Air India launched yesterday the first scheduled service to Israel to be allowed to cross Saudi airspace, a sign of a behind-the-scenes improvement in ties between the Arab kingdom and the Jewish state.
Flight AI 139 landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport about 30 minutes after its scheduled arrival time of 1:15 am IST.
"This is a historic moment," Israeli Transport Minister Yisrael Katz told AFP on the tarmac as the Boeing Dreamliner rolled to a halt.
"It is the first time that there is an official connection between the state of Israel and Saudi Arabia," he said in Hebrew.
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin was also there to welcome the flight.
"A new era has begun," he said.
There will now be three flights weekly in each direction, ending a decades-long Saudi ban on the use of its airspace for commercial flights to Israel.
Israel's national carrier El Al currently operates an India service to Mumbai that takes a detour over the Red Sea to avoid flying over Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Saudi ..

In world first, Air India crosses Saudi airspace to Israel

PTI Automatic

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to clear his name today after being charged for financing his 2007 election campaign with money from late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, but said he was "finished" in politics.
"It might take me one, two, 10 years but I'll smash this group (of accusers) and will restore my honour," he said during an emotion-charged prime-time television interview. "I don't plan to give an inch!"
Having already stepped back from a front-line public role in 2016 after he failed with a bid to run again for president, Sarkozy added that for himself "politics is finished".
In a half-hour performance that saw him shake with indignation at times, Sarkozy frequently referred to his accusers from Kadhafi's regime as "sinister", "liars" and a "group of killers".
"If you had told me that I would have problems because of Kadhafi, I would have said: 'What are you smoking?'" Sarkozy said at one point, claiming that investigators had not found a single piece of evidence 

Sarkozy says will clear name, has 'finished' in politics

Beijing forcefully denounced today President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on billions of dollars in Chinese goods, accusing him of putting the two economies on course for a trade war.
"If a trade war were initiated by the US, China would fight to the end to defend its own legitimate interests with all necessary measures," China's embassy in Washington said in a statement.
"We urge the US to cease and desist," the embassy said, warning that by endangering China-US trade relations Washington will "eventually end up hurting itself.

China calls on US to 'cease and desist' from endangering trade relations

The leading attorney on President Donald Trump's legal team, John Dowd, resigned today amid growing pressure on the White House from the Russia investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller.
Dowd quit days after Trump directly attacked Mueller's investigation as a "witch hunt," a statement that raised questions about whether the president was interfering with the probe.
Dowd's exit bared the turmoil in Trump's legal strategy as Mueller seeks to interview the president over allegations his election campaign colluded with Russia in 2016 and that Trump himself may have obstructed the investigation.
Trump said today he was still willing to be interviewed by Mueller despite Dowd leaving.
"I would like to," Trump told reporters when asked about an interview.
Dowd, 77, was named to lead the president's legal team last June after Mueller, a former FBI director, was named to lead an independent enquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He is a specialist in defending high profile ..

Top Trump lawyer quits as Mueller probe presses White House

US President Donald Trump today signed off on tariffs against China that "could" hit imports worth as much as USD 60 billion, but insisted the country was still a "friend."
"I have tremendous respect for President Xi (Jinping)," Trump said, trying to limit the fallout from a domestically driven policy.
"We have a great relationship". "I view them as a friend," he said.

Trump says China trade move 'could' hit imports up to $60 bn

Israeli authorities said today they had launched an investigation into Facebook's activities following a scandal over the hijacking of personal data from millions of the social network's users.
Israel's privacy protection agency "informed Facebook" of the probe after revelations over data transfers from the tech giant to consultant Cambridge Analytica, the agency said.
It said it was also looking into "the possibility of other infringements of the privacy law regarding Israelis", it said in a statement released by the justice ministry.
Britain's Guardian newspaper has reported that Israeli hackers offered material to Cambridge Analytica.
But an Israeli justice ministry spokeswoman said the probe did not involve hackers, focusing rather on whether Israeli users' rights were violated.
Under Israel's privacy law, personal data may only be used with consent and for the purpose for which it was handed over, the privacy protection agency said.
"Therefore, the authority will investigate ...

Israel opens probe into Facebook after data scandal

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed for the Los Angeles Galaxy and could make his debut for the Major League Soccer side this month, Sports Illustrated reported today.
Hours after reports in Britain said Ibrahimovic had played his last game for Manchester United, Sports Illustrated reported on its website the Swedish star had inked a deal with the Galaxy.
The report said the transfer would be announced in a full-page adverstisement in Friday's edition of the Los Angeles Times.
MLS rules allow clubs to sign three designated players who are not subject to salary limits, a rule introduced when David Beckham arrived in the league in 2007.
However because the Galaxy have already signed their designated players for the 2018 season, Ibrahimovic's salary will be limited to around $1.5 million according to the Sports Illustrated report.
That represents a fraction of the reported 19 million pounds ($26.8 million) a season Ibrahimovic was paid after signing for United from Paris Saint-Germain in ...

Ibrahimovic signs for Los Angeles Galaxy - report

facebook, social media

The Singapore government has denied it is trying to restrict free speech

Facebook, Google warn Singapore against new laws to combat fake news

Business Standard

Scores at close of play on the first day of the third Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands today.
South Africa first innings:
D Elgar
not out
121
A Markram
c Smith b Hazlewood
0
H Amla
c Cummins b Hazlewood  31
A de Villiers
c Warner b Cummins
64
F du Plessis
c Smith b Cummins
5
T Bavuma
c Smith b Cummins
1
Q de Kock
c Paine b Cummins
3
V Philander
c Paine b M Marsh
8
K Maharaj
c Bancroft b Starc
3
K Rabada
not out
6
Extras (B-8, LB-11, NB-3, W-2)
24
Total: (For 8 wickets, 87 overs)
266
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-92, 3-220, 4-234, 5-236, 6-242, 7-254, 8-257.
Bowling: Starc 21-3-81-1, Hazlewood 18-4-37-2, Lyon 19-6-39-0, Cummins 21-4-64-4, M.

Cape Town, Mar 22 (AFP) Scores at close of play on the first day of the third Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands today.

Zimbabwe lost a World Cup qualifying thriller by just three runs to the United Arab Emirates today, allowing Afghanistan and Ireland to clash in a winner-takes-all tie for a place in the 2019 finals.
Chasing a rain-affected target of 230 off 40 overs, Zimbabwe needed six off the last ball to win the Super Six match and join already-qualified West Indies in the 2019 showpiece.
But Craig Ervine was only able to take two off man-of-the-match Mohammad Naveed and the home side's hopes were dashed.
The UAE, who had no chance of qualifying for the finals, made 235-7 off 47.5 overs with Rameez Shazhad hitting a top score of 59.
After a delay for rain at the Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe were set a DLS target of 230 off 40 overs but despite a run-a-ball 80 from Sean Williams, the home side never recovered from a poor start which saw them slip to 45-3 at one stage.
On Friday, Afghanistan and Ireland will meet at the same venue with the winner guaranteed a place in the 2019 finals in England and .

Zimbabwe defeat opens World Cup door for Afghanistan and Ireland

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's time at Manchester United could come to an end as early as this week with a move to Major League Soccer in the pipeline, according to a report today.
Ibrahimovic, whose contract expires in June, has made just seven appearances for United this season on his return from a cruciate knee ligament injury.
"Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played his last game for Manchester United," said an ESPN report.
"He is close to sealing a move to Major League Soccer this week following persistent links to LA Galaxy."
The Galaxy have a history of luring ageing stars to America with David Beckham, Steven Gerard and Robbie Keane among those to have made the move to Los Angeles.
Ibrahimovic, 36, hasn't featured at all for Jose Mourinho's side since being substituted at half-time in a 2-2 draw with Burnley on December 26.
The Swede scored 28 goals in 46 appearances during a stunning first season in England before tearing knee ligaments in a Europa League tie against Anderlecht in April.
His ...

Ibrahimovic close to MLS move - report

Britain's new, blue, post-EU passports are set to be made by a Paris-based firm, reports said today, in what leading Brexit supporters called a "national humiliation".
The Daily Telegraph newspaper said the next contract to produce British passports would be awarded to Gemalto, while the head of UK manufacturer De La Rue said he had been told his company had lost out to the Franco-Dutch firm.
De La Rue boss Martin Sutherland said it was "disappointing and surprising" that "this icon of British identity" would be manufactured by a foreign company.
"We've had that confirmed to us by the Home Office," he told BBC radio in reference to Britain's interior ministry, though the government said the process had not concluded.
Sutherland said he wanted to invite British Prime Minister Theresa May to his factory and explain "why they think this is a sensible decision to offshore the manufacture of a British icon".
The Daily Telegraph said Gemalto undercut other bids by around 50 million (USD 70 .

Britain's post-Brexit passports 'to be made by French'

The leaders of Britain, France and Germany will hold special talks on the sidelines of an EU summit today to discuss the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy on English soil, the French presidency said.
Prime Minister Theresa May, President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel are set to discuss a statement that the 28 EU leaders will issue on the nerve agent attack, which Britain has blamed on Russia, a presidency official said.
he official said it was "very likely the European Council will adopt conclusions which will be quite close to those" expressed by the three leaders and US President Donald Trump last week.
The statement by the four leaders said that there was "no plausible alternative explanation" to Britain's assessment that Russia was behind the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
But the draft version of the EU summit statement stops far shorter, saying only that they take the British view "extremely seriously" and expressing solidarity with London.
Greece ...

Merkel, Macron and May to meet at EU summit on spy attack: France

The vast dump of plastic waste swirling in the Pacific ocean is now bigger than France, Germany and Spain combined - far larger than previously feared - and is growing rapidly, a study published today warned.
Researchers based in the Netherlands used a fleet of boats and aircraft to scan the immense accumulation of bottles, containers, fishing nets and microparticles known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" (GPGP) and found an astonishing build-up of plastic waste.
"We found about 80,000 tonnes of buoyant plastic currently in the GPGP," Laurent Lebreton, lead author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports, told AFP.
That's around the weight of 500 jumbo jets, and up to sixteen times greater than the plastic mass uncovered there in previous studies.
But what really shocked the team was the amount of plastic pieces that have built up on the marine gyre between Hawaii and California in recent years.
They found that the dump now contains around 1.8 trillion pieces of ...

Pacific plastic dump far larger than feared: study

Dean Elgar and AB de Villiers scored freely as they lifted the tempo of South Africa's innings on the first day of the third Test against Australia at Newlands today.
South Africa were 175 for two at tea after winning the toss and choosing to bat on the best batting pitch of any of the Tests South Africa have hosted against India and Australia this season.
Opening batsman Elgar was unbeaten on 91 while De Villiers had scored 46 not out.
Elgar and Hashim Amla (31) stabilised the innings with a second wicket partnership of 86 off 174 balls after Josh Hazlewood had Aiden Markram caught at second slip for nought.
Hazlewood struck again when Amla was caught at fine leg soon after lunch. Hazlewood was Australia's only successful bowler, taking two for 23. He also had Elgar dropped at backward point by Nathan Lyon when the batsman was on 53 and four runs later hit Elgar on the helmet during a sustained spell of fast, short-pitched bowling.
De Villiers, the leading batsman in the series, ...

Elgar, De Villiers lift tempo

World anti-doping chief's plan to tighten the screws on countries that fail to crack down on drug cheats, but a lack of funding could sink their bid to clean up sport.
The World Anti-Doping Agency, meeting in Lausanne this week, has adopted new powers designed to nip in the bud the kind of state-sponsored doping scheme that was allowed to flourish in Russia from 2011-2015.
Specifically, WADA has listed standards that must be met from April 1 by signatories to its code, who include National Anti-Doping Organisations from member countries as well as sports federations and the International Olympic Committee.
National anti-doping bodies must pledge among other things to run effective testing programmes; implement rapid and effective followup procedures and have appropriate investigative means; and also adopt clear rules for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE).
Failure to do so will land violators in line for tough new WADA sanctions on a sliding scale of severity as is already the case for .

New weapons for anti-doping fight

Andrew Strauss has paid a glowing tribute to retired batsman Kevin Pietersen, revealing any animosity he felt towards his former England team-mate has dissipated.
The pair have had a chequered history, with Pietersen admitting to sending "provocative" texts to South Africa players about then England captain Strauss during a series between the two teams in 2012.
Following his elevation to director of England cricket three years ago, Strauss blamed a "massive trust issue" between himself and Pietersen for refusing to countenance an international recall for the South African-born batsman.
Pietersen, who last played for England in 2014, embarked on a nomadic Twenty20 career before announcing his retirement last week.
He is England's second-highest run scorer of all-time across all three formats of the game, while he won four Ashes series and amassed 8,181 runs in 104 Tests, prompting praise from Strauss.
"I think the first thing to say is we've had our differences over time and they've ...

England's Strauss praises 'magnificent' Pietersen

President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden, both septuagenarians, once again publicly voiced their intense animosity toward each another today, complete with threats of physical assault.
"Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault," Trump tweeted in the early morning.
"He doesn't know me, but he would go down fast and hard, crying all the way. Don't threaten people Joe!"
Speaking at an anti-sexual assault rally Tuesday at the University of Miami, Biden, who is weighing a 2020 run against Trump, said he would have "beat the hell" out of the president if they had been in high school together because of his disrespect for women.
"A guy who ended up becoming our national leader said, 'I can grab a woman anywhere and she likes it,'" Biden said, referencing a tape that emerged in the waning days of the 2016 campaign that showed Trump boasting of his 

Trump says Biden would 'go down hard' if they fought

Manchester United have announced plans to form a women's professional team after long being criticised for lagging behind their rivals.
The Premier League giants are the only top-flight club in England without a senior women's team.
United said they had submitted an application to the Football Association to join the second tier of the Women's Super League.
"We are pleased to announce that the club intends to establish its first-ever professional women's team and has submitted an application to enter WSL2," said Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
"The FA has provided excellent support through the process and we believe that launching a team in WSL2 would give many more of our graduates from the regional talent club the chance to establish themselves as first-team players.
"The Manchester United women's team must be built in the same image and with the same principles as the men's first team and offer academy players a clear route to top-level football within the ...

Man Utd announce plans to form professional women's team

Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla shared a half-century partnership after South Africa lost an early wicket on the first day of the third Test against Australia at Newlands.
South Africa were 75 for one at lunch after winning the toss and batting on the best batting pitch of any of the Tests South Africa have hosted against India and Australia this season.
Elgar and Amla were unbeaten on 40 and 31 respectively.
Josh Hazlewood struck early for Australia when he dismissed Aiden Markram for nought in the fourth over. Markram pushed forward at a full-length delivery and edged a low catch to Australian captain Steve Smith at second slip.
Although there was a good covering of grass, there was minimal assistance for the bowlers on a sunny morning. Elgar and Amla started cautiously and the total was only 31 after 15 overs in the first hour.
They posted a 50 partnership after 80 minutes and 110 balls and by lunch had stretched this to 69 off 146 balls.

Elgar, Amla dig in after early wicket

Barcelona and Spain midfield star Andres Iniesta has indicated this summer's World Cup in Russia could signal his international swansong.
Iniesta, 33, also hinted he could finally be lured from a rarely-seen 'contract for life' with the Spanish league giants, signed last year, to cap his sparkling club career with a stint in China's Super League.
"At the moment, given my age, it could be my last international appearance," Iniesta told Radio Cadena Ser Thursday when asked about the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia from June 14 to July 15.
"It's quite similar to what could happen to me at club level. I don't want to be there just to make up the numbers, I don't need to be there (at Barcelona and Spain) just so I can say I'm there."
Iniesta, considered one of world's greatest creative midfielders, has been increasingly linked with a move to China despite signing a deal with Barcelona last autumn that effectively allowed him to decide when he would finish his career with the Catalan ...

AFP

AFP

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