Raheem Sterling believes UEFA should punish alleged racist chanting aimed at England players in Monday's 5-1 win over Montenegro in Podgorica with a stadium closure.
Manchester City's Sterling celebrated the visitors' fifth goal by cupping his ears towards the home fans on a night when another impressive performance to start Euro 2020 qualifying by the Three Lions was overshadowed.
"I just want to show them you need more than that to upset us and stop us," Sterling told Sky Sports.
"It's 2019 now, I keep saying it. It's a shame to see this going on and we can only bring awareness to the situation.
"It's now time for the people in charge to put a real stamp on it because you can fine someone, but what is that going to do?
"You've got to make it a bit harder, punish fans that can't come to games. Do something that's going to make them think twice. If their team can't play with fans, it's going to be difficult." Sterling also tweeted a photo of his celebration with the message:
"Best way 

Sterling calls for stadium bans as racist abuse overshadows 5-star England

PTI Automatic

Roger Federer admits he faces a real battle to land the 101st title of his career with the in-form Daniil Medvedev next up after Serbian Filip Krajinovic was dispatched 7-5 6-3 on Monday at the ATP and WTA Miami Open.
The Swiss superstar produced an excellent all-round performance despite being tested by the world number 103 who belied his lowly ranking by producing some excellent tennis during an exciting first set.
Federer, however, stylishly weathered the storm to seal the win - the 52nd of his career in Miami - and set up an intriguing last eight match with the highly-rated Medvedev.
The Russian, who is at a career high ranking of 15, saw off American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7/5) 6-7 (5/7) 7-6 (7/0), and has won four ATP hard-court titles, including three since last August.
Federer beat him twice last year but is already a fan.
"He's clever how he plays the court because he can play it up and down, and he's unusual when he plays from back," said the Swiss, who hit 14 aces and won an ...

Federer wary of Medvedev after Miami victory

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo left the field with a thigh injury as Portugal drew 1-1 against Serbia in an Euro 2020 qualifier on Monday.
Ronaldo was replaced after 30 minutes in Lisbon as Fernando Santos' reigning European champions drew for a second time in their opening two games of the campaign after they were held by Ukraine on Friday.
There was no word whether the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would be fit for to play for his club Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Ajax on April 10.
William Carvalho wasted the best of the early chances at Benfica's two-thirds empty Estadio da Luz.
Serbia failed to clear the ball in the box before it fell to the unmarked Real Betis midfielder who's side-footed shot glanced past the post after five minutes.
Ajax playmaker Tadic opened the scoring from the penalty spot two minutes later.  Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio collided with an advancing Mijat Gacinovic in the box and Tadic tucked the spot kick away with ease to 

Ronaldo injured as Portugal held by Serbia

Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday ordered the armed forces to hold "appropriate commemorations" of the March 1964 military coup -- while denying it was a coup.
"Our president has ordered the Defense Ministry to carry out appropriate commemorations related to March 31, 1964," 55 years on, Bolsonaro's spokesman Otavio Rego Barros said at Planalto Palace in Brasilia.
The celebrations should be carried out according to "what the commanders deem right within their respective garrisons, and within the context in which they should be performed," the spokesman added.
Bolsonaro, an ex-Army captain, says he admires the military dictatorship that overthrew President Joao Goulart and ruled the country for over two decades until 1985.
Yet "the president does not consider what happened March 31, 1964 a military coup," Barros said.
"He believes that society as a whole, perceiving the danger that the country was experiencing," was able that day to unite "civilians and military, ..

Bolsonaro orders celebration of Brazil military coup: spokesman

The US space agency NASA scrapped Monday a planned historic spacewalk by two women astronauts, citing a lack of available spacesuits that would fit them at the International Space Station.
Christina Koch will now perform tasks in space Friday with fellow American Nick Hague -- instead of Anne McClain as originally planned.  Had Koch and McClain done their spacewalk together, it would have been the first ever by two women astronauts.
Until now, male-only or mixed male-female teams had conducted spacewalk since the space station was assembled in 1998 -- 214 spacewalks until now.
McClain worked outside the station last week -- with Hague -- when she realized that a "medium"-sized upper half of her spacesuit fit her better.
"Because only one medium-size torso can be made ready by Friday, March 29, Koch will wear it," NASA explained.
The spacesuits aboard the ISS are in fact assemblies of several parts put together as best adapted to each astronaut's body, explained Brandi Dean, ...

NASA scraps all-women space walk for lack of well-fitting suits

British MPs voted on Monday to play a bigger role in Brexit, giving themselves the power to express their preference for different options in an unprecedented move that the government called "dangerous".
MPs won a vote that will allow them to seize control of parliamentary business on Wednesday by 329 to 302, with three junior ministers quitting after voting against the government.
Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt and health minister Steve Brine resigned, a government source told AFP, while business minister Richard Harrington announced his decision to leave government on Twitter.
In his resignation letter, Harrington said the government's approach was "playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country".
But the Brexit ministry said in a statement it was "disappointed" by the vote, adding that it "upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent".
Three years after Britain voted to ...

British MPs vote for bigger role in Brexit process

British MPs voted on Monday to play a bigger role in Brexit, giving themselves the power to hold a series of votes to find a way forward in an unprecedented move.
A group of MPs won the vote to seize control of parliamentary business on Wednesday by 329 to 302, paving the way for MPs to choose between different
Brexit options in a bid to end the  political crisis.

British MPs vote to play bigger role in Brexit process

Brazil's ex-president and alleged head of a graft ring, Michel Temer, was freed from jail Monday after a judge said there were no legal grounds for his detention.
Temer, accused of leading a sophisticated embezzlement and money laundering scheme, was the second ex-president of the Latin American country to be caught up in a sprawling anti-corruption probe called Car Wash that has claimed scores of political and corporate scalps.
The 78-year-old predecessor of the current far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was arrested Thursday in Sao Paulo and placed in "preventative detention" in Rio de Janeiro -- a decision overturned by judge Antonio Ivan Athie, citing the lack of legal justification.
Athie also ordered the immediate release of former mines and energy minister Moreira Franco and several others detained along with Temer.
"I am not against the so-called Car Wash (investigation)," Athie said in his decision.
"I want to see our country free from the corruption that plagues it. However, 

Brazil ex-president Michel Temer freed from jail

China "systematically" impedes access to Tibet with restrictions that have prohibited diplomats, journalists and ordinary citizens from visiting, the United States said in a report Monday.
The State Department documented access problems to the Himalayan region in a report to Congress mandated by the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, passed with bipartisan support in December.
The law, which notes that no US region is prohibited, requires the United States by the end of this year to deny visas to Chinese officials in charge of implementing the policy.
"The Chinese government systematically impeded travel to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan areas outside the TAR for US diplomats and officials, journalists and tourists in 2018," said the report to Congress.
Even visits by US diplomats were "highly restricted," it said.
"Chinese government-designated minders followed US diplomats and officials at all times, prevented them from meeting or speaking with local contacts, ...

US says China 'systematically' impedes Tibet access

The 500-year-old wounds of the Spanish conquest were ripped open afresh on Monday when Mexico's president urged Spain and the Vatican to apologize for their "abuses" -- a request Madrid said it "firmly rejects."
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, an anti-establishment leftist, reopened the debate over Spain's centuries of dominance in the New World with a video posted to social media, urging Spanish King Felipe VI and Pope Francis to apologize for the conquest and the rights violations committed in its aftermath.
"I have sent a letter to the king of Spain and another to the pope calling for a full account of the abuses and urging them to apologize to the indigenous peoples (of Mexico) for the violations of what we now call their human rights," Lopez Obrador, 65, said in the video, filmed at the ruins of the indigenous city of Comalcalco.
"There were massacres and oppression. The so-called conquest was waged with the sword and the cross. They built their churches on top of the ...

Mexico demands apology for colonial 'abuses,' Spain hits back

Apple on Monday unveiled a star-packed original video service along with a subscription plan for magazines and newspapers as part of a new strategic move for the iPhone maker.
The US tech giant, aiming to emphasize digital content and services to make up for a slump in smartphone sales, also announced Apple Arcade, a game subscription service for mobile and other devices.
Director Steven Spielberg, TV host Oprah Winfrey and Hollywood stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell made appearances at the event, which puts Apple in competition with Netflix, Google, Amazon and others in various segments.
The Apple TV+ service -- an on-demand, ad-free subscription service launching this year in 100 countries -- will compete with services such as Netflix and Hulu with Apple investing heavily in its own content, while upgrading its TV application for third-party services.
"We believe deeply in the power of creativity," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said at the event at Apple ..

Apple pivots to services with video, news offerings

A Brazilian judge on Monday ordered the release of ex-president Michel Temer, days after the former leader was detained on allegations of being the leader of a "criminal organization."
The preventative detention of Temer, the 78-year-old predecessor of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, had no legal justification, judge Antonio Ivan Athie said in the ruling.
Athie extended the release order to former mines and energy minister Moreira Franco, who was also arrested Thursday along with several other people.
"I am not against the so-called Car Wash (investigation)," Athie said.
"I want to see our country free from the corruption that plagues it. However, without consitutional guarantees, guaranteed to all...there is no legitimacy in the fight against this plague.

Brazil judge orders release of ex-president Michel Temer

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for increased cooperation between the European Union and China, at a time of growing nervousness over Beijing's massive investments on the continent.
Speaking at the Elysee Palace following talks with Xi, Macron called for a "strong Europe-China partnership", adding that this must be based on "strong multilateralism" and "fair and balanced" trade.
Xi's, for his part, stressed that "a united and prosperous Europe fits in with our vision of a multipolar world".
"China will always back European integration and its development," he added in a statement to the press.
The statements followed the signing of a dozen of deals on nuclear power, cultural exchanges, clean energy, and a huge contract which will see China buy 290 Airbus A320s and 10 A350 airliners from Europe's Airbus conglomerate.
The order, originally for 184 A320s for 13 Chinese airlines, was first announced during Macron's state visit to ...

Macron, Xi call for increased EU-China cooperation

Moscow said it feared "a new wave of tensions" in the Middle East following the decision by Washington to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, which are claimed by Russian ally Syria.
The comments come after US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation in recognition of Israeli claims over the Golan Heights, a border area seized from Syria in 1967.
Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the move "ignores all international procedures" and would "only aggravate the situation".
"Unfortunately, this could drive a new wave of tensions in the Middle East region," Zakharova said in a radio broadcast, according to Russian news agencies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meeting Trump at the White House on Monday, called the recognition "historic" and said the Golan Heights would remain permanently under Israeli control.
The move, which breaks with decades of international consensus, drew criticism from the Syrian government, which ...

Russia warns of 'new wave' of Mideast tensions after US Golan move

Israel launched strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza on Monday hours after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit a house near Tel Aviv and wounded seven people, leading to fears of a severe escalation.
The retaliatory strikes were begun around the same time as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump in Washington, with explosions rocking areas of the Gaza Strip and balls of fire rising into the sky.
In comments from the White House, Netanyahu said "Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression," while Trump spoke of Israel's "right to defend itself."
Netanyahu said he would return home after meeting Trump, cancelling an address to pro-Israel lobby AIPAC's annual conference on Tuesday.
The flare-up comes at a highly sensitive time for Israel, which holds elections on April 9.
A security source in Gaza said there had been a range of strikes in various locations across the enclave.
One destroyed a building in Gaza City that Israel alleged was a 

Israel strikes Gaza after rare rocket attack near Tel Aviv

A new blackout hit several regions in Venezuela including much of Caracas, AFP and social media users reported, sowing alarm two weeks after a nationwide outage paralysed the country.
The power cut in the capital occurred at 1720 GMT and knocked out electricity in the city center. Cellphone signals were also disrupted and television was blanked out. Shops hastily lowered shutters, fearing looters.
Anxious Twitter users said power was also out across much of the rest of the city, and in several big cities in the west of the country including Barquisimeto, Maracaibo and Barinas.
Some said power came and went in their areas but remained unstable.
"Not another blackout, no God, no," tweeted one resident, Flore Melero.
In the last blackout, which started March 7 and lasted a week, more than a dozen patients in hospitals died, public transport came to a halt, production slowed in the vital oil sector and water supplies were interrupted, forcing citizens to turn to sewage outflows and ...

New blackout hits swaths of Venezuela including Caracas

Lebanon on Monday said a US decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights violates international law and undermines the prospects for peace.
US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a border area seized from Syria in 1967.
In a statement carried by the NNA state news agency, the Lebanese foreign ministry said the move "violates all the rules of international law" and "undermines any effort to reach a just peace".
"The Golan Heights are Syrian Arab land, no decision can change this, and no country can revisit history by transferring ownership of land from one country to another," it said.
The ministry said attempts by Israel to expand its territory by way of "force and aggression" would only isolate the Jewish state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the recognition "historic" and said the Golan Heights, which are still claimed by Syria, would remain permanently under ...

Lebanon says US Golan move undermines prospects for peace

An exhibition on the Duke of Wellington's time in India opens in London Saturday, shedding light on formative years before he defeated French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo.
Between 1796 and 1804, as the young Arthur Wellesley, he helped overthrow the Tipu Sultan and masterminded victory in the Battle of Assaye.
A decade later he defeated Napoleon, paving the way for a century of relative peace in Europe and a time of vast British imperial expansion.
The collection includes a dinner service commemorating his leadership in India that was later supplemented with cutlery taken from Napoleon's carriage.
It also includes books from the 200-volume travelling library that, aged 27, he took with him for the six-month voyage to India in a bid to broaden his education, having finished his studies early.
It included books on India's history, politics and economics, Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" and philosophical works.
The "Young Wellington in India" exhibition runs 

Exhibit highlights Wellington's formative Indian years

The US and Russia clashed publicly over Venezuela on Monday, raising geopolitical stakes over the oil-producing nation after Moscow sent dozens of soldiers to Caracas amid what it alleged was a budding "coup."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned his counterpart Sergei Lavrov over the phone that "the United States and regional countries will not stand idly by as Russia exacerbates tensions in Venezuela."
The tense conversation came after Russia sent two planes reportedly carrying around 100 soldiers and 35 tons of military equipment to Venezuela's main airport outside Caracas on Saturday.
One independent Venezuelan journalist, Javier Mayorca, reported that the deployment also included General Vasily Tonkoshkurov, a top official who heads the Mobilization Directorate of Russia's armed forces.
Although Russian state news agency Sputnik described the troop arrival as a movement to "fulfill technical military contracts," the development unsettled Washington, which has thrown its ...

US, Russia lock horns over Venezuela, raising the stakes

Major floods across much of Iran have left 19 people dead and more than 90 injured, blocking roads and triggering landslides with warnings of more heavy rain to come, emergency services said Monday.
Such a widespread flood threat is unprecedented in arid Iran, which until 2018 was dealing with decades of drought.
Seventeen people were killed and 94 injured in the southern city of Shiraz, one person died in the western province of Kermanshah and another in Lorestan, also in the west, rescue services said.
The national emergency has struck in the middle of Iranian New Year holidays, with many relief workers also on vacation.
Many of those killed in Shiraz were holidaymakers caught in the flood as they entered the city in their cars.
With 25 of Iran's 31 provinces experiencing floods or facing imminent threat, the country's National Crisis Management Committee was activated at cabinet level.
"I have ordered all governor-generals, all provincial managers and officials nationwide to stay ..

At least 19 dead in unprecedented Iran floods

US attorney Michael Avenatti, who shot to fame by representing adult film star Stormy Daniels, was arrested on Monday after being accused of trying to extort money from Nike and embezzling a client's money.
Details about the accusations -- contained in separate cases filed in New York and Los Angeles -- were to be disclosed at press conferences in both cities.
The celebrity lawyer represented Daniels in her lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen.
According to the complaint filed in New York and involving Nike, the celebrity lawyer "devised a scheme to extort a company by means of an interstate communication by threatening to damage the company's reputation if the company did not agree to make multi-million-dollar payments to Avenatti and (co-conspirator), and further agree to pay an additional USD 1.5 million to a client of Avenatti's."
The complaint states that Avenatti, 48, and the unnamed co-conspirator met with attorneys for Nike on March 19 and 

AFP

AFP

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