Gunmen and suicide bombers launched a  pre-dawn attack claimed by the Islamic State group on a  military compound in Kabul today, killing 11 soldiers in the  third major assault in the Afghan capital in recent days.
The series of assaults, including one of the deadliest  bombs in Kabul in recent years, have left already war-weary  citizens grief-stricken and angry as the Taliban and IS  escalate their offensive.
Today's attack on an Afghan army battalion killed at  least 11 soldiers and wounded 16, a defence ministry spokesman  said.
"Two bombers detonated themselves and two were killed by  our forces and one was detained alive," the spokesman, Dawlat  Waziri, told AFP, adding that the attack was over.
Officials said the men, armed with a rocket, two  Kalashnikovs and at least one suicide vest, had attempted to  breach an army battalion near the Marshal Fahim military  academy, where high-ranking officers are trained.
An officer at the academy told AFP he could hear an  explosion and .

Kabul on edge as IS gunmen launch fresh attack on military

PTI Automatic

Separatists sent reinforcements to  Yemen's southern city of Aden today as fighting continued with  government units, security and humanitarian sources said, a  day after the secessionists seized government headquarters.
The separatist takeover yesterday in the interim  capital threw war-torn Yemen into further chaos, sparking  warnings of a "coup" from the embattled government.
It further complicates years of conflict, in which the  Saudi-backed government has been battling Iran-backed rebels  controlling the capital Sanaa and much of the north of the  country.
Today, the separatists, who have long demanded  independence for the south, dispatched additional forces from  the central province of Marib and southern province of Abyan,  security sources said.
The forces from Abyan progressed towards Aden after  clashes with government forces on the way, they said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross reported  fighting overnight in Aden.
"All night shooting in Aden #Yemen, ...

Yemen separatists send reinforcements to Aden

Members of the French government  have rallied around Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin, a rising  star in President Emmanuel Macron's team who has been accused  of rape in a case dating back nearly a decade.
On Saturday, the Paris prosecutor's office confirmed  that it had reopened an investigation into allegations  Darmanin, 35, pressured a woman into sex in return for  promising to help clear her name in a legal dispute.
The case comes in the midst of a global outpouring of  accounts of sexual harassment and rape unleashed by the Harvey  Weinstein affair.
Sophie Spatz, a 46-year-old former call girl, made a  first complaint against Darmanin in mid-2017 but the  investigation was closed soon after when she failed to attend  questioning by the police.
In mid-January she renewed her complaint, triggering a  new preliminary probe.
Darmanin's lawyers have accused her of a "crude  attempt to harm" the minister's reputation and said he was  suiting her for slander.
On Sunday, Justice ...

French govt rallies around rape-accused budget minister

The swollen Seine peaked today at  more than four metres above its normal level, leaving a  lengthy mop-up job for Parisians after days of rising waters  that have put the soggy city on alert.
The river rose to 5.84 metres (19.2 feet) early  Monday, causing continued headaches for commuters as well as  people living near its overflowing banks.
The Vigicrues flooding watchdog said the river would  stay at its current level throughout the day before beginning  to recede Tuesday.
Around 1,500 people have been evacuated from their  homes in the greater Paris region, according to police, while  a similar number of homes remain without electricity.
Tourists also suffered with the capital's famous  Bateaux Mouches rivercraft out of service, and only emergency  services authorised to navigate the waterway.
The Seine did not quite reach the 2016 high of 6.1  metres, when priceless artworks had to be evacuated from the  Louvre.
But the world's most visited museum was still on alert  Sunday, ...

Seine reaches peak in flood-hit Paris

Gunmen launched a pre-dawn raid on  a military compound in Kabul today, officials said, in an  assault that caused multiple casualties and marked the third  major attack in the Afghan capital in recent days.
Defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said five  soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in the assault claimed by  the Islamic State group via its propaganda arm Amaq.
"An Afghan army battalion has come under attack this  morning. The attackers wanted to breach the battalion," Waziri  told AFP, adding the raid had ended.
"Two bombers detonated themselves and two were killed  by our forces and one was detained alive. The fighting is over  but unfortunately we have five deaths and 10 wounded."
He said Afghan forces had seized a rocket, two  Kalashinkovs, and a suicide vest from the attackers.
Officials said the attack was on an army battalion  near the Marshal Fahim military academy where high-ranking  officers are trained and which was initially identified as the  target. An ...

Gunmen attack Kabul military compound, multiple casualties

The Islamic State group claimed a  pre-dawn attack on a military compound in Kabul today that  officials said has killed at least two soldiers and wounded 10  others.
"Islamic State fighters targeted the military academy  in the city of Kabul in a suicide attack," IS said via its  propaganda arm Amaq.

Islamic State group claims attack on Kabul military compound

Gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack  on a military academy in Kabul today, security officials and  sources said, in an ongoing assault that marks the latest  violence to strike the Afghan capital.
Some of the attackers at the Marshal Fahim Military  Academy have been killed, an Afghan security source said, in  the third major attack in the city in just over a week.
At least four attackers were still involved in an  intense gun battle with security forces, the source said,  adding the gunmen had not managed to enter the heavily  fortified academy.
Three soldiers have been wounded, defence ministry  spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP.
"One bomber detonated himself and the rest of the  attackers are resisting. They are under siege by our forces,"  Waziri added.
Witnesses told AFP they heard several explosions and  gunfire at around 5:00 am (0030 GMT) at the academy on the  outskirts of Kabul where high-ranking military officers are  trained.
An AFP reporter at the scene said he could "hear  .

Gunmen attack Kabul military academy: officials

Age-defying Roger Federer says  after winning his third Grand Slam title in a year he has no  idea how long he will continue playing.
The 36-year-old Swiss marvel continues to defy the years  and attrition rate, reaching his 30th Grand Slam decider and  claiming his sixth Australian crown and 20th Grand Slam title.
The world No.2 won back-to-back Australian Opens by  beating Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Sunday,  dropping his only sets of a stress-free tournament.
Federer, who downed great rival Rafael Nadal in a classic  five-set Australian final last year, eased through this year's  event with five of his seven matches finishing on or under two  hours and he spent just a total of 13hr 53min on court.
Asked after his Melbourne triumph how much longer he can  continue at the summit of men's tennis, he replied: "No idea.  Honest, I don't know. I have no idea.
"I've won three slams now in 12 months. I can't believe  it myself. I just got to keep a good schedule, stay ...

Federer 'no idea' how long he will go on

Joel Matip accepts Liverpool must  quickly resolve the defensive problems that sparked their FA  Cup exit ahead of a Premier League visit to Huddersfield Town  on Tuesday.
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp acknowledged his side were  guilty of making mistakes for each of West Browmich Albion's  goals in the visitors' 3-2 cup win at Anfield that ended  Liverpool's lengthy unbeaten home run.
Defeat came on the back of Liverpool's shock 1-0 reverse  at Premier League basement club Swansea City.
Now, two weeks after the Merseysiders enjoyed the high of  becoming the first team to beat Manchester City in domestic  competition this season, Klopp's side are in need of another  lift.
Cameroon centre-back Matip accepted responsibility for  one of West Brom's goals and the defender acknowledged  Liverpool cannot afford a repeat when they face Huddersfield  if they are to keep a firm hold on a top-four spot and a  guaranteed place in next season's Champions League.
- 'Kill every team' ...

Liverpool look to shore up defence against Huddersfield

Dries Mertens hit two as Napoli  reclaimed top spot in Serie A with a 3-1 win over Bologna on  Sunday  while AC Milan rekindled their European push with a 2  -1 win over Lazio.
Napoli restored their one-point advantage over champions  Juventus who had beaten nine-man Chievo 2-0 on Saturday with  goals by Sami Khedira and Gonzalo Higuain.
The game in Naples proved to be a battle with Rodrigo  Palacio nodding Bologna ahead after 25 seconds before an  Ibrahima Mbaye own goal four minutes later pulled the hosts  back at their Stadio San Paolo.
Mertens edged Napoli ahead on 37 minutes with a penalty  awarded for a foul on Jose Callejon. The Belgian then claimed  his 13th goal of the season with a spectacular curling effort  on 59 minutes.
"The team showed character. It wasn't easy to pick  ourselves off the ground today," said Mertens who netted his  third goal in a week.
Maurizio Sarri's side have 57 points from 22 games, one  more than Juventus.
"We cannot compare ourselves to Juventus," 

Mertens keeps Napoli top, Milan stall Lazio

Former England captain David Beckham  will unveil his long-sought Major League Soccer expansion team  at a Monday news conference in Miami, bringing a conclusion to  a turmoil-filled four-year quest.
MLS announced Friday it will "make a major announcement  regarding the future of soccer in Miami" on Monday, inviting  ticketed members of the public to what is expected to be the  announcement of a 25th league club.
The team is expected to begin MLS play in 2020 at a  25,000-seat stadium to be built in Miami's Overtown  neighborhood.
Just over 11 years after announcing he would leave Real  Madrid for the MLS Los Angeles Galaxy in a deal that included  the chance to purchase an expansion team at a reduced rate,  Beckham will make good on plans he first announced in February  2014.
Several failed stadium sites delayed his consortium's  efforts, other MLS teams making their debuts while Beckham  struggled to get his off the ground, unable to find an  agreeable place for a specially built ...

Beckham set to launch long-sought Miami MLS club

Iranian authorities have granted  a four-day leave on humanitarian grounds to Baquer Namazi, the  oldest of a group of American citizens known to be held in the  Islamic Republic.
His lawyer Jared Genser said that Namazi, an 81-year-old  former UNICEF official, cannot leave Iran and is prohibited  from speaking to the media. His son, business consultant  Siamak Namazi, is still in jail.
Both are dual Iranian-American citizens.
Namazi was rushed to a hospital on January 15 -- the  fourth time in the last year -- after a "severe" drop in his  blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, "serious" energy  depletion and white colouring, Genser said.
In September, he underwent emergency heart surgery to  install a pacemaker.
"We welcome the release of Baquer Namazi given his  deteriorating health, but we note that his release is only  temporary," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said  in a statement.
"We call for the immediate and full release of the Namazi  family, including his son 

Iran grants US citizen four-day release from prison

Russian opposition leader Alexei  Navalny has been freed after a brief spell in police detention  in Moscow as thousands rallied against a March election  expected to extend Vladimir Putin's Kremlin term.
"I'm free," Navalny said on Twitter late yesterday,  adding: "Today has been an important day... Thanks to all  those who were not afraid to fight for their rights."
Heeding a call by Putin's bete noire, thousands braved  freezing temperatures to stage rallies in dozens of cities to  protest upcoming "pseudo-elections," as Navalny and his  supporters refer to them.
In Moscow, Navalny chanted "Swindlers and thieves" at a  rally in the city centre Sunday before several police officers  pounced on the 41-year-old opposition politician, knocking him  to the ground and dragging him on to a bus.
Authorities said earlier Navalny would be charged with  organising an unpermitted protest, adding he had been taken to  a police station.
The opposition leader urged Muscovites not to give up.
"You 

Navalny freed after thousands rally against Putin and

Finns have re-elected their  popular and pragmatic president Sauli Niinisto, who is  credited for maintaining a balanced relationship with the  nation's powerful neighbour Russia at a time of simmering  relations between Moscow the West.
"I am surprised and touched by this big support,"  Niinisto told reporters in Helsinki, who secured over 62 per  cent of the vote with nearly all the ballots counted.
Niinisto, 69, avoided the need for a second-round of  voting and won outright yesterday, a first since Finland  introduced a two-round presidential election by popular vote  in 1994.
The politician who campaigned as an independent, has  skilfully shifted the EU member state closer to NATO without  antagonising Russia, with whom the Nordic nation shares the  longest border in the bloc.
During his first term, Niinisto diligently cultivated  ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been at  odds with the West, particularly since Russia's 2014  annexation of Crimea.
Niinisto's ...

Finland's president Sauli Niinisto re-elected for second term

Authorities  investigating the slaying of nine men at a house in Monterrey,  Mexico said today small local drug-trafficking groups appeared  to be involved but not major drug cartels.
The men were watching a football match on television  yesterday when armed attackers burst into the house, herded  women into the bathroom and then opened fire on the men, the  attorney general of the state of Nuevo Leon, Bernardo  Gonzalez, said.
Seven men were killed on the spot and two others died of  their wounds after being taken to local hospitals, he said.
Gonzalez said drugs were found in the house, and the  attack appeared to involve local drug traffickers.
But in an interview on local television, he insisted,  "This is an isolated incident. It has nothing to do with a  dispute between cartels in our state."
Monterrey, an important industrial centre in northern  Mexico, has been shaken by drug violence in recent years,  stemming from a conflict between the Gulf and Zeta cartels.
Omar Trevino, ...

Nine dead in Mexico shooting: official

A rash of bombings hit police  stations in northern Colombia over the weekend, killing seven  police and injuring dozens more in what authorities said  appeared to be the work of drug gangs.
The attacks began early Saturday in the city of  Barranquilla, where five police officers were killed and 41  injured by a bomb that exploded at a police station during the  morning roll call.
It was one of the deadliest on security personnel in  recent years, casting a pall over preparations for the annual  carnival, a major attraction in the bustling Caribbean port  city.
A 31-year-old man was taken into custody after the  attack.
"We have no doubt that this is in retaliation against so  many good blows that the police have landed not only on drug  traffickers in Barranquilla, but also outside the city,"  Barranquilla Mayor Alejandro Char said.
Police were the targets of two more bombings late  Saturday and early Sunday.
A bomb explosion shortly before midnight Saturday killed  two police ...

Bomb attacks target police in northern Colombia

Russian police today detained  opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow as thousands  rallied across the country against a March election expected  to extend Vladimir Putin's Kremlin term.
Heeding a call by Putin's bete noire, thousands braved  freezing temperatures to stage rallies in dozens of cities to  protest upcoming "pseudo-elections," as Navalny and his  supporters refer to them.
In Moscow, Navalny chanted "Swindlers and thieves" at a  rally in the city centre before several police officers  pounced on the 41-year-old opposition politician, knocking him  to the ground and dragging him on to a bus.
Authorities said Navalny would be charged with organising  an unpermitted protest, adding he had been taken to a police  station.
The opposition leader urged Muscovites not to give up.
"You are not rallying for me, but for yourselves and your  future," he tweeted.
About 4,000 people turned up for the unsanctioned rally  in Moscow, with many chanting "Down with the czar" and  ...

Navalny arrested as thousands rally against Putin and

Pak army and rescuers save French mountaineer trapped on Nanga Parbat

Pakistan Army deploys helicopters to rescue trapped climbers | Photo: Pakistan Defence, Twitter

Pakistani army deployed rescue experts to safely recover mountain climbers who issued a mayday while climbing the Nanga Parbat, also nicknamed as Killer Mountain

Press Trust of India

Roger Federer has credited his  wife Mirka with keeping him motivated and still going strong  at 36, although his longevity has "many pieces to the puzzle".
The Swiss master won his 20th Grand Slam title at the  Australian Open on Sunday when he defeated Marin Cilic 6-2, 6  -7 (5/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
The latest triumph -- his sixth at Melbourne Park -- came  15 years after he won his first major at Wimbledon in 2003,  yet he continues to defy time when many of his contemporaries  have fallen by the wayside.
He said having a supportive partner was key to him still  being able to do what he loves, with wife Mirka courtside for  most of his big games, despite now having four children to  look after.
This, coupled with a careful schedule, has allowed him to  remain at the top, with no thoughts of calling it quits any  time soon.
"I think by not overplaying, not playing every tournament  possible," he said on what keeps him going.
"I enjoy practice, don't mind the travel. Having a great  ...

Federer credits wife for keeping him going

Israel summoned a top Polish  diplomat today to express concerns over legislation Warsaw was  advancing regarding the Holocaust and the definition of Nazi  death camps.
Poland's rightwing-dominated parliament adopted  legislation on Friday setting a maximum three-year jail term  for anyone who accuses the Polish nation or state of  complicity with Nazi crimes, or who refers to Nazi German  death camps as being Polish.
The measure, intended to apply to both Poles and  foreigners, must still pass the Senate before being signed by  the president.
The charge d'affaires for Poland's embassy in Israel,  Piotr Kozlowski, was summoned to the foreign ministry for a  "clarification" with senior officials, a statement read.
"Israel's opposition to the wording of the bill was  expressed to him," the ministry said.
"The timing of the bill -- the eve of International  Holocaust Remembrance Day -- was particularly surprising and  unfortunate."
It added that "the legislation will not help further the 

Israel summons Polish envoy over Holocaust bill

A tearful Roger Federer surged  home to beat Marin Cilic in five riveting sets and win his  sixth Australian Open and 20th Grand Slam title in Melbourne  on Sunday.
The Swiss defending champion dropped his only sets of the  tournament before completing a 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1  win over the sixth seeded Croatian in 3hr 3min.
Federer, playing in his 30th Grand Slam final, joined  Novak Djokovic and Australian great Roy Emerson as joint top  for the most Australian Open men's titles.
"I'm so happy it's unbelievable. This is a dream come  true, the fairytale continues for me," Federer said at the  presentation.
"After the great year last year, it's incredible," the  36-year-old added as he broke down in tears. "This is what you  live for, to one day experience these moments.
"This one tonight reminded me more of 2006 here when I  beat Marcos Baghdatis in the final and had a great run to the  final and was a huge favourite going in," he later explained.
"I was keeping the composure 

AFP

AFP

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