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 ...

Colombia's ELN rebels claim police academy attack

PTI Automatic

Carlos Ghosn will learn his fate Monday as a Tokyo court rules on his bail request after he vowed to remain in Japan if released and offered to provide more collateral.
The ousted Nissan boss has pleaded for bail after languishing in custody for 64 days as he fights charges of financial misconduct that he strenuously denies.
In a statement released earlier Monday, he sought to change the court's previous judgement that he represents a flight risk and might attempt to tamper with evidence.
"As the court considers my bail application, I want to emphasise that I will reside in Japan and respect any and all bail conditions the Court concludes are warranted," Ghosn said in a statement released by his US-based representatives.
He vowed to attend any subsequent trial "not only because I am legally obligated to do so, but because I am eager to finally have the opportunity to defend myself".
"I am not guilty of the charges against me and I look forward to defending my reputation in the ...

Ghosn awaits fate after vowing to stay in Japan if bailed

On a television set in a grim, overcrowded Bangkok detention centre refugees closely followed Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun's quest for resettlement, as the 18-year-old asylum-seeker's case spurred hopes of a major policy turn from Thailand - a country that does not recognise refugees.
Qunun fled her family to Bangkok, barricaded herself in an airport hotel room and staved off deportation with her Twitter feed, ultimately gaining refuge in Canada on January 12.
Thai authorities were initially caught flat-footed by the young Saudi's bold social media campaign.
But in the days since they have promised to address some of the lingering issues of indefinite detention and deportation of asylum seekers.
On Monday Thai authorities signed an MoU to end the detention of all child refugees and asylum seekers.
It was welcomed by the UNHCR as a "positive example" of the kingdom's increasingly humane approach to the issue.
Rights groups have for years condemned Thailand, which is not a ...

Saudi asylum case prods Thais towards reform of tough refugee policy

Israeli strikes that hit several targets in Syria overnight to Monday killed at least 11 pro-regime fighters including two Syrians, a war monitor said.
Israel's military said it had targeted a number of Iranian installations in the country early on Monday, hours after intercepting a rocket fired from Syrian territory.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said they were the deadliest Israeli strikes in Syria since May last year.
"Israeli strikes targeting Iranian and Syrian military positions near and south of Damascus killed at least 11 fighters including two Syrians," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
The targets included weapons depots belonging to Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah and Iranian fighters, he said.
Air strikes and ground-to-ground missiles hit several targets around the capital including near the Damascus airport, as well as near the Thaala military airport to the south of the capital, the Observatory said.
Israel has pledged to ...

Israeli bombardment in Syria kills 11: monitor

South Korea's Asian Cup hopes have suffered a blow after Premier League midfielder Ki Sung-yueng was ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury.
The 29-year-old Newcastle United man played less than an hour at the tournament before being taken off during South Korea's opening win over the Philippines in Dubai.
Ki's withdrawal was announced as South Korea, two-time winners of the tournament and the 2015 runners-up, prepare to take on Bahrain in the round of 16 on Tuesday.
The pull-out has prompted speculation that Ki may announce his international retirement, after clocking up more than 100 appearances since making his debut in 2008.

South Korea blow as Ki ruled out of Asian Cup

Furious fourth seed Alexander Zverev crashed out of the Australian Open Monday but said he "felt better" after smashing his racquet to pieces in frustration.
Zverev erupted in the second set of a 6-1, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) fourth-round humiliation by Canadian 16th seed Milos Raonic, hammering his racquet into the ground eight times to leave it a mangled mess.
"Yeah, it made me feel better. I was very angry, so I let my anger out," he told reporters.
And the volatile German was surprised when asked if he had done it before. "You never watched my matches? You should watch my matches," he smiled.
Zverev was tipped as a future Grand Slam champion after a breakthrough 2018 that saw him win the ATP Tour Finals, beating Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the process.
Instead it was a familiar tale of woe as he failed to make the last-eight of a major for the 14th time in 15 majors.
The world number four broke former world number three Raonic's formidable serve at the start of the match but then ...

'It made me feel better' says racquet-smasher Zverev

Australia's Ashleigh Barty believes a decision to take a break from tennis and play professional cricket revived her career, giving her the drive to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final in Melbourne this week.
Barty will became the first local hope to play in the last eight at the Australian Open in a decade when she faces Czech rival Petra Kvitova on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old has already claimed her biggest scalp yet with a three-set triumph over five-time major champion Maria Sharapova on Sunday in front of a frenzied Melbourne Park crowd.
But Barty's career was in crisis a few years ago, when the Queenslander walked away from the sport she had played since she was a toddler.
Jaded with the constant travel and loneliness of being on tour, as well as the pressure from Australian fans desperate for Grand Slam success, Barty decided tennis was not for her.
She retired and in 2014 made the stunning announcement that she would instead play professional cricket in Brisbane, preferring a team ..

How cricket helped tennis star Barty over sticky wicket

Banned former Australian vice-captain David Warner is expected to undergo minor surgery on his elbow Tuesday after returning home from the Bangladesh Premier League with an injury.
Warner, alongside former skipper Steve Smith and batsman Cameron Bancroft, was suspended from international cricket over a ball-tampering scandal during a Test match in South Africa last March.
The 32-year-old returned to Australia last week following a stint with the Sylhet Sixers in the Bangladesh Twenty20 tournament after he reported pain in his right elbow.
Warner's elbow will be assessed in Melbourne on Tuesday, before he is expected to undergo minor surgery, cricket.com.au reported Monday.
Cricket Australia's website said Warner's condition was not believed to be as serious as the elbow injury sustained by Smith, also in the Bangladesh tournament.
Smith, 29, underwent surgery last week and is expected to spend six weeks in a brace before extensive rehabilitation.
Both players' bans end in late March. .

David Warner to undergo surgery on injured elbow

Milos Raonic kept his cool to reach the quarter-finals Monday as young Alexander Zverev went into meltdown and crashed out of the Australian Open.
The fourth seed erupted in frustration and fury during the second set of a 6-1, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) drubbing by the Canadian 16th seed, hammering his racquet into the ground eight times to leave it a mangled mess.
"I just tried to stay composed, "said Raonic.
"It worked extremely well for me today.
"I played incredibly good, did a lot of things extremely well."
Zverev was tipped as a future Grand Slam champion after a breakthrough 2018 that saw him win the ATP Tour Finals, beating Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the process.
Instead it was a familiar tale of woe as his much vaunted-talent deserted him again before he could reach the sharp end of a major.
The 21-year-old's miserable record in Slams was extended to just one quarter-final, at the French Open last year, in 15 appearances.
All seemed well when the world number four broke former ..

Raonic into Open last eight as Zverev self-destructs

Kabul residents have long run the gauntlet of suicide attacks and bombs. This winter, however, they face another deadly threat: air pollution.
For weeks a thick layer of toxic smog has blanketed the sprawling city as cold air traps pollution caused by people burning coal, wood, car tyres and even garbage to stay warm.
The choking contamination peaks in evenings and early mornings when temperatures plunge below zero.
Dangerous particulate matter, including toxins like sulphate and black carbon, hang in the air like a thick curtain, reducing visibility and making breathing difficult.  Residents complain the air is getting worse -- a view supported by doctors who report a sharp rise in respiratory illnesses.
"In previous years 30 to 40 percent of our patients were suffering from acute respiratory infections, but this year it has jumped to 70 or 80 percent," said Akbar Iqbal, a doctor in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Indira Gandhi children's hospital in Kabul.
"I believe the cold ..

Kabul chokes on dirty air as temperatures plunge

Napoli beat 10-man Lazio 2-1 to close the gap on leaders Juventus to six points and consolidate second place in Serie A.
First-half goals from Jose Callejon and Arkadiusz Milik ensured all three points for the southerners before champions Juventus host bottom club Chievo on Monday.
Napoli have 47 points from 20 games and are now seven ahead of third-placed Inter Milan who were held to a goalless draw at home by Sassuolo on Saturday.
But it was a damaging defeat for Lazio who drop out of the Champions League places into fifth at the expense of city rivals Roma.
Eusebio Di Francesco's Roma are one point ahead of Lazio who host seven-time reigning champions Juventus next weekend.
Napoli were without suspended defender Kalidou Koulibaly, captain Marek Hamsik and forward Lorenzo Insigne.
But Carlo Ancelotti's side could have won by a larger margin with Milik and Fabian Ruiz both hitting the woodwork early.
Spanish forward Callejon scored his first Serie A goal this season after 34 minutes .

Napoli beat Lazio to keep sight of Juventus

Ousmane Dembele gave Barcelona a glimpse into the future but Barcelona still needed Lionel Messi to beat Leganes 3-1 and restore their five-point lead at the top of La Liga.
Messi had started on the bench, rested by coach Ernesto Valverde, and for just over an hour at the Camp Nou, Dembele filled the void by scoring the opening goal in a sparkling individual display.
The 21-year-old, however, limped off with a sprained ankle in the 69th minute, shortly after Leganes had equalised through Martin Braithwaite and Valverde responded by introducing Messi.
He needed only seven minutes to make an impact as his bending shot was followed up by Luis Suarez, who poked the ball in ahead of Leganes goalkeeper Pichu Cuellar. Messi then rounded off the win by scoring himself in injury-time.
Leganes had protested against Suarez's finish, convinced that Pichu had been fouled by a high foot.
"It was a clear foul," coach Mauricio Pellegrino said.
"Barca don't need these kind of decisions to help ...

Dembele sparkles but Messi needed off bench to rescue Barca

Gareth Southgate insisted his work as England manager was far from done as he indicated he had no interest in taking charge at Manchester United any time soon.
A recent report in Britain's Sunday Telegraph said Southgate was on a shortlist being drawn up by Old Trafford chiefs as they sought a permanent replacement for the sacked Jose Mourinho.
But with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the caretaker manager, having won his first seven games in charge of United, the Red Devils may have a ready-made successor in their former striker.
In any case Southgate, who last year in Russia took England to their first appearance in a World Cup semi-final since 1990, and has since guided them to qualification for the inaugural Nations League finals, has unfinished business with the Three Lions.
The former England centre-back made that clear when, at a Football Writers' Association dinner in London on Sunday he was asked, following the United speculation, if he felt fulfilled by the England post.
- 'Job is not 

'Hugely excited' England boss Southgate cools Man Utd talk

Japanese US Open champion Naomi Osaka ground her way into an Australian Open quarter-final with sixth seed Elina Svitolina Monday ahead of Serena Williams facing her biggest tennis test since giving birth.
As the second week of the opening Grand Slam of the year got underway, fourth seed Osaka was still standing after emerging from an error-strewn first set against crafty Latvian Anastasija Sevastova to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The victory left the bubbly 21-year-old with a last-eight clash against ambitious Ukrainian Svitolina, who battled past American Madison Keys 6-2, 1-6, 6-1.
It will be a new experience for whoever wins that showdown, with neither of them going beyond the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park before.
This contrasts with the massively experienced Williams who has made the last eight or better 11 times on her way to seven Australian Open crowns.
The 37-year-old 23-time Grand Slam winner has a blockbuster last-16 evening clash against world number one Simona Halep on Rod ...

Osaka sets up Svitolina last-eight test, Serena faces showdown

In-form Kurtis Patterson was added to Australia's squad on Monday for the upcoming Tests against Sri Lanka as selectors try to fix a batting line-up that failed to fire during the home Tests against India.
The 25-year-old New South Wales batsman scored back-to-back centuries for a Cricket Australia XI in Hobart last week.
National selector Trevor Hohns said Patterson had been "pushing his case for selection for some time".
"We have been asking  batters around the country to score hundreds if they want to be considered for selection," Hohns added in a statement.
"Given Kurtis' consistent performances for NSW and his two unbeaten centuries in last week's tour match against our upcoming opponent, Sri Lanka, we believe he deserves to be added to the Test squad."
The hosts had a poor Test series with the bat against India and no Australian reached triple figures at home in a series of four Tests or more for the first time since 1882-83.
The first Test -- a day-nighter -- starts Thursday in 

Australia call up in-form Patterson for Sri Lanka Tests

Title-chasing Iran survived a first-minute penalty in a chaotic start to eventually dispatch Oman 2-0 and reach the Asian Cup quarter-finals.
Beanpole goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand saved from the spot before goals from Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Ashkan Dejagah in Abu Dhabi sent Iran through to face China.
Vietnam were the first to book their place in the last eight after they bundled out Jordan on penalties in Dubai before the Chinese joined them by squeaking past Thailand 2-1.
Beiranvand saved a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty at last year's World Cup and plunged to his right to brilliantly deny Oman captain Ahmed Al-Mahaijri, preventing Oman taking a shock lead moments into the game.
"To be honest, I thought of Cristiano for a fraction of a second before the kick," Beiranvand told AFP.
"I didn't want people to think that save in Russia was a fluke. But saving penalties is my job and my responsibility is to help the team."
Iran, who are looking to end a 43-year-old Asian Cup title drought, ...

Cristiano flashback as Iran book Asian Cup quarter-final spot

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement following winning a confidence vote, after Parliament rejected her Brexit deal, outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, January 16, 2019. Photo: Reuters

Britain will leave the European Union on March 29 without a deal unless MPs can force a delay or get their act together in time and come up with an alternative plan

Brexit Plan B: What's next for Britain as UK lawmakers reject May's deal

Press Trust of India

Carlos Ghosn, the ousted Nissan boss detained in Tokyo on charges of financial misconduct, on Monday vowed to remain in Japan if granted bail and again proclaimed his innocence.
The Tokyo District Court will later Monday consider the 64-year-old's latest petition for bail but has already rejected previous applications, judging Ghosn a flight risk who might seek to destroy evidence.
"As the court considers my bail application, I want to emphasise that I will reside in Japan and respect any and all bail conditions the Court concludes are warranted," Ghosn said in a statement released by his US-based representatives.
He vowed to attend any subsequent trial "not only because I am legally obligated to do so, but because I am eager to finally have the opportunity to defend myself".
"I am not guilty of the charges against me and I look forward to defending my reputation in the courtroom," concluded the statement.
A spokeswoman for Ghosn, Devon Spurgeon, said his family had already rented an .

Ghosn vows to stay in Japan if granted bail

Israel's military said it was carrying out strikes on Iranian targets in Syria early Monday after it intercepted a rocket fired from Syrian territory hours earlier.
It said in a statement it was "currently striking" the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force in Syria and warned Syria's military against "attempting to harm Israeli territory or forces".
Israel's military said on Sunday its air defence systems intercepted a rocket fired form Syria, after Damascus accused Israel of carrying out air raids in the country's south.

Israel says carrying out strikes on Iranian targets in Syria

Thousands of people marched in Colombia Monday to condemn the deadly car bombing that killed 20 police academy cadets and the alleged attacker, in a strike blamed on ELN rebels that derailed peace talks.
The protest was held in several cities around the country, with marchers in white waving Colombian flags and chanting slogans like "cowardly killers" and "life is sacred." "We are demonstrating to reject all forms of violence -- against the police or social leaders," Yeison Torres, a 19-year-old university student, told AFP.
In Bogota, the day was scheduled to end with a religious service in memory of the victims, all between the ages of 17 and 22, killed Thursday in the deadliest attack with explosives in the city since 2003.
"A group that takes part in drug trafficking, kidnapping and blowing up oil pipelines is not showing signs that they want peace. Much less then, blowing up 20 young people?" said Amanda Ramirez, 49, a beauty salon worker.
The government and some opposition ...

Thousands march in Bogota after deadly car bombing

Turkey is ready to take over ensuring the security of Manbij in northern Syria in order "not to lose time," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a phone call with US counterpart Donald Trump.
Manbij, controlled by Kurdish fighters supported by the US military, had been hit on Wednesday by an attack claimed by the Islamic State group (IS) which killed 19 people, including four Americans.
In their second phone conversation in less than a week, Erdogan told Trump that this attack was a "provocation" aiming to impact the decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, the state news agency Anadolu reported.
Turkey has been threatening for months to launch an offensive in Manbij to drive out the militia of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
The YPG however has been backed by the United States in the fight against the IS jihadists.
But Ankara considers the YPG a "terrorist organisation" and doesn't want to see installed along its border, an embryonic Kurdish state which might ...

AFP

AFP

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