A powerful gas explosion tore through a building in central Paris on Saturday, killing two firefighters and a Spanish woman, injuring dozens of people and badly damaging nearby apartments, officials said.
Around 200 firefighters were mobilised to battle the fire that broke out after the blast and evacuate victims and residents in the area, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters at the scene.
The explosion came with the city on edge during the latest "yellow vest" anti-government demonstrations, which have often degenerated into violence and vandalism in Paris and other cities in recent weeks.
Cars were overturned by the blast and glass and rubble was strewn across large swathes of the street after the explosion gutted the lower part of the building. Dozens of residents were treated by rescue workers on the street.
"I was sleeping and was woken up by the blast wave," Claire Sallavuard, who lives on the Rue de Trevise where the explosion occurred, told AFP. "All the ...

Two firefighters, Spanish tourist killed in Paris gas leak blast

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Twenty workers were trapped in a Chinese coal mine after its roof collapsed, local officials said on Saturday.
The mine's roof collapsed in northwest China's Shaanxi province, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted officials as saying.
The accident happened in the city of Shenmu around 6 pm local time. Rescuers have rushed to the scene.

20 trapped in coalmine accident in China

Chinese telecom giant Huawei on Saturday sacked a Chinese executive who was arrested on spying charges in Poland, saying his actions have no relation to the company and the incident has harmed the its reputation.
Poland's counterespionage agency arrested Huawei executive Wang Weijing along with a former Polish security official on Friday on charges of spying for China.
Huawei, the world's biggest producer of telecom equipment, in a statement on Saturday distanced itself from the incident and terminated the employment of the executive.
"In accordance with the terms and conditions of Huawei's labour contract, we have made this decision because the incident in question has brought Huawei into disrepute," state-run China Daily quoted the statement by Huawei.
Huawei said in a statement that its employee's alleged actions have no relation to the company.
"Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries where it operates, and we require every employee to abide by ...

Huawei sacks Chinese executive arrested in Poland on spying charges

Sardar Azmoun struck twice as Iran sank Vietnam 2-0 on Saturday to reach the last 16 of the Asian Cup and set a new group-stage win record.
Iran, looking to end a 43-year title drought since last winning Asian football's most coveted prize, could have scored four or five but for some poor finishing in Abu Dhabi.
"It's a pity our performance didn't produce a couple more goals," Iran coach Carlos Queiroz told reporters.
"But winning is the best medicine in football. To win two games and score seven goals -- I have to praise my players because I am very demanding."
Saman Ghoddos and Mehdi Taremi went close for Asia's top-ranked team before Azmoun rose to head home a Ghoddos cross after 38 minutes.
The Rubin Kazan forward lashed in his third goal of the tournament from the edge of the box 20 minutes from time to give Iran a ninth successive first-round victory dating back to 2007.
Co-favourites with South Korea to lift the Asian Cup, Iran crushed war-torn Yemen 5-0 in their opening Group .

Sardar double sends Iran into Asian Cup knockouts

Declan Rice's first West Ham goal secured a 1-0 win over Arsenal in a capital city derby clash at the London Stadium.
The victory in Saturday's early kick-off saw the Hammers move up to eighth in the Premier League table, on 31 points, ahead of the bulk of the weekend's fixtures.
Irish teenager Rice gave himself an early present for his 20th birthday on Monday by scoring the only goal of the game three minutes into the second half.
The defeat dented Arsenal's bid to break into the top four, with the Gunners still adrift of Chelsea -- who face strugglers Newcastle at Stamford Bridge later Saturday -- in the race for a Champions League place.
West Ham named Marko Arnautovic in their starting line-up despite the Austrian forward's brother and agent saying Thursday he wanted to move to the Chinese Super League.
Former Arsenal favourite Samir Nasri started against his old club as the midfielder made his Premier League debut for the Hammers.
Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi .

Rice scores first Hammers goal to defeat Arsenal

German police say a small plane has crashed east of Berlin, killing two people.
The two-engine aircraft took off from the town of Strausberg late Saturday morning and came down in a field near Praedikow, a few kilometers (miles) away.
Police said on Twitter that it isn't yet possible to give a reason for the cause of the crash in which two men died. They gave no information on the victims.

Small plane crashes in field in eastern Germany, 2 dead

Egyptian police killed six suspected Islamist militants in a shootout early Saturday in the country's south, the interior ministry said.
The clashes broke out during a police raid on a militant hideout in a mountainous area on the edge of the southern province of Sohag, some 460 kilometres  south of Cairo, the ministry said in a statement.
Police seized weapons and ammunition, it added.  The operation is part of "the interior ministry's efforts to confront terrorist organisations aiming to undermine security and stability" in Egypt, it said.
Egypt has been battling an Islamist insurgency following the 2013 ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, who was forced out by the military in the face of mass protests against his rule.
Attacks have largely been concentrated in the turbulent northern Sinai region, but have also taken place elsewhere across the country.
Egypt launched in February a wide-scale operation centred on North Sinai to wipe out jihadists, including members of the ...

Egypt police kill 6 militants in shootout: ministry

Washington's top diplomat said Saturday he was "optimistic" a way could be found to protect Syrian Kurds while allowing Turks to "defend their country from terrorists" despite a US pullout from Syria.
"We are confident we can achieve an outcome that achieves both of those," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists in Abu Dhabi.
The Gulf emirate is his latest stop in a regional tour aimed at reassuring allies after a shock December announcement by President Donald Trump that US troops would be withdrawn from Syria.
Pompeo's remarks follow tensions between the US and Turkey over the fate of Washington's Syrian Kurdish allies in the fight against Islamic State jihadists.
Turkey had reacted angrily to suggestions that Trump's plan to withdraw troops was conditional on the safety of the US-backed Kurdish fighters, seen by the Turkish government as terrorists.
US-led operations against IS in Syria have been spearheaded on the ground by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic ...

Pompeo 'optimistic' Syria Kurds, Turkey can be protected

A mining company truck has crashed into a minibus in northern Sweden, and Swedish media are reporting that six people have died and one person is injured in the crash.
The Swedish mining company Kaunis Iron said one of its trucks crashed head-on with another vehicle north of the village of Masugnsbyn, in the Kiruna municipality close to the border with Finland just before 2 am Saturday.
The company said the lorry's driver escaped unharmed from the crash.
Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said the crash left six of the seven passengers dead in the minibus, which was carrying foreigners.
One person was dispatched to a hospital by helicopter.
Swedish police confirmed the accident but did not provide details on the casualties.
The Norwegian news agency NTB said the victims were not from neighbouring Nordic countries.

Mining truck crashes into minibus in Sweden; 6 reported dead

Martin Fayulu, who came second in DR Congo's presidential election, has appealed to the Constitutional Court to annul the provisional result which awarded victory to his opposition rival Felix Tshisekedi, his lawyer said Saturday.
"The request seeks the annulment of the result declaring Felix Tshisekedi president," Feli Ekombe told reporters outside the court, saying "it was filed yesterday (Friday)".

DR Congo presidential runner-up appeals against result: lawyer

Director M Night Shyamalan says he is not bothered by the criticism of Mark Wahlberg, who had once called their 2008 collaboration, "The Happening", a "bad movie".
"The Happening" was a psychological thriller which followed a group of people trying to escape from an inexplicable natural disaster. Upon its release, the film was panned by the critics.
Wahlberg was himself critical of the film when he was asked about it during press conference for "The Fighter" in 2013.
Talking about his meeting with co-star Amy Adams, Walhberg had said, "We had actually had the luxury of having lunch before to talk about another movie and it was a bad movie that I did."
"She dodged the bullet. And then I was still able to... I don't want to tell you what movie... Alright, 'The Happening.' F**k it. It is what it is. F**king trees, man. The plants. F**k it. You can't blame me for not wanting to try to play a science teacher. At least I wasn't playing a cop or a crook," he further said.
Shyamalan was asked 

M Night Shyamalan has no beef with Mark Walhberg for 'The Happening' criticism

Former India midfielder Renedy Singh is confident of the Indian football team securing a point in its next game and entering the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup.
After starting their campaign in a stunning fashion by defeating Thailand 4-1, India went down to hosts United Arab Emirates 0-2 in their second group stage on Thursday.
"I would love to see India going through and a point in the next match will do," said Singh, who is an expert with broadcaster Star Sports for the continental showpiece.
India have three points from two games and lie second in the points table behind UAE. Thailand also have three points from two games but stand third on the basis of goal difference.
Reflecting on the last game against UAE, Singh praised skipper Sunil Chhetri.
"If you see what happened, I said in the beginning UAE likes to build up start from the middle, Ashiq is trying his best but what a pass from Sunil, if it could have just gone on either side. Credit goes to the goalkeeper, but he ...

Renedy confident of India reaching knockout stage of Asian Cup

South Korea's coach warned that Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min may have to be eased in gently when he arrives at the Asian Cup after a frantic few months for club and country.
Son has played nearly 1,000 minutes in 16 games for Spurs already this season, on top of his appearances at last year's World Cup and Korea's title run at the Asian Games.
He will arrive in the United Arab Emirates on Monday, a day after Spurs' Premier League clash with Manchester United, and Portuguese coach Paulo Bento said he was mindful of the player's workload.
"After he arrives we will see what we are going to do in the game against China. We will talk and then we are going to take the best decisions for the team," said Bento.
"So we need to wait for the game that probably he's going to play on Sunday and then check everything he's done in the last months, because he played a lot of games."
South Korea, the 2015 runners-up, have laboured to 1-0 wins over debutants the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan ...

Son may need a rest, warns South Korea coach

Differing with his skipper Virat Kohli's views, India's ODI vice-captain Rohit Sharma Saturday said Mahendra Singh Dhoni is "ideal" for the number four slot, as the team works on getting the batting order right for the World Cup.
Rohit added it was his personal view and that the captain and the coach will have the final say on the batting slots.
Dhoni Saturday made a slow 51 from 96 balls in India's 34-run defeat to Australia in the first ODI, sparking another debate about his current form in a World Cup year.
"Personally, I always feel that Dhoni batting at number four will be ideal for the team but we have got Ambati Rayudu who has done really well now at number four. It totally depends on what the captain and coach think about it. Personally asking, I would be happy if Dhoni bats at four," Rohit, who scored 133 off 129 deliveries, said at the post-match conference.
Kohli had earlier expressed his preference for Rayudu to other players for the contentious position.
Chasing 289 for a 

Rohit says 'ideal' number four is Dhoni, differs with Kohli

A powerful explosion tore through a building in central Paris on Saturday, killing two firefighters, injuring dozens of people and causing extensive damage to nearby buildings, officials said.
Around 200 firefighters were mobilised to battle the fire that broke out after the blast and evacuate victims and residents in the area, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters at the scene.
The explosion came with the city on edge during the latest "yellow vest" anti-government demonstrations, which have often degenerated into violence and vandalism in Paris and other cities in recent weeks.
"It happened when there were people in the street, and firefighters inside," Castaner said.
Around 100 police officers blocked off several streets in the area, home to restaurants and tourist attractions including the Musee Grevin wax museum and the popular Rue des Martyrs.
Police also closed off streets in front of the Garnier Opera house as emergency services landed two helicopters in front ..

Two firefighters killed as gas leak explosion rocks central Paris

Petra Kvitova outlasted Ashleigh Barty in a final-set tiebreak to win the Sydney International for the second time on Saturday.
The Czech 2015 champion and fifth seed fought back from dropping the opening set and an early break in the final set to beat the top-ranked Aussie, 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) in two hours 19 minutes.
It was a gutsy performance from the two-time Wimbledon champion who only finished her semi-final against Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the early hours of Saturday.
Kvitova had beaten Barty both the previous times they played, including in the Birmingham final in 2017, but she had to dig deep to win her eighth straight final, coming back from an 0-3 deficit in the final set.
"I left everything out there. I was cramping in the end. It wasn't the best," Kvitova said.
"She's Aussie, so she used to these conditions. I played three times in the night, so for me it was totally different conditions, which from the beginning I feel very, very slow.
"So it just took me a while to get .

Kvitova digs deep to outlast Barty in Sydney final

If Australia are to go deep at the Asian Cup they will owe much to the Scotland-based players who have been among their top performers so far in the United Arab Emirates.
Captain Mark Milligan and striker Jamie Maclaren both play for Hibernian in Edinburgh, while forward Tom Rogic is a fan favourite at Celtic.
All three shone as the Socceroos turned on the style in a 3-0 win over Palestine that reignited their title defence with one group game to play against Syria.
Coach Graham "Arnie" Arnold would have had more Scottish firepower if not for an untimely knee injury to Martin Boyle, also at Hibs, after his call-up into the squad.
Scotland-born Boyle, the son of an Aussie truck driver, had scored two goals in three friendly appearances after receiving his Australian passport in November.
Even without Boyle, Arnold has as many Scotland-based players in his squad as those living in England, or even Australia.
Maclaren proved his worth as he shrugged off nine barren appearances to score ..

Tartan 'Arnie' as Scots connection powers Aussies at Asian Cup

Duanne Olivier took his third five-wicket haul of the series as South Africa gained a 77-run first innings lead on the second day of the third and final Test against Pakistan at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday.
The fast bowler took five for 51 as Pakistan were bowled out for 185. The tourists lost their last five wickets for 16 runs.
South Africa were 25 for one in their second innings at tea, losing stand-in captain Dean Elgar, who was caught behind off Mohammad Amir for five.
Olivier was twice involved in crucial breakthroughs in Pakistan's innings.
He ended an hour of frustration for South Africa when he took two wickets in four balls immediately after the morning drinks break, ending the stubborn resistance of nightwatchman Mohammad Abbas, who batted for 88 minutes and faced 51 balls in scoring 11. Three balls later Asad Shafiq ducked a bouncer but was caught behind off his glove.
Abbas and opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq, who went on to make 43, were both dropped twice during the ..

Cricket: Olivier wrecks Pakistan again

Aditi Ashok opened the New Year with a fine tied-eighth place at the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open, the opening event of the 2019 Ladies European Tour, here Saturday.
Aditi, who has three LET wins had also won the Abu Dhabi meet in 2017, closed the week with a superb six-under that had four birdies and a bogey on either side of the turn.
It was a particularly satisfying finish after a start that saw her card 76 on the first day. She made the cut safely with a 72 on second day and zoomed up the leaderboard with a 66 on the final day.
Charlie Hull (69) held her nerve and kept Marianne Skarpnord (68) and won by a shot to take the first title of the season. Hull finished the week at eight-under, while Skarpnord was seven-under.
Aditi birdied third, fifth, sixth and ninth on the front nine and 10th, 11th, 16th and 17th. She, however, dropped a shot on 18th, but for which she would have been tied-third.
Five players including Caroline Hedwall (67), Anne Van Damm (68), Nicole Broch-Larsen .

Fine start for Aditi as she closes with 66, finishes eighth in Abu Dhabi

French authorities said two firefighters were killed and 47 people injured in a powerful explosion and fire apparently caused by a gas leak at a Paris bakery Saturday that blasted out windows and overturned cars.
Firefighters pulled injured victims from windows and evacuated residents as smoke billowed over Rue de Trevise in the 9th arrondissement of north-central Paris.
The Paris prosecutor's office said that two firefighters have been killed in the bakery blast, correcting the overall figure of four dead given earlier by France's interior minister.
Authorities said 10 people were in critical condition and 37 others less seriously injured.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters at the scene "unfortunately the human toll is particularly serious."
He paid homage to the courage of rescuers who notably saved the life of one firefighter who was buried under the rubble for two and a half hours.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who was also at the scene, extended a "message of ...

2 firefighters killed in Paris bakery blast; dozens injured

Thousands of people wearing yellow vests started marching in the streets of Paris as others were gathering in the central French city of Bourges amid high security measures as authorities feared possible violence between police and protesters Saturday.
In Paris, a few thousand people set off from near the Finance Ministry in eastern Paris at around 11 am (1000 GMT; 5 am EST) and were walking peacefully in the central streets of the capital.
They were planning to head toward Champs-Elysees avenue.
Paris police say 24 people were arrested Saturday before the protests started, primarily for carrying potential weapons.
Meanwhile, yellow vest protesters were also gathering in Bourges, a provincial capital with a renowned Gothic cathedral and picturesque wood-framed houses, where online groups mounted calls through the week for actions.
Authorities deployed 80,000 security forces nationwide for a ninth straight weekend of anti-government protests.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner ...

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