Boy Who Fought Taliban Shot On Way To School

Mullah Abdul Samad was a former Taliban insurgent who changed sides and became a police commander in the district of Khas Uruzgan.

His nephew Wasil Ahmad was reportedly declared a hero for leading an armed defence against a Taliban siege last year after his uncle was injured, firing rockets at insurgents from a roof.

"He fought like a miracle," Mr. Samad said. “He was successfully leading my men on my behalf for 44 days until I recovered."

Rahimullah Khan, Uruzgan's deputy provincial police chief, said Wasil was killed in Tirin Kot on Monday as he made his way to school. Unconfirmed reports suggest he was shot twice in the head.

Wasil was declared a hero for leading an armed defence against insurgents

On their website, the Taliban reportedly claimed responsibility for killing Wasil, who had been widely seen on social media weaing a helmet and uniform and carrying an automatic weapon.

The use of child soldiers is illegal in Afghanistan, but the charity Child Soldiers International says both government forces and insurgents have been recruiting minors for years.

According to the charity War Child, there are estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today, 40% of which are girls.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission blame the boy's family, the government and the Taliban for the death.

"Possibly he took up arms to take revenge for his father's death, but it was illegal for the police to declare him a hero and reveal his identity, especially to the insurgents," spokesman Rafiullah Baidar said.

"One side made him famous and the other side killed him - both sides ignored the law and acted illegally."

Poll: Two-Thirds Say EU Proposals A Bad Deal

The same poll indicates that despite David Cameron saying he has delivered "significant change", nearly half of the public say the new proposals would make them less likely to vote to stay in the EU.

The results come as Mr Cameron faced down his own eurosceptic MPs as he tried to sell the EU draft deal in a statement to the House of Commons.

:: First Ministers Call On PM To Defer Vote

Labour Jeremy Corbyn accused Mr Cameron of drawing up a draft deal "choreographed for TV cameras over the whole continent" to arrive "exactly where he always was going to be".

He urged the Prime Minister to get the "smoke and mirrors sideshow deal" over with and get on with the referendum.

Mr Cameron is facing significant criticism that he has not met his Conservative Manifesto pledges and that the migrant welfare changes are "unworkable".

Senior Conservative Liam Fox warned that up to five members of the campaign were ready for Brexit and Boris Johnson said that the Prime Minister is trying to "make the best of a bad job".

The Prime Minister acknowledged in the Commons that he would "have to wait a bit longer" to see if Mr Johnson would support a campaign to keep Britain in the EU.

Mr Cameron is also under pressure not to call the EU referendum for June because it will clash with the May elections.

Leaders of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have all written to the Prime Minister calling on him not to hold the EU vote in June, as he is expected to do, because it will confuse the public.

The publication of the draft proposal of the EU's new deal with the UK on Tuesday was broadly viewed as paving the way for a referendum on 23 June.

However, Mr Cameron said no date had been set for the referendum.

A Sky News snap poll of 1,031 people found 69% thought the draft EU proposals were a bad deal for Britain with just 31% thinking it was a good deal.

In addition, 44% of those asked said it was less likely to make them want to vote to stay in the EU - 37% said it made no difference and 19% said it would make them more likely to vote to remain a member of the EU.

The proposed deal will see an "emergency brake" on EU migrants receiving in-work benefits - but it is far short of the four-year ban on in-work payouts the Prime Minister had promised.

In addition, the brake will not be in place until 18 months after a referendum and EU workers in the UK will get "graduated" in-work benefits.

Child benefit will continue to be paid to EU migrants working in the UK who have children living in Europe - but it will be linked to the standard of living in that country. Mr Cameron said the practise would stop entirely.

There are concerns at the Department of Work and Pensions over whether there is a system that can cope with 28 levels of child benefit and administer graded tax credit payments.

Senior Government officials have even suggested it may not be something that can even be delivered.

Mr Cameron is also under pressure to allow Cabinet members who want to campaign for Brexit to start speaking out against membership of the EU now.

The Prime Minister has said they are not permitted to take sides until after the 18-19 February summit where EU leaders will finalise the terms of the deal.

Mr Cameron received a major boost when Theresa May - who those from the 'leave' campaign were hoping would back their drive - appeared to signal her support for the "stay" campaign.

Mr Cameron will also begin his campaign to win over European leaders, especially those in eastern Europe who have been opposed to the benefit changes.

The Prime Minister has admitted there is more work to be done on the detail of the eventual deal and European Council President Donald Tusk said it was a "good basis for a compromise".

Saudi Arabia drops death sentence on Palestinian poet

A court in Saudi Arabia dropped the death sentence against Palestinian poet and artist Ashraf Fayadh, along with the charge of “apostasy” for which it had been imposed. But the court did convict Fayadh of having "inappropriate relations with the other gender," for which it sentenced him to eight years in prison and 800 lashes over a protracted period of separate sessions. 

Fayadh was originally sentenced to death on Nov. 17 last year for alleged blasphemous statements he made in a discussion group, and in a volume of his poetry entitled "Instructions Within" and published in 2008. One of the poems in the collection was alleged to have shown that the poet had renounced Islam. He was also accused of using his poetry to spread atheist thinking.

Fayadh denied the charges, and claimed that he was a victim of false accusations made to the religious police by another man following a personal dispute.

Fayadh had been designated by Amnesty International as a “prisoner of conscience”, and the human rights organization had lobbied for his release. His lack of proper legal representation at his trial, Amnesty claimed, had violated both international and Saudi law.

“Our relief that Ashraf no longer faces beheading is diminished by the extended injustice and mercilessness of the new sentence dealt to him for the simple human act of artistic expression,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Director of Free Expression Programs at PEN America, in a press release.  “Words do not constitute crimes. World leaders must stand firmly behind this principle in pressing Saudi authorities to release immediately Fayadh and others imprisoned in the Kingdom for peaceful acts of expression.”

Fayadh was born to Palestinian refugee family in Saudi Arabia and grew up in Abha. In 2004, the Shatta artist group, of which he had been a member, organized the Kingdom’s first public exhibition of contemporary art. In 2013, before his arrest, Fayadh curated "Mostly Visible," “an underground event, self-organized by artists ... to highlight the ‘real’ art currently produced in Saudi Arabia, the artworks and thoughts that are directly rooted in our society,” Fayadh wrote. He also contributed an artwork of his own to the show — a video projection called "Damage."

At the 55th Venice Biennale in 2011, he co-curated “Rhizoma,” an exhibition of contemporary Saudi artists, writing at the time: "We aim to provide a clear vision of the radical transformation in Saudi art.”

First Ministers Call On PM To Defer EU Vote

First ministers from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have written to the Prime Minister calling on him not to hold the EU vote in June, as he is expected to do, because it will clash with the May local elections and confuse the public.

The publication of the draft proposal of EU's new deal with the UK on Tuesday was broadly viewed as paving the way for a referendum on 23 June.

It comes as a senior Conservative warned that up to five members of the campaign are ready for Brexit.

Mr Cameron claimed the measures he has negotiated delivered "substantial change" but he is facing significant criticism that he has not met his Conservative Manifesto pledges and even that the migrant welfare changes are "unworkable".

Senior Conservative Liam Fox has claimed that up to five members of the Cabinet are ready to campaign for Brexit.

Boris Johnson, who is expected to be a key figure in the run up to the referendum, said the deal was not good enough.

He said: "I think the Prime Minister is making the best of a bad job ... most people looking at this will think there is a lot more to do."

The proposed deal will see an "emergency brake" on EU migrants receiving in-work benefits - but it is far short of the four-year ban on in-work payouts the Prime Minister had promised.

In addition, the brake will not be in place until 18 months after a referendum and EU workers in the UK will get "graduated" in-work benefits.

Child benefit will continue to be paid to EU migrants working in the UK who have children living in Europe - but it will be linked to the standard of living in that country. Mr Cameron said the practise would stop entirely.

There are concerns at the Department of Work and Pensions over whether there is a system that can cope with 28 levels of child benefit and administer graded tax credit payments. 

Senior Government officials have even suggested it may not be something that can even be delivered.

Mr Cameron is also under pressure to allow Cabinet members who want to campaign for Brexit to start speaking out against membership of the EU now.

The Prime Minister has said they are not permitted to take sides until after the 18-19 February summit where EU leaders will finalise the terms of the deal.

Mr Cameron received a major boost when Theresa May - who those from the 'leave' campaign were hoping would back their drive - appeared to signal her support for the "stay" campaign.

However, Dr Fox, a staunch eurosceptic who has been sharply critical of the proposals, told the Radio 4 Today programme: "I think there will be a number of Cabinet ministers with a range of different responsibilities who will want to be in the Leave camp."

He added: "I don't know exactly how many, but I can think of four or  five for certain."

There was also some disquiet in the City over the "emergency brake" system that will allow Britain to "raise concerns" over legislation tailored for the eurozone, which does not amount to the veto many had hoped for.

Mr Cameron will also begin his campaign to win over European leaders, especially those in eastern Europe who have been opposed to the benefit changes. 

The Prime Minister has admitted there is more work to be done on the detail of the eventual deal and European Council President Donald Tusk said it was a "good basis for a compromise".

Mr Cameron is said to be anxious to have the vote in June to avoid bad headlines when the number of migrants crossing into Europe increases because of the warmer weather.

The letter from Nicola Sturgeon, Arlene Foster, Martin McGuinness and Carwyn Jones said: "We believe that holding a referendum as early as June will mean that a significant part of the referendum campaign will necessarily run in parallel with those elections and risks confusing issues at a moment when clarity is required.

"Furthermore, it will be virtually impossible for the political parties in our respective territories to plan effectively for, and where appropriate work together on, the referendum campaign while our own elections are in progress."

:: Should Britain Stay Or Go?

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the blueprint was a "fair" deal for Britain - and for other countries and would address immigration concerns.

He said: "The settlement recognises this. It recognises that if the United Kingdom considered that it is now at the limits of its level of integration then that is fine. At the same time, it makes clear that other member states can move towards a deeper degree of integration as they see fit."

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the Government was not expecting a "significant negative reaction" to the plan which Downing Street says has allowed Mr Cameron to fulfil several manifesto commitments.

The deal includes an emergency brake proposal which would allow countries to stop paying in-work benefits if public services are being overwhelmed by economic migration.

It also offers protections for non-eurozone states and a legally binding assurance that the UK is not expected to take part in "ever closer union" in the bloc.

Barack Obama spoke with Mr Cameron on the telephone on Tuesday night and reiterated his "support for a strong United Kingdom in a strong European Union".

Israeli police kill three Palestinian men after attack

Three Palestinian men have been shot and killed by Israeli police after they allegedly carried out attacks in occupied East Jerusalem.

Police said the Palestinians were armed with explosives and opened fire at Israeli authorities at the Damascus Gate on Wednesday.

Two Israeli police officers were critically injured and transferred to hospital.

This is the first time that three Palestinians have been killed in the same place since the surge in violence which began in October.

The Palestinian healthy ministry confirmed the deaths of the three Palestinian men.

Reports identified the three men as Ahmed Abou Al-Roub, Mohammed Kameel and Mohammed Nassar, all 20 years old.

The latest incident comes just two days after a Palestinian was shot dead on Monday after an alleged stabbing attack in the West Bank.

Three Israelis were wounded in that attack.

Last Sunday, a Palestinian police officer was also killed after allegedly opening fire on Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near the illegal settlement of Beit El in the West Bank.

Protests against Israel's ongoing occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, have become increasingly violent in recent months.

Since October 1, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 172 Palestinians, including bystanders, unarmed demonstrators and attackers.

At least 25 Israelis have been killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians.

President Obama: The World I Want My Daughters to Grow Up In

One of America’s greatest strengths right now is the fact that our young generation—the millennials—is also the biggest, most educated, most diverse and most digitally fluent generation in our history. And one thing my daughters have taught me about their generation is that they’re not going to wait for anyone else to build a better world; they’re just going to go ahead and create that world for themselves. 

We can create the circumstances that give them every chance to do that, of course—to make sure they can grow up free from debt and free to make their own choices in a world that’s not beyond their capacity to repair. That’s why my administration has reduced student loan payments to 10% of a borrower’s income, so that young people who choose college aren’t punished for that choice. We’ve reformed our health-care system so that when young people change jobs, go back to school, chase that new idea or start a family of their own, they’ll still have coverage. We led nearly 200 nations to the most ambitious agreement in history to combat climate change.

But my daughters’ generation knew long before Paris that protecting the one planet we’ve got isn’t something that’s up for debate. They knew long before the Supreme Court ruled for marriage equality last June that all love is created equal. They don’t see each of us first and foremost as black or white, Asian or Latino, gay or straight, immigrant or native-born. They view our diversity as a great gift. 

In many ways, their generation is already pushing the rest of us toward change.

So for the sake of our future, one thing we have to do, maybe even above all others, is to make sure they grow up knowing that their voices matter, that they have agency in our democracy.

Those of us in positions of power have to set an example with the way we treat each other—not by viewing those who disagree with us as unpatriotic or motivated by malice, but with a willingness to compromise. We have to listen to those with whom we don’t agree.We have to reduce the corrosive influence of money in our politics that makes people feel like the system is rigged. We have to make voting easier, not harder, and modernize it for the way we live now. And we have to encourage our young people to stay active in our public life so that it reflects the goodness and decency and fundamental optimism that they exhibit every day.

The world we want for our kids—one with opportunity and security for our families; one with rising standards of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet; one that’s innovative and inclusive, bold and big-hearted—it’s entirely within our reach. The only constraints on America’s future are the ones we impose on ourselves. That’s always been the case with America—our destiny isn’t decided for us, but by us. And as long as we give our young people every tool and every chance to decide the future for themselves, I have incredible faith in the choices they’ll make.

Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States.

Zika Virus Threatens European Nations - WHO

The World Health Organization's Europe chief said the risk of the virus spreading into Europe would increase in spring and summer when temperatures warm up.

It is most likely to spread beyond Latin America by mosquitos stowed away in baggage, or in the blood of travellers.

The Aedes mosquito is rarely found in Europe, but health experts say it could survive in hotter southern countries if reintroduced there.

However, the mosquito is established on Madeira, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). 

It caused a dengue fever epidemic - some 2,000 cases - on the Portuguese island in late 2012. 

Aedes has also been found recently in the Netherlands - thought to have been imported on a shipment of tyres, as well as on the northeastern Black Sea coast.

Brazil has been worst affected by the Zika outbreak after detecting its first case in May, with nearly 4,000 cases reported so far.

It has quickly spread to more than 30 countries.

The virus - which is strongly linked to birth defects such as abnormally small heads and incomplete brain development - has been declared an international health emergency.

Women are being warned to avoid Zika-hit countries if they are pregnant or are thinking about becoming pregnant.

Zika has also been found in semen and a county in Texas has reported a sexually transmitted case of the virus.

With the exception of the risks for unborn babies, the virus is not considered dangerous.

About one in five people infected get relatively mild symptoms including a fever, muscle pain, red-eyes and a skin rash three to 12 days after being bitten. 

Two people in Ireland who had travelled to a country affected by Zika have now recovered.