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 

Lawyer Avenatti arrested, accused of fraud and of extorting Nike

PTI Automatic

Turkey on Monday denounced US President Donald Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights as an "election gift" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump's decision to proclaim that the Golan Heights -- captured from Syria during the Six-Day War of 1967 -- belongs to Israel hands a significant diplomatic victory to Netanyahu before April 9 elections.
The Israeli premier is facing an unexpectedly tough challenge from centrist Benny Gantz.
"Trump's signing is virtually an election gift to Netanyahu who is in difficulty ahead of elections," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a speech in the southern province of Antalya.
"Whatever you do for (Netanyahu) -- who even divides his own people, who bombs in Gaza today as you can see -- for this tyrant, there will be no advantages. America's efforts are in vain," Cavusoglu said in televised remarks.
Israel launched strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza on Monday hours after a rocket from ...

Turkey slams Trump Golan move as 'gift' to Netanyahu

President Donald Trump said Monday that Robert Mueller, head of the two-year probe into alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election campaign, acted honorably, but he also threatened retaliation against his foes.
"Yes he did," Trump said after Mueller -- whom he often bitterly criticized during the investigation -- declared there was no evidence of collusion by Trump or his campaign.
Trump, who feels vindicated by the dropping of collusion allegations, said he would favor publication of the wider Mueller report. So far, only a short summary has been released.
"Up to the attorney general. Wouldn't bother me at all," he said at the White House.  But Trump blasted the investigation as "a false narrative, it was a terrible thing."
"We can never let this happen to another president again," he said. "Very few people I know could have handled it. We can never, ever let this happen to another president again."
Adding to suggestions that the White House would like to retaliate now ...

Trump says Russia probe head acted honourably, but warns of retaliation

DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday paid tribute at a genocide memorial on the sidelines of an economic forum in Rwanda, a highly symbolic gesture in bilateral relations badly hobbled by the 1994 bloodbath.
The Twitter account of the genocide memorial published a video of Tshisekedi, who was elected in January, laying a wreath at the memorial in Kigali, a diplomatic first.
The gesture came ahead of the 25th anniversary on April 7 of the start of the massacre, in which at least 800,000 people -- mainly minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus -- were killed in 100 days.
After the carnage, many of the men who carried out the massacres fled into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, destabilising the region to this day.
Tsishekedi's tribute sparked anger in the DRC.
Some on social media blasted Rwandan President Paul Kagame for his record on human rights and for Rwanda's own reputed role in the turmoil in the east of the country.
Many Congolese accuse of Rwanda of arming and ...

In diplomatic first, DR Congo's Tshisekedi lays wreath at Rwanda memorial

The Syrian government said that Washington's recognition Monday of Israeli claims over the Golan Heights were a blatant attack on its sovereignty.
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.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the recognition "historic" and said the Golan Heights, which are still claimed by Syria, would remain permanently under Israeli control.
The move, which breaks with decades of international consensus, drew criticism from the Syrian government.
"In a blatant attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, the president of the US has recognised the annexation of the Syrian Golan," a foreign ministry source said, according to state news agency SANA.
"Trump does not have the right and the legal authority to legitimise the occupation," he said.
The unnamed source also said the unlimited support the US gives to Israel makes 

Syria says US Golan move blatant attack on its sovereignty

Two Saudi sisters marooned in Hong Kong have arrived in a safe third country after securing humanitarian visas, their law firm said on Monday, ending a months-long ordeal as they sought sanctuary from an abusive family.
The siblings -- the latest example of Saudi women escaping the ultra-conservative kingdom only to find themselves stranded in foreign cities -- said they were "thrilled" their story had a "happy ending" after making a public appeal for their safety.
The young women, aged 20 and 18, said they made a break from an abusive family during a holiday in Sri Lanka last September with the intention of heading for Australia, but they only made it as far as Hong Kong.
The pair -- who use the aliases Reem and Rawan -- said they were intercepted at the airport by Saudi consular officials and their air tickets cancelled. Fearful they might be abducted, they entered Hong Kong as visitors but later had their passports revoked, leaving them stranded in the semiautonomous Chinese ...

Saudi sisters free after six months stranded in Hong Kong

Norway breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday after the dramatic rescue of a stricken cruise ship off its coast, but questions mounted about why the vessel chose to sail into notoriously perilous waters in a storm.
The Viking Sky, carrying 1,373 passengers and crew, sent out a mayday call on Saturday after it lost power in stormy seas, as it was tossed about in 15-metre (50-foot) waves that sent tables and furniture sliding from side to side.
The incident led to a spectacular airlift rescue. Images from the scene spread widely in the media and on social networks over the weekend.
It was one of the biggest rescue operations in modern times, with almost 500 passengers, many of them elderly, airlifted off the ship through day and night by a relay of helicopters fighting heavy winds.
Remarkably, just 28 people were hospitalised and only one suffered serious injuries.
"The risk to the passengers and the vessel was high," Dag Sverre Liseth, director of the marine department at the ..

Relief, and questions, in Norway after dramatic cruise rescue

President Donald Trump on Monday said that Robert Mueller, head of the two-year probe into alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election campaign, had acted honorably.
"Yes he did," Trump said after Mueller -- whom he often bitterly criticized during the investigation -- said there was no evidence of collusion by Trump or his campaign.

Trump says Mueller acted honorably in Russia probe

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a border area seized from Syria in 1967.
"This was a long time in the making," Trump said alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House. US recognition for Israeli control over the territory breaks with decades of international consensus.

Trump signs US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights

Michael Schumacher's son Mick is set to make his Formula One debut behind the wheel of a Ferrari test in Bahrain next month.
Auto Bild reported on Sunday that Schumacher, the 20-year-old son of seven-time world champion Michael, could appear at a young driver's test in April.
Teams will be obliged to test young drivers for two days at the mid-season test in Bahrain on April 2 and 3.
On Monday, autosport.com reported that Schumacher will test the Ferrari SF90 on Tuesday 2 April, before taking the wheel for Alfa Romeo the following day.
The Alfa Romeo team have close links to Ferrari, who signed Schumacher as an academy driver in January.
Schumacher was crowned European Champion at Formula Three level with Prema last year, and will make the step up to Formula Two this season.

Mick Schumacher to make F1 debut for Ferrari in Bahrain test

Neymar's agent and father poured cold water over speculation the world's most expensive footballer was mulling a transfer and instead suggested a new deal with Paris Saint-Germain was more likely.
In an interview with Brazilian website UOL Esporte the 27-year-old's dad laughed off the idea of a switch to Real Madrid or elsewhere and said his son was more likely to extend his stay in the French capital where he is already under contract until 2022.
When asked directly about rumours linking Neymar with a move back to La Liga either with Real Madrid or Barcelona the agent laughed off the idea.
"It is highly unlikely he will move anywhere," Neymar senior said.  "Neymar has switched club only twice in his entire career but for ten years we have been living with speculation of an imminent switch.
"He's in his second year at PSG already. So there's another three years to come with his first contract, and we're already moving towards a renewal with Paris Saint-Germain," he added.
The striker .

Neymar PSG extension more likely than Madrid switch - father

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday said there was "still not sufficient support" in parliament for her to bring her Brexit deal back to parliament for a third vote.
"As things stand there is still not sufficient support in the House to bring back the deal for a third meaningful vote," May told parliament, voicing hope that this could change later in the week.
"I continue to have discussions with colleagues from across the House to build support so we can bring the vote forward this week," she said.
May said the government would provide time to allow MPs to debate and vote on Brexit alternatives to find a plan that could command a majority in parliament.
But she warned it would be an "unwelcome precedent to set, which would overturn the balance of our democratic institutions.
"I am sceptical about such a process of indicative votes," she added.
"When we have tried this kind of thing in the past, it has produced contradictory outcomes or no outcomes at all.

Parliament support 'not sufficient' for third Brexit vote: May

Israel's military launched strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Monday, the army and witnesses said, hours after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit a house and wounded seven Israelis.
Witnesses and a security source in Gaza told AFP there had been at least two strikes on a site belonging to Hamas's military wing in the west of the Gaza Strip.
Details were not yet clear on the strikes.
Israel's military said in a statement it "has begun striking Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip." The strikes began around the same time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump in Washington.
Netanyahu had earlier vowed a strong response to the rocket that hit a house north of Tel Aviv in a rare long-distance strike.
The house was destroyed and seven Israelis were lightly wounded from burns and shrapnel.
The flare-up comes at a highly sensitive time for Israel, which holds elections on April 9.
Israel blamed Hamas for the rocket, but a Hamas ...

Israel launches strikes on Hamas in Gaza after rocket

The Kremlin on Monday reiterated denials that Moscow interfered in the 2016 US presidential election after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report found conclusive evidence of Russian meddling.
Moscow called reports of Russian interference "malicious slander", while analysts said the conclusions of the probe were unlikely to improve bilateral ties.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists he had not seen the report but Russia's "principled position on this matter is well known: our country has not interfered in the domestic affairs of other countries, including the United States."
Peskov insisted "the accusations of interference... that are still being made against Russia, we as before consider to be baseless." Mueller's nearly two-year investigation found Russia carried out a coordinated campaign of disinformation and hacked emails from Hillary Clinton's election team. The report however did not find that Donald Trump's campaign team colluded with Moscow.
In a statement, the .

Kremlin denies meddling in US vote after Mueller probe

The death toll of floods that have swept across most Iranian provinces has risen to 18 with more than 70 injured, the country's emergency services said Monday.
National Emergency Service chief Pirhossein Koolivand said the casualty toll in the southern city of Shiraz was 17 dead and 74 injured, while another person was killed in Sarpol-e Zahab in the western province of Kermanshah, the service said on its website.
Iran has been facing unprecedented floods in 25 of its 31 provinces, the country's Crisis Management Organisation said.
The latest floods have struck mostly west and southwest Iran and follow major flooding on March 19 in the northeast's Golestan and Mazandaran provinces, for which no official casualty toll has been issued.
Emergency services have been hampered by Iranian New Year holidays, with many employees on vacation.
The police have advised against road trips in the coming days, with many roads blocked by flooding or landslides caused by heavy rains.
The Crises ...

At least 18 dead as floods sweep Iran: emergency services

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Russia Monday the United States will not "stand idly by" as Moscow inserts military personnel into Venezuela to support the regime of President Nicolas Maduro.
In a phone call with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Pompeo denounced the growing Russian military reinforcements as prolonging the political crisis in the South American country.
Pompeo told Lavrov "the United States and regional countries will not stand idly by as Russia exacerbates tensions in Venezuela," the State Department said in a statement.
"The continued insertion of Russian military personnel to support the illegitimate regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela risks prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people who overwhelmingly support interim President Juan Guaido," he said.
Guaido is supported by the United States and most Latin American and European nations but he retains the support of Russia and China, US rivals who have offered political and economic support to ...

US will not 'stand idly' on Russian role in Venezuela: Pompeo

The head of Prague's Muslim community who urged Czech Muslims to acquire arms after the Christchurch attack has been sacked, the Czech Muslim Communities Centre said Monday.
"Our meeting on March 24...decided unequivocally to cancel Mr Leonid Kushnarenko's membership of the Czech Muslim Communities Centre with an immediate effect," the Centre said on Facebook.
"The reason behind this decision is the statement and acts of Mr Kushnarenko, which seriously harm the interests of... the Muslim community in the Czech Republic."
Kushnarenko had offered to help Prague Muslims obtain firearms in a video message posted to Facebook after an Australian white supremacist killed 50 people in two mosques during a rampage in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15.
"In light of the recent tragic events I inform all our members, in particular men -- all who want... to get armed to protect their health and property, contact me and I'll help you." Kushnarenko said.
The Denik N daily quoted the ...

Imam who urged Czech Muslims to take up arms is fired

Influential singer-songwriter Scott Walker has died aged 76, his record label said on Monday, after a career that took him from 1960s pop icon to 21st-century avant-garde musician.
US-born Walker, who acquired British citizenship, was the lead singer of the 1960s band The Walker Brothers.
The baritone vocalist began his solo career in 1967 and was credited as an influence on top British acts over several decades including David Bowie and Pulp.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Scott Walker," his label 4AD said on Twitter.
"Scott was 76 years old and is survived by his daughter, Lee, his granddaughter, Emmi-Lee, and his partner, Beverly," it said.
The label called Walker "a unique and challenging titan at the forefront of British music" and "one of the most revered innovators at the sharp end of creative music".
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke called Walker "a kind gentle outsider" and "a huge influence on Radiohead and myself, showing me how I could use my voice ...

Rock pioneer Scott Walker dies aged 76

Stand-in forward Cristhian Stuani scored his third goal in two games as Uruguay taught Thailand a footballing lesson to win the China Cup with a 4-0 victory on Monday.
The 2018 World Cup quarter-finalists hardly missed the injured star striking duo of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani as they made it seven goals in two games.
Uruguay, comfortable 3-0 victors over Uzbekistan on Friday in the four-team tournament, profited from some poor Thailand defending in the Chinese city of Nanning.
Unmarked Inter Milan midfielder Matias Vecino headed home after just six minutes --
Thai goalkeeper Siwarak Tedsungnoen should have done better -- and it was 2-0 on 38 minutes when Gaston Pereiro prodded in after the Thai defence went AWOL.
Stuani, starting because of the absence of PSG's Cavani and Barcelona's Suarez, made it 3-0 just before the hour with a close-range bullet header from a corner.
The Girona striker, who scored a brace against the Uzbeks, had hit the post just minutes earlier.
Substitute .

Stuani strikes again as ruthless Uruguay win China Cup

Former FBI director James Comey said in a New York Times op-ed published Thursday that he neither knows nor cares what the conclusion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation will be -- so long as the probe was conducted properly.
US President Donald Trump abruptly fired Comey in 2017, triggering a series of events that led to Mueller being named to investigate allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and that the Trump campaign colluded in that effort.
"I have no idea whether the special counsel will conclude that Mr. Trump knowingly conspired with the Russians in connection with the 2016 election or that he obstructed justice with the required corrupt intent," Comey wrote.
"I also don't care. I care only that the work be done, well and completely." The highly-anticipated Mueller report has been said to be imminent for several weeks. One element of the investigation is whether Trump's firing of Comey amounted to obstruction of ...

Ex-FBI chief Comey has 'no idea' of Mueller conclusion

Top US diplomat Mike Pompeo warned on Friday of Shiite militant group Hezbollah's "destabilising activities" as he visited Lebanon on the latest leg of a regional tour to build a united front against Iran.
He flew in from Israel a day after he became the first high-ranking American official to visit the Western Wall in annexed east Jerusalem with an Israeli prime minister.
His visit also comes just hours after US President Donald Trump said Washington should recognise Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights, breaking with the policy of successive administrations as well as UN Security Council resolutions.
In a meeting with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is himself a Shiite, Pompeo warned of the "destabilising activities" of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group that is targeted by US sanctions but holds cabinet posts in Lebanon.
"He highlighted US concerns about Hezbollah's destabilising activities in Lebanon and the region and the risks posed to Lebanon's security, stability and ...

AFP

AFP

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