Pope Francis warned during a visit to Albania on Sunday that religion can never be used to justify violence, making apparent reference to the bloodshed wreaked by the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

"Let no one consider themselves to be the 'armor' of God while planning and carrying out acts of violence and oppression," the pontiff said in speech at the presidential palace in Tirana in front of Albania's leaders.

The European Commission said Sunday it has not been told of any specific threat against it, after reports suggested its Brussels headquarters was a possible target for jihadist fighters returning from Syria.

Belgian authorities confirmed Saturday they had made several arrests as they sought to prevent jihadist fighters or sympathizers with the Islamic State extremist group from carrying out attacks.

Former finance minister Ashraf Ghani was declared Afghanistan's next president on Sunday, hours after signing a power-sharing deal with his rival Abdullah Abdullah that ended a prolonged standoff over the disputed result.

Allegations of massive fraud in the June 14 vote sparked political crisis as both candidates claimed victory, paralyzing the country at a key moment with U.S.-led troops winding down their 13-year war against the Taliban.

Eight indigenous people have died in a village west of the capital after a clash that saw residents turn guns on their neighbors over plans to build a road and a cement plant.

Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez said the authorities were working to determine what actions will be taken after the clashes that began overnight into Saturday in San Juan Sacatepequez.

The United States said Sunday it hoped Russia would address concerns about its actions in Ukraine ahead of the G20 November leaders' summit, or Moscow risked further economic isolation.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said following a two-day meeting of G20 finance chiefs "the goal between now and November is for this to be resolved so that these issues are on a path towards improvement.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key Sunday said his steady handling of the fragile economy was the "overwhelming" reason for the center-right National Party's historic third election victory.

"They saw the economic direction we wanted to continue to take the country in and the things we have achieved over the last six years," he said, pledging to hold the same steady economic line.

Japan's new industry minister Yuko Obuchi said Sunday the resource-poor nation should be realistic about its energy needs as the government tries to convince a skeptical public on the necessity of nuclear power.

More than three years after the disaster at Fukushima, where a tsunami sent reactors into meltdown, the Japanese public remains unconvinced of the safety of the technology.

The U.S. Secret Service said Saturday it has launched a comprehensive review of White House security procedures after an intruder scaled a fence, sprinted across the lawn and entered the presidential residence.

The White House -- the president's workplace and home -- is generally regarded as one of the most secure and protected places on the planet.

Albania upped security on Saturday as it prepared to host Pope Francis amid warnings that the Islamic State jihadists could be planning an attack on the pontiff in the mainly-Muslim country.

Plainclothes police were out on the streets of the capital Tirana, with some 2,500 officers due to be deployed for the pope's visit on Sunday, his first to a European country.

A soldier and three militants have been killed in fighting in restive northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border, the military said on Saturday.

The four were killed in an exchange of fire in the Boya area of North Waziristan tribal district, the military said in a statement to the media.