A Pakistani student was arrested Wednesday after stabbing his professor to death for organising a mixed-gender reception at a government college, police said.
Associate professor Khalid Hameed was killed Wednesday on the campus of Sadiq Egerton College in the southern city of Bahawalpur, a local police official told AFP.
"The professor had organised a gender mix reception for the new students and the event was supposed to take place tomorrow, on Thursday," he said.
According to the report registered with the police, a copy of which was seen by AFP, the student had shouted that he killed the professor because he was "spreading obscenity".
"The gender mix reception is against the teachings of Islam and I had warned him to stop it," he was quoted as saying in the report filed with the police.
The professor's son Waleed Khan, who was with him at the time of the incident, said the student was waiting for his father.
"As my father was about to step into his office, the guy attacked him with 

Pakistan student kills professor over mixed reception

PTI Automatic

European Council president Donald Tusk said Wednesday that EU leaders could approve a short delay to Brexit if British lawmakers finally approve the withdrawal deal they have twice rejected.
"In the light of the consultations I have conducted over the past days, I believe a short extension will be possible but it will be conditional on a positive vote on the withdrawal agreement in the House of Commons," he told reporters.
"Even if the hope for a final success may seem frail, even illusory, and although Brexit fatigue is increasingly visible and justified, we cannot give up seeking until the very last moment a positive solution, of course without opening up the withdrawal agreement."
Tusk took to the podium at the European Council on the eve of a summit at which Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May will plead with fellow EU leaders for more time to win domestic support for the divorce plan.
He tacitly confirmed that no decision on an extension will be possible this week at the summit, 

EU's Tusk: short Brexit delay possible if MPs back deal

A rare nude drawing by Picasso of his lover Marie-Therese Walter is to be sold by New York's Museum of Modern Art in Paris later this month, Christie's said Wednesday.
MoMA is putting the ink drawing "Flute Player and Reclining Nude" under the hammer to raise money for its acquisitions fund.
The auction house said the work from 1932 - which has never before been sold - is one of a series of drawings in which the artist revealed his passion for the French teenager he met in the street in 1927 when she was 17 and he 46.
Years later, she told how Picasso walked up to her while she was out shopping in Paris and declared, "I am Picasso! You and me are going to do big things together." "He saw me coming out of the metro and took me by the arm," Walter recalled.
"I was a young innocent girl. I knew nothing -- nothing of life nor of Picasso." "The day that I met Marie-Therese I realised that I had before me what I always dreamed of," Picasso later confessed.
She quickly became his model and ..

New York's MoMA sells rare Picasso drawing in Paris

Dutch voters on Wednesday headed to provincial polls billed by the opposition as a referendum on Prime Minister Mark Rutte, after a campaign overshadowed by a deadly attack on a tram.
Hardline right-wing parties pushed the issue of integration to the forefront as the country reeled from Monday's shooting in the city of Utrecht for which a Turkish-born man and one other person have been arrested.
Rutte's coalition, led by his centre-right VVD party, looks set to lose its one-seat majority in the upper house of parliament, according to final opinion polls. That would leave it needing "kingmaker" parties to push through new laws.
The ballot, in which 13 million people are eligible to vote, will be widely watched abroad as a bellwether for European Parliament elections in May in which populist parties are expected to make broad gains.
The leaders of the 13 main parties on the fractured political scene had all cast their votes, including Rutte.
Following the Utrecht attack, almost all  ...

Dutch vote in 'Rutte referendum' after shooting

War-torn Afghanistan has delayed its presidential election until September 28, officials announced Wednesday, the second time the ballot has been put back and five months later than it was originally scheduled to be held.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) said the vote had faced "numerous problems and challenges, and there needs to be reforms along with preparation for the future election, therefore holding the elections based on the timelines previously announced is not possible".

Afghanistan presidential election delayed to Sept 28: officials

A FIFA official detained for allegedly defaming the Bangladeshi prime minister has been freed, her lawyer said Wednesday, in a case closely watched by football's governing body and rights groups.
Mahfuza Akhter, a FIFA council member since 2017 and the national chief of women's soccer, was arrested Saturday after a local football organiser accused her of making derogatory comments about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
She was granted bail this week and released from Dhaka central prison Wednesday afternoon "after we completed all legal formalities", said her lawyer Liakat Hossain.  Mahfuza in a press conference last month criticised Hasina for neglecting football in the cricket-mad country.
In an email to AFP, a FIFA spokesman this week said the footballing body was "monitoring this matter with concern".
The statement came a day after rights group Amnesty International demanded Mahfuza's unconditional release, saying she "was merely exercising her to right to freedom of expression".
If .

Detained Bangladeshi FIFA official released from jail

Paul Pogba hopes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is given the Manchester United manager's job on a permanent basis after the Norwegian turned the club's fortunes around.
The former United striker has transformed the mood and results at Old Trafford, leading the club into the Champions League quarter-finals and lifting them into contention for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
When Solskjaer was given the role following the departure of Jose Mourinho in December it was widely assumed he was merely keeping the seat warm for a bigger managerial name but his success has led to a clamour for the appointment to be made full-time and midfielder Pogba has now added his voice.
"Of course we want him to stay," the France midfielder told Sky Sports. "The results have been great. I have a great relationship with him, he has a great relationship with the players.
"When a player is happy, he wants to keep being happy. Solskjaer deserves it. He knows the club, he knows everything about the club.
"He is .

Pogba wants 'happy coach' Solskjaer to stay at Man Utd

Delaying Brexit to June 30 would bring "serious legal and political risks", the European Commission warned Wednesday in an internal briefing note ahead of an EU summit.
Britain has asked to postpone Brexit to that date, but the commission, the EU's executive arm, urged leaders to choose instead between a short delay to May 23 or a longer one "at least until end 2019".
The European Council, which groups the member states, confirmed it had received the letter from Prime Minister Theresa May asking for the delay, with leaders of the remaining 27 EU countries to decide on a possible postponement at their Brussels summit on Thursday and Friday.
May needs more time because her lawmakers have refused to approve the deal she struck with the EU to leave the bloc.
Elections to the European Parliament will be held on May 23-26, and the commission said that if Britain is granted a long delay, it must organise ballots.
"Any extension offered to the United Kingdom should either last until 23 May ...

'Serious' risks in delaying Brexit to June 30: European Commission

The British pound fell Wednesday on simmering Brexit tensions after Prime Minister Theresa May asked EU leaders to delay the nation's departure until June 30.
On eve of an EU summit in Brussels, May told parliament that she has written to EU President Donald Tusk to ask for the withdrawal date to be moved from March 29.
The European Commission warned in an internal briefing note that delaying Brexit to June 30 would bring "serious legal and political risks".
The EU's executive arm instead urged leaders to choose instead a short delay to May 23 or a longer one at least until the end of this year.
At around 1300 GMT, sterling was down almost one per cent in value, sliding to USD 1.3149, while the euro rose to 86.40 pence. The unit was already in negative territory prior to May's announcement.
Analysts expressed doubt that the delay extension would allow May's Conservative government sufficient time to resolve the crisis.
"The pound's Wednesday only got worse after the confirmation that .

Pound slides after UK requests Brexit delay

Spain's World Cup-winning goalkeeper Iker Casillas has extended his contract with Porto to 2020, the Portuguese champions announced Wednesday.
The prolonged deal for Casillas, who turns 38 in May, also includes an option for a further year, according to club president Jorge Pinto da Costa.
"It's not easy to count on someone who's almost 38 years old," said Casillas.
"I'm grateful for the confidence shown in me and hope to finish my career at a club where I feel at home."
Earlier in the week Casillas, who also captained Spain to European Championship titles in 2008 and 2012, said he would like to keep on playing until he is 40.
Pinto da Costa hinted that could be a possibility, telling reporters: "I'm convinced that it's not the last contract for Casillas with us." The former Real Madrid star has made 149 appearances for Porto since arriving at the club in 2015, and helped Porto end Benfica's four-year title reign last season.
Casillas, a three-time Champions League winner with Madrid, 

Casillas prolongs Porto stay until 2020

British Prime Minister Theresa May faced a cabinet revolt if she asked the EU for a long delay to Brexit, media reports said Wednesday, even after she had warned MPs of such a possibility.
Downing Street confirmed that May would be asking EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday to delay Britain's March 29 exit day by only a short period, saying voters wanted to get on with Brexit.
The decision followed a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where several Brexit-supporting ministers reportedly indicated they might quit if the delay was long.
Any delay can only be decided by EU leaders.
One source was reported as saying that the divisions at the top of British government made it feel "like the last days of Rome".
May herself has repeatedly said she does not want to delay Brexit, but has conceded this is highly likely given the parliamentary deadlock over the process.
MPs have twice rejected the divorce deal she struck with Brussels, and also ruled out leaving the EU with no deal.
Last week, ..

UK's May faced cabinet revolt over Brexit delay: reports

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Mohamed Salah should use Sadio Mane as inspiration as the Egypt star looks to hit peak form after an inconsistent season.
Salah scored 44 times in his debut season with Liverpool, but his second campaign has not been so smooth.
Although Salah has 20 goals in the current campaign, his goalless run of seven matches is the longest he has experienced since a 10-game streak for Roma in 2015-16.
That is a concern, with Liverpool chasing their first English title since 1990 and also through to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Senegal winger Mane is in fine form and has moved level on 20 goals with Salah, after netting 11 in as many games.
Mane had gone goalless in eight outings in November and December during a spell of 17 matches in which he scored just three times.
Having seen Mane work through his drought successfully, Klopp believes Salah will soon see his luck change in front of goal as well.
"Sadio played pretty much ...

Klopp urges Salah to use Liverpool teammate Mane as inspiration

Britain has asked EU leaders to delay Brexit until June 30, Prime Minister Theresa May told parliament on Wednesday, on eve of an EU summit in Brussels.
May said she had written to EU President Donald Tusk "informing him that the UK seeks an extension to the Article 50 period to June 30", she said.

Britain has requested Brexit delay until June 30: PM

Top US diplomat Mike Pompeo sought Wednesday to bolster a united front against Iran during a Middle East tour that will include talks with key ally Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israeli elections.
The US secretary of state kicked off his regional tour in Kuwait where he met Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Israel and Lebanon.
Pompeo told reporters on the flight from the United States that he would discuss "strategic dialogue" and the need to combat "the threat posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran" with leaders in the region.
After Kuwait Pompeo will fly to Israel where an election campaign is in its final weeks with Netanyahu locked in a close battle with centrist rivals.
Pompeo is also pushing for a greater role for the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), a US-sponsored Arab NATO aimed at uniting Washington's Arab allies against Tehran.
"We all have the same set of threats, threats from Al-Qaeda, from (the ...

Pompeo on Middle East tour to counter Iran, boost Netanyahu

Kazakhstan's parliament on Wednesday voted to rename the country's capital in honour of longtime ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev, a day after he resigned as president, state media reported.
"Astana is now officially renamed Nursultan," the state-owned Kazinform news agency said after a parliamentary vote.
Kazakhstan's new interim president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed renaming the capital after he was sworn in following Nazarbayev's shock resignation on Tuesday.
In his first official act, Tokayev proposed that Astana - the gleaming new capital Nazarbayev erected in the country's vast steppes - be renamed "Nursultan", or "Sultan of Light".
Astana replaced Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty as the capital in 1997 and was transformed from a minor provincial town into a futuristic city.
Its name meant "capital" in Kazakh and there had long been speculation it could at some point be renamed after the leader who shaped it.
It was not the first name change for the city, now home to more than ...

Kazakhstan renames capital 'Nursultan' after ex-president

Former Germany star Thomas Mueller has said that he is looking to the future after his exclusion from the national team under coach Joachim Loew.
Mueller and his Bayern Munich team-mates Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels were all ruled out of Loew's future plans in a shock announcement earlier this month.
The coach's decision to get rid of the three World Cup winners has attracted widespread criticism, but Mueller says he is putting the disappointment behind him as he prepares for life after Loew.
"It obviously came as a negative surprise," Mueller told Sport Bild on Wednesday.
"But it's important to look forwards, not just in sport, but in life in general."
Germany are set to face Serbia in a friendly on Wednesday before opening their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign against old rivals the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Sunday.
Last weekend, Mueller admitted that it would be a strange feeling to watch the national team from the sofa.
"It feels like the first time in my life that I have had ..

'More time for our wives': Mueller on life after Loew

German high-end carmaker BMW warned Wednesday it expects pre-tax profits "well below" 2018 levels this year as it announced a massive cost-cutting scheme aimed at saving 12 billion euros (USD 13.6 billion) in total by 2022.
A spokesman said that "well below" could indicate a tumble of more than 10 per cent.
The Munich-based group's 2019 result will be burdened with massive investments needed for the transition to electric cars, exchange rate headwinds and rising raw materials prices, it said in a statement.
Meanwhile it must pump more cash into measures to meet strict European carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions limits set to bite from next year.
And a one-off windfall in 2018's results will create a negative comparison, even though pre-tax profits already fell 8.1 per cent last year.
Bosses expect a "slight increase" in sales of BMW and Mini cars, with a slightly fatter operating margin that will nevertheless fall short of their 8.0-per cent target.
"We will continue to implement ...

BMW plans massive cost cuts to keep profits above water

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen will make a stopover in the United States on her way back from visiting three Pacific nations this month in a move sure to irk Beijing, sources said Wednesday.
Tsai will leave for Palau, Nauru and the Marshall Islands on Thursday in a trip to shore up ties amid growing concerns about China's increasing clout in the region.
She is scheduled to transit through Hawaii on March 27 on her way back to Taipei, the sources said without elaborating.
Taiwan is typically low-key in announcing its leader's specific itineraries, fearing China will use its power to disrupt.
Tsai's last state visit was to Paraguay and Belize in August with US transits that prompted an official protest from Beijing after she gave a speech in Los Angeles - the first time in 15 years that a Taiwanese leader spoke publicly on American soil.
Beijing also protested when Tsai transitted through Hawaii and the US territory of Guam during her first official visit to the Pacific in ...

Taiwan leader to transit through US during Pacific trip: sources

Two New Zealand performances by the former frontman of influential metal band Pantera have been cancelled in the wake of the Christchurch massacre over his past comments about white supremacy.
Phil Anselmo sparked outrage in 2016 when he gave a Nazi salute and yelled "White Power!" during a high-profile concert in Los Angeles.
He was scheduled to perform with his band The Illegals next week -- on March 26 in Christchurch and in Auckland the next day, less than two weeks after an avowed white supremacist allegedly gunned down 50 people at two mosques.
"New Zealand suffered a terrible hate crime... just 5 days ago," Ben Mulchin of show promoter Valhalla Touring told AFP in an email on Wednesday.
"There was nothing positive to come from the tour as people are still grieving and it's just inappropriate and lacking respect to hold these shows so soon."
A representative for Galatos, the venue for the Auckland gig, also confirmed the cancellation.
The 2016 comments, for which Anselmo ...

Ex-Pantera singer's NZ gigs axed over past 'white power' comments

Pope Francis expressed his pain Wednesday at the devastation wrought by Cyclone Idai in southern Africa and called for "comfort and support" for victims of the disaster.
"Great floods have sown grief and devastation in various regions of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi," he said, addressing thousands of the faithful in Saint Peter's Square.
"To those dear people I express my pain and my closeness," he added.
"I entrust the many victims and their families to the mercy of God and I implore comfort and support for those affected by this calamity."
The death toll from the cyclone that hit last week has topped 300 people, and rescue teams are still trying to reach survivors forced to take refuge from rising floodwaters on the roofs of buildings and in trees.
The United Nations says that one of the worst storms to hit the region in decades has also unleashed a humanitarian crisis in Malawi, affecting nearly a million people and forcing more than 80,000 from their homes.
Pope Francis may ...

Help southern Africa cyclone victims, says pope

An employee at a Dubai-based security company was fired and deported for celebrating the deadly New Zealand mosque attacks under a fake identity on Facebook, the group said Wednesday.
"Over the weekend, a Transguard employee made inflammatory comments on his personal Facebook account celebrating the deplorable mosque attack in Christchurch, New Zealand," the Transguard security group said in a statement.
"Despite posting under a false name, the employee responsible for last weekend's inflammatory (Facebook) comments has been identified, terminated as per Transguard policy and handed over to the authorities."
Transguard, which is affiliated with the Emirates Group that includes Emirates Airline, said the man had been deported by the UAE government.
It did not name him or reveal his nationality.
An Australian white supremacist shot dead 50 Muslims praying at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on Friday.
The attacks sparked global revulsion and drew condemnation from the United ...

AFP

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