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 ...

Thousands march in 9th straight French yellow vest protests

PTI Automatic

Player of the Match Jhye Richardson said Australia were lucky to get Mahendra Singh Dhoni out with a dubious call in the first One-day International against India here Saturday.
Dhoni was given out leg before wicket when the Australian team appealed after the second ball of the 33rd over, bowled by debutant Jason Behrendorff, but TV replays showed the ball had pitched outside the leg-stump. The veteran could not opt for a review as it was unsuccessfully used up by Ambati Rayudu, breaking a 141-run partnership with Rohit Sharma at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
"There was a period there when they had a partnership through the middle and it almost could have taken the game away from us. But we were lucky to get Dhoni out lbw and we kept getting wickets from there on," Richardson said.
Richardson took his best figures in ODI cricket, 4-26 in 10 overs, as Australia won the first match by 34 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. He praised centurion Rohit Sharma's effort.
"Rohit ..

We were lucky to get Dhoni out lbw: Jhye Richardson

The International Paralympic Committee expressed disappointment Saturday after Malaysia said it would not allow Israeli swimmers to attend a competition in the country that will serve as a qualifying event for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Malaysia is one of a number of Muslim-majority countries that has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel, with entry to the country on an Israeli passport prohibited.
The city of Kuching in the eastern Sarawak state will host hundreds of swimmers from 70 countries from July 29th to August 4th.
But on Thursday, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Kuala Lumpur would deny visas to Israeli para swimmers seeking to attend the meet.
"We maintain our stand on the prohibition. If they do come, it is a violation," he was quoted as saying by the official Bergama news agency.
"If they (the International Paralympic Committee) want to withdraw Malaysia's right to host the championship, they can do so."
The IPC said in a statement that it was "disappointed" with ...

IPC upset with Malaysia's ban on Israeli swimmers

France's interior minister says that four people have been killed, including two firefighters, and 47 have been injuredin the blast at a bakery that was apparently caused by a gas leak in central Paris.
Christophe Castaner told reporters at the scene "unfortunately the human toll is particularly serious."
He said 10 people are in critical condition and 37 others less seriously injured.
He paid homage to the courage of rescuers who 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 affection and solidarity" to the victims.

4 dead, including 2 firefighters, in Paris blast

The British government is considering scrapping jail sentences of six months or less for most crimes in a bid to reduce reoffending and ease pressure on the system, the prisons minister said on Saturday.
The move could see tens of thousands of people convicted of non-violent or non-sexual crimes, such as burglary and shoplifting, spared jail under the plan, Rory Stewart told The Daily Telegraph.
In an interview with the newspaper's magazine, he said that short jail terms were "long enough to damage you and not long enough to heal you.
"You bring somebody in for three or four weeks, they lose their house, their job, their family, their reputation.
"They come (into prison), they meet a lot of interesting characters and then you whap them on to the streets again," he said.
"The public are safer if we have a good community sentence... and it will relieve a lot of pressure on prisons."
The change would mirror 2010 reforms in Scotland, where judges are now guided by a legal presumption ...

UK govt mulls limiting jail sentences of six months or less

An Afghan official says at least five security forces have been killed after their checkpoint came under attack by insurgents in southern Kandahar province.
Aziz Ahmad Azizi, provincial governor's spokesman, says two other police were wounded in Saturday's attack in Spin Bolduk district.
He said seven Taliban insurgents were killed and six others were wounded in the fighting.
Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, Taliban's spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Taliban insurgents have been carrying out near-daily attacks targeting Afghan forces.
The violence comes despite stepped-up efforts by the United States to find a negotiated end to the country's 17-year war.

Afghan official: Taliban attack on checkpoint kills 5 police

Nissan Chief Performance Officer Jose Munoz, who took a leave of absence a week ago, has resigned, the first high-profile departure at the Japanese automaker publicly acknowledged as related to the arrest of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn.
Munoz said in a statement on LinkedIn Saturday he made the decision after serious thinking because the company was "involved in matters that have and will continue to divert its focus," referring to Ghosn's case.
Munoz is among several executives media speculated might succeed Ghosn, who led Nissan for two decades.
Nissan confirmed the resignation, effective immediately.
There have been other recent departures from Nissan, but Nissan has denied they were related to Ghosn's case.
Munoz, a Spaniard who oversaw Nissan's global strategies, worked for Nissan for 14 years.
"I love the company, my talented co-workers and Nissan's industry-leading dealers," he said.
Ghosn, arrested November 19, has been charged with breach of trust and falsifying financial ...

Nissan executive Munoz resigns after Ghosn's arrest

Actors Lupita Nyong'o and Michael B Jordan, who co-starred in Marvel's "Black Panther", have denied they are dating.
The two actors are reported to be romantically involved after having worked in the Chadwick Boseman-starrer Marvel tentpole, which was recently nominated for multiple Golden Globes.
However, the two stars have not made it official.
Jordan, 31, told Entertainment Tonight that both of them are just "good friends".
"Honestly, we've known each other a really long time and respect each other and I love this girl to death," he added.
Nyong'o said she shares a good "chemistry" with Jordan and added that such a thing is rarity these days.
"It's flattering at the end of the day. I think it's such a rare thing to find people you have good chemistry with and too for us to find each other as actors and get to work together, it makes the work richer that we truly enjoy each other's company on and off screen," the Oscar winner said.
The actors were speaking at the Variety Screening ..

We're good friends: Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o dismiss romance rumours

Actor Melissa McCarthy has recalled an old interview where the interviewer tried to body shame her by asking questions about her "tremendous size".
The 48-year-old actor, who is currently enjoying critical acclaim for her performance in "Can You Ever Forgive Me?", told InStyle magazine that the incident happened during the press tour of her 2011 film "Bridesmaids".
"I do remember another interview I did for 'Bridesmaids' with somebody who later lost his job for a conversation he had on a bus with someone else. I won't mention names, but just think about it. He kept asking, 'Are you shocked that you actually work in this business at your tremendous size?'" McCarthy said.
She said the interviewer continued to ask questions along the lines of "Oh, your tremendous size, you can actually work?" and revealed that after a while, she felt "all the blood" rush out of her body.
"I thought, 'With my tremendous size, I could tackle you so quickly,'" she said.
"There were two cameras on him, and ..

Melissa McCarthy recalls interview when she was asked about her 'tremendous size'

The seasoned Mahendra Singh Dhoni Saturday became the fifth player to score 10000 runs for India in One-day International cricket, adding another feather to his illustrious cap.
Starting the innings at 9999 runs, Dhoni took seven deliveries to reach the landmark on his way to a patient 51 in the first ODI of the three-match series against Australia, here.
While the right-handed Dhoni had crossed the 10,000-run mark in the format in 2017 during the England tour, 174 of them came while batting for Asia XI in three matches. On Saturday, he breached the mark for the country.
Dhoni thus joined an elite list of Indian cricketers who had previously achieved the feat, which include Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli.
In 330 ODIs for India, the wicketkeeper-batsman has now over 10,050 runs at an average of 49.75, including nine centuries and 67 fifties.
Overall, Dhoni is the 13th player in history to score 10,000 runs in the ODIs.

Dhoni scores 10000 ODI runs for India

Nigerian police on Saturday said many people were feared dead after a petrol tanker veered off the road, caught fire and exploded as people tried to recover fuel.
The vehicle crashed in the Odukpani area of the southeastern state of Cross River, just north of the state capital, Calabar, at about 5pm (1600 GMT) on Friday.
Local residents rushed to collect the leaking fuel when it caught fire, triggering the blast.
Cross River state police spokeswoman Irene Ugbo said the blast could have been sparked by the clashing of steel containers used to scoop up the petrol.
"I can't confirm the exact number of casualties," she said, adding: "The casualties are high."
The injured were taken to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for treatment to varying degrees of burns.
One local resident, Akpan Imon, said at least 18 people were killed.
"I counted 18 bodies including women and children burnt beyond recognition," he said.
"I believe the casualty level could be more because people from ...

Many feared dead after tanker blast in Nigeria

The United States ramped up its criticism of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Saturday with an explicit call for the formation of a new government in the country.
The State Department said in a statement that it stood behind the head of Venezuela's opposition-run congress, Juan Guaido, who said on Friday he is prepared to step into the nation's presidency temporarily to replace Maduro.
The statement was the latest in a barrage of Trump administration attacks on Maduro, whose inauguration to a new term as president on Thursday has been widely denounced as illegitimate.
"The people of Venezuela deserve to live in freedom in a democratic society governed by the rule of law," State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said.
"It is time to begin the orderly transition to a new government.
We support the National Assembly's call for all Venezuelans to work together, peacefully, to restore constitutional government and build a better future."
"The United States government will continue ..

US says time for new government in Venezuela

Rohit Sharma's individual brilliance was not enough to make up for a floundering top and middle order as India suffered a 34-run defeat at the hands of a resilient Australia in the first One-day International, here Saturday.
Sharma conjured up a magnificent 133 of 129 balls for his 22nd ODI hundred but eventually it only helped in reducing the defeat-margin as India ended up at 254 for nine while chasing a 289-run target.
Three of India's top four batsmen could not reach double-digit and lasted a mere 11 balls.
With 10 fours and six sixes, Sharma reached his hundred off 110 balls, equalling Sourav Ganguly's record of 22 ODI centuries and is now behind only Sachin Tendulkar (49) and Virat Kohli (38).
India were gasping after losing three batsmen at a single-digit score of four before
Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (51) combined to stitch together a 137-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Debutant Jason Behrendorff broke the partnership by sending back Dhoni, who became only the fifth ...

Rohit Sharma's brilliant hundred goes in vain as India lose series-opener

Christina Aguilera has offered support to Lady Gaga for her decision to remove her duet with R Kelly, "Do What U Want, from streaming services and digital music retailers.
Gaga had recently apologised for her collaboration on the 2013 song with Kelly, who has been accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour by multiple.
Aguilera, who recorded a remix of the same song with Gaga and performed it with her during "The Voice" finale in 2013, took to Twitter to back Gaga's decision and said she has done "the right thing".
"Being a survivor of past predators myself, these lines spoke to me, which is why I did the song. I embrace all survivors of sexual and domestic violence and abuse holding a special place in my heart, and you @ladygaga, for doing the right thing!" Aguilera wrote while sharing throwback photos from their 2013 performance.
The singer also said the message from the song's lyrics is that though an abuser may take possession of a woman's body, they can never ...

Christina Aguilera appreciates Lady Gaga's decision to remove R Kelly duet

A Malaysian state announced it had a new sultan Saturday, who is expected to be elected king after the former monarch abdicated following his reported marriage to a Russian former beauty queen.
Tengku Abdullah Shah has replaced his father, Sultan Ahmad Shah as the ruler of Pahang state, the official Bernama news agency said, citing a senior palace official.
Local reports said the move was designed to pave the way for Sultan Abdullah to be chosen as the next king of Malaysia by the Council of Rulers, who will chose a new king on January 24.
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a unique arrangement where the national throne changes hands every five years between rulers of the country's nine states. Pahang state is due to provide the next ruler.
The country was thrown into shock Sunday when reigning king Sultan Muhammad V abdicated unexpectedly after just two years of rule, following reports that he married an ex-beauty queen in Russia in November during a purported two-month ...

Malaysian state choses new sultan, expected to be elected king

A doctors' strike in Zimbabwe has crippled a health system that was already in intensive care from neglect. It mirrors the state of affairs in a country that was full of promise a year ago with the departure of longtime leader Robert Mugabe but now faces economic collapse.
Doctors describe grim conditions: Bare-handed surgeries. Plastic bread bags used to collect patients' urine. Broken-down machines. Zimbabwe's health sector, once considered one of the best in Africa, is on its knees.
"It's so sad. The hospitals are empty, the patients are being turned away to die somewhere else," said Prince Butau, treasurer of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association, which represents about 1,000 doctors who anchor government hospitals.
A new president's promises of change have turned out to be empty.
"Affordable quality health care guaranteed," read campaign billboards for President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe protege, ahead of the July 2018 election. Six months after he narrowly won the .

Bare-handed surgeries as Zimbabwe's health system collapses

Australia beat India by 34 runs in the first One-day International to take a 1-0 lead in the three match series here Saturday.
Electing to bat, Australia posted 288 for five at the Sydney Cricket Ground. In reply, India were stopped at 254 for nine in the stipulated 50 overs. Opener Rohit Sharma top-scored for the visitors with a fine 133 off 129 balls.
Peter Handscomb was the highest scorer for the hosts with his 73-run knock while Usman Khwaja (59) and Shaun Marsh (54) also scored half-centuries.
Brief Scores:
Australia : 288/5 in 50 overs. (P Handscomb 73, U Khawaja 59, S Marsh 54; K Yadav 2/54, B Kumar 2/66, R Jadeja 1/48).
India: 254/9 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 133, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 51; Jhye Richardson 4/26).

Australia beat India by 34 runs in first ODI

Australia's suspended captain Steve Smith is unlikely to take part in the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League after suffering an elbow injury during the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League.
Smith, who has signed up to play for the PSL's sixth franchise, Multan Sultans, only in the UAE leg of the event, has been advised at least six weeks rest to recover from the injury.
Smith, whose one-year ban imposed on him by Cricket Australia ends in late March, hurt his elbow while playing for the Comilla Victorians, for whom he turned out in two matches before being forced to return home.
Smith has been advised surgery on the injured elbow.
The Sultans will have to bring someone from the supplementary category in order to replace the Australian.
Questions remain over how many of the foreign signings for the fourth PSL edition will actually travel to Lahore and Karachi for the final leg and final of the tournament in March after the initial matches are held in the UAE.

Smith likely to miss PSL due to elbow injury

Police and witnesses say many people are dead in Nigeria after an oil tanker overturned and exploded while people were scooping up leaking fuel.
Police spokeswoman Irene Ugbo tells The Associated Press that 12 people are dead and 22 badly burned in the blast Friday evening in Odukpani in Cross River state.
But some residents put the death toll closer to 60.
Witness Richard Johnson says many people were burnt to ashes, leaving little to recover.
He says dozens of people had been scooping up fuel and it was unlikely any survived the blast.
Johnson suggests the blast was caused by an electrical generator brought to the scene to help pump the fuel.
Hundreds of people have died in similar accidents in recent years in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer.

Dozens feared dead in Nigeria as leaking oil tanker explodes

A powerful explosion badly damaged a bakery in central Paris on Saturday, injuring several people and smashing nearby windows after a suspected gas leak, police and AFP journalists said.
A fire broke out after the blast at around 9am (0800 GMT) in the city's 9th district, a residential and shopping area.
Images posted on Twitter showed debris covering the street and the lower part of the building blown out and in flames. Parked cars were also damaged in the blast.
An AFP photographer saw at least one person being carried away on a stretcher from the building by firefighters.
Firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze and exacuate some people from the building using ladders while emergency workers treated some of the injured at the scene.

Several injured in powerful blast at Paris bakery: police

The US is implementing an orderly withdrawal of its troops from Syria based on operational conditions on the ground, including talks with its allies, and with no arbitrary timeline, the Pentagon has said.
It asserted that it is implementing the withdrawal of forces from northeast Syria within a framework coordinated across the US government.
"Operation Inherent Resolve is implementing the orderly withdrawal of forces from northeast Syria within a framework coordinated across the US Government. The withdrawal is based on operational conditions on the ground, including conversation with our allies and partners, and is not be subject to an arbitrary timeline," Pentagon spokesman Commander Sean Robertson said Friday.
The US will continue to provide support to the coalition's operation in Syria while withdrawing troops in a deliberate and coordinated manner in order to ensure the safety and protection of US forces. The United States currently has some 2,000 troops in Syria.
Last month, ...

Page 3623 - PTI Stories National