Valentine’s Day banned in northwest Pakistan

Peshawar: Valentine’s Day celebration was on Friday banned in northwest Pakistan with authorities in the restive region saying that the western tradition has no place in Islam. The day's celebration on February 14 had often been criticised by Islamists as 'insult' to Islam. District Council Peshawar unanimously passed resolution against Valentine's Day stating it has no place in Islam. PTI

Attack on UN peacekeepers in Mali; 5 killed

United Nations: At least five United Nations peacekeepers were killed and some 30 others injured in an attack on a UN base in northern Mali, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said on Friday. Ban condemned the "complex" assault on the base in Kidal and recalled that targeting peacekeepers constitutes a war crime.  AFP

Two girls shot dead at Arizona school

Glendale: Two girl students died in a shooting at a school in a Phoenix suburb, the police said on Friday. Glendale Officer Tracey Breeden said both victims were 15 years old and were shot once. She said a weapon was found near the bodies. She did not have any information on the relationship between the girls, who died at the scene. AP

Missing bookseller: UK says China breached treaty

Hong Kong: Britain on Friday said Lee Bo, a British passport holder and bookseller who disappeared from Hong Kong in late December, was probably taken to China against his will, constituting a “serious breach” of a longstanding bilateral treaty between the UK and China. China’s Foreign Ministry condemned the British report as “gesticulation”, although it made no direct mention of the missing bookseller. PTI

Indonesia bans ‘gay’ emojis on messaging apps

Jakarta: In the latest crackdown on gay rights in Indonesia, the government has demanded all instant messaging apps remove same-sex emoticons or face a ban in the country. The emojis — which are available on the apps like LINE and Whatsapp and Facebook and Twitter — depict same-sex couples holding hands. AFP 

Eastern Orthodoxy split with Rome to end

Havana: Pope Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet in Havana, nearly 1,000 years after Eastern Orthodoxy split with Rome, for the first encounter in history between a Roman Catholic pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch. The leaders, guests of a Communist government, will address the millennium-long rift between the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity. Reuters