News In Brief
AP, Vatican City
Pope Francis is advising against making the pursuit of money, a career or success the basis for one’s whole life.
Francis said during a homily on Saturday to mark Epiphany that people “often make do” with having “health, a little money and a bit of entertainment.”
He urged helping the poor and other needy communities instead, while giving freely without expecting anything in return.
Mine blast injures Yemeni army chief-of-staff
Reuters, Aden
The chief of staff of the Yemeni army has been injured by a land mine that went off while he was visiting the northern al-Jouf province, where heavy fighting between government forces and Houthi fighters is underway, a senior government official said. The official said Brigadier General Taher al-Aqeeli suffered minor injuries in the explosion, which happened on Friday while he was inspecting government positions in Khub wa al-Sha’af, the largest district in al-Jouf province.
Blast kills 4 cops in Kashmir
Xinhua, Srinagar
At least four policemen were killed and two others wounded Saturday after militants triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.
The IED blast targeted the policemen in Sopore town of Baramulla district, about 50 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian- controlled Kashmir.
20 IS militants killed in Afghanistan
Xinhua, Mehtarlam
Up to 20 militants affiliated with Islamic State (IS) group were killed as the government forces planes targeted the hardliner group’s hideouts in the eastern Laghman province Friday night, an army spokesman said Saturday.
“Acting upon intelligence report, the security forces launched airstrikes against IS rebels’ hideouts in Nurlam valley of Alinegar district late Friday night, killing 20 insurgents including two commanders Mawlawi Turab and Musa Khan,” Shirin Aqa Faqiri, an army spokesman in the eastern region, told Xinhua.
