FirstPost on World: John Paul II nears sainthood

John Paul II inches closer to sainthoodPope Benedict XVI officially beatified the  late Pope, John Paul II at t Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sunday in front of hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful.Beatification, or declaring a person to be "blessed", is the necessary prelude to full sainthood.Source: Toronto Star[caption id="attachment_3408" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="A tapestry of Pope John Paul II is displayed during his beatification mass led by Pope Benedict XVI in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican May 1, 2011. The late Pope John Paul moved a major step closer to sainthood on Sunday. Stefano Rellandini/Reuters"][/caption]Obama takes on Trump at Coresspondent's dinnerBarack Obama took revenge on his would be republican candidate in the 2012 election, Donald Trump and the birther movement during his speech, with jokes aimed directly at the absurdness of the birther issue and, more specifically at Trump’s candidature.Source Newyork TimesSyria under seige: Tank firing in Dera’aHundreds of dissidents were arrested across Syria on Sunday. In both Dera'a and Douma, troops were roaming the streets, armed with lists of men to arrest.  Nearly 600 people have died in Syria following the President’s attempts to put down the popular uprising against his rule that has swept provincial towns and cities since mid-March.Source: BBC NewsScepticism over Gadafi son deathAlthough the  most senior Catholic official in Tripoli has confirmed that Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi's son Seif al-Arab was killed, and has appealed for a ceasefire, there were unconfirmed reports  that Seif was not killed in the NATo bombings.Source AlJazeeraRussia condemns NATO’s Tripoli firingRussia has condemned the NATO air strike on Tripoli that killed a son and grandchildren of Muammar Qadhafi and called for a ceasefire and talks without pre-conditions. Russia had abstained in the March 17 vote imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, which paved the way for NATO air strikes against the Qadhafi forces.Source: BBC newsTaliban renews their insurgent attacks, Kills 11Afghan officials say at least 11 people have been killed in a series of insurgent attacks around the country on the first day of a militant springtime offensive declared by the Taliban. Taliban has warned civilians to stay away from public gatherings, military bases and convoys, as well as government offices, as these sites would be the target of a wave of attacks beginning on SundaySource: TelegraphYemen deadlock to continue after president refuses to sign dealThe signing ceremony for a deal to end Yemen’s political crisis was postponed indefinitely Sunday after the Yemeni president refused to sign it personally, a Gulf official said, signalling the possible collapse of the agreement.Source: Wall Street Journal