Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday meets US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the highest-level talks between the rival powers in nearly a year as they see if they can make headway on a raft of disagreements from Venezuela to Iran to arms control.
Pompeo will visit Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi less than two weeks after US President Donald Trump voiced optimism about improving relations with Moscow during a more than one-hour telephone conversation with the Russian leader.
The new diplomatic push followed the long-awaited report in the United States by investigator Robert Mueller which found that Russia interfered in the 2016 election but that the Trump campaign did not collude with Moscow, partially lifting a cloud that had hung over the mogul-turned-president for two years.
Putin is expected to receive Pompeo Tuesday evening after the US secretary of state holds talks with Moscow's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov.
"My meetings in Russia will highlight a number of ...

Putin meets Pompeo as US seeks 'a way forward' in ties

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Captain Daniele De Rossi will bring the curtain down on his 18-year career with Roma at the end of the season, the Serie A side announced on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old former World Cup winning midfielder will play his final game at home against Parma on May 26, but will not be retiring from professional football.  "(De Rossi) plans to pursue a new adventure away from Rome," the club said in a statement.
"It will be the end of an era."
The game could be a crucial one for Roma's Champions League ambitions next season as last year's European semi-finalists are sixth in Serie A just one point off fourth place with two games to play.
De Rossi has spent his entire senior career with his hometown team coming through the club's academy system.
"For 18 years, Daniele has been the beating heart of AS Roma's team," said club president Jim Pallotta said.
"We will all shed tears when he pulls on the Giallorossi shirt for the last time against Parma but we respect his desire to prolong his playing ...

Roma's 'beating heart' De Rossi moving on after 18 years

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has pledged the Islamic republic is "too great to be intimidated by anyone" in a late night meeting with clerics.
"God willing we will pass this difficult period with glory and our heads held high, and defeat the enemy," Rouhani said late Monday as he met Sunni clerics to mark the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, the official government website dolat.ir said.
He was speaking after four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, were reportedly attacked off the UAE coast on Sunday, in a sign of mounting regional tensions.
Iran has called for an investigation into what it called an "alarming" incident.
Iran and the United States have engaged in a war of words in recent weeks since Tehran began to roll back commitments set out in a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
US President Donald Trump withdraw the United States from the deal last year and has unilaterally reimposed stringent sanctions on Iran.
Last month, Washington designated Iran's ...

Iran too 'great' to be intimidated: Rouhani

Asian markets extended a global sell-off Tuesday following hefty losses on Wall Street that came in response to China's hike in tariffs on $60 billion of US imports, ramping up tensions in a trade war between the global economic titans.
The move by Beijing was followed by a warning of further action such as dumping US Treasuries and came days after Washington more than doubled levies on USD 200 billion of Chinese goods and Donald Trump said he was looking at more than USD 300 billion more.
The stand-off has sent shockwaves through trading floors, where most dealers had a little over a week ago been confident the two sides were close to a deal.  World markets have rallied for most of the year on the back of optimism about an agreement.
Hong Kong led losses as the market reopened after a long weekend. The Hang Seng Index sank 1.5 percent while Shanghai shed 0.7 percent and Tokyo ended down 0.6 percent, marking its seventh straight loss.
Sydney and Singapore each dropped 0.9 percent, ...

Asian markets tumble after Wall St battering as China retaliates

Shares in Hong Kong sank Tuesday, in line with a sell-off across Asia and following a hammering on Wall Street as China's retaliation against US tariff hikes fanned fears of an all-out trade war between the economic titans.
The Hang Seng Index fell 1.50 percent, or 428.22 points, to 28,122.02.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.69 percent, or 20.10 points, to 2,883.61 and the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, fell 0.62 percent, or 9.68 points, to 1,542.07.

Hong Kong, Shanghai stocks sink as China hikes tariffs

Britain and New Zealand are failing on children's rights, scoring lower than war-torn Syria and North Korea relative to their wealth in rankings released Tuesday by a children's group.
"Appalling" discrimination against migrant children and a lack of legal protection for poorer youths in New Zealand and the UK put them near the bottom of the annual survey by Dutch NGO KidsRights.
"It's a shame that countries like the United Kingdom and New Zealand are really at the lowest ranks of this index," Marc Dulleart, founder and chairman of KidsRights, told AFP.
Britain ranked 170 and New Zealand 169 in the survey of 181 countries.  Iceland was top followed by Portugal, Switzerland, Finland and Germany. Afghanistan was worst, followed by Sierra Leone, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and the Central African Republic.
The annual KidsRights rankings, compiled with the Erasmus School of Economics in Rotterdam, use UN data to measure how countries measure up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the ...

Britain, NZ failing on children's rights: global survey

Former US President Jimmy Carter broke his hip in a fall on Monday while leaving his house to go turkey hunting, but was recovering after surgery, the Carter Center said.
"He is recovering comfortably from surgery to repair a broken hip," the organisation said in a statement. "His surgeons stated that the surgery was successful." Carter, who served from 1977 to 1981 as the 39th US president, has been in remission from cancer since undergoing surgery in 2015 to remove a small mass on his liver.
In 2017, the 94-year-old former president was treated for dehydration while building houses in Winnipeg, Canada, for Habitat for Humanity.
He has continued to build houses with Habitat in years since, but conceded that this year's hunting season was over for him.
"President Carter said his main concern is that turkey season ends this week, and he has not reached his limit," the statement said. "He hopes the State of Georgia will allow him to rollover the unused limit to next year.

Former US president Carter undergoes surgery after fall

American actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty on Monday for paying bribes to help her daughter gain admission to a prestigious university, avoiding what was sure to be a well-publicised trial and probably also dodging jail time.
The former "Desperate Housewives" star was the latest celebrity brought down by the wide-ranging college bribery scandal that's snared a slew of wealthy American parents.
In a tearful appearance before federal judge Indira Talwani in Boston, Huffman pled guilty to paying $15,000 to boost her daughter's SAT college entrance exam score.  The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of as much as $250,000, but by admitting guilt Huffman will likely avoid those penalties.
Federal prosecutors have recommended a sentence of a year's probation and a $20,000 fine, though the judge can modify the penalty if she pleases.
Huffman announced her intention to plead guilty last month, saying she was "ashamed" of what she had done. Sentencing is scheduled 

Actress Felicity Huffman pleads guilty in college admissions scandal

Five people died and one person was missing Monday after two floatplanes collided mid-air in Alaska while carrying passengers from a cruise ship's sightseeing expedition, officials said.
The two aircraft - a Beaver floatplane and an Otter floatplane - had been carrying 16 passengers from the Royal Princess cruise ship when they crashed near Ketchikan around 1:00 pm (local time), Princess Cruises said in a statement circulated by US media.  The dead included four passengers and a pilot, according to Princess Cruises. Ten people were rescued and were receiving medical care.
The US Coast Guard said three people were confirmed dead and that it was searching for three others near George Inlet, along with help from partner agencies - including the US Forest Service and Alaska state troopers - and good Samaritans.
Helicopters and boats were deployed by the Coast Guard for the search-and-rescue operation.
"In a remote area such as this, given our limited resources, we rely on our partner ...

Five dead, one missing in floatplanes collision in Alaska

Former French Open winner Garbine Muguruza warmed up for this month's clay-court Grand Slam at Roland Garros by easing into the second round of the Italian Open on Monday with a straight sets win over China's Zheng Saisai.
Muguruza -- a former world number one now ranked 19th -- came through 6-3, 6-4 for her third win over 46th-ranked Saisai this season.
The 25-year-old Muguruza, who won the French Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2017, has twice reached the semi-finals in Rome.
"It was a slow start but I'm happy because last week wasn't a good week for me," Muguruza, who exited the Madrid Open in the first round, told the WTA website.
"I love Rome and it is very important for me to get as many matches as I can for the Grand Slam at the French Open."
She next plays either Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, the 11th seed, or American Danielle Collins, for a place in the third round.
It was not a good day for Chinese players at the Foro Italico with two-time Australian Open champion Victoria ...

Muguruza beats Zheng to find her clay feet in Rome before Roland Garros

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned hate speech was spreading online "like wildfire" at a meeting with victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings Tuesday, vowing the world body will lead efforts to extinguish the problem.
Guterres visited the Al Noor mosque, one of two Muslim centres in the New Zealand city where a self-described white supremacist killed 51 people in a March 15 shooting that the attacker live-streamed on Facebook.
The UN chief is travelling the South Pacific to highlight the impact of climate change but said he also wanted to show his support for Christchurch's Muslim community during Ramadan.
"I know there are no words to relieve the hurt and sorrow and pain, but I wanted to come here personally to transmit love, support and total and complete admiration," he said.
He told victims of the worst mass shooting in modern New Zealand history that there had been "a dangerous upsurge in hatred" as social media was exploited to promote bigotry.
"Hate speech is ...

UN chief meets NZ mosque victims, decries online hate

North Korea on Tuesday demanded the return of a cargo ship seized by Washington last week for violating international sanctions, calling it an "illegal act of robbery".
On Friday, the US Justice Department said it had taken possession of the North Korea-registered bulk carrier M/V Wise Honest, one year after it was detained in Indonesia, citing illicit sanctions-busting activities.
It was the first time a North Korean cargo vessel had been seized by the US for sanctions violations, after several years of high seas cat-and-mouse games in which Korean shippers disguised vessels, used false flags and turned off their tracking transponders to avoid discovery.
A spokesman for the North's foreign ministry slammed the move on Tuesday, saying it was an outright violation of the spirit of a deal signed by leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump at their landmark summit in Singapore last June.
"The United States carried out an illegal act of robbery by seizing our cargo ship citing UN .

N Korea demands return of detained cargo ship

Spain's Samuel Sanchez, the 2008 Olympic road race champion, has been given a two-years back-dated ban after testing positive for human growth hormones in 2017.
The International Cycling Union accepted Sanchez's explanation that a contaminated supplement was at the root of the problem but said Monday it was banning him until August 2019.
The 41-year-old was sacked by his then team BMC at the time of the test, just ahead of the Vuelta a Espana 2017.
Sanchez, who won five stages at the Vuelta over his career, is free to contest the decision.

Ex-Olympic cycling champion Samuel Sanchez banned

Tiger Woods faces a lawsuit from the parents of a staffer at his Florida restaurant who died in a drink driving accident after allegedly being overserved alcohol, TMZ reported.
The parents of Nicholas Immesberger, who died last December at age 24, filed the lawsuit saying their son had worked as a bartender at The Woods in Jupiter, Florida, and knew the golf star personally, the celebrity website reported.
The news broke hours after Woods played his opening practice round for the 101st PGA Championship, the year's second major golf tournament which starts Thursday at Bethpage Black on Long Island in New York.
Woods snapped an 11-year major win drought by winning the Masters last month and seeks his 16th career major title this week. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom last week at a White House ceremony.
The restaurant's manager is Erica Herman, who is Woods's girlfriend and, according to TMZ, recruited Immesberger to the restaurant.
According to TMZ, Immesberger finished 

Tiger sued over restaurant staffer's drink driving death: report

Tiger Woods launched his quest for a 16th major title, and a possible return to world number one, with a PGA Championship practice round in cold and rainy conditions.
The 43-year-old American, who snapped an 11-year major win drought by capturing last month's Masters, toured the front nine at Bethpage Black in just under 2 1/2 hours ahead of Thursday's start to the year's second major tournament.
"I feel good," Woods told Golfweek on Monday.
"Got a couple more days of work to get in and I'll be ready to go."
Woods hopes to pull within two of the all-time record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus and take a fifth PGA crown, which would match the career record hauls of Nicklaus and Walter Hagen.
"To tie Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus with five wins would be a very special accomplishment," Woods said.
With a victory, Woods would also match the all-time career US PGA wins record of 82 by Sam Snead.
Woods, whose career had been jeopardized by years of nagging back pain before 2017 spinal ...

Tiger chases 16th major, No. 1 spot as PGA pratice begins

NASA's next mission to the Moon will be called Artemis, the US space agency has announced, though it's still looking for the money to make the journey happen by its accelerated 2024 deadline.
In March, US President Donald Trump's administration moved the date for the next American lunar mission up by four years from its original goal of 2028 while pledging to get a female astronaut to the Moon's surface for the first time.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters on Monday the agency would need an additional USD 1.6 billion to pay for the new ground and space vehicles needed to meet the deadline.
"This additional investment, I want to be clear, is a downpayment on NASA's efforts to land humans on the Moon by 2024," he said.
Bridenstine said the mission was named Artemis after the Greek mythological goddess of the Moon and twin sister to Apollo, namesake of the program that sent 12 American astronauts to the Moon between 1969 and 1972.
NASA's total annual budget is ...

NASA dubs 2024 Moon mission 'Artemis,' asks for USD 1.6 billion

Matteo Politano and Ivan Perisic scored in either half as Inter Milan reclaimed third spot in Serie A with a 2-0 win over already-relegated Chievo to close in on Champions League football next season.
Politano opened after 39 minutes in the San Siro with Perisic adding the second four minutes from time, as Chievo played the last fifteen minutes a man down after Nicola Rigoni was sent off for a second yellow card on Monday.
Inter move back one point ahead of Atalanta as both teams edge closer to joining champions Juventus and second-placed Napoli in elite European football with two games left this season.
AC Milan and Roma are three points adrift of fourth place, with further back Torino in seventh, five points outside the Champions League berths.
Inter could seal their place with a win next Sunday at Napoli or at home against lowly Empoli on the final day of the season the following weekend.
Inter's win ended Lazio's Champions League ambitions with the Romans in eighth place with a ...

Politano, Perisic put Inter Milan on brink of Champions League

Authorities meet on Tuesday to strike an agreement on who will take over from the current head of the World Anti-Doping Agency Craig Reedie as the body faces intense scrutiny over the Russian doping scandal.
The 78-year-old Reedie, who leads a body criticised for lifting sanctions on Russia in September, steps down in December but the public authorities group meet in Montreal to pick their nominee to be WADA's fourth president.
WADA rotates its presidency between representatives from the international sports bodies (the International Olympic Committee and federations) and governments.
After Reedie's two terms it is now the turn of the member states to agree on a new chief, who will be formerly crowned at the WADA congress in Katowice in November.
Delegates will have to pick between Poland's Sports Minister Witold Banka, who comfortably beat current WADA vice-president Linda Helleland as Europe's candidate in January, and Domenican Marcos Diaz, a WADA executive committee member.
Should 

WADA chief to be picked amid Russia doping controversy

Four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, were damaged in mysterious "sabotage attacks" that have inflamed Gulf tensions amid a standoff between the United States and Iran.
In the face of growing international concern, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo scrapped a planned visit to Moscow and headed to Brussels instead for talks Monday with European officials, as Britain warned of the danger of conflict erupting "by accident" in the Gulf.
Turning up the pressure on Tehran after the United States deployed B-52 bombers and an assault ship to bolster an aircraft carrier in the region, President Donald Trump warned that Iran would "suffer greatly" were it to "do anything" to threaten US interests.
"If they do anything, it would be a very bad mistake," Trump warned at the White House. "If they do anything they will suffer greatly."
Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan proposed a revamped military plan at a meeting with senior national security aides that would send up to 120,000 US ...

Oil tankers 'sabotaged' as Gulf tensions soar

European football's financial regulators are poised to recommend that newly minted Premier League champions Manchester City be barred from the Champions League, the New York Times reported.
European football's governing body UEFA and the Premier League launched an investigation this year after allegations made in German magazine Der Spiegel that the club broke Financial Fair Play rules.
Members of the investigatory chamber of UEFA's financial control board, set up to analyze the accounts of clubs suspected of breaking cost-control regulations, met two weeks ago in Switzerland to finalize their conclusions, the newspaper said.
"The investigatory panel's leader, the former prime minister of Belgium Yves Leterme, will have the final say on the submission to a separate adjudicatory chamber, which could be filed as soon as this week. The body is expected to seek at least a one-season ban," the Times said.
It was unclear if such a ban, if levied, would be enforced next season or in the ...

UEFA panel to recommend Man City Champions League ban - report

Serena Williams will take on sister Venus in the second round of the Italian Open more than two decades after they last met on the red clay of Rome after both advanced in different styles.
Four-time Rome winner Serena, 37, returned after two months out injured easing through 6-4, 6-2 against Swedish qualifier Rebecca Petersen.
But 38-year-old Venus, whose only Rome title came back in 1999, needed over three hours to battle past Belgian Elise Mertens 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4).
Serena has not played since a hard-fought three-set win also over Petersen in the second round at the Miami Open in March before withdrawing with a knee injury.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner -- now ranked 11th -- also withdrew from Indian Wells in March complaining of illness.
Watched by her husband Alexis Ohanian, Williams sealed victory on her second match point against her 64th-ranked opponent after 76 minutes on court.
"I felt good, I wasn't sure how it was going to feel," said Williams.
"It's been a while, I ...

AFP

AFP

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