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Afghan intelligence agency confirms Taliban leader's death

Sunday, 22 May 2016 10:50 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 22 May 2016 10:50 AM ]

File photo shows a picture of the leader of Taliban militant group, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour.

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

The Afghan intelligence agency says Taliban leader Mulla Akhtar Mansour has been killed in a US airstrike. The Pentagon says the air raid was conducted on a region on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has also confirmed the drone strike.
Tajikistan is holding a referendum on constitutional changes that could make incumbent Emomali Rahmon president for life. Voters will decide on whether to lift limits on the number of terms a president can serve in office. Rahmon is currently serving his fourth term.
US Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has slammed her Republican rival’s gun policies as dangerous. Clinton also accused Donald Trump of promoting division and bigotry. Trump has been endorsed by the National Rifles Association. The NRA is a powerful lobby that advocates unrestricted possession of guns in the US.
Polls open in Austria in a presidential run-off that could bring to power the first far-right president of the European Union, Norbert Hofer. The Freedom Party member won 35 percent of the vote in the first round and is now vying against the Greens’ Van Der Bellen.
Iran’s army has begun two-day missile drills by launching short-range rockets Naze’aat and Fajr in the central Isfahan province. The exercises include the launching of various types of domestically-manufactured projectiles and exercising asymmetric warfare and defense tactics. The drills are aimed at boosting preparedness to counter regional threats.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to arrive in Tehran for a visit aimed at deepening bilateral ties. Modi will meet with President Hassan Rouhani and other top officials. India will sign a trilateral contract with Iran and Afghanistan to develop Iran's southern Chabahar port.
Rescuers find more bodies in the wake of a volcano eruption in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province. Seven people are dead following a series of eruptions unleashed by Mount Sinabung. The victims were all farming within the red zone. Back in 2014, the volcano's eruption killed 16 people.
A powerful cyclone has killed at least two dozen people and displaced half a million residents in Bangladesh. The death toll is expected to rise. Cyclone Roanu hit the country’s coastal areas on Saturday. It has caused deadly landslides and damaged tens of thousands of shanties.

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