A Taliban suicide bomber struck a government bus in Kabul today, killing one civilian and wounding 15 others, officials said, as insurgent representatives hold talks with an Afghan delegation aimed at ending the country's 13-year war.
	The bus was carrying employees of the attorney general's office to work in downtown Kabul when the attacker detonated his suicide vest, as the militants press on with their annual spring offensive.
	The Afghan interior ministry "strongly condemned" the attack, confirming that one civilian was killed and 15 others were wounded.
	"These attacks...  Demonstrate [an] extreme level of atrocity by terrorists against innocent and defenseless civilians," the ministry said in a statement.
	The explosion blew out the windows of houses and shops nearby, Ahmad Reshad, a government employee who was near the blast site, told AFP.
	The attack comes after a 20-member Afghan delegation yesterday launched two-days of "open discussion" with Taliban representatives in the .

Suicide attack on Kabul bus kills one, wounds 15: officials

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West Indies defied the odds and a wearing pitch to complete a series-levelling five-wicket victory over England on the third day of the third and final Test.
     Set a daunting target of 192 after the tourists were dismissed for 123 in their second innings, a 108-run fifth-wicket partnership between Darren Bravo and Jermaine Blackwood tilted the match decisively the Caribbean side's way yesterday.
     That allowed them to celebrate their first victory over England since the opening match of the 2009 series in Kingston, Jamaica.
     Bravo's controlled knock of 82, his 11th Test half-century, ended when he attempted to make the victory hit off Ben Stokes as Stuart Broad pulled down the catch at mid-off.
     It was left to Blackwood to finish off the match in the next over, hoisting Moeen Ali's off-spin over long-on to finish unbeaten on 47 and complete a team and personal triumph following his first innings top score of 85 out of a total of 189.
     He was named man of the match.
  

Battling Windies win third Test by five wickets

Former world number one Tiger Woods and his skiing star girlfriend of three years Lindsey Vonn have separated, it has been confirmed.
     Vonn announced the split in a statement on her Facebook page yesterday, saying the couple had parted due to incompatible schedules.
     "After nearly three years together, Tiger and I have mutually decided to end our relationship," Vonn said.
     "Unfortunately, we both lead incredibly hectic lives that force us to spend a majority of our time apart.
     "I will always admire and respect Tiger. He and his beautiful family will always hold a special place in my heart."
     Woods issued a similar statement on his website.
     "I have great admiration, respect and love for Lindsey and I'll always cherish our time together. She has been amazing with Sam and Charlie and my entire family," he said.
     "Unfortunately, we lead very hectic lives and are both competing in demanding sports. It's difficult to spend time together."
     Woods, 39, and ...

Tiger Woods, Lindsey Vonn split

A blast and gunfire rattled the hamlet in western Mexico where a drug cartel brought down a military helicopter in an intense battle that left three troops dead and three more missing.
	Witnesses say around a dozen sport-utility vehicles were driving down a dirt road with their lights off early Friday while the helicopter followed closely behind in a rural area of Jalisco state.
	Suddenly, people heard a "loud explosion and then you could see the bursts of gunfire," said a young woman who lives in the hamlet and declined to give her name over security concerns.
	The war-like scene was the most intense fight in a spasm of violence launched by the Jalisco New Generation Drug Cartel against a military and police operation that was launched against the gang the same day.
	Residents and an army commander who requested anonymity told AFP the gunmen appeared to have used a weapon similar to a rocket launcher to take down the aircraft.
	"The explosion produced a big black smoke cloud," ...

A blast and gunfire: Mexico's chopper battle

Police fired stun grenades to disperse a rally by Ethiopian Israelis demonstrating in central Tel Aviv against alleged police brutality and widespread discrimination.
	Some of the demonstrators hurled stones, bottles and chairs from nearby restaurants after attempting to storm the Tel Aviv municipality building.
	Mounted police used riot stun grenades and water cannon as well as pepper spray yesterday to disperse the crowd and clear nearby streets, but an AFP correspondent said the protesters kept returning.
	Emergency medical services said 23 officers and seven demonstrators were injured in the clashes.
	Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said a number of protesters were arrested.
	Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said dispersing the "riot" was difficult since it had no clear leadership.
	"There is nobody to talk to," he told reporters.
	Yesterday's protest came three days after a stormy demonstration in Jerusalem sparked by footage showing two policemen beating a uniformed 

Police fire grenades at Tel Aviv rally by Ethiopian Israelis

Some 10,000 people took to the streets of Chisinau, capital of Europe's poorest nation Moldova, to protest over the disappearance of USD 1 billion from three banks, police said.
	In April, the Central Bank of Moldova discovered that the three banks in question granted loans worth a total of $1 billion, equal to 15 percent of the impoverished ex-Soviet state's GDP.
	The beneficiaries of the loans have not been identified, but the money appears to have been spirited away.
	According to a parliamentary committee's report, leaked to the press, some of the money is believed to have landed up in Russian banks.
	The three Moldovan financial establishments involved -- Banca de Economii, Banca Sociala and Unibank -- hold about a third of all bank assets in the country, including money for pension payments.
	The transactions apparently happened over the course of several days, just before parliamentary elections late last November, in which pro-European Union parties narrowly squeezed ...

Thousands protest in Moldova over missing USD 1 billion

Another 5,800 migrants desperate to reach Europe were rescued this weekend as they tried to cross the Mediterranean on rickety boats, more than 2,150 of them today, the Italian coastguard said.
	The number rescued this weekend was one of the highest recorded in recent years, raising fears that the tide of people risking their lives to reach Europe from Africa and the Middle East has not been slowed by recent disasters.
	On April 12 and 13 alone, more than 6,000 people were rescued.
	Not all those trying to reach Europe made it, as the bodies of eight migrants were found on board two of the vessels today, the coastguard said.
	It was unclear how they died, but migrants face many dangers and extreme conditions on board overcrowded, flimsy vessels that set sail from Libya to Italy.
	Two other people drowned after they jumped into the sea to rush towards the rescue teams, the coastguard said.
	Today's rescues came as the Libyan coastguard intercepted five boats carrying 500 people and ...

5,800 migrants rescued in Mediterranean

Two inmates were killed and 21 others injured during fighting that broke out in an Athens prison today, the justice ministry said.
	The violence erupted between Albanian and Pakistani groups of prisoners using improvised weapons in Korydallos prison in western Athens, an informed source said. The reason for the dispute was unclear.
	Eight of the injured were said to be in serious condition, and several ambulances could be seen in front of the prison.

Two dead, 21 injured in Athens prison fighting

It struggled for years to sell its Rafale jets abroad but French defence group Dassault has finally scored several lucrative deals, thanks in part to anti-US suspicion in the Middle East, experts say.
	Egypt was the first buyer, ordering 24 planes in February. India followed suit with 36 fighter jets in early April.
	Tomorrow, wealthy Qatar will sign a deal for 24 jets, in a ceremony in Doha attended by President Francois Hollande.
	France may soon be celebrating again as negotiations with the United Arab Emirates appear to be headed in the "right direction", according to Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
	"For a long time, there were doubts about this Rafale," Hollande admitted last week when the Qatar deal was announced, before applauding the deal as "good news" for the country.
	Brushing aside concerns about client countries' rights abuses, France has consistently hailed the Rafale sales abroad as a success for both Dassault and French diplomacy.
	Experts say that aside from the ...

French Mideast policy helped Rafale jet sales: experts

Baltimore's mayor today lifted a curfew that was imposed across the East Coast city following widespread riots, as thousands of National Guard troops began withdrawing from the scarred metropolis.
	Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had faced growing calls for the curfew to be scrapped, particularly from store and restaurant owners who said the 10:00 pm to 5:00 am nightly restriction was wrecking business.
	"My goal has always been to not have the curfew in place a single day longer than was necessary," Rawlings-Blake wrote on Twitter on Sunday morning. "I believe we have reached that point today."
	Authorities imposed the curfew April 28 after protests over the death of a man who sustained fatal injuries while in police custody turned violent. The curb on nighttime activity was initially supposed to remain in place until May 4.
	Baltimore took the unusual step of a citywide curfew after rioters torched cars, pelted police with stones and ransacked stores on April 27. The riots stemmed ...

Baltimore lifts curfew, National Guard begins pullout

Greece and its European creditors are finally making progress only days after combative Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis was effectively sidelined from talks on its enormous debt, EU sources told AFP today.
	Negotiators said there were "encouraging" signs from meetings over the weekend in Brussels on reforms which Athens must push through in exchange for 7.2 billion euros (USD 8 billion) in desperately-needed bailout funds.
	The talks, which began Thursday, were the first led by economist and junior foreign minister Euclid Tsakalotos, who last week replaced the controversial Varoufakis as head of Greece's team of negotiators.
	After months of acrimonious deadlock, "the revamped (Greek) Brussels group have clearly improved the process, with a clear schedule for the discussions... And with more experts present with more details," one source said.
	"Talks are constructive," the source added. "I would even dare to say encouraging." They will continue on Monday and could last until at ...

'Progress' in Greek debt talks after Varoufakis sidelined

The UN's cultural body today awarded its annual press freedom prize to Mazen Darwish, a Syrian journalist and rights activist who has been jailed by the regime for more than three years.
	Darwish was arrested on February 16, 2012 along with Hani Zaitani and Hussein Ghreir, his colleagues at the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression. They are accused of "promoting terrorist acts".
	"I call on the Syrian authorities for his and his colleagues' release," UNESCO director general Irina Bokova said at the ceremony in Latvia to mark World Press Freedom Day, echoing repeated calls by rights groups, press organisations and the United Nations.
	Darwish is one of the founders of syriaview.Net, an independent news site banned by Syrian authorities in 2006 -- a move he said at the time was part of the state's "repression which targets free expression and democratic activists".
	UNESCO awarded its prize to Darwish "in recognition of the work that he has carried out in Syria for more ...

UNESCO awards press freedom prize to jailed Syria activist

Ten migrants who had risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean and reach Europe were found dead today, the day after nearly 3,700 others were rescued at sea.
	The number saved yesterday was one of the highest ever recorded in a single day, raising fears that the tide of desperate people trying to reach Europe from Africa and the Middle East has not been slowed by recent disasters.
	"Around 10 people were found dead," the Italian coastguard said Sunday, while several rescue teams worked off the shores of war-torn Libya, where most of the rickety, overcrowded boats set sail from.
	Rescuers said they found some of the dead on board several distressed migrant boats. It was unclear how they had died.
	Another three men drowned after they jumped into the sea, as they rushed to reach a coastguard vessel.
	Italian coastguards said 3,690 migrants were rescued yesterday.
	A record 3,791 migrants were rescued on April 12 followed and further 2,850 the following day.
	The navy said its patrol 

Ten new migrant deaths in Med after 3,700 rescued

Russia today mourned the death of Maya Plisetskaya, one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century who dazzled the world with her mesmerising performances and rare beauty.
	Plisetskaya, whose free-wheeling spirit defied the limits of Soviet-era art, died Saturday of a heart attack in Munich at the age of 89.
	Despite her advanced years, the Russian ballet icon had brimmed with energy and her death plunged the Bolshoi Theatre, where she had planned to celebrate her 90th birthday in November, into shock.
	"Plisetskaya is forever," said the Bolshoi where Plisetskaya danced well into her 60s. "She was, she is and she will be."
	Bolshoi artists and viewers observed a moment of silence for the dancer at the start of Sunday's performance of the ballet "Lady of the Camellias".
	Tributes for Plisetskaya known for her huge eyes, long legs and a flame of red hair, poured in from ballet greats and dance lovers from all over the world.
	"The star of Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya, who became the 

Russia mourns its ballet legend rebel Plisetskaya

Mountaineering companies today called off their spring expeditions to Mount Everest, marking the second year with virtually no summits after an quake-triggered avalanche killed 18 on the world's highest peak.
	The 7.8-magnitude quake left a trail of death and destruction when it erupted around midday on April 25, bringing down buildings in the capital Kathmandu and triggering an avalanche that ripped through Everest base camp.
	Top climbing firms said they had cancelled their plans even though the avalanche spared their teams, due to fear of aftershocks and destruction of the route to the summit.
	"With ongoing aftershocks and tremors we can't continue expeditions," two-time Everest summiteer Dawa Steven Sherpa of Kathmandu-based Asian Trekkers told AFP.
	"And there is nothing in place for climbers anyway...No ropes or ladders.... So there is no point in continuing this season," he added.
	US-based International Mountain Guides and Nepalese outfit Seven Summits expressed similar ...

Climbing firms call off Everest season after quake

The mayor of Baltimore today lifted a curfew that was imposed across the East Coast city following rioting over the death of an African American man in police custody.
	Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had faced growing calls for the curfew to be scrapped, particularly from store and restaurant owners who said the 10:00 pm to 5:00 am nightly restriction was impacting business.
	"My goal has always been to not have the curfew in place a single day longer than was necessary," Rawlings-Blake wrote on Twitter on Sunday morning. "I believe we have reached that point today."
	The curfew was imposed April 28 and applied to everyone except emergency crews. Authorities initially had said the curfew would remain in place until May 4.
	Baltimore took the unusual step of a citywide curfew after rioters torched cars, pelted police with stones and ransacked stores on April 27. The riots followed protests over the death of Freddie Gray, 25, who suffered a serious spinal injury while in the back of a ..

Baltimore lifts curfew, six days after riots over man's death

Egypt's top court today sentenced 14 policemen and a doctor to jail terms for torturing two prisoners to death in 2006, a judicial official said.
	A colonel was jailed for three years, while 13 policemen were given one-year prison terms each in a case that also saw a doctor sentenced for a year.
	They were jailed "for torturing to death two criminals who were in their custody in 2006", the official said.
	It was unclear whether the jail terms had already been served since the incident occurred nearly a decade ago.
	Today's verdict, which is final and cannot be appealed, comes after two policemen were referred to trial in February on charges of torturing and beating to death a lawyer jailed after a pro-Islamist protest.
	Police abuses, which surged during the last five years of ex-president Hosni Mubarak's rule, were a key factor in the uprising that toppled him in early 2011.
	However, the force has managed to rehabilitate itself in the eyes of many Egyptians amid a deadly crackdown ..

Egypt jails 14 policemen, doctor for torture deaths

The mayor of Baltimore today lifted a nightly curfew that was implemented after residents in the US city rioted following the death of a man in police custody.
	A 10:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew was imposed Tuesday following chaotic scenes that saw mobs looting shops, smashing store windows and setting cars ablaze.
	But recent protests have been largely peaceful and a growing chorus of community members and business owners called for the curfew to be lifted.
	"Effective immediately, I have rescinded my order instituting a city-wide curfew," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake wrote on Twitter.
	"I want to thank the people of Baltimore for their patience."
	The mayor went on to tweet that her goal had "always been to not have the curfew in place a single day longer than was necessary. I believe we have reached that point today."
	Protests erupted in Baltimore and several major US cities following the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Baltimore man who died from injuries sustained while in ...

Baltimore mayor announces immediate lifting of curfew

Some 1,000 people today gathered at a former airbase of the kamikaze squad in southwestern Japan, to mourn the loss of the lives of suicide mission pilots seven decades ago.
	The memorial service was held in Chiran, southern Kyushu, from which 439 kamikaze pilots left for suicide missions - known as "Tokko" in Japan - and did not survive, towards the end of World War II, public broadcaster NHK said.
	Television footage showed bereaved families of late kamikaze pilots and other participants offering a silent prayer in the rain and placing white chrysanthemums before a Buddhist hall.
	"We pledge to make an effort for peace, not forgetting about the graveness of the lives of young people victimised by 'Tokko,'" an 84-year-old who lost his brother in the mission told the ceremony, according to NHK.
	The memorial service comes before the nation is scheduled to mark the 70th anniversary of its surrender that ended the war, on August 15.
	The squadrons were formed near the end of the ...

Mourners pray for kamikaze pilots ahead of WWII anniversary

Libya's coastguard today intercepted five boats carrying around 500 illegal migrants who were trying to reach Europe, an official said.
	Colonel Reda Issa told AFP that most of the migrants were Africans who had set off from an unspecified location.
	The boats were intercepted some eight nautical miles off the coast and ordered to head for the city of Misrata east of the capital Tripoli, the officer said.
	Issa did not say what would happen to the migrants, but Libya has a detention centre for migrants in Misrata.
	Today's report came with the Italian coastguard on another migrant rescue operation in the Mediterranean after nearly 3,700 were saved on Saturday alone.
	Several hundred migrants, mostly Africans but also including many fleeing the civil war in Syria, leave Libya every day on rickety boats hoping to make it to Europe.
	In April, more than 750 people drowned in the Mediterranean's worst maritime disaster in decades when their boat capsized. Just 26 men and two crew ...

Libya coastguard intercepts 500 illegal immigrants

The Saudi-led coalition battling rebels in Yemen sent a "limited" force to the city of Aden today, Yemeni sources said, in what would be its first ground deployment inside the country.
	A spokesman for the coalition denied that a major ground force has landed, refusing to comment on "ongoing operations".
	But Yemeni government and militia forces said the several dozen troops had landed in the main southern city, with some sources saying they were engaged in fighting for its international airport.
	An AFP journalist saw several men in the vicinity of the airport dressed in clean military-style clothing, wearing helmets and carrying sophisticated weaponry.
	"A limited coalition force entered Aden and another force is on its way" to the port city, a Yemeni government official there told AFP, requesting anonymity.
	The coalition launched air strikes against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels and their allies on March 26 after they seized control of large parts of the country and advanced on ...

AFP

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