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.

NATO chief backs Trump: allies can do more in MidEast

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Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will step back as senior members of the royal family and spend more time in North America, the couple said in a historic statement Wednesday.
"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.
"After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution," they added.
"We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America." The shock news follows a turbulent year for the royal family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent Christmas in Canada after speaking of the pressure of being in the spotlight following their wedding and son Archie's birth in May.
They had previously announced they would miss Christmas with Queen Elizabeth and the rest .

Britain's Prince Harry, Meghan to step back as 'senior' royals

The United States on Wednesday urged "complete cooperation" with a probe into a Ukrainian flight's crash in Iran, which has rejected giving the Boeing plane's black boxes to arch-rival Washington.
"The United States calls for complete cooperation with any investigation into the cause of the crash," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement, without naming Iran directly.
Pompeo offered condolences to the loved ones of the 176 people who were all killed on board, most of whom were Iranian or Canadian.
"The United States will continue to follow this incident closely and stands prepared to offer Ukraine all possible assistance," he said.
The crash came as the tense relationship between Iran and the United States had sharply worsened, with Washington killing one of Iran's top generals while he visited neighbouring Iraq.
Hours before the crash Iran had fired missiles at bases in Iraq housing US troops, but there was no immediate indication of foul play concerning the Ukraine ...

Iran plane crash: Pompeo urges 'complete cooperation'

The US Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it was banning US-registered carriers from flying over Iraq, Iran and the Gulf following rocket attacks on US forces in Iraq.
"The (FAA) issues Notices to Airmen tonight outlining flight restrictions that prohibit US civil aviation operators from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman," it said in a statement.
"The FAA will continue closely monitoring events in the Middle East.

US civil flights banned over Gulf, Iraq, Iran: regulator

Fugitive auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn on Wednesday accused Nissan and Japanese prosecutors of plotting against him as he staged an impassioned defence at his first public appearance since fleeing the country.
In a combative news conference in Beirut, the former Renault-Nissan boss -- one of the world's most high-profile corporate executives -- slammed the financial misconduct charges he faced in Japan as "baseless".
"The collusion between Nissan and prosecutors is everywhere," Ghosn told a large crowd of journalists at an appearance that lasted more than two hours during which he fielded questions in English, French, Arabic and Portuguese.
"There was no way I was going to be treated fairly ... this was not about justice. I felt I was a hostage of the country that I have served for 17 years," he said.
Ghosn accused prosecutors and Nissan, one of Japan's biggest carmakers, of "systematic leaking of false information" and "intentional withholding" of important facts related to the case.
That 

Defiant car magnate Ghosn hits back against Japanese 'plot'

Oil extended losses Wednesday after US President Donald Trump hinted at easing tensions over Iran, with New York prices sliding 4.6 per cent.
WTI, already dropping before Trump spoke, sharply extended its losses to fall under USD 60 per barrel and Brent crude shed 3.7 per cent to USD 65.78 after the president said Iran appeared to be "standing down" after missile strikes on US troop bases in Iraq.

Oil price losses deepen on Trump's Iran comments

Tokyo prosecutors slammed former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn on Thursday, accusing him of "one-sided" and "unacceptable" criticism of Japan's legal system after he jumped bail and fled the country.
In a statement after Ghosn addressed the media for the first time since his escape, the Tokyo prosecutor's office also said claims of a plot involving Nissan and Japanese authorities were "categorically false and contrary to fact".

Japan prosecutors slam Ghosn's 'one-sided, unacceptable' comments

A shooter killed one person and seriously wounded three others Wednesday morning on a residential street near Canada's parliament before fleeing, local police said.
Police were called to the scene, about 10 blocks from the legislature in the capital, Ottawa, after reports of multiple gun shots around 7:30 am (local time).
"At this time, three people have been transported to hospital with serious injuries and one person has been confirmed deceased," Ottawa Police said in a statement.
A 15-year-old boy was among the wounded, local television reported.
The incident could have been a targeted killing, a police spokesperson told a press briefing, without elaborating.

One dead, three seriously wounded in Canada shooting

Lazio were fined 20,000 euros on Wednesday for the racist abuse some of their fans aimed at Mario Balotelli during their 2-1 Serie A win at Brescia at the weekend.
In its decision, the disciplinary committee of the Italian football federation (FIGC) referred to "racially discriminatory" chants in the 21st and 29th minutes, and "insulting chants" on three occasions, all aimed at Balotelli.
The disciplinary committee also requested further investigation saying it wanted, among other things, proof of Lazio's "effective collaboration in identifying the individuals involved."
Lazio, who after the game issued a statement condemning the behaviour of a "tiny minority" of fans, subsequently promised to "prosecute" those responsible.
Balotelli gave Brescia the lead after 18 minutes of the match on Sunday and shortly afterwards complained to the referee about the abuse.
"It's already the second time," Balotelli told referee Gianluca Manganiello after half an hour, with the latter replying: "Now .

Lazio fined 20,000 euros for Balotelli racist abuse

Fugitive auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn on Wednesday accused Nissan and Japanese prosecutors of plotting against him, vowing to prove his innocence at his first public appearance since fleeing the country.
The former Renault-Nissan boss described the financial misconduct charges he faced in Japan as "baseless" as he addressed a large crowd of journalists in Beirut.  "The collusion between Nissan and prosecutors is everywhere," Ghosn said, claiming his arrest in Japan was "staged".
"There was no way I was going to be treated fairly ... this was not about justice. I felt I was a hostage of the country that I have served for 17 years," he said.
"Thanks to the systematic leaking of false information and distorted information and the intentional withholding of exculpatory information by the prosecutor and by Nissan, I was presumed guilty before the eyes of the world and subject to a system whose only objective is to coerce confessions, secure guilty pleas," he said.
Ghosn, who denies any ...

Ghosn vows to clear name as he blasts 'collusion' against him

World number one Rafael Nadal steered Spain into the ATP Cup quarter-finals Wednesday despite an uncharacteristically error-ridden performance, with Argentina also powering through.
After six days of round robin play at the inaugural team event across Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, eight teams are left standing from the 24 that started.
Australia, Serbia, Russia and Britain booked their spots in the knockout phase on Tuesday, with Spain -- who won the revamped Davis Cup in Madrid in November -- and Argentina rounding out the six group winners.
Belgium and Canada joined them as the two best-placed runners-up.
All the quarter-finals are in Sydney with Australia facing Britain in the first encounter on Thursday, followed by Argentina against Russia.  Novak Djokovic's Serbia take on Canada on Friday, while Spain are pitted against Belgium.
Nadal saw off the brave challenge of Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, but the 19-time Grand Slam winner made 36 unforced errors.
"It was ...

Argentina and Nadal-led Spain sweep into ATP Cup quarters

Several international airlines said Wednesday they would avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace after Tehran fired ballistic missiles at bases housing US troops in Iraq.
Lufthansa and its Austrian Airlines unit nonetheless decided to maintain flights to the Iranian capital, Tehran, this week, a statement said.
Iran launched more than 20 missiles at bases housing US troops in the early hours, officials in Washington and Tehran said.
Iran's supreme leader called the attacks a "slap in the face" after a US drone strike killed Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad international airport last week.
In Germany, Lufthansa said it had halted overflights of Iran and Iraq until further notice.
But it added that "since Tehran Airport is open and there are no security restrictions for the approach route or the area around the airport, Austrian Airlines will operate today's flight OS 871 to Tehran with a delay of around six hours.
"Lufthansa also plans to resume the route tomorrow," the 

Airlines avoid Iran and Iraq airspace

World oil prices briefly surged 4.5 per cent on Wednesday after Iran launched missile attacks on US targets in Iraq.
The strikes, launched in retaliation for President Donald Trump ordering the assassination of the Islamic republic's top general last Friday, sent Brent and New York crude to multi-month peaks.
Oil later trimmed gains as Iran said it had "concluded" for now its missile attacks, launched in response to the US drone assassination of Qasem Soleimani last Friday. The unrest has yet to impact oil supplies, analysts said.
"Although the market was duly warned about upcoming Iranian retaliation attacks on US installations and armed forces the (Brent) oil price still spiked up to almost USD 72 per barrel following the Iranian attacks on two US Iraqi bases last night," said SEB analyst Bjarne Schieldrop.
"Again, not a single drop of oil supply has been lost due to the recent incidents and this is why the oil price has fallen back down again so quickly. What the market fears is ...

Oil spikes after Iran strikes US targets in Iraq

A German man went on trial Wednesday suspected of inflicting damage worth 930,000 euros (USD 1 million) on 642 cars, but prosecutors say he may have damaged twice as many vehicles.
The 26-year-old is believed to have been behind a spate of attacks on cars in the north Bavarian towns of Wuerzburg, Schweinfurt and Veitshochheim between February and April 2018, a spokesman for the Schweinfurt state court told news agency DPA.
In a months-long probe, police were left scratching their heads even after setting up a special unit dubbed "paint scraper".
In the end it was only by chance that the suspect was collared.
A local resident heard scraping sounds outside her home in the early hours of one April 2018 morning and called the police.
At the scene, officers found the suspect carrying a screw.
But the man is standing trial only for a fraction of the damage he is believed to have caused.
The court dismissed prosecutors' initial attempts to try him over gashes on 1,700 vehicles totalling 2.3 .

German faces court for scratching hundreds of cars

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will stand trial from October 5 to 22 on corruption charges over alleged attempts to obtain information from a judge about an investigation against him, a Paris court decided Wednesday.
This will be the first trial in several graft cases against Sarkozy, making him the first ex-president of France in at least 60 years to enter the dock for corruption.

French ex-president Sarkozy to stand trial in Oct on graft charges

The United Nations mission in Iraq said Wednesday the country should not be made to "pay the price" in the escalating conflict between Tehran and Washington.
Early Wednesday, Iran launched a volley of ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases where American and other foreign troops are based, in retaliation for a US drone strike last week that killed a top Iranian general.
The UN mission said in a statement that the latest strikes "again violate Iraqi sovereignty" and added: "We call for urgent restraint and a resumption of dialogue. Iraq should not pay the price for external rivalries.

UN mission says Iraq 'should not pay price for external rivalries'

The Spanish football federation (RFEF) announced on Wednesday that it will introduce goal-line technology at its Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, despite it not being used in La Liga.
"This is a historic day for us because, for the first time in Spanish football, we are going to implement goal-line technology," said Carlos Velasco Carballo, head of the RFEF referee's committee.
Velasco Carballo was speaking in Jeddah, where the four-team Super Cup kicks off later on Wednesday when Real Madrid play Valencia.
Referees will wear a watch that vibrates and displays the word 'Gol' when the ball crosses the line between the posts.
Goal-line technology is making its debut in Spanish football more than four years after it was adopted by Europe's other top leagues.
It was first used in two Japanese stadiums during the 2012 Club World Cup. The English Premier League adopted a version in 2013 and Italy, Germany and France followed suit in 2015, though the French suspended the technology after problems .

Spanish Super Cup to feature goal-line technology

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin inaugurated a new gas pipeline linking their countries at a ceremony in Istanbul on Wednesday with tensions over Libya and Syria also on the agenda.
Erdogan described the Turkstream pipelines -- which will deliver Russian gas to Turkey and Europe via the Black Sea -- as a "project of historic importance" for relations between their countries.
Putin arrived late on Tuesday after paying a surprise visit to Syria -- his first to Damascus since the war began -- at a moment of acute uncertainty in the Middle East following the assassination of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by the United States.
TurkStream and the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic allow Russia to increase gas supplies to Europe without having to rely on Ukraine.
But Moscow's increasing domination of European energy markets has worried the United States, which last month sanctioned firms working on TurkStream and the almost-completed Nord Stream 

Erdogan, Putin inaugurate pipeline, discuss Libya, Syria

The life of figure skater taking part in the opening ceremony of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games "is in danger" after a heavy fall during practice, Swiss police said on Wednesday.
The skater, a 35-year-old Russian who lives in Germany, fell five metres (16 feet 5 inches) onto the ice during final preparations at the Vaudoise Arena in Lausanne, where the youth Games ceremony will take place on Thursday.
Police said that she was being pulled around by a motorised system connected to the Arena's ceiling when she crashed onto the ice.
She was taken to hospital with "serious injuries", police added.

Youth Olympics ceremony performer's life 'in danger' after horror fall

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said the Islamic republic's response on Wednesday to a US strike that killed one of its general shows "we don't retreat in the face of America".
"If America has committed a crime... it should know that it will receive a decisive response," Rouhani said in a televised address, hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi bases housing US troops.
"If they are wise, they won't take any other action at this juncture.

'We don't retreat in face of America': Iran president

Cyprus said Wednesday it had accepted a US request to station a rapid response team on the island in case American diplomatic personnel or civilians need to be evacuated in the region amid rising US-Iranian tensions.
Cyprus "gave its consent for the temporary stationing in Cyprus of a rapid response unit whose task will be to evacuate US diplomatic missions to the region, as well as US citizens, if necessary," said government spokesman Kyriacos Koushos.
He stressed that the request was accepted "for exclusively humanitarian operations".

AFP

AFP

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