Afghan president blasts Taliban 'slaves', says little time left for peace and other top stories.

• Afghan president blasts Taliban 'slaves', says little time left for peace

  

  Thomson ReutersAfghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani speaks during a news conference in Kabul, AfghanistanBy Hamid Shalizi and Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - President Ashraf Ghani said Afghanistan faced a terrorist enemy led by Taliban "slaves" in Pakistan in a somber speech to parliament on Monday that nonetheless left the door open to resuming peace talks with parts of the Taliban. Addressing a joint session of the two houses of parliament following a Taliban bomb blast that killed at leas..

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• Egypt's Security Agents Smother Streets of Cairo to Prevent Protests

  

  Photo Protesters in central Cairo on Monday. Demonstrations at several prearranged meeting spots never happened and impromptu rallies were quickly dispersed. Credit Amr Abd El-Rahman/European Pressphoto Agency CAIRO — The security agents lurked in alleyways, at metro stations and in armored cars, looking for signs of trouble. They wore white uniforms, black riot gear or street clothes, in a cursory effort to mix in with the crowds.President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt..

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• Bangladesh vows justice in killing of gay activist, friend

  

  Bangladeshi people gather outside a building where two people were found stabbed to death in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, April 25, 2016. Police in Bangladesh say unidentified assailants have stabbed two men to death, including a gay rights activist who also worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development. (A.M.Ahad/Associated Press) By Associated Press April 26 at 2:29 AM NEW DELHI — The Bangladeshi prime minister has vowed to hunt down and prosecute those who fatally stabbed two..

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• Militants kill Canadian hostage John Ridsdel in the Philippines

  

  John Ridsdel was beheaded by Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf, which took him hostage along with three others in September last year. In a statement, Ridsdel's family said he "loved life and lived it to the fullest with his family and friends at the center. He was loved by all his friends and adored by his daughters, sister and extended family." "Our family is devastated at the loss of our father and brother John Ridsdel whose life was cut tragically short by this senseless act of violence." B..

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• US challenged China, 12 others on navigation rights last year

  

  WASHINGTON The U.S. military conducted "freedom of navigation" operations against 13 countries last year, including several to challenge China's claims in the South and East China seas, according to an annual Pentagon report released on Monday.The operations were against China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Libya, Malaysia, the Maldives, Oman, the Philippines and Vietnam, the report said.It did not specify how many such operations were conducted against each of those countries. The U.S. military ca..

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