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KABUL (Reuters) - The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan hopes to cement a peace deal with Taliban insurgents by April 2019, local media reported on Sunday.Zalmay Khalilzad, in Kabul to lead talks between the United States, the Taliban and the Afghan government, told reporters he hopes "a peace deal is reached before April 20 next year".gi Afghanistan is planning to hold a presidential election on April 20, 2019.The Afghan-born U.S. diplomat said he remained "cautiously optimistic" about the peace talks.Khalilzad, chosen by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to hold direct talks with the Taliban, met the leaders of the hardline Islamist group in Qatar last month to find ways to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan.On Sunday Khalilzad said the end state of the talks would be "peace and a successful Afghanistan, one that doesn’t pose any threats to itself and to the international community".The Taliban were not immediately available for comment.The insurgents, fighting to … [Read more...] about U.S. envoy hopes for peace deal with Taliban in 2019

By Terray SylvesterCHICO, Calif. (Reuters) - Nicole Montague and her 16-year-old daughter Destiny noticed a red glow on the horizon as they drove to school in Paradise, California, that Thursday morning. They did not think much of it as they had seen fires nearby in the past. gi Since they had not heard any warnings, they shrugged it off. But within minutes mass panic broke out, said Nicole Montague, 45.They gathered their nine dogs and a few belongings as the trailer park they live in burst into flames. "As we were driving out, the mailboxes were on fire," Nicole said. "All you could hear were big booms and those were (neighbours') propane tanks starting to explode."California's deadliest ever wildfire, the innocuous-sounding "Camp Fire," swept into Paradise early on Nov. 8, as a rapid-moving, wind-fuelled disaster that has left at least 76 people dead and more than 1,276 missing. [nL2N1XS09R]The flames moved so fast that some of the victims died in their cars in a chaotic evacuation … [Read more...] about Fiery mailboxes and dogs in bags: fleeing California’s wildfire

PARIS (Reuters) - Emmanuel Macron's popularity took a further hit in recent weeks, according to a poll on Sunday, as fuel tax protests rumbled on across France in the latest sign of discontent with the president's economic reforms. Only 25 percent of those questioned in an Ifop poll between Nov. 9 and 17 said they were satisfied with Macron, down from 29 percent in October, according to the survey of almost 2,000 people published in the Journal du Dimanche (JDD). gi Macron, who came to power 18 months ago vowing to reshape the economy and overhaul institutions, has brushed off slumping ratings to push through a series of reforms, including a loosening of laws governing hiring and firing. His government introduced fuel tax hikes to encourage drivers to embrace less-polluting cars, touching a nerve with voters in rural areas in particular as the extra cost began to bite in October when global oil prices surged. Angry motorists and other demonstrators, many accusing Macron of being out of … [Read more...] about Macron’s popularity dips as French fuel tax revolt simmers

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is shirking its responsibility for the Holocaust by dragging its heels on returning art confiscated by the Nazis, and failing to crack down on resurgent anti-Semitism, the head of the World Jewish Congress said on Sunday.Ronald Lauder told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that other countries, including Britain, the United States and Austria had a far better record in documenting art in their collections that had been confiscated by the Nazi regime and returning any looted pieces to their rightful owners.gi The United States has extended the federal statute of limitations for seeking restitution of such art to six years from the time of "actual discovery" of its identity and whereabouts. Britain has put its entire collection of paintings online at Art UK, and is adding items daily, he said in an interview with the newspaper.Germany, by contrast, was moving too slowly to digitalize art collections and research initial owners, said Lauder, who also said he was … [Read more...] about Jewish leader says Germany dragging heels on looted art

By Nidhi VermaNEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two men on motorcycles threw a grenade at a Sikh religious gathering of about 250 people in Amritsar city in the northern Indian state of Punjab on Sunday, killing three and injuring around 20, police said.gi Initial reports suggest that two people armed with pistols came to the venue, said provincial police chief Surinder Pal Singh. "There was a religious congregation over here and they lobbed a grenade," Singh added.It was not clear if the incident was linked to a separatist campaign by Sikh militants. Some Sikhs began agitating for a separate homeland in India in the 1970s, before their movement petered out in the 1990s. India believes there has been an attempt to revive it over the past few years.Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said such Sunday congregations were common among Sikhs throughout the state and that is why there was not much security there. The state borders Pakistan, India's arch enemy."We will get to the bottom of this," he … [Read more...] about Bikers hurl grenade at religious gathering in India, 3 killed