Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will skip the World Economic Forum in Davos this month, his spokesman said Wednesday, citing logistical and political concerns.
"The president and his team of advisors have analyzed a series of issues: economic issues, security issues, political issues," said spokesman Otavio Rego Barros in Brasilia.
"And all of these issues together... led him to decide that it would not be the time to attend the forum." Rego Barros denied that the change in plans had anything to do with rising military tensions between the United States -- an important Brazilian ally -- and Iran after the killing in Iraq of powerful Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, ordered by President Donald Trump.
"There is no relationship with the recent events that have taken place between Iran, Iraq and the United States," he said.
Bolsonaro, 64, had already floated the idea of skipping the yearly conference of economic and political elites -- which is set to take place in Switzerland from ...

Brazil's Bolsonaro to skip Davos meeting

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Serena Williams rallied from a set down to beat journeywoman Christina McHale at the WTA Auckland Classic on Thursday, but said it was just the workout she needed.
With her focus on winning a 24th Grand Slam at the Australian Open, Williams said she needs all the court time she can get after a long off-season since losing September's US Open final.
It took the top seed two hours to put away the 27-year-old McHale and advance to a quarter-final with Germany's Laura Siegemund, who ousted teen prodigy Coco Gauff in the second round.
Williams was broken three times before losing the first set 3-6 but recovered to take the next two sets 6-2, 6-3 in the all-American affair.
"I really need to play matches like that to get to my goals," said the 23-times Grand Slam winner, who is determined to equal the record of 24 held by Australian great Margaret Court.
"Tournament time is super-important, match time is good. After losing that first set I'm just glad to be still in the event." McHale used .

Serena drops set before reaching Auckland quarters

They may be few in number but the women who have come to Saudi Arabia to race their vehicles across the sands in this year's Dakar Rally are making their voices heard.
They believe their presence in the ultra-conservative kingdom, which is accused of violating human rights and repressing feminist activists, can help the cause of Saudi women.
Many of the 13 women, from Europe, South Africa and South America, who started the race in Jeddah on Sunday feel the need to speak out for their Saudi sisters.
"I am sure it is positive to show everyone here that women can be competitive and strong and I am happy to represent women here," said 34-year-old Spanish biker Laia Sanz, who is taking part in the rally for the 10th time.
The organisers sparked controversy by switching the race from South America to Saudi, which is regularly accused of human rights abuses and the suppression of dissenting voices, including feminist activists.
"It was surprising but I think it's a good thing that we are ...

Dakar's women drivers helping their Saudi sisters

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire could be sidelined for several weeks with a hip injury, according to British media reports on Wednesday.
Maguire missed United's 3-1 defeat against Manchester City in the League Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday as a result of the problem.
It was originally thought Maguire's injury was a foot problem sustained in the goalless FA Cup third round draw at Wolves last Saturday.
There has been no official confirmation from United on a likely return date for the England international.
But Maguire, who joined United from Leicester last year, is not expected to feature in Saturday's Premier League match against Norwich.
Given United's key run of fixtures coming up, which includes a trip to Premier League leaders Liverpool on January 19, an extended absence for the ?80 million centre-back would represent a significant blow for boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
When addressing the issue following the defeat by City, Solskjaer had been optimistic Maguire would 

Man Utd's Maguire set for spell on sidelines: reports

Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith are among the Australian golfers who have launched a campaign at this week's US PGA Sony Open in Hawaii to benefit relief efforts for the bushfire crisis devastating their homeland.
Leishman and Smith, who just played Down Under last month in the Presidents Cup at Melbourne, will donate money for their every birdie and eagle this week at Honolulu's Wai'alae Country Club, a pledge matched by other Aussies as well.
"The devastation caused in this unprecedented national crisis in Australia is just terrible," Leishman said.
"There have been lives lost and around 2,000 families have lost homes, not to mention the catastrophic damage to the unique wildlife in the country.
"The communities across the nation have shown tremendous spirit in the face of such adversity and it's the least we can do to try to help out."
Australian Open winner Matt Jones and fellow Aussies Cameron Davis, Cameron Percy and Rhein Gibson also joined in launching the fundraising ...

Aussies lead PGA charge to send aid for bushfire relief

The World Anti-Doping Agency will take its case for the exclusion of Russia from international sporting competitions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) "by the weekend", a WADA official told AFP on Wednesday.
CAS, the world's highest sporting court, will have to decide whether to confirm the four-year ban WADA imposed on Russia last month, or listen to Russia's case against the sanction.
WADA decided on December 9 to ban Russia for four years from participating in international events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the 2022 football World Cup, over what it considers a state-sponsored programme of doping.
WADA says Russia "manipulated" data from an anti-doping laboratory in Moscow, the latest episode in a scandal which started with the revelation in 2015 of long-term institutional doping that involved senior officials, secret agents and trafficked urine vials.
Under the sanctions, Russian sportsmen and women will still be allowed to ...

WADA to take Russia case to CAS this week

England pace bowler James Anderson will miss the final two Tests in South Africa after suffering a rib injury during their dramatic victory in Cape Town.
Anderson sustained the problem on the final day of the second Test and MRI scans on Wednesday confirmed he won't be back in action until after the current tour.
It is a bitter blow for the 37-year-old, who was just two games into his comeback following the calf injury he endured in last summer's Ashes series.
Anderson, England's record Test wicket taker, spent almost five months working back to full fitness and showed signs of being back to his best with seven wickets in England's series-levelling 189-run win.
But he was in visible discomfort on the final day, clutching his side at times and grimacing through two painful overs after tea.
"James Anderson has been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series against South Africa after sustaining a left rib injury in England's second Test victory at Newlands," an ECB statement ...

Anderson out of England's final two Tests in South Africa

Toni Kroos scored a wonder goal straight from a corner as Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-1 on Wednesday to reach the final of the controversial Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Kroos caught Valencia goalkeeper Jaume Domenech napping with a brilliant, instinctive strike before Isco made it two and Luka Modric added a classy third from a curling finish with the outside of his foot.
After two superb goals, the only shame was more fans were not there to see them given the King Abdullah Sports City stadium appeared only a little more than half full.
The official attendance was given as 40,877 out of a capacity of 62,345.  Dani Parejo scored a late Valencia penalty but Madrid advance to Sunday's final where they will meet the winner of Thursday's second semi-final between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
"I'm happy with the whole performance," said Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.
"For the goal of Isco, because maybe he needed that, the genius of Kroos and then something that only Modric can do. .

Kroos stunner helps Real Madrid through to Spanish Super Cup final

French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe brushed aside questions about his future at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday when he said "it's not the time to make waves" over contract talks.
The 21-year-old striker, long linked with a move to Real Madrid, insisted his mind was only on helping PSG defend their Ligue 1 title and chase an elusive Champions League triumph.
"For now, I am ready to play football," Mbappe said after scoring in his team's 6-1 rout of St Etienne in the French League Cup quarter-finals.
"It is January, it's the start of the final sprint where there are titles to play for. Therefore it's not the moment to make waves." Mbappe has a deal at PSG which runs until 2022.
Recruited in the summer of 2017 for 180 million euros ($202 million) from Monaco, Mbappe is now believed to be worth 265 million euros, according to the Swiss-based International Centre for Sports Studies.
"The club is calm and serene, everyone is pulling in the same direction, so talking about things that ...

'Not time to make waves': Mbappe on new PSG contract

Liverpool star Sadio Mane's triumphant homecoming to Senegal after winning Africa's top football prize was scuppered Wednesday when problems with overflight permission in Tunisia grounded his jet.
Senegal's capital Dakar had readied celebrations for the 27-year old, who was crowned Africa's 2019 Player of the Year in Egypt on Tuesday.
The first Senegalese player to win the prize since 2002, Mane was meant to land to crowds of supporters in Dakar, followed by a parade and a ceremony with the president.
But the festivities were called off on Wednesday after a delay in receiving overflight permission from Tunisian authorities, said Bakary Cisse, an official in Mane's entourage.
"The Reds and the forward had made provisions for him to fly to his homeland directly from the ceremony in Egypt in recognition of the support many in his country had given him on his journey towards receiving the prestigious prize," Liverpool said in a statement.
"However, travel disruption beyond both his and ...

Plane grounding forces Liverpool's Mane to skip prize parade

Mauro Icardi scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain demolished a depleted Saint-Etienne 6-1 on Wednesday to power into the semi-finals of the French League Cup.
Icardi struck the opening goal inside two minutes at the Parc des Princes before teenage Saint-Etienne defender Wesley Fofana was dismissed for a second booking on the half-hour.
PSG ruthlessly capitalised on their man advantage as coach Thomas Tuchel elected to field all four members of his fearsome attacking quartet -- Icardi, Neymar, Kylian
Mbappe and Angel Di Maria -- against a side decimated by injury and illness.
"I am convinced that Icardi and Mbappe love to play together," said Tuchel.
"We talk about the four attackers but we are a team with 11 players. Neymar, for example, helps Juan Bernat.
"That's the sort of spirit which we need to be dangerous. We have the best players but we also have the best team." Neymar doubled the lead with a nonchalant chipped finish over goalkeeper Jessy Moulin, who scored a comical own 

PSG overrun Saint-Etienne to reach League Cup semi-finals

Teen prodigy Coco Gauff was knocked out of the WTA Auckland Classic Thursday when she was outsmarted by German Laura Siegemund in the second round.
The promoters' hopes of a dream quarter-final between Gauff and the queen of the court Serena Williams fell apart when Siegemund fought back from a set down to triumph 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
The 31-year-old Siegemund, who played her first WTA qualifier in 2003 before Gauff was born, was up 5-4 when she dropped her serve twice to lose the first set.
But from there, she used her considerable experience to ruffle the 15-year-old, forcing her behind the baseline and then drawing her forward with deft drop shots.
"In the first set I had my chances but let it go. So I just tried to keep my level and she started to miss a little bit more, and I guess I just got better and better," Siegemund said.
As Gauff showed signs of being rattled, she lost the steeliness she showed when she burst into the limelight last year with a win over Venus Williams as she ...

Gauff gone in second round at Auckland

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan stunned the British monarchy on Wednesday by quitting as front-line members -- reportedly without first consulting Queen Elizabeth II.
In a shock announcement, the couple said they would spend time in North America and rip up long-established relations with the press.
Media reports said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their bombshell statement without notifying either Harry's grandmother the monarch, or his father Prince Charles.
The surprise news follows a turbulent year for the couple, who have openly said they have struggled in the spotlight and grown apart from Harry's brother Prince William. They have also reacted badly to negative news coverage.
"We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the royal family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen," they said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace.
"We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a ...

Harry, Meghan quit royal front line in shock move

China believes a mysterious pneumonia outbreak that has struck 59 people is due to a new strain of virus from the family of pathogens that includes SARS, state media said Thursday.
The infection was first confirmed on December 31 in Wuhan, a central Chinese city with a population of over 11 million, and initially sparked fears about a resurgence of the highly contagious flu-like SARS.
Experts have "preliminarily determined" that a new type of coronavirus is behind the outbreak, state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday, citing lab results.
"A total of 15 positive results of the new type of coronavirus had been detected" in the lab, CCTV said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement Wednesday that a new coronavirus could not be excluded as a possible cause of the disease.
China ruled out SARS, which killed hundreds of people more than a decade ago, in a statement on Sunday.
Wuhan's health commission said on Sunday that seven of the 59 patients were seriously ill but that 

New virus behind China's mystery pneumonia outbreak: state media

Iran said Wednesday it respects Iraq's territorial integrity, after firing missiles at Iraqi bases housing US troops.
The early Wednesday strike led Iraq to say it would summon the Iranian ambassador.
In a letter to the United Nations Security Council and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Iran's ambassador to the UN, Majid Takht Ravanchi, said his country has full respect for "the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Republic of Iraq." There were no American or Iraqi military casualties in the strikes.
"The operation was precise and targeted military objectives thus leaving no collateral damage to civilians and civilian assets in the area," the diplomat said in a letter released by the Iranian mission.
Iran "recalls its dedication to the maintenance of international peace and security and stresses that it does not seek escalation or war," he said.
Iraq's foreign ministry said Wednesday it would call in the Iranian ambassador because of the missile ...

After missile launch Iran says it respects Iraqi sovereignty

Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras announced Wednesday it will temporarily stop sending its tankers through the Strait of Hormuz because of tensions between Iran and the United States.
The company said it made the decision after carrying out a risk assessment with the navy.
It insisted, however, that supplies of oil in Brazil were guaranteed and would not be affected by the suspension.
Petrobras also said it does not foresee a rise in the price of its oil products because of the regional tensions.
The Strait of Hormuz, which stretches between Oman and Iran, is a vital shipping lane for a fifth of the world's crude.
One of the world's most congested transit points, it links up the Gulf's oil producers with markets in Asia, Europe and North America.
Tensions are high following last week's US drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, and traders are worried that Tehran could seek to block the strait.
After Soleimani was killed, the government of ...

Brazil's Petrobras suspends shipping through Strait of Hormuz

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that the United States has reestablished some deterrence toward Iran in the wake of the January 3 drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.
"I think at this point with the strikes we took against KH in late December and then our actions with regard to Soleimani, I believe that we've restored a level of deterrence with them," he told reporters, referring to Kataeb Hezbollah, an armed Iraqi group backed by Iran.
"But we will see. Time will tell," Esper said.

Pentagon chief: US has restored 'level of deterrence' on Iran

Colombia's President Ivan Duque on Wednesday called on the United Nations to prolong its peace verification mission in the South American country until 2022.
The mission is tasked with monitoring compliance with the fragile 2016 peace agreement between the government and the former FARC guerrilla movement that ended 50 years of conflict.
The UN Security Council decided in September to extend the mission until the end of 2020.
"The desire of our government is that the observation mission accompanies us for the duration of our mandate, until August 2022," Duque said after a meeting with mission chief Carlos Ruiz Massieu at government headquarters.
Ruiz Massieu said that although "very important advances" had been made in the implementation of the agreement, he said it faced "great challenges," both in the short and long term.
When Duque was elected in August 2018, he promised to modify the accord, which he considers too lenient on ex-fighters guilty of serious crimes.  Most of the FARC .

Colombia's president calls on UN to extend peace mission

The Democratic-led US House of Representatives will vote Thursday to prevent President Donald Trump from war with Iran after he ordered the killing of a top general, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
Pelosi said that the Democrats will move forward as their concerns were not addressed in a closed-door briefing Wednesday involving Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

US House to vote to prevent Trump from Iran war

A Lebanese prosecutor said Wednesday he was summoning former auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn due to an Interpol "red notice" over financial misconduct charges in Japan, state media said.
Ghosn was summoned to appear for questioning Thursday and would also be asked to give a statement over a complaint filed by Lebanese lawyers that he travelled to Israel as head of Renault-Nissan, the National News Agency said.
Lebanon is technically still at war with neighbouring Israel.

Lebanon prosecutor summons Ghosn for Thursday: state media

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg spoke with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday and agreed that the western allies should take a more prominent role in the Middle East.
"The President asked the secretary general for NATO to become more involved in the Middle East," a NATO statement said, after the call between Washington and Brussels.
"They agreed that NATO could contribute more to regional stability and the fight against international terrorism.

AFP

AFP

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