Serena Williams will have a third go at winning a 22nd Grand Slam singles title at the French Open, which would draw her level with Steffi Graf as the most successful female player in the Open era.
     But to do so, the 34-year-old American will have to achieve something she has so far failed to manage -- defend her crown in Paris.
     Just three of Williams' 21 Grand Slam titles have come in France -- the first in 2002 and then a long gap until 2013 and 2015.
     The year after her inaugural French Open title, she lost in three tough sets to eventual winner Justine Henin -- hardly a major upset at that time.
     But in 2014 she lost a second round tie to young Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, a defeat that recalled her shock first round exit at the hands of Virginie Razzano two years previously.
     That defeat to the lowly-ranked French player resulted in Williams re-dedicating herself to the game under the guidance of French coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
     The result has been ...

Serena targets Steffi in French Open

PTI Automatic

Britain's possible exit from the European Union took centre stage at a G7 meeting in Japan today, as UK finance minister George Osborne warned a 'Brexit' could doom trade deals with EU countries.
	The comments came during two days of talks largely focused on how the club of rich nations can stoke the lumbering world economy, with terrorism financing and a sharp divide over currency policy also on the table.
	As the vote on Britain's future in the EU draws closer, Osborne said his meetings with G7 counterparts underscored the gravity of the in-out decision next month.
	"If Britain left the EU, and wanted access to the single market... Then we would need to pay into the EU budget and we'd have to accept free movement of people but we'd have no say over those policies at all," Osborne told the BBC.
	Britain will decide in a referendum on June 23 whether to stay in the EU or leave the 28-country bloc.
	Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne, like Prime Minister David Cameron, is campaigning .

'Brexit' in spotlight at G7 meeting in Japan

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed former Irish President Mary Robinson and Kenyan diplomat Macharia Kamau as special envoys for El Nino and climate.
	The El Nino weather phenomenon, which occurs every two to seven years, affects rainfall patterns and causes both drought and flooding.
	Its effects can be seen in places like Sudan, where the UN estimates 400,000 people will need food aid due to El Nino-related drought. Neighbouring Ethiopia is experiencing its worst drought in 50 years.
	The phenomenon has "created massive needs across the world," the UN said in a statement, particularly in east Africa, southern Africa, Central America and the Pacific.
	"This year's El Nino is taking place in a world already dramatically affected by climate change. More extreme weather events are expected in the future, and these hit the poorest communities - those least responsible for climate change - first and hardest," the statement said.
	"Aid is not enough; a longer term approach is ..

UN names special envoys for El Nino and climate

Four French police were killed when their helicopter crashed in the Pyrenees, in one of the deadliest such incidents in recent years.
	The accident happened at an altitude of between 2,000 and 3,000 metres (6,500 and 10,000 feet) near the Vignemale, the highest peak on the French side of the mountain range bordering Spain.
	The dead, who were all in their 40s, included the pilot, co-pilot and two mountain rescue specialists involved in a training exercise, local authorities said.
	Eric Serfass, the prosecutor from the nearby town of Tarbes who announced an investigation into yesterday's crash, said that although weather at the time of the crash was good, flying at such altitudes was "extremely difficult".
	The last fatal police helicopter crash in France occurred in 1997, also in the Pyrenees, when a chopper went down, killing two people on board.
	In 2009, a helicopter carrying a pregnant woman in Corsica crashed shortly after she gave birth mid-air, killing the mother, her newborn ..

Four French police killed in chopper crash

The governor of the US state of Oklahoma vetoed a bill outlawing abortion, saying it was too vague and would not stand up to legal challenges.
	"The bill is so ambiguous and so vague that doctors cannot be certain what medical circumstances would be considered 'necessary to preserve the life of the mother,'" Governor Mary Fallin yesterday said in a statement that labeled the measure "unconstitutional."
	"The absence of any definition, analysis or medical standard renders this exception vague, indefinite and vulnerable to subjective interpretation and application," she added.
	Fallin, who is known for her anti-abortion views, has been mentioned as a potential running mate to Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
	Her veto came barely 24 hours after lawmakers in Oklahoma passed the legislation which would have made performing abortions a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.
	The measure, which was sure to face legal challenges, was introduced by ...

Oklahoma governor vetoes bill outlawing abortion

EU member Lithuania said it had granted political asylum to Kremlin critic Irina Kalmykova, who fled Russia to avoid imprisonment over anti-government protests.
	"She was granted international protection and refugee status because she faces danger in her homeland," Lithuania's Deputy Interior Minister Elvinas Jankevicius told AFP yesterday but declined to elaborate.
	Human rights activists have repeatedly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of seeking to stamp out all visible dissent. The small liberal opposition often must choose between exile or repression, they add.
	Kalmykova said she was charged with violating public rallies regulations, facing up to five years in prison, and was worried that authorities may open another criminal case against her.
	"So I tried to leave, with my 14-year-old son, first through Belarus, but it did not work, then we crossed on foot to Ukraine, in January, leaving all our belongings behind," she told AFP yesterday.
	"From Ukraine we went on to ...

Lithuania grants political asylum to Kremlin critic

The White House was placed on lockdown for more than an hour and heavily armed Secret Service agents deployed around the building after a man brandished a weapon nearby and was shot.
	President Barack Obama was not on the premises when the incident took place at around 3:06 pm (local time) yesterday. He had gone to play golf at Joint Base Andrews, just outside the capital.
	The Secret Service reported an "adult male subject, carrying a firearm, approached an outer perimeter checkpoint accessible to the general public," according to spokesman Robert Hoback.
	"Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers gave numerous verbal commands for the subject to stop and drop the firearm."
	"When the subject failed to comply with the verbal commands, he was shot once by a Secret Service agent and taken into custody."
	He received emergency medical attention and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
	The incident prompted the White House doors to be locked and agents in full tactical gear and ...

Armed man shot outside White House

The White House was on lockdown today after police reported a shooting near the seat of US presidential power, amid reports that the assailant brandished a weapon at Secret Service agents.
	CNN said the suspect approached a Secret Service checkpoint, where he drew a weapon. Officers shot the suspect, who was in custody.
	President Barack Obama was not on the premises -- the White House said earlier he had gone to play golf at Andrews Air Force Base.
	But CNN reported that Vice President Joe Biden was at the White House and taken to a secure location during the incident.

White House on lockdown after police report shooting nearby

The French Caribbean island of Martinique has suffered its first Zika virus-related death, the regional health agency said today.
	"The patient, aged 84, had been hospitalised for 10 days in intensive care with Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS)," the agency said, adding that the Zika link came to light late last week.
	Some experts believe there is a link between Zika and GBS -- in which the immune system attacks the nervous system.
	Doctors tests found that "the death is directly linked to Zika with Guillain-Barre Syndrome associated with Zika as the initial cause," regional health authority ARS said.
	"This death is the only one registered in Martinique since the start of the epidemic,"  the agency added.
	Before the death, the French Caribbean overseas department had listed 19 patients as confirmed suffering from GBS, which has been linked with Zika, as has paralysis-causing myelitis.
	Several cases of the virus have emerged from assumed GBS cases in Martinique's French Caribbean ...

First Zika virus death in France's Martinique: authorities

The long-awaited first metro line linking Los Angeles to the sea opened amid much fanfare today, providing passengers a reprieve from the gridlock the city is famous for.
	The USD 1.5 billion, 6.6-mile Expo Line extension from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica marks the return of commuter train service to the sea following a six-decade gap in rail operations.
	Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was among hundreds on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Santa Monica, arriving on the train platform with a surfboard.
	Metro officials said the ride from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica will take about 50 minutes.
	The new line marks the first time since the 1950s -- when the city's electric streetcars stopped operating -- that Santa Monica has been accessible by rail.
	"We have a very dense population and this will help us traffic-wise," said Los Angeles resident Nanette Sanchez, who attended the inaugural ceremonies.
	"Our freeways are just too packed and people are spending too ...

First metro line to the sea opens in Los Angeles

White House on lockdown after police report shooting

Scoreboard at stumps on the second
day of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka at Headingley today:
     England 1st Innings (overnight: 171-5)
	Cook c Chandimal b Shanaka           16
	Hales c Chameera b Herath            86
	Compton c Thirimanne b Shanaka        0
	Root c Mendis b Shanaka               0
	Vince c Mendis b Eranga               9
	Stokes c Mathews b Pradeep           12
	Bairstow c Pradeep b Chameera       140
	Ali c Mendis b Chameera               0
	Broad b Chameera                      2
	Finn st Chandimal b Herath           17
	Anderson not out                      1
	Extras: (LB-8, W-4, NB-3)             15
     Total: (all out, 90.3 overs, 417 mins) 298
     Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-49, 3-51, 4-70, 5-83, 6-224, 7-231, 8-233, 9-289
     Bowling: Eranga 19-4-68-1, Pradeep 19-7-56-1, Mathews 11-2-31-0, Chameera 17-0-64-3, Shanaka 13-3-46-3, Herath 11.3-1-25-2
     Sri Lanka 1st Innings
	Karunaratne c Bairstow b Broad        0
	Silva c Bairstow b Anderson    

Leeds, May 20 (AFP) Scoreboard at stumps on the second

World oil prices soared this week to 2016 highs as Canadian and Nigerian supply problems and sliding US production helped reduce the stubborn global supply glut.
	New York's benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for June delivery soared Wednesday to USD 48.95 per barrel -- the highest level since October 2015.
	On the same day, European benchmark Brent North Sea crude for July delivery hit USD 49.85, which had not been reached since early November.
	"Production outages in Canada and Nigeria continue to support prices," wrote Capital Economics analysts Caroline Bain and Julian Jessop in a research note.
	Prices also shot up after Goldman Sachs said supply disruptions in Africa's biggest oil producer Nigeria -- along with better demand -- had created a surprising short-term deficit.
	The US banking giant described the situation in Nigeria as "systemic" and production in that country is likely to remain curtailed for the rest of the year.
	"Based on the report ... Demand has started to 

Oil hits 2016 peaks on fading supply glut fears

Pakistan's army said today it had cleared the last militant stronghold in the country's northwestern tribal area after a three-month long operation.
	In February troops began the final phase of the Zarb-e-Arb mission in North Waziristan, on the border with Afghanistan, where militants had previously operated with impunity.
	"We have cleared the Shawal valley completely of militants," Brigadier Shabbir Narejo told reporters at a briefing.
	Troops, helicopter gunships, tanks and jets were deployed in the operation, during which Taliban militants put up "stiff resistance", Narejo said.
	"There were up to 2,000 trained militants in the valley, but we surprised them by launching the operation in the peak of winter in minus 12 degrees Celsius," he said.
	He said that six soldiers and up to 120 militants died in the fighting.
	Reporters were shown weapons and missile launchers that were seized and also huge tunnels where militants had been hiding in the thick, forested valley.
	Narejo said ..

Pakistan clears last militant stronghold in N Waziristan

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah today said his Lebanese Shiite movement would boost its support for Syria's regime after one of its top commanders was killed there last week.
	"We will increase and bolster our presence in Syria," Nasrallah said in a speech during a ceremony to mark a week since Mustafa Badreddine was killed in an artillery attack near Damascus.
	"More commanders than before will go to Syria. We will be present in different ways and we will continue the fight," he said.
	According to Hezbollah expert Waddah Charara, the Shiite militant group has sent between 5,000 and 6,000 combatants to Syria since 2013.
	Between 1,000 and 2,000 Hezbollah fighters have been killed in fighting there, other experts say.
	"Our revenge will be great and final defeat on these terrorist, tafkiri (Sunni extremist) and criminal groups," he said, less than a week after Hezbollah accused Islamist extremists of killing Badreddine.

Hezbollah to bolster military presence in Syria: Nasrallah

A Kosovo court today sentenced an imam and six others to up to ten years in jail for recruiting fighters for the Islamic State or joining the group in Syria.
	Imam Zeqirja Qazimi was handed down a ten-year sentence, the court said in a statement.
	His six associates were convicted for trying to gather recruits and for fighting for the IS there from 2012 to 2014. They got jail terms ranging from three to eight years.
	"They have intentionally called on other persons to commit or participate in terrorist acts, participate in the activities of a terrorist group and try to gather funds and material resources for it."
	Qazimi had also posted a clip on YouTube in which he said that the "blood of infidels is the best drink for us."
	Local media reported that Qazimi was responsible for recruiting 11 fighters in Kosovo who joined the IS. Three of them were killed in Syria, media reported.
	The men were arrested in August and were detained at a high-security prison.
	As the verdict was being ...

Kosovo jails IS recruiter, six associates

A South African university renowned as the launchpad for leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe celebrated its centenary today against a backdrop of violent student protests.
	Police at the Fort Hare campus used water cannon to force back students who tried to march on the venue where dignitaries including President Jacob Zuma and Mugabe were gathered.
	The students later staged a protest vigil after their bid to block the main entrance was thwarted by police.
	"Students tried to barricade the roads leading to the university," police spokesman Khaya Tonjeni told AFP.
	"We have reinforced the security because there was a high level of intimidation two days ago when marquees were burnt down," he said.
	Overnight, police fired stun grenades and teargas at students who hurled rocks at them at the university in the Eastern Cape province.
	The violence at Fort Hare follows protests at campuses across South Africa over the past year by students over issues such as ...

Protests mar centenary of famed S African 'black' university

An open-ended curfew was declared in Baghdad today after supporters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed the Green Zone for the second time in three weeks, authorities said.
	"Curfew on Baghdad until further notice," read a statement which was released by the Joint Operations Command and also relayed by state television.
	Residents told AFP that security forces were turning vehicles away, asking shop-owners to close down and blocking streets with concrete blast walls.
	A police colonel said the measure was chiefly designed to prevent any deployment by Sadr's militia Saraya al-Salam.

Curfew slapped on Baghdad after Green Zone breach

US health officials said today that they are monitoring 279 pregnant women in the United States and Puerto Rico that may be infected with the Zika virus.
	Of that number, 157 live in the 50 US states and Washington, while the other 122 live in Puerto Rico, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
	All have "laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection," the CDC said.
	The new figure appears to be a dramatic jump from the 110 pregnant women with confirmed Zika cases that the CDC reported as of May 11, but officials say the figures are not comparable, as a new reporting system is being used.
	Experts agree that the mosquito-borne Zika virus is behind a surge in cases of the birth defect microcephaly -- babies born with abnormally small heads and brains -- after their mothers were infected with the virus.
	In Brazil, 1,271 babies have been born with unusually small heads and deformed brains since the outbreak of Zika began there last year.
	The virus, which usually ...

US monitoring 279 pregnant women with possible Zika cases

Moscow today proposed that Russia and United States, which have been flying separate bombing campaigns in Syria, launch joint air strikes against jihadists from next week, a proposal the Pentagon swiftly rejected.
	"We are proposing to the US, as the head of the International Syria Support Group, to take part as of May 25 in joint operations between the Russian air force and the air force of the coalition," Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said in televised comments.
	Shoigu said that the proposal included strikes against Jabhat al-Nusra and other illegal armed groups that do not support a frail truce brokered by Moscow and Washington in February.
	He also proposed that joint strikes target "convoys containing weapons and ammunition (and) armed units that illegally cross the Syrian-Turkish border."
	"We believe that adopting these measures will ensure the transition to a peace settlement process over all of Syria's territory," Shoigu said. "Of course, the leadership of the ...

Moscow proposes joint Syria air strikes, US rejects proposal

French investigators are checking again for security flaws at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport after yesterday's EgyptAir crash, despite already stripping hundreds of employees of their security clearance since last year's jihadist attacks.
	It is still far from clear whether the EgyptAir plane that crashed en route from Paris to Cairo was the victim of a terrorist attack or that any security lapse happened on French soil.
	But security staff are taking no chances.
	Following the attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket in January 2015, the airport north of Paris imposed a zero-tolerance approach to staff, stripping more than 600 of its 86,000 employees of their security clearance.
	Anyone with a criminal record lost their security pass, but the police authority that handled the review said 85 were suspected of having sympathies with radical Islamists.
	Another 400 members of staff are still under investigation after being flagged as possible radicalisation cases, ...

AFP

AFP

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