Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer believes the "stars have aligned" as he attempts to become the oldest Grand Slam winner of modern times in Sunday's final against Novak Djokovic.
The 37-year-old Swiss can clinch a record-extending 21st major if he manages to break free of the world number one's stranglehold.
Four-time Wimbledon winner and defending champion Djokovic enjoys a 25-22 edge in career meetings, stretching back 13 years.
The Serb has won 14 of their last 20 meetings and eight of the last 10.  Federer has lost all four of their most recent meetings at the Slams and it's now seven years since he triumphed over the 32-year-old at the majors.
That was 2012 in four sets in a Wimbledon semi-final.
However, Federer, who will be 38 next month, insists such statistics are meaningless as he attempts to succeed Ken Rosewall, at the 1972 Australian Open, as the oldest Slam champion of the Open era.
"It's been a rock solid year for me. I won in Halle (on grass on the eve of ...

'Stars align' as Federer seeks to break Djokovic spell in Wimbledon final

PTI Automatic

Senegal star Sadio Mane says helping Liverpool win the Champions League was special, but his "absolute dream" is parading the Africa Cup of Nations trophy through the streets of Dakar.
The west African team known as the Teranga Lions are two victories away from fulfilling the dream of their 27-year-old talisman, starting with a semi-final against Tunisia in Egypt Sunday.
"Going to Dakar with the trophy would be extraordinary," said Mane, who shared the Premier League Golden Boot award last season with fellow Africans Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
"My absolute dream is to help Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations -- that would surpass even what I achieved with Liverpool in the Champions League.
"We have to accept being among the favourites and many people are assuming we will play Algeria in the final," said the scorer of three goals so far in the tournament.
"All four semi-finalists are quality sides and all can go on and win this competition. The champions will be the 

Senegal star Mane reveals 'absolute dream' as Tunisia loom

Iraqi ex-prime minister Haider al-Abadi is eyeing a sequel to his turbulent single term, he hinted to AFP, warning a failure to tackle sectarianism and corruption risks seeing his country "fall apart".
As the government of incumbent Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi faces growing criticism over poor services, Abadi has been working in the wings to secure a second term, according to multiple sources.
"We have good intentions," he said coyly, when asked about his ambitions in a wide-ranging AFP interview at his home in Baghdad's "Green Zone".
The 67-year-old, who came to office in 2014 without an election as Iraq reeled from the Islamic State group grabbing a third of the country, has sent out feelers to major political blocs who may help him win allies in parliament, a government source said.
"He may take advantage of a wave of summertime protests if they happen," said the source.
Soaring summer temperatures -- paired with crippling electricity shortages, which restrict refrigeration and 

Iraq's former prime minister Abadi hints at comeback

The high-profile trial opened Saturday of a former Tehran mayor charged with murdering his wife, Iranian media reported.
Prominent reformist Mohammad Ali Najafi appeared in a Tehran criminal court, accused of shooting his second wife Mitra Ostad at their home in the Iranian capital.
The charge sheet read out in court included murder, assault, battery and illegal possession of a weapon.
The prosecutor also read out a statement from the former mayor, who claimed his wife once threatened him with a knife during one of their frequent arguments.
Ostad's body was found in the bathtub after Najafi turned himself in and confessed to killing her on May 28, according to Iranian media.
Her family has appealed for the Islamic law of retribution to be applied -- an "eye for an eye" form of punishment which would see the death penalty served in this instance.
Najafi's trial, which was adjourned until July 17, has drawn detailed coverage in state media where scandals related to politicians rarely ...

Ex-Tehran mayor goes on trial over wife's murder

Flash floods killed a Dutch tourist in a popular cave located in the rugged Mulu National Park on Malaysia's Borneo island, an official said Saturday, as a search continues for a missing guide.
Local fire and rescue chief Law Poh Kiong identified the dead man as 66-year-old Peter Hans Hovenkamp from Utrecht in the central Netherlands.
"He died due to drowning following flash floods in the caves. His body was found in a river inside the cave and was taken to the Miri public hospital for a post-mortem on Saturday," he told AFP.
Law said a search-and-rescue operation involving 16 officers had been launched to locate 20-year local tour guide Roviezal Robin.
Eight other tourists in the same group "almost become victims" but fled to higher ground and escaped from being washed into the river, Law added.
Hovenkamp was reported missing on Friday while the group was touring the popular "Deer Cave", home to an estimated three million bats which form amazing patterns in the sky when they leave ...

Dutch tourist killed in Malaysia cave floods, guide missing

South Africa's new justice minister plans to apply to overturn his predecessor's decision to send an arrested former Mozambican finance minister back home, according to documents seen Saturday.
Manuel Chang has been held in South Africa since December at the request of US authorities over alleged involvement in USD 2 billion of fraudulent loans to Mozambique state firms.
In May, South Africa said it would send Chang back to Mozambique, which had requested his extradition, rather than agree to a competing US extradition claim.
But Ronald Lamola, who was appointed justice minister in May, moved to reverse the decision, which he described in court papers as "irrational, and inconsistent with the constitution."
Lamola added that sending Chang back to Mozambique was also against "domestic, regional and international treaties" signed by South Africa.
The charges against Chang relate to loans taken out by the Mozambique government when he was head of the treasury between 2005 and 2015.
When .

S.Africa mulls revoking extradition of ex-Mozambique minister

At least 26 people, including several foreigners, were killed and 56 injured in a suicide bomb and gun attack claimed by Al-Shabaab militants on a popular hotel in southern Somalia, a top regional official said Saturday.
A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the Medina hotel in the port town of Kismayo on Friday before several heavily armed gunmen forced their way inside, shooting as they went, authorities said.
The siege lasted for almost 12 hours and only ended on Saturday morning after clashes with security forces.
Three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans, one British and one Canadian were among the 26 people killed in the attack, president Ahmed Mohamed Islam of the semi-autonomous Jubaland region told a news conference.
"There are also two wounded Chinese citizens," he added.
AFP confirmed with family members that at least four of the dead had dual nationality.
"The security forces are in control now and the last terrorist was shot and killed", ...

26 killed in deadly Somalia hotel siege

At least 26 people, including many foreigners, were killed and 56 injured in a suicide bomb and gun attack claimed by Al-Shabaab militants on a popular hotel in southern Somalia, a top regional official said Saturday.
"Twenty-six people were killed in the attack and fifty-six others wounded, among those killed are... foreign nationals three Kenyans, one Canadian, one British, two Americans, and three Tanzanians. There are also two wounded Chinese citizens," regional president Ahmed Mohamed Islam told a news conference.

26 dead, 56 injured in attack on Somali hotel: Official

At least 12 people were killed and more than 30 injured in a suicide bomb and gun attack claimed by Al-Shabaab militants on a popular hotel in southern Somalia, a security official said Saturday.
"The security forces are in control now and the last terrorist was shot and killed", Mohamed Abdiweli, a security official, said.
"There are dead bodies and wounded people strewn inside the hotel and we cannot give exact detail of the casualties but we have confirmed so far 12 people killed and more than thirty others wounded," Abdiweli said.
"We believe... there were four gunmen involved in the attack and the death toll could be higher because we see (the) devastating consequences of the (bomb) blast and gunfire," he added.
Authorities said Friday a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the Medina hotel in the port town of Kismayo before several heavily armed gunmen forced their way inside, shooting as they went.
"The blast was very big," said witness Hussein ...

Somalia hotel siege over, 12 dead

Twenty-five people were injured and several homes, churches and other buildings damaged on Saturday when an earthquake sent terrified residents of the southern Philippines fleeing their homes before dawn, police said.
The 5.8-magnitude quake struck the northeast coast of Mindanao island at 4:42 am (2042 GMT Friday) at a depth of 11.8 kilometres (7.3 miles), with the Philippine seismology office also recording seven less intense aftershocks.
Officers at the police station in Madrid town, near the epicentre, ducked beneath tables as the glass door of a filing cabinet splintered and a television set fell and shattered off a table, said its police chief Lieutenant Wilson Uanite.
"We saw people running out of their homes. A number of residences sustained minor damage like cracked walls," Uanite told AFP by telephone.
Patients were also evacuated at the Madrid District Hospital, which sustained cracks on its concrete walls, he added.
The roof of an old car park in Madrid collapsed, causing .

25 injured as quake rocks southern Philippines

At least six people were injured and some buildings damaged on Saturday when an earthquake sent terrified residents of the southern Philippines fleeing their homes before dawn, police said.
The 5.8-magnitude quake struck the northeast coast of Mindanao island at 4:42 am (2042 GMT Friday) at a depth of 11.8 kilometres (7.3 miles), with residents reporting at least three less intense aftershocks.
Officers at the police station in Madrid town, near the epicentre, ducked beneath tables as the glass door of a filing cabinet splintered and a television set fell and shattered off a table, said its police chief Lieutenant Wilson Uanite.
"We saw people running out of their homes. A number of residences sustained minor damage like cracked walls, and we initially counted six people with slight injuries," Uanite told AFP.
Patients were also evacuated at the Madrid District Hospital, which sustained cracks on its concrete walls, he added.
The roof of an old car park in Madrid collapsed, causing ...

At least six injured as quake rocks southern Philippines

Organisers of this year's Gay Pride week in Munich have a group of rather wild partners -- penguins, giraffes and lions at the city zoo where tours are being run about same-sex love in the animal kingdom.
The Munich zoo has joined Pride week with an unusual look into the intimate lives of all creatures great and small, seeking to boost tolerance among humans.
"It is important for us to talk about" homosexuality in the animal kingdom and show that same-sex love has its place in Nature, said Munich zoo spokesman Dennis Spaeth.
"Because unfortunately in Germany we see more and more people from the reactionary right attacking LGBTQI rights."
While even mostly-Catholic Bavaria has grown more accepting and lawmakers legalised gay marriage in 2017, non-heterosexuals are sometimes still a target for violence.
Police recorded 91 attacks based on the victim's sexual orientation last year.
In the safe confines of the zoo, the first stop on the Pride tour is the giraffes. The blotchy animals ...

Let's talk about gay penguins: Munich zoo joins Pride week

US regulators have approved a USD 5 billion penalty to be levied on Facebook to settle a probe into the social network's privacy and data protection lapses, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
The newspaper said the Federal Trade Commission approved the settlement in a 3-2 vote, with the two Democratic members of the consumer protection agency dissenting.
According to the report, the deal, which would be the largest penalty ever imposed by the FTC for privacy violations, still needs approval from the Justice Department before it is finalized.
Although details have not yet been released, the deal will likely include restrictions on how Facebook is able to use personal data.
Charlotte Slaiman of the consumer group Public Knowledge thinks it is unlikely the restrictions will be overly harsh.
"We don't yet know key aspects of the settlement: whether Facebook must make any changes to its business model or practices as a result," said Charlotte Slaiman, the group's Competition Policy ..

USD 5 bn US fine set for Facebook on privacy probe: Report

Roger Federer admitted that it felt "strange" he and Serena Williams will compete for Wimbledon titles this weekend, 16 years after he made his Grand Slam breakthrough.
The 37-year-old Swiss reached his 12th final at the All England Club with a 7-6 (7/3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat of old rival Rafael Nadal.
On Sunday, he will face world number one Novak Djokovic where he hopes to capture a ninth Wimbledon and record-extending 21st Grand Slam crown.
Federer won his first Wimbledon in 2003, beating Mark Philippoussis in the final.
That same weekend, Serena was beating sister Venus for the second successive year in the women's final.
On Saturday, Serena faces Simona Halep for an eighth Wimbledon title and record-equalling 24th major.
"Yeah, it's definitely a bit unusual, a bit strange," said Federer who will be the third oldest man to play in a Slam final on Sunday.
"I hope it's going to happen again for somebody, to have such a big span between the first final.
"It's definitely special I ...

Federer feels 'strange' being in Wimbledon final, 16 years after first

Inter Milan signed Italy international Nicolo Barella from Cagliari, the Serie A giants announced.
The 22-year-old has joined on an initial season-long loan, with an obligation to then buy on a five-year contract.
According to media reports, Inter will pay 10 million euros ($11.27 million) for the loan, and then up to 40 million euros for the permanent deal.
Barella played 112 games for his hometown club Cagliari, scoring seven goals, and has netted twice for Italy in seven appearances since making his debut last year.
Three-time European champions Inter qualified for this season's Champions League by finishing fourth in Serie A last term, having been knocked out in the group stage last year in their first appearance in Europe's premier competition since 2011-12.

Inter Milan sign Italy midfielder Barella from Cagliari

Juventus have signed Genoa's Cristian Romero for 26 million euros ($29.3m), but the centre-back will stay with his current club for another season, the Serie A champions announced.
"Juventus and the player have signed a 5-year contract of employment until 30 June 2024," a statement said.
"Juventus has reached an agreement with Genoa for the free loan until 30 June 2020 of the registration rights of the same player and bonuses of maximum EUR 5.3 million will be paid to Genoa on achieving given sports performances."
Romero, 21, played 27 games, scoring twice, in his first campaign in Italian football after joining Genoa from Belgrano in his native Argentina in July 2018.
The Stade Luigi Ferraris side only maintained their status in the Italian top flight thanks to a superior head-to-head record with 18th-placed Empoli.
The youngster is Juve's sixth close-season signing after midfielders Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot, defenders Merih Demiral and Luca Pellegrini as well as the return of .

Juventus sign Genoa's Romero for 26 million euros

Controversial American Justin Gatlin outsprinted up-and-coming compatriot Noah Lyles in the 100 metres at Diamond League meet in Monaco where Sifan Hassan set a new world best in the women's mile.
In balmy conditions at a packed Stade Louis II, the 37-year-old Gatlin kept both his nerve and form after an average start to streak through the finish line in 9.91 seconds, just one-hundredth of a second ahead of much-vaunted Lyles, 21.
"It was a technical race tonight," said Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic gold medallist and current world champion who served a doping ban between 2006-10.
"I just kept focused as I knew Noah would be coming after me like a bat out of hell!" Gatlin told AFP.
There was an outstanding performance in the women's mile, which is not an Olympic or world distance, as Ethiopian-born Dutch runner Hassan came home in 4min 12.33sec, smashing by 0.23 seconds the previous best set in 1996 by Russian Svetlana Masterkova.
Hassan, twice European champion over 1500m and once 5000m ..

Gatlin upstages Lyles in Monaco, Hassan and Amos shine

Roger Federer reached his 12th Wimbledon final on Friday, defeating old rival Rafael Nadal "in one of his favourite ever matches", 11 years after he lost their epic 2008 title showdown at the All England Club, a match widely regarded as the greatest ever played.
The 37-year-old eight-time champion won 7-6 (7/3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the pair's 40th career meeting to move into his 31st Grand Slam final where he will face defending champion Novak Djokovic.
Top seed and four-time winner Djokovic reached his sixth Wimbledon final, and 25th at the majors, with a nervy 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Spain's 23rd seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
"Obviously extremely high," said Federer when asked to rate his latest clash with Nadal.
"It's always very, very cool to play against Rafa here.
"It's definitely going to go down as one of my favourite matches to look back at because it's Rafa, it's at Wimbledon."
Federer is the third oldest to play in a Grand Slam final after 39-year-old Ken Rosewall ...

'One of the best': Federer downs Nadal to set up Djokovic Wimbledon title duel

South African former president Jacob Zuma is due on Monday to make a much-anticipated appearance before an inquiry into alleged corruption after previous witnesses gave damning evidence against him.
Zuma is accused of overseeing mass looting of state funds during his nine-year reign before he was ousted in 2018 by the ruling ANC party and replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa.
Zuma, 77, has denied all wrongdoing, and his lawyers have described the inquiry as an attempt to "ambush and humiliate" him.
The former president, who is not legally required to appear, agreed to attend for up to five days this week, though it is unclear if he will cooperate with any cross-examination.
His request to see the questions in advance was denied by the inquiry commission, which is probing the corruption scandal known as "state capture".
"In all honesty, the commission asked me to come to testify and put forward any information that I might have," Zuma said on Friday, ahead of the televised hearings.
"We will ...

S.Africa's Zuma to testify at graft scandal inquiry

Dozens of New Zealanders handed in their firearms Saturday as a gun buyback scheme went into operation aimed at ridding the country of semi-automatic weapons in the wake of the Christchurch mosque attacks.
The first of more than 250 collections to be held nationwide was held in Christchurch where 51 Muslim worshippers were gunned down while at prayer less than four months ago.
The government, with support from opposition parties, immediately rushed through legislation to tighten New Zealand's gun laws.
Police Minister Stuart Nash said the one objective was to "remove the most dangerous weapons from circulation".
With armed police monitoring the handover, 68 firearms owners handed in 97 weapons and 94 parts and accessories in the first two hours.
The regional police commander Mike Johnson said 903 gun owners in the Canterbury area had registered 1,415 firearms to be handed in.
"Police recognise that this is a big change for the law-abiding firearms community and we are hearing really ..

New Zealanders give up weapons after mosque killings

A 17-year-old girl killed by a California police officer last week appears to have been pointing a replica gun at the officer when she was shot, video footage released Friday shows.
The graphic video, released by the Fullerton police department following questions from the teen's family, shows Hannah Williams collapsing and pleading for help after she was shot on July 5.
The replica gun can be seen lying next to her in the video.
Police on Friday also released audio of an emergency call the teen's father, Benson Williams, made about 90 minutes after the shooting to report his daughter missing.
Williams tearfully tells the dispatcher in the call that he fears his daughter might harm herself and that she was on anti-depressants.
Police said the deadly encounter unfolded after the officer involved in the shooting spotted the teen driving at high speed on a freeway as he was taking his K-9 dog to the veterinarian.
He chased her vehicle and attempted to stop her, but at some point she made 

AFP

AFP

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