Mine left by IS kills 20 in Syria
AP, Damascus
A land mine left by the Islamic State group struck a van packed with workers in eastern Syria on Sunday, killing more than 20 of them, Syria’s state news agency said. The agency earlier reported that 24 people were killed.
SANA said the explosion on Sunday morning near the central town of Salamiyeh was caused by explosives left behind by the militants when they controlled the area. A mine exploded in a nearby area earlier this month, killing seven people..
US, Taliban to meet in Qatar on Monday
AFP, Kabul
The US and the Taliban are to meet in Qatar for fresh talks Monday seeking an end to 17 years of grinding conflict in Afghanistan, with the stakes ratcheting higher as the spring fighting season approaches.
Marathon talks held in Doha last month have stoked hopes of a breakthrough after the two sides walked away with a “draft framework” that included a Taliban commitment to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for international terror groups.
Senegal holds vote with President tipped to win
Reuters, Senegal
Senegalese voters headed to the polls on Sunday for an election President Macky Sall is expected to win after strong economic growth in his first term, although rights groups criticize him for squeezing out rivals. Senegal’s small fish-exporting economy expanded more than 6 percent last year, one of the highest rates in Africa, driven by an ambitious reform and development plan that included the construction of a new railway.
Israel arrests top Muslim official
AFP, Jerusalem
Israeli police said Sunday they arrested a top Palestinian Muslim official in Jerusalem after scuffles at a flashpoint holy site in the city in the past few days. The arrest drew condemnation from Jordan, the custodian of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in the disputed city.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Abdel Azeem Salhab had been arrested for violating an order preventing entry into a prohibited area of the holy site.
Black woman takes charge of US paper
The Washington Post
A black woman is the new editor and publisher of an Alabama newspaper after her predecessor stepped down Thursday following widespread condemnation of his Feb. 14 editorial that called for mass lynchings, and him saying that the Ku Klux Klan needed to “clean out” Washington.
“Time for the Ku Klux Klan to night ride again,” the editorial in the weekly Democrat-Reporter read. The text asserted Democrats, along with some Republicans, were planning to raise taxes in Alabama. “Seems like the Klan would be welcome to raid the gated communities up there,” it continued.
