversy caused a stir last week, with Japanese badminton chief Kinji Zeniya breaking down in tears on television before resolving to deal harshly with the offenders. Government ministers were also quick to condemn the players.
     "It is important to take a resolute stance against players guilty of illegal acts," 

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