AC Milan led the Serie A tributes to former defender and club legend Cesare Maldini, who died today at the age of 84.
     Maldini, the father of 1990s club icon Paolo Maldini, made 412 appearances with the Rossoneri between 1954 and 1966, winning four league titles including a first 'scudetto' in his first season with the club.
    	Maldini had the honour of lifting the trophy at Wembley in 1963 when Milan became the first Italian club to win the European Cup, with victory over Eusebio-inspired Benfica.
	He would play 14 times for Italy, including their 1962 World Cup campaign in Chile before hanging up his boots in 1966.
	Maldini returned to Milan for an ill-fated spell as a coach, spending less than one season on the bench in 1973-1974, when Giovanni Trapattoni was ushered in to take over for the remaining games that year.
	A minute's silence was held before the Udinese v Napoli clash early on Sunday and was due to be observed in the remaining seven league games.
	Meanwhile, a ...

Milan lead tributes on death of Cesare Maldini

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Azerbaijan today announced a unilateral ceasefire after the worst violence over disputed Nagorny Karabakh in more than two decades, but Armenian forces said clashes were continuing despite international appeals to stop fighting.
	"Azerbaijan, showing good will, has decided to unilaterally cease hostilities", Azerbaijan's defense ministry said in a statement, warning it would "liberate all (Armenian-) occupied territories" if Armenian forces "do not stop provocations."
	Baku also pledged to "reinforce" several strategic positions it said it had "liberated" inside the region, which is controlled by Armenia but internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.
	But spokesman for the Armenian-backed rebel defense ministry in Karabakh, David Babayan, told AFP that fighting has never been halted along the frontline.
	"Fierce fighting is under way on southestern and northeastern sectors of the Karabakh frontline," he said.
	Earlier on Sunday, Karabakh forces claimed they took back the ...

Azerbaijan announces 'unilateral' ceasefire in Karabakh

A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Vanuatu today, but a tsunami threat passed with no immediate reports of major damage along the coasts of the Pacific archipelago.
	The quake, initially reported as 7.2 magnitude, struck at a depth of 35 kilometres, 81 kilometres north-northwest of the town of Port Olry on Espiritu Santo island in Vanuatu at 1353 IST, the United States Geological Survey said.
	It was 407 kilometres from the capital Port Vila. The USGS said there was a "low likelihood of casualties and damage".
	The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially cautioned that "hazardous tsunami waves" were possible along the coasts of Vanuatu, but later updated its advice to say the threat had "mostly passed".
	Jonathan Bathgate, senior seismologist at government agency Geoscience Australia, said that while Port Olry residents were likely to have felt "very intense shaking", "the likelihood is relatively low in terms of serious damage".
	"I haven't had confirmation of anything ..

Powerful quake hits off Vanuatu, tsunami threat warning lifted

Sporadic fighting between Azeri and Armenian forces was reported today, a day after Russia and the West appealed for calm following clashes that killed some 30 troops in the worst violence in decades over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.
	Both sides said there had been intermittent clashes overnight and today as well, accusing each other of using heavy weapons, tanks and artillery and of pulling the trigger first.
	"Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire 130 times during the night. They were shooting from mortars, grenade launchers, and large-calibre machine guns," Azerbaijan's defence ministry said in a statement.
	"The shelling was carried out from both Armenian territory and from Armenian-occupied Karabakh," the statement said. "The Azerbaijani army returned fire."
	Armenian defence ministry spokesman, Artsrun Hovhannisyan, told AFP that "fighting continued this morning in the southern direction of the (Karabakh) frontline."
	"Azerbaijanis are attempting to attack but ...

2nd day of clashes on Nagorny Karabakh frontline

A rare power outage plunged a major section of the Philippine capital's main airport into darkness overnight, forcing flight cancellations that stranded thousands today.
	As many as 78 flights by the country's largest carrier Cebu Pacific were cancelled, affecting nearly 14,000 passengers, the company said in a statement.
	Flag carrier Philippine Airlines also said some of its flights were cancelled or delayed but could not immediately say how many.
	The blackout hit Terminal 3, which services mostly domestic flights, late yesterday and power was not restored until before dawn today.
	Exhausted passengers sprawled on the floor as check-in counters and luggage carousels shut down. Long queues formed outside the terminal as entrances were closed until power was restored.
	Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport, named after the assassinated father of incumbent President Benigno Aquino, handles an average of 350 domestic and international flights daily, according to data from ...

Power outage cripples Manila airport, thousands stranded

Three Thais were killed today when a train crashed into a double-decker bus carrying holidaymakers as it was crossing the line, police said.
	The bus was taking a group of workers from a nearby factory in Nakhon Pathom province west of Bangkok to the southern island of Koh Samui for a holiday trip, according to local police officer Thanachot Shinwongsa.
	"Three have been reported dead, all Thais. The number of injuries is not yet confirmed," he told AFP.
	"The scene was cleared and the train is back in service."
	Video footage of the accident in Nakhon Chaisri district showed the bus slowly crossing the railway when a train ploughed into it at full speed, whipping the vehicle around.
	There appeared to be no lights or other warning devices at the intersection, a common failing at  many unregulated railway-road junctions in Thailand.
	Other cars were seen driving over the tracks alongside the bus just seconds before the collision.
	Thailand has the world's second most dangerous roads ..

Three dead after Thai train crashes into tour bus: police

Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE will replace three top executives, the WSJ reported, in an apparent bid to see US restrictions on its business lifted after it was accused of violating sanctions against Iran.
	Washington slapped restrictions on ZTE and three linked companies last month for illicitly re-exporting controlled items from the United States to sanctioned countries, including Iran.
	The curbs require ZTE to have specific licences before shipping US-made items to the parent company or the other three named firms.
	ZTE's chief executive Shi Lirong, in place since 2010, and executive vice presidents Tian Wenguo and Qiu Weizhao are expected to step down, pending approval from the ZTE board, the Wall Street Journal said yesterday.
	The board is scheduled to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday to green light the management changes, and also discuss the company's financial results for 2015, the newspaper said.
	Chief Technology Officer Zhao Xianming is expected to take over as the ...

China's ZTE executives to step down amid US sanctions row

Cristiano Ronaldo struck the winner as 10-man Real Madrid came from behind to end Barcelona's 39-game unbeaten run with a 2-1 win in El Clasico at the Camp Nou, here.
     Gerard Pique's towering header yesterday put the hosts in front on the night they honoured legendary former player and coach Johan Cruyff.
     Yet, Karim Benzema quickly levelled before Ronaldo fired home five minutes from time after Madrid captain Sergio Ramos had seen the 21st red card of his career.
     Victory reduces Barca's lead over third-placed Madrid to seven points with seven games remaining.
	Atletico Madrid closed the gap on the leaders to six points with a 5-1 thrashing of Real Betis earlier on Saturday.
	"I liked everything from my players both defensively and offensively against a great team with very good players," said Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane after a successful first Clasico in charge.
     "When I see the team like this, fighting for their teammates, it is the best thing for a coach."
	There .

Ronaldo winner ends Barcelona's 39-game unbeaten run

Three men have been killed in a suspected gang shooting in southern France, sources said, taking to eight the number who have died in gang violence in the city this year.
	Three others were also injured in the gunfight, which broke out around 10:30 pm (loacl time) in Marseilles yesterday.
	The police commissioner and several investigators were on the scene at the foot of a four-storey building where the killings took place.
	At least eight people have been shot dead on the streets of Marseilles since the beginning of the year, part of a growing number of gang-related murders in the city.
	"It's dramatic and desperate," Samia Ghali, the mayor of the eighth district of the city, told AFP.
	"It does not give much hope for future generations. There is real work that needs to be done."
	French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said an investigation had been opened, reiterating "the government's absolute determination to eradicate organised crime".
	At least 19 people were murdered in and 

Three dead in suspected gang shooting in France: source

Thousands of Colombians protested in more than 20 cities across the country against President Juan Manuel Santos and his government's peace process with the FARC guerrillas.
	It comes just days after Bogota launched peace negotiations with the country's second-biggest guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), setting its sights on a total end to a bloody half-century conflict.
	Large crowds refused to be put off by heavy rain in some cities, with many of the demonstrators decked out yesterday in the yellow, blue and red of the Colombian flag.
	The protests were called by the Democratic Center party of former president Alvaro Uribe, who has voiced consistent opposition to negotiations with the Marxist FARC that appear to be reaching a successful conclusion after more than three years of talks.
	"Traitor resign now!" and "No more impunity!" were among the banners on show as large crowds swarmed through city centers.
	"This protest is a general dissent against the government ..

Thousands protest across Colombia against government

Turkey has vehemently rejected accusations by Amnesty International that it was forcibly returning Syrian refugees to the conflict-torn country, as Ankara prepares to take back, under an EU deal, Syrians who travelled illegally to Greece.
	"The allegations do not reflect reality in any way," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement yesterday. "It is sad that this kind of news was shared with the public (by the media) in such an intense way," it added.
	Amnesty International accused Turkey on Friday of illegally forcing groups of some one hundred Syrians a day to return home, saying the alleged expulsions showed the "fatal flaws" in the migrant deal agreed with the EU.
	Greece is due tomorrow to start sending back to Turkey all migrants, including Syrians, who crossed the Aegean Sea illegally.
	Amnesty said its revelations showed Turkey was not a "safe country" for Syrian refugees to return to.
	But the Turkish foreign ministry insisted there was "no change" in the open-door ...

Turkey rejects Amnesty claims over 'forcibly returning'

Colombia's second-largest guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), has freed a policeman after holding him captive for 13 days, in a boost to peace efforts.
	The government launched peace negotiations on Wednesday with the ELN, setting its sights on a total end to a bloody half-century conflict.
	The ELN kidnapped police patrolman Hector German Perez on March 20, but on Saturday delivered him to the International Committee of the Red Cross in a rural area of  Bolivar yesterday, in northern Colombia, the ICRC said in a statement.
	President Juan Manuel Santos confirmed the release in a tweet and said the policeman would soon be reunited with his family.
	Bogota hopes the talks with the ELN will bring it on board alongside Colombia's biggest rebel force, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in a bid to end what is seen as the last major armed confrontation in the West.
	The ELN is a leftist group like the FARC, but they have fought as rivals for territory in a .

Rebels free Colombian policeman held for 13 days

Italy's main opposition parties threw down the gauntlet to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's government, with a no-confidence motion over a sleaze scandal which has already seen a top minister resign.
	The centre-right Forza Italia party, led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, joined forces with the anti-immigrant Northern League to draw up the motion of no-confidence for both the upper and lower houses of parliament to consider.
	"Game over for Renzi," head of Forza Italia in the lower house Renato Brunetta said yesterday.
	The anti-establishment Five Star movement (M5S) is also preparing its own motion, according to media reports.
	"We all have to show we want to send Renzi packing. We will vote for no-confidence," said Five Star member Luigi di Mario, deputy head of the lower house of parliament.
	A defiant Renzi played down any threat to his government.
	"And so they present the umpteenth no-confidence motion. We will go to parliament, I hope as soon as possible," he said on .

Italy opposition seeks to bring down govt over sleaze

Iraqi forces freed a large number of prisoners from an underground Islamic State group jail during a battle to retake a western town from the jihadists, officials said today.
	Security forces have recaptured parts of Heet, which was one of the largest population centres in Anbar province still held by IS, but other areas remain under jihadist control.
	"During their advance to liberate and clear the town of Heet from the (IS) organisation, security forces were able to discover a large prison," police Colonel Fadhel al-Nimrawi.
	"The prison was underground" and held 1,500 people, who were freed by security forces, Nimrawi said.
	Malallah al-Obeidi, a local official in Anbar, also put the number of freed prisoners at around 1,500, saying most of them were civilians.
	Muhannad al-Dulaimi, the official responsible for the Heet area, also confirmed the discovery of a "large prison" in the town, but did not say how many people it held.
	IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in ...

Iraq forces free prisoners from underground IS jail: officials

American space firm Blue Origin successfully completed the third launch and vertical landing of its reusable New Shepard rocket today, company founder and Internet entrepreneur Jeff Bezos said.
	"Flawless BE-3 restart and perfect booster landing," tweeted Bezos, referring to the BE-3 engine used to land the rocket back at the company's testing site in Texas.
	The unmanned crew capsule also landed safely, using parachutes, said the executive, who founded online giant Amazon and also owns The Washington Post newspaper.
	The breakthroughs by Blue Origin and parallel efforts by rival Internet mogul Elon Musk's SpaceX open up the potential for cutting costs for space travel and making rockets as reusable as airplanes.
	In November, Bezos called the accomplishment a "game-changer" which opens the door to lower costs in space travel and his vision of people living and working in space.
	Bezos said in a tweet yesterday that the rocket's engines would be restarting just 3,600 feet (1.1 ...

Blue Origin rocket makes third successful vertical landing

An Italian bishop is being investigated for the alleged sexual abuse of eight student priests, media reports said today.
	Prosecutors in Cassino, south of Rome, opened a probe into monsignor Gerardo Antonazzo after receiving a letter from a seminarian accusing the bishop of sexually molesting him and seven other adults, La Repubblica said.
	"I must stress how utterly unfounded the accusations are," Antonazzo was quoted as saying, adding that he had not been informed that he was under investigation.
	Prosecutors said the probe was ongoing, refuting earlier reports that they were ready to arrest the bishop.
	"The documents (on Antonazzo) have been sent to the Holy See, so it can evaluate eventual measures to be taken," the online newspaper Il Tempo said.
	Sex abuse scandals have dogged the Catholic Church in recent years with alleged victims breaking their silence in the United States, Ireland, the Netherlands, Australia France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Mexico and ...

Italian bishop in sex abuse probe: media

Fierce clashes left at least 30 Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers dead today as Russia and the West urged an immediate ceasefire after a major escalation in violence over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.
	Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian said 18 Armenian troops were killed and some 35 wounded in the "largest-scale hostilities" since a 1994 truce ended a war that saw Armenian-backed fighters seize the territory from Azerbaijan.
	Sarkisian did not specify if the troops were from the forces of unrecognised Karabakh -- which claims independence but is backed by Yerevan -- or Armenia's army.
	Earlier Azerbaijan's defence ministry said that 12 of its soldiers were killed in the clashes and a military helicopter shot down.
	The surge in fighting over the disputed territory reportedly also claimed the lives of one Armenian and one Azeri civilian after the arch foes accused each other of unleashing heavy weaponry across the volatile frontline.
	Armenia accused Azerbaijan of launching a .

Armenian, Azerbaijan forces in deadly clashes as Putin urges ceasefire

Five Turkish soldiers and one special forces police officer were killed today in a bomb attack blamed on Kurdish militants in the southeast of the country, the Dogan news agency reported.
	The members of the security forces were carrying out a military operation in Nusaybin in the southeastern Mardin province when a bomb left by rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was detonated, it said.
	Nusaybin has been under curfew since mid-March for a military operation to push the PKK out of the town, where the authorities say the group dug trenches and put up barricades.
	The new attack comes two days after seven police were killed and 27 others wounded by a massive car bomb attack on a police bus in Turkey's main southeastern city of Diyarbakir.
	Turkish authorities today detained the suspected perpetrator, named as A.C., of that attack, which was claimed yesterday by the military wing of the PKK.
	The bombing -- unlike previous recent attacks in Turkey -- was not a suicide attack ..

PKK bomb attack kills six in Turkish security forces: report

US officials are weighing sending more special forces troops to Syria, where the contingent of American fighters currently numbers around 50, a senior military official said today.
	A US official speaking on the condition of anonymity told AFP that the additional troops would be used to bolster US special forces sent to Syria several months ago.
	"Presumably they would do more of what they're already doing," said the official, who said the mission would be expected to take on "no new capabilities but an increase of the current capabilities."
	The official said no determination has been made about the number of troops who could be sent or whether they will be sent at all.
	"Nothing has been decided yet," the official said.
	The Pentagon last year said it was sending about 50 special operations troops to work with anti-IS fighters in Syria, although officials have said next to nothing about their whereabouts or progress since, and have worked hard to ensure no information about the ...

US weighs more special forces troops for Syria: official

Greece today demanded "explanations" from the International Monetary Fund after WikiLeaks said the lender sought a crisis "event" to push the indebted nation into concluding talks over its reforms.
	Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he would write to IMF chief Christine Lagarde and reach out to European leaders, after the website published what it said was a transcript of a teleconference in which IMF officials complained that Athens only moves decisively when faced with the peril of default.
	An "event" was therefore needed to drive the threat of default and get the Greeks to act, the officials say in the document dated March 19, and released by the whistleblowing website today. The nature of such an "event" is not specified.
	The officials also express concern that Britain's referendum in June on EU membership will hold up the negotiations, predicting that the vote will halt the talks on Athens' latest massive international bailout "for a month".
	The Greek government reacted ...

Greece wants IMF explanations over WikiLeaks report

Azeri troops have killed 18 Armenian soldiers, President Serzh Sarkisian said today, after heavy fighting erupted over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.
	"From our side 18 soldiers were killed and some 35 others wounded," Sarkisian said in a televised statement.
	He did not specify if the soldiers belonged to Yerevan-backed separatist forces in Karabakh or Armenia's armed forces.
	Earlier today Azerbaijan's defence ministry said that 12 its soldiers were killed in Karabakh and a military helicopter was shot down.
	The surge in fighting over the disputed territory -- which separatist Armenian-backed forces captured from Azerbaijan in the early 1990s -- reportedly also claimed the lives of one Armenian and one Azeri civilian after the arch foes accused each other of unleashing heavy weaponry across the volatile frontline.
	Ethnic Armenian separatists seized control of the mountainous Nagorny Karabakh region in an early 1990s war that claimed some 30,000 lives and the two sides have .

AFP

AFP

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