New Zealand imposed an immediate ban on assault weapons on Thursday, taking swift action in response to the Christchurch massacre and triggering renewed calls from leading American politicians for curbs in the United States.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said assault rifles and military-style semi-automatic weapons would be banned with immediate effect, making good on a pledge to ensure that nothing like last week's slaughter of 50 people ever occurs in the Pacific nation again.
The killings by an Australian white supremacist have caused national soul-searching over New Zealand's lax gun laws.
But the tough crackdown promises to have political repercussions beyond the country's shores, including in the United States where gun control is one of the most divisive political issues.
"In short, every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned in this country," Ardern said.
She added that high-capacity magazines and devices similar to bump stocks - which ...

New Zealand bans assault weapons, triggering similar calls in US

PTI Automatic

Cristiano Ronaldo signing for Juventus last year was a shot in the arm for Serie A and bolstered the impression that the league is undergoing a renaissance, Italy and AC Milan legend Franco Baresi told AFP.
Baresi, widely considered to be one of the greatest ever defenders, said that Ronaldo's arrival in Serie A was a clear statement the Italian championship is once again attracting star names.
Baresi, who won the European Cup/Champions League three times in his 20 years at Milan, added that it was good for European football that Serie A is becoming a force again.
"Yes, there is a renaissance in  Italian football, it is growing again," said the 58-year-old Baresi, after appearing at the Betting on Football conference at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge ground.
"There is significantly more interest and the arrival of some great footballers like Ronaldo.
"His signing is a very clear and positive signal. Italian football has always been at a high level but is growing again.
"Italian teams are ..

Ronaldo signing signals Serie A renaissance: Baresi

Leon Goretzka spared coach Joachim Loew a humiliating defeat with a second-half equaliser as a new-look Germany side were held to a 1-1 draw in Wednesday's friendly against Serbia.
Having controversially dropped veterans Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and Thomas Mueller from the national squad two weeks ago, coach Loew had announced the beginning of a "new era" ahead of Wednesday's game.
"I was generally happy with the performance. You could see that there were a few communication problems, but that is something which improves with experience at this level," Loew told German broadcaster RTL after the game.
The young Germany side looked comfortable in the opening exchanges, but Serbia scored with their first chance on 12 minutes.
A fortunate deflection at a corner found Luka Jovic unmarked in front of goal, and the Eintracht Frankfurt striker nodded the ball past Manuel Neuer.  Germany brought on Marco Reus and Leon Goretzka in the second half, and set about grinding down a solid Serbian 

Goretzka strike salvages a draw for new-look Germany

Wales needed a stoppage-time goal from Liverpool teenager Ben Woodburn to beat Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 in friendly after Ryan Giggs left Gareth Bale out of the home side in Wrexham.
Bale was one of several players, including Aaron Ramsey and David Brooks, omitted by Wales manager Giggs Wednesday just days before the team begin their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign against Slovakia in Cardiff on Sunday.
Trinidad and Tobago are ranked 93rd in the world -- 74 places lower than Wales -- yet it seemed they might be rewarded with a highly creditable draw at a Racecourse Ground where their manager, Dennis Lawrence, played for Wrexham.
The last match between the two countries had seen Bale become Wales' youngest player at 16 years and 315 days in a victory over Trinidad in Austria in a 2006 friendly.
Bale was not even on the bench on Wednesday, with Giggs protecting his star player ahead of Sunday's match.
Trinidad nearly took the lead when Aubrey David's shot was cleared off the line by Chris .

Wales leave it late to beat Trinidad without Bale

Novak Djokovic played down a reported rift with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, saying he welcomed their views on the controversial ousting of ATP Chairman Chris Kermode.
Federer and Nadal ripped top-ranked Djokovic, current president of the ATP Player Council, for failing to contact them over the decision to terminate Englishman Kermode, whose reign began in 2014 and concludes at year's end after a vote at Indian Wells earlier this month.
Serbian star Djokovic vociferously pushed for change despite many within the game strongly advocating for Kermode to remain in charge.
Federer said Wednesday he was not "chasing" Djokovic for an explanation despite claiming at Indian Wells it was "hard to understand" why Djokovic turned down a request to discuss the situation.
Djokovic, however, maintains he would welcome the input of the Swiss and Spanish legends.
"We welcome them as well as anyone else who wants to join the political discussions," Djokovic said ahead of the ATP Miami Open, where ..

Novak says all good with Roger, Rafa despite Kermode ouster

A Sheffield United Women's player has said she plans to retire from football after being given a five-game ban for racially abusing an opponent.
As well as being punished by England's governing Football Association on Wednesday, Sophie Jones also had her contract terminated by Sheffield United.
Jones, a forward, was sanctioned for racially abusing Tottenham Hotspur defender Renee Hector during a second-tier Women's Championship game in Sheffield in January.
Hector said she had "received some monkey noises from an opposition player" That in turn led to Jones being charged by the FA.
Jones denied the claim and Sheffield United said she "maintains her innocence".
But an independent regulatory commission announced the charge was "found proven".
Jones said the ruling by what she claimed was a "kangaroo court" had left her unable to continue playing under an organisation she "does not have any confidence in".
In a statement published on social media, Jones said: "I would like to state on ...

Sheffield United women's player to quit after five-game racism ban

Melbourne Stars coach Stephen Fleming has quit after four seasons in charge, having witnessed his team implode to city rivals the Renegades in this year's Big Bash League final.
The former New Zealand captain said it was time for change.
"I feel the time is right for me to step down and allow someone else to take the reins and the club forward," he said in a statement late Wednesday.
"The club is in very good shape having rebounded from last in BBL 07 to grand finalist this season."
His decision follows fellow former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori opting not to renew his contract with Brisbane Heat, leaving two head coach roles to be filled before the new season starts.
Stars president Eddie McGuire said Fleming had been "a wonderful servant".
"He has left a large footprint on the club which we will be forever grateful for," he added.
Glenn Maxwell's Stars looked on course to win the all-Melbourne BBL final last month.
Chasing 146 to win against Aaron Finch's Renegades, they were .

Fleming quits as coach of Melbourne Stars

Jordan Henderson says England are ready to fulfil the growing expectations around their vibrant young team as the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign starts with the Czech Republic's visit to Wembley on Friday.
Gareth Southgate's squad are back together for the first time in 2019, with the Czechs their first test before a trip to Montenegro for the second qualifier on Monday.
For the first time in years, there is a sense England can emerge as one of the main contenders for international football's top prizes.
After reaching the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1990, England rounded off a memorable 2018 by defeating Spain and Croatia to reach this year's inaugural Nations League finals.
While that stands as impressive progress for England after decades of underachievement, Liverpool midfielder Henderson is confident the best is still to come for Southgate's men.
With promising teenagers Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi and 20-year-old Declan Rice joining an England squad ...

Youthful talent gives England a bright future, says Henderson

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay relaunched their bid to host the 2030 World Cup following a meeting of their presidents in Buenos Aires.
The four national presidents committed to creating a local organizing committee with a representative from each country to coordinate with CONMEBOL, South American football's governing body.
The first meeting will be in Buenos Aires on April 8.
They also decided to distribute the opening match, two semi-finals and final between the four potential hosts.
Argentina and Uruguay originally announced their intention to submit a joint bid in 2017 before Paraguay joined the coalition later that year.
Chile was added to the joint candidacy last month while Bolivia, led by football-mad President Evo Morales, has also shown an interest in forming part of the bloc.
Argentina's Mauricio Macri, Sebastian Pinera of Chile, Paraguay's leader Mario Abo and Uruguay president Tabare Vazquez met with CONMEBOL chief Alejandro Dominguez on the margins of the UN ...

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay relaunch 2030 World Cup bid

New Zealand police on Thursday said that all 50 victims of last week's terror attack in Christchurch had now been identified, allowing burials to take place.
"I can say that as of a few minutes ago the identification process and to all 50 victims has been completed and all of the next of kin have been  advised," said commissioner Mike Bush. "That is a landmark for this process.

All 50 victims of Christchurch attack identified: police

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday welcomed some "moderation" in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments in the wake of the Christchurch massacre.
Trying to take the sting out of a diplomatic row that has threatened relations between Australia, New Zealand and Turkey, Morrison pointed to a recent Erdogan column in the Washington Post as progress.
"Overnight, progress has been made on this issue and overnight we've already seen a moderation of the president's views," Morrison said, citing the article in which Erdogan stepped away from direct criticism of New Zealand.
The Turkish leader -- who is in full campaign mode ahead of local elections -- still used the article to accuse Western countries of meeting Islamophobia with "silence".
But Morrison took it as a diplomatic off-ramp nonetheless.
Morrison -- who is also in full campaign mode, ahead of a general election -- had on Wednesday pilloried Erdogan for his comments in the wake of the Christchurch massacre, ...

Australian PM welcomes 'moderation' from Turkey's Erdogan

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Thursday an immediate ban on the sale of assault rifles and semi-automatics in response to the Christchurch terror attack that killed 50 people.
"I am announcing that New Zealand will ban all military-style semi-automatic weapons. We will also ban all assault rifles," Ardern said, while announcing interim measures that will stop a rush of purchases before legislation on the measures takes effect.
She added that high capacity magazines and devices similar to bump stocks - which make rifles fire faster - will also be banned.
"In short, every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned in this country," she said.

New Zealand bans sale of assault, semi-automatic rifles: PM Ardern

Who really gets under Donald Trump's skin? A man who has been dead since last year and another whom the president says he hardly knows.
At least that's the bizarre picture painted by Trump this week in angry rants at the late senator John McCain and a Washington lawyer called George Conway.
Trump lashed out yet again Wednesday at the broadly popular McCain, saying "I've never liked him much. I really probably never will."
This followed a series of tweets and other statements in the last few days raging at the former senator's politics, role in the Russia collusion probe, and personal intelligence.
As for Conway, "he's a whack job," Trump told journalists Wednesday. "A stone cold LOSER," he wrote on Twitter a few hours earlier.
The venom of the attacks was not unusual for a president who revels in put-downs. The targets of his ire, though, raised eyebrows.
McCain is widely remembered by Americans as a hero for his courage during six years of often brutal captivity in Hanoi during the ..

Trump's feuds with dead rival, aide's husband

Singapore's trade minister has that he was hopeful that an Asia-wide trade pact, which is backed by China and excludes the United States, could be sealed by the end of the year.
On a visit to Washington, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing Wednesday said that a clearer picture would emerge on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in May after elections in four countries that are part of it -- India, Australia, Indonesia and Thailand.
"I think the gaps are narrowing and I think we have a fair chance to get it done this year," Chan told the US-ASEAN Business Council.
He said that RCEP, which would be the world's largest trading pact, had both economic and geostrategic benefits as it would mark a strong statement that "we all continue to believe in a rule-based, open trading system."
Singapore, as chairman last year of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, had pushed hard for the conclusion of RCEP which linking nearly half the world's population including ..

Singapore hopeful for China-backed Asia trade pact this year

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte looks set to lose his senate majority after upstart populists surged in provincial elections just two days after a suspected terror attack in Utrecht.
Controversial eurosceptic Thierry Baudet's Forum for Democracy (FvD) party came from nowhere to be the second biggest in parliament's upper house, an exit poll by leading broadcaster NOS said.
The blow for Rutte -- who painstakingly formed his ruling coalition to freeze out the far-right after general elections in 2017 -- will be closely watched abroad ahead of European Parliament elections in May.
After eight years in power, Rutte is an influential figure in Europe, including in its Brexit negotiations, but the result leaves him vulnerable at home and needing to rely on other parties to pass legislation.
The elections came two days after a Turkish man was arrested for shooting three people dead on a tram in the central city of Utrecht, an attack which right-wing parties have seized on to push their ...

Populists deal Dutch PM senate blow in 'Rutte referendum'

The world can eradicate tuberculosis by 2045 if the fight against the killer disease is properly funded, an international team of experts has said.
Warning of the immense economic and social costs of inaction, they said that better screening, treatments and public awareness were needed to reduce the more than 10 million cases recorded every year.
A chronic lung disease which is preventable and largely treatable if caught in time, tuberculosis is the top infectious killer of our time, causing over 1.6 million deaths each year.
"That is huge and the economic burden of that to both developing and developed nations is staggering," Eric Goosby, the United Nations' special envoy for the disease, told AFP Wednesday.
"It's not rocket science, it's really common sense. We need to initiate a new prevention strategy." Tuberculosis has existed for millenia and is latent in around a quarter of the world's population.
Despite killing nearly as many people each year as HIV/AIDS and malaria combined, 

Tuberculosis can be eradicated by 2045: Experts

Boeing's ill-fated 737 MAX and federal regulators next week will face the first public grilling by Congress over the two fatal plane crashes in recent months.
Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican, called for a hearing of the Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation and Space, for March 27, with three transportation officials, notably the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Cruz intends to hold a second hearing to question Boeing officials as well as pilots and others in the industry, according to the statement.
More than 300 people perished in the two crashes of 737 MAX 8s that occurred shortly after takeoff in Indonesia in October and in Ethiopia earlier this month.
Boeing and the FAA are under investigation by the Transportation Department for how the rollout of the jet was handled, especially the a new flight system, the MCAS stall-prevention system, which was implicated in the Lion Air crash in October.
Pilots have complained they were not informed about the new system, 

Boeing 737 MAX to face first congressional hearing

The EU could approve Britain's request for a short delay to Brexit but only if UK MPs next week vote through the withdrawal deal they have twice rejected, European Council president Donald Tusk has said.
With nine days to go before Britain is due to leave the bloc, the country is gripped by uncertainty with little consensus how to proceed and Tusk's statement was received as an ultimatum to encourage lawmakers to get behind May's deal.
"I believe a short extension will be possible but it will be conditional on a positive vote on the withdrawal agreement in the House of Commons," Tusk told reporters Wednesday.
May told her country in a televised address from Downing Street late Wednesday that she was still "determined" to deliver Brexit and pull Britain through its worst political crisis in a generation.
"You want this stage of the Brexit process to be over and done with this. I agree. I am on your side," May said, adding that she was requesting a delay until June 30 with "great ...

AFP

AFP

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