World number one Simona Halep on Monday shrugged off a fourth-round loss to Serena Williams that ended her Australian Open hopes and threatens her top ranking.
The Romanian top seed lost 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 but remained upbeat after a gutsy display against 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams, who is on a mission this year for a record equalling 24th title.
Halep, 27, a finalist in 2018, arrived at Melbourne Park on a five-match losing streak, equalling the worst run of her career and trying to shake off a back injury that curtailed her season.
After appearing listless through the early rounds, the French Open champion lifted to defeat Venus Williams then played her best tennis of the tournament against Serena after weathering an early onslaught.
When asked to rate her campaign she replied: "Close to 10." "I have the courage to say that, because I took the risk to stay home so much (for off-season rest).
"I haven't prepared for the highest level in tennis, but I didn't play bad, so I'm ...

Halep upbeat despite Serena loss, ranking threat

PTI Automatic

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday Israel would not allow "Iranian aggression", after its military struck what it called Iranian targets in Syria in response to missile fire.
"Yesterday evening, the air force struck a strong blow against Iranian targets in Syria after Iran fired a missile from there toward Israel," Netanyahu said at an inauguration ceremony for a new airport in southern Israel.
"We do not allow such acts of aggression to pass by. We are acting against Iran and against the Syrian forces who are tools of Iranian aggression." Israel struck what it said were facilities belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force early Monday in response to a missile attack it blamed on Iran.
The surface-to-surface missile, fired towards the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Sunday and intercepted by air defences, followed an alleged Israeli strike in southern Syria.
The chain of events sparked concerns of an escalation, after a monitor reported 11 fighters killed .

Israel PM says will block 'Iranian aggression' after Syria strikes

- Germany said Monday it had banned Iranian airline Mahan Air from its airports, in an escalation of sanctions adopted by the European Union against Tehran over attacks on opponents in the bloc.
The move was necessary to protect Germany's "foreign and security policy interests", foreign ministry spokesman Christofer Burger told reporters at a regular Berlin press conference.
Officials at the Federal Aviation Office (LBA) sent Tehran-based Mahan Air a notification "ordering the immediate suspension of its authorisation to operate passenger flights from and to Germany" from Monday, a transport ministry spokeswoman added.
Mahan, Iran's second-largest carrier after Iran Air, flies four services a week between Tehran and the German cities of Duesseldorf and Munich.
It was blacklisted by the US in 2011, as Washington said the carrier was providing technical and material support to an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards known as the Quds Force.
The US treasury has threatened sanctions .

Germany sanctions Iran airline over regime links

Serena Williams subdued a stubborn fightback from world number one Simona Halep to take her quest for a record-equalling 24th major into the Australian Open quarter-finals Monday.
The 37-year-old American beat the Romanian top seed 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in an epic three-setter to line up a last eight clash with Czech eighth seed Karolina Pliskova.
It was Williams' first match against a world number one since returning after having a baby in September 2017 and the American showed why many already regard her as the greatest of all time.
She unleashed an early onslaught and Halep was in danger crumbling before the French Open champion regrouped for a stirring comeback.
"It was an intense match and there were some incredible points," Williams said.
"She's the number one player in the world and there's a reason why... (but) I'm such a fighter, I just never give up."
Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam Down Under two years ago while two months pregnant and is the bookies' favourite to claim an eighth .

Serena muscles past top seed Halep into Open quarters

Israel struck what it said were Iranian targets in Syria early Monday in response to missile fire it blamed on Iran, sparking concerns of an escalation after a monitor reported 11 fighters killed.
Israel announced the strikes against facilities it said belonged to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force as they were occurring, continuing its recent practice of speaking more openly about such raids.
It said the strikes were in response to a medium-range, surface-to-surface missile the Quds Force fired from Syria at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Sunday, which Israeli air defences intercepted.
"We saw that as an unacceptable attack by the Iranian troops - not proxies, not Shiite militias, not Syrian forces - Iranian troops firing an Iranian-made missile from the vicinity of Damascus towards sovereign Israel," Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told journalists.
Israel said targets included munitions stores, a site at Damascus International Airport that was ...

Israel says strikes Iranian targets in Syria after rocket

The Kremlin on Monday dampened expectations of any breakthrough at the upcoming summit between the leaders of Russia and Japan, saying striking a peace deal would be a very "drawn out" process.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet Tuesday in Moscow, part of revived negotiations aiming to formally end World War II.  The peace process stalled in the 1950s due to a dispute over the Kuril islands the Soviet army occupied in the last days of the war.
"The president has said from the start that the issue of signing a peace agreement with Japan will be very drawn out in terms of time," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists hours before Abe's expected touchdown in the Russian capital.  "The talks are in their initial stage," he said.
Tokyo claims as their own the so-called southern Kurils, a string of islands just north of Hokkaido which it calls Northern Territories.
In the 1950s, the Soviet Union had said it would be willing to ...

Kremlin says peace talks with Japan a 'drawn out' process

At least 12 people were killed Monday in a Taliban-claimed attack on a military compound in central Afghanistan, officials said, as the insurgents continue to batter the war-torn country's beleaguered security forces.
The attack began after a vehicle loaded with explosives rammed into the entrance of a compound in Maidan Shahr -- the capital of Wardak province that lies about 50 kilometers south of the capital Kabul.
At least three gunmen stormed the base following the explosion, igniting a firefight with Afghan security forces. All three gunmen were later killed in the exchange, according to a provincial official.
"So far our reports show 12 have been killed and 20 wounded, most of whom were Afghan security forces," Akhtar Mohammad Taheri -- the head of Wardak provincial council -- told AFP.
"The Taliban used a Humvee vehicle to hit the compound," Taheri added.  Provincial health director Mohammad Salim Asgharkhail confirmed the toll.
"Some wounded people were taken to hospitals in ..

Taliban attack kills at least 12 in central Afghanistan

Russia's media watchdog Roskomnadzor launched "administrative proceedings" Monday against US social media giants Facebook and Twitter, accusing them of not complying with Russian law, news agencies reported.
"Today, Roskomnadzor begins administrative proceedings against both companies (Facebook and Twitter)," the watchdog's head Alexander Zharov told the Interfax news agency.
The state regulator has repeatedly warned the companies they could be banned if they do not comply with a 2014 law requiring social networking sites to store the personal data of Russian users inside the country.
Zharov said Facebook and Twitter provided "no concrete information on localising the data of Russian users on the territory of the Russian Federation." He added that the companies also did not provide a "timeframe" for when they plan to store the data of Russian users in Russia.
The 2014 law has caused widespread concern as it is seen as putting the information of Russian users at risk of being accessed .

Russian watchdog launches 'administrative proceedings' against Facebook, Twitter

A suicide car bomb attack on a military convoy in northeastern Syria Monday killed five members of a Kurdish-led force accompanying US-led coalition troops, a monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five fighters from the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces were killed in the attack, which occurred on a road in Hasakeh province.

Suicide attack on Kurdish-US convoy in Syria kills 5: monitor

Chinese drone maker DJI has placed 45 employees under investigation for alleged fraud that could cost the company more than one billion yuan ($150 million) in losses, the firm said Monday.
The world's top civilian drone maker said in an internal memo that most of the employees involved in the fraud worked in the supply chain, and 29 were fired while 16 were reported to the police.
The case is expected to involve more than 100 people and many people will be facing a sentence in jail, according to Friday's memo, whose authenticity was confirmed by a company spokeswoman on Monday.
The initial investigation is just "the tip of the iceberg," the spokeswoman told AFP.
The memo said the employees fraudulently inflated the prices of parts for personal financial gains.
The staffers received kickbacks from suppliers that charged double or triple the price to sell parts to DJI, the memo said.
A company spokeswoman said DJI has established a special anti-corruption group to conduct in-depth ...

Staff fraud may cost China's DJI drone maker $150 million

Hong Kong must do more to crack down on illegal wildlife smuggling by ending legal loopholes and lenient sentences, conservation groups said Monday, as they detailed the city's role in the lucrative trade.
Despite its comparatively small size, the bustling southern Chinese transport hub plays a "disproportionate" role in wildlife crime, researchers said, accounting for around a fifth of all global ivory seizures and nearly half of all pangolins seized in the last decade.
Yet authorities do not list wildlife trafficking offences under the city's organised crime legislation targeting drug traffickers and triad gangs - and the few who are caught rarely face stiff penalties, the report's authors warn.
"Wildlife crime in Hong Kong remains under-policed and under-investigated," said Amanda Witfort, a professor at Hong Kong University's Faculty of Law and one of the report's authors.
"Wildlife smuggling is not regarded as organised and serious crime under Hong Kong law," she added.
The study 

Hong Kong failing to tackle wildlife smuggling epidemic: study

Naomi Osaka says she needs to wear a wig and sunglasses to stay anonymous in Japan since her profile soared into the stratosphere after her stunning victory at the US Open.
The bubbly 21-year-old's achievement in New York made her the first player from her country to win a major, and with it came fanatical support.
She's not complaining, but took precautions when back there recently.
"I mean, I didn't really walk outside. I just went in the car and stuff," she said after winning through to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday.
"When I did, I went at night and had a wig on. For me, it was very fun." She said the wig was her sister's idea.
"She was, like, 'You know what you should do? You should bring this wig and if you want to walk around, just throw it on and put on some sunglasses'.
"I personally think she was making it a bigger deal than it had to be. Honestly, I feel like people don't look at other people when they're walking around," she added.
"I get that I'm tan .

Osaka under cover: Wig and shades keep Naomi anonymous

Hometown hope Ashleigh Barty faces a tough battle against Czech veteran Petra Kvitova for a spot in the Australian Open semi-finals Tuesday but will have the entire host nation cheering her on.
The other contest for a final four berth pits the unseeded pairing of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Danielle Collins against one another, with both players seeking Grand Slam breakthroughs.
Barty, 22, entered this year's tournament as 15th seed but carries massive pressure from an Australian public desperate for Grand Slam success after becoming the first local to make the last eight in a decade.
She has already downed five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova and is on a red-hot run of form, winning seven of her eight matches this year.
But against the eighth-seeded Kvitova, Barty is up against one of the few players on tour who can boast a richer vein of 2019 form.
Kvitova has won all nine of her matches this year, including a three-set win over Barty in the final of the Sydney ...

Barty fired up for Kvitova re-match

Relentless Rafael Nadal will aim to snuff out the challenge of young giant-killer Frances Tiafoe Tuesday, while young Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas has eyes on a maiden Australian open semi-final after knocking out Roger Federer.
The Australian Open hits the quarter-final stage in Melbourne with 17-time Grand Slam winner Nadal emerging as a strong title favourite.
The Spaniard has not dropped a set and demolished former world number four Tomas Berdych 6-0, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) in the fourth round in an awesome display.
Lying in his path is American Tiafoe who has already accounted for the fifth seed Kevin Anderson and become a fans' favourite with his exuberant LeBron James style celebrations and inspiring life story.
The son of immigrants from Sierra Leone, Tiafoe turned 21 on Sunday and celebrated his birthday by beating 20th seed Grigor Dimitrov to reach a Slam quarter-final for the first time.
"I wasn't a normal tennis story," he told reporters, revealing he had already managed to buy his ...

Awesome Nadal faces Tiafoe test as Tsitsipas eyes semi-final

British Prime Minister Theresa May unveils her Brexit "Plan B" to parliament on Monday after MPs shredded her EU divorce deal, deepening the political gridlock 10 weeks from departure day.
Britain will crash out of the European Union on March 29 unless MPs can force a delay or come up with an alternative plan that Brussels is also happy with, before the deadline.
London and Brussels have spent the best part of two years working on the divorce deal but MPs in parliament's lower House of Commons comprehensively rejected it on Tuesday.
EU leaders have signalled they could alter the agreement if May dropped some of her negotiating "red lines" but British media on Monday reported that she would instead attempt to negotiate some changes to the existing agreement.
The reports were met with scepticism in Europe.
"I don't think it can be saved by marginal adjustments in the current plan. I don't think she can convince MPs by presenting the same thing to them with slight tweaks," Spanish ...

British PM to unveil new Brexit strategy

Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand had flashbacks of facing a chest-puffing Cristiano Ronaldo before saving a first-minute penalty that kept his team's Asian Cup challenge alive.
The talismanic 26-year-old denied Oman captain Ahmed Al-Mahaijri to spark a 2-0 victory in Abu Dhabi at the weekend, sending title-chasing Iran into the quarter-finals.
But Beiranvand revealed that memories of keeping out Ronaldo's spot kick in a 1-1 draw with Portugal at last year's World Cup had helped him prevent a disastrous start against Oman.
"Ever since saving that kick from Cristiano, Iran fans expect me to save penalties," Beiranvand told AFP after the game.
"I actually did think about that moment for a fraction of a second -- I told myself I can't let everybody think what happened in Russia was a fluke," he added.
"I just tried to concentrate and tried to repeat it again at a different tournament. First and foremost, it's my duty to save penalties and help the team.
"But the way I look at my career .

From Russia with love: Ronaldo penalty fear keeps Iran alive

Hundreds of thousands of Malaysian Hindus, some piercing their skin with hooks and skewers to show their devotion, gathered in temples across the country on Monday to mark Thaipusam.
The annual Hindu festival sees believers carry offerings to places of worship to the deity Murugan and marks the day when his mother -- the goddess Parvathi -- gave him a powerful lance to fight demons.
It is observed mainly in countries with significant populations of ethnic Tamils -- descended from people who originally came from southern India -- including Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore.
Massive crowds thronged the Batu Caves complex outside Kuala Lumpur as incense and drums filled the air.
Many had trekked for hours to reach the popular pilgrimage site before the final arduous climb up 272 steps to reach the temples set in caves.
A huge variety of offerings, known as "kavadi", were on show -- from simple pots of milk balanced on pilgrims' heads, to poles slung across shoulders, and large portable 

Piercings, incense, drumming: Malaysia marks Thaipusam festival

Thieves who dressed up as police officers to con victims out of nearly 160 kilogrammes of gold worth $7 million were handed lengthy prison sentences on Monday.
In 2016, the three fake cops stopped a group of men carrying briefcases with gold bars worth 750 million yen in the southern city of Fukuoka and ordered them to hand them over, telling them they knew the gold had been smuggled.
Apparently taken in by the disguise, the victims gave the pretend police what they asked for and simply watched as they drove off.
On Monday, the Fukuoka district court ordered "a seven-year jail term for 36-year-old Tomonori Shiraishi and 5.5 years in prison for Takahiro Shirane, 28, and Takumi Uchida, 26", a court spokesman told AFP.
The heist happened as the men were on their way to sell the 160 kilogrammes of gold. The men who were robbed later told the real police they had bought the metal the day before.
Initially police said the haul was worth 600 million yen, but it later transpired the gold had .

It's a fake cop: Japan gold robbers get jail terms

Germany plans to ban Iranian airline Mahan Air from its airports, media reported Monday, in an escalation of sanctions adopted by the European Union against Iran over attacks on opponents in the bloc.
"The Federal Aviation Office (LBA) will this week suspend the operating license of Iranian airline Mahan," reported Munich-based daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
A spokesman for the foreign ministry in Berlin told the paper it "does not inform about internal political decision-making processes".
Mahan, Iran's second-largest carrier after Iran Air, flies four services a week between Tehran and the German cities Duesseldorf and Munich.
The EU earlier this month targeted sanctions at Iran's security services and two of their leaders, accused of involvement in a series of murders and planned attacks against Tehran critics in the Netherlands, Denmark and France.
Brussels' measures included freezing funds and financial assets belonging to Iran's intelligence ministry and individual officials, but ..

Germany plans to sanction Iran airline: report

Asian markets on Monday built on last week's rally as investors cheered a report that China had offered to eliminate its massive trade surplus with the United States, while data showed Chinese economic growth hit forecasts in 2018.
Regional equities picked up where they finished Friday after Bloomberg said Beijing had pledged to ramp up spending on US goods over the next five years.
While there was some scepticism over the offer, observers said it indicated that talks between the economic superpowers were heading in the right direction.
The news provided further support to shares, which were already being buoyed by hopes the two sides would be able to resolve the tariffs spat, which has hammered world markets for almost a year.
China's top economics negotiator is due to visit Washington later this month for more talks as the end of a 90-day truce agreed between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping draws closer.
"For now markets are going ahead with the growing perception that there is a lot of 

Asian markets post fresh gains, China growth slows to 28-year low

Colombia's leftist ELN rebels claimed responsibility on Monday for the bombing of a police academy in Bogota that killed 20 people as well as the attacker, and derailed peace talks being held in Havana.
The National Liberation Army said Thursday's car bombing, which sparked nationwide protests, was a reprisal attack after the government of President Ivan Duque failed to respect a unilateral ceasefire declared by the rebels over Christmas.
"The operation carried out against these installations and troops is lawful within the law of war, there were no non-combatant victims," the ELN said in a statement on its website.
It added the academy was a military installation where cadets received training to become intelligence operatives and conduct military operations.
"The president did not respect the gesture of peace" and "his response was to carry out military attacks against us," it said.
Specifically, the ELN said Colombian troops bombed a camp on December 25, affecting a family of ...

AFP

AFP

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