Indian Wells CEO Raymond Moore has resigned after his controversial comments about women’s tennis.
Raymond Moore, 69, said the women’s game “rides on the coat-tails” of the men.
Women’s world No 1 Serena Williams said Raymond Moore’s statement was “offensive and very inaccurate”.
However, Novak Djokovic claimed his tour should fight for more money.
Raymond Moore said female players “should get down on their knees” in thanks to male counterparts such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Photo NBC News
The South African – a former player – later apologized for his “erroneous” remarks.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova said Raymond Moore’s comments were “extremely prejudiced”, adding female players may boycott Indian Wells if Moore stayed.
Novak Djokovic, who won the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on March 20, described Raymond Moore’s remarks as “not politically correct”.
However, he suggested men should get more prize money because more people watch their matches.
There has been equal prize money in all four majors – the Australian Open, US Open, French Open and Wimbledon – since 2007, and combined Masters events such as Indian Wells and Miami pay the same to men and women.
In a statement, Indian Wells tournament owner Larry Ellison said: “Ray let me know he has decided to step down from his roles as CEO and tournament director effective immediately. I fully understand his decision.”
Two explosions have struck the departures area of Zaventem airport in Brussels, Belgium.
Belgian officials have confirmed casualties but have given no numbers. The cause of the explosions is unknown.
Another explosion has now been reported at the Maelbeek metro station close to the EU institutions. The whole metro system has been closed.
The explosions come four days after the capture in Brussels of Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the jihadist attacks in Paris in November 2015.
Belgium has now raised its terror threat to its highest level.
Emergency services are clearing the airport completely. Belgium’s Het Laatste Nieuws reports that more bombs have been found.
The airport is being evacuated and has been closed to flights.
Shots were fired and shouts in Arabic were heard before the two explosions, the Belga news agency reports.
Images on social media showed smoke rising from one of the buildings, amid reports of panic as people fled the airport.
Rail transport to the facility has been halted and people have been told not to come to the airport.
Photo Wikipedia
All flights have been diverted.
Other reports say at least one of the explosions was close to the American Airlines check-in area but this has not been confirmed.
The Belgian broadcaster RTBF quoted a witness as saying there were people injured or unconscious in the departure area, opposite the Sheraton hotel.
There are few reports yet about the metro blast.
Belgium’s Interior Minister Jan Jambon had said on March 21 that the country was on the highest level of alert for possible revenge attacks after the capture of Salah Abdeslam.
He told Belgian radio: “We know that stopping one cell can… push others into action. We are aware of it in this case.”
Zaventem airport is 7 miles north-east of Brussels and dealt with more than 23 million passengers in 2015.
Aung San Suu Kyi will reportedly head up foreign affairs, energy, education and be minister in Myanmar’s new cabinet.
Her party, the NDL, won historic elections in the country.
Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency herself and had been widely expected not to take a ministry.
Her name was on a list of 18 submitted to parliament by President-elect Htin Kyaw.
There are no other women appointed to the cabinet.
Myanmar’s constitution, drafted by the outgoing military rulers, prevents Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president because her two sons have British passports.
President-elect Htin Kyaw is Aung San Suu Kyi’s close ally, and she previously said that she would be “above the president” anyway, governing through a proxy.
The cabinet announcement came as a surprise – many had assumed that Aung San Suu Kyi would control the government from the outside.
If Aung San Suu Kyi does become foreign minister, under the complex political structure she will have to stand down as a lawmaker and refrain from all NLD activities.
Fifteen of the names on the list were chosen by Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate and former political prisoner, and three by the commander-in-chief of the army.
Parliament is expected to vote later in the week to confirm the posts.
After his election last week, Htin Kyaw said his appointment was “Aung San Suu Kyi’s victory”.
The NLD has a huge majority in both houses of parliament, despite the military occupying 25% of seats, so the candidate it backed was all but guaranteed to win.
Despite weeks of negotiation prior to the vote in parliament, the NLD was unable to persuade the military to remove or suspend the clause that prevented Aung San Suu Kyi taking office.
Apple has unveiled smaller versions of the iPhone and iPad Pro – the iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7-inch – at an event hosted in San Francisco and streamed online.
The company said the iPhone SE has the same processing and graphics performance of the larger Apple 6S and can capture 4K video.
The new iPad Pro will have a 9.7 inch screen – the same size as the original iPad.
The iPhone SE will be available in 110 countries by the end of May.
Photo Apple
With a starting price of $399/$499, the new iPhone is the “most affordable” handset Apple has ever released, the company said.
Apple also said the new iPad Pro would be available in three different storage sizes with an extra large 256GB version.
Pricing will begin at $599 for the smallest version and will ship in the US at the end of the month.
Apple said it sold 30 million four-inch handsets in 2015; however, its handset sales have slowed in recent months in line with the overall smartphone market.
Some analysts are predicting up to a 15% decline in shipments in the first quarter of 2016 alone.
Apple also showed off a recycling robot called Liam which can strip down old iPhones into their components for reuse.
The Apple Watch is to come down in price to $299 from its launch price of $349, CEO Tim Cook also announced.
Donald Trump has revealed the first members of his foreign policy team.
The advisers include academics and former military officers with expertise on the Middle East and energy issues.
The Republican frontrunner told the Washington Post that he would name more advisers in the coming days.
Several of Donald Trump’s advisers have served as experts for other Republican presidential candidates such as Mitt Romney and Ben Carson.
On March 21, Donald Trump named retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Carter Page, George Papadopoulos, Walid Phares and retired Gen. Joseph Schmitz.
The team is led by Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama who has helped shape Donald Trump’s policies, most notably on immigration.
Donald Trump has come under criticism in recent days over his policy credentials. When cable news network MSNBC asked him who was advising him on policy, Donald Trump named himself.
While some members of his team are not well known in Republican academic circles, others are seen as controversial figures.
Gen. Joseph Schmitz resigned from the military in 2005 amid accusations of misconduct. However, Joseph Schmitz was never charged with wrongdoing.
Another adviser, Walid Phares, was criticized when he was named as part of Mitt Romney’s foreign policy team in 2011.
Muslim advocacy groups took issue with Walid Phares’s close ties to right-wing Christian militia groups during the Lebanese civil war.
He is an outspoken critic of Sharia, or Islamic religious law, and has appeared on Fox News and other conservative media outlets as an expert on the Middle East.
George Papadopoulos recently served as an adviser to Ben Carson, who dropped out of the race in February. George Papadopoulos has worked as a consultant for energy companies in the Middle East.
Donald Trump also said the US should spend less money on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“We are paying disproportionately,” he told CNN.
“It’s too much and frankly it’s a different world than it was when we originally conceived of the idea.”
President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro have held a historic joint news conference in Havana, discussing human rights and lifting the trade embargo.
Both presidents agreed to work together, despite wrangling over human rights.
Raul Castro said more needed to be done to lift the US embargo on trade with Cuba and that the Guantanamo Bay detention camp must close.
Barack Obama, the first sitting US president to visit Cuba since 1959, said the trade embargo would be fully lifted.
Raul Castro took questions from reporters – a rarity for him.
“Cuba’s destiny will not be decided by the United States or any other nation… The future of Cuba will be decided by Cubans not by anybody else,” Barack Obama said.
Asked about political prisoners in Cuba, Raul Castro denied it, telling journalists to “give him a list” and then they would be released “tonight”.
The Cuban president also defended his country’s record on human rights and pointed to problems in the US.
“We defend human rights, in our view civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights are indivisible, inter-dependent and universal,” Raul Castro said.
Raul Castro is not usually subject to any aggressive questioning from reporters and called the prisoners question “not polite”, later ending the news conference by saying: “I think this is enough.”
“Actually we find it inconceivable that a government does not defend and ensure the right to healthcare, education, social security, food provision and development,” he said.
Barack Obama could not say exactly when the trade embargo would be lifted, but recognized it was necessary.
“The reason is what we did for 50 years did not serve our interests or the interests of the Cuban people,” he said.
His administration has done what it can on lifting trade restrictions, Barack Obama said, but further action will require Congress which is “not as productive in an election year”.
Barack Obama also said further easing of the trade embargo will depend on actions Cuba takes on human rights.
He said it is not just Cuba that the US has “deep disagreements” about human rights with – it also has disagreements with China and Vietnam.
“I believe if I engage frankly, clearly, stating our beliefs but I can’t force change on any country – it ultimately has to come from within – that is a more useful strategy,” he said.
“I have faith in people.”
Reporters described the press conference as “tense” and “remarkable”.
Before the speech, it was announced that Google was opening an online technology center for free Internet access at much higher speeds than what is available in Cuba now.
Google hopes the center will be part of a larger effort to improve Internet access in Cuba.
Najim Laachraoui has been identified as an accomplice of captured Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, Belgian prosecutors say.
The 24-year-old man is still on the run. A statement said he had been using false ID and that his DNA had been found in houses used by the suspected jihadist network.
Salah Abdeslam was captured in Brussels on March 18 and is still being interrogated.
However, Belgium’s federal prosecutor said he was “still far from solving the puzzle” of the Paris attacks.
“We have quite a few pieces of the puzzle and in the last few days several pieces have found their place,” Frederic Van Leeuw told journalists in Brussels.
ISIS said it was behind the Paris attacks.
The prosecutor’s statement said that Salah Abdeslam had traveled twice to the Hungarian capital Budapest, using a rental car in September 2015.
In the car were two other men, using fake Belgian identity cards with the names Samir Bouzid and Soufiane Kayal.
Soufiane Kayal has now been identified as Najim Laachraoui by DNA found at houses in the town of Auvelais and the Brussels district of Schaerbeek.
“The investigation showed that Soufiane Kayal can be identified as Najim Laachraoui, born on 18 May 1991 and who traveled to Syria in February 2013,” the statement said.
Belgian police said Samir Bouzid was “most probably” Mohamed Belkaid. He was killed by a police sniper in a raid on a flat outside Brussels on March 15.
The prosecutor appealed for public help in finding Najim Laachraoui.
Also still sought is Mohamed Abrini, who was filmed at petrol stations with Salah Abdeslam two days before the Paris attacks.
Salah Abdeslam’s lawyer, Sven Mary, meanwhile told Belgian radio that his client appeared “relieved” that the hunt was over.
He said: “Salah wants to co-operate and he’s done that since Saturday. Are we going to apply for the status [of informer]? He’s never said he wants to be an informer. I’ve never said that he’s asked for that.”
The lawyer added: “I have said that he can be of invaluable worth for different parties. He can give invaluable information for police as well as judges and lawyers.
“The statements of the French prosecutor… could ensure that Abdeslam is scared off.”
Sven Mary was referring to comments over the weekend by Paris prosecutor Francois Molins that Salah Abdeslam had admitted he wanted to blow himself up during the attacks, but then changed his mind.
Salah Abdeslam’s lawyer has filed a legal complaint against the prosecutor for violating secrecy.
Sven Mary also said he would continue to fight a transfer to France, but added: “Let’s be quite clear. He’s going to France – there is no single reason that he won’t go to France. It’ll be the investigating judge who decides when he goes.”
Paul McCartney has filed a termination notice in the US reclaiming the publishing rights to The Beatles’ back catalogue.
Although Paul McCartney co-wrote most of The Beatles’ hits, he has never controlled the publishing.
However, the US copyright act of 1976 gives writers the opportunity to reclaim the rights after 56 years.
The Lennon-McCartney catalogue becomes available in 2018, and Paul McCartney has recently moved to recapture it.
According to Billboard, Paul McCartney filed a termination notice for 32 songs with the US Copyright Office in December.
Most of the songs date from 1962 – 1964, although others come from much later in The Beatles’ career. Some of those, including Come Together and Why Don’t We Do It In The Road, are not due to become available until 2025.
An unnamed source told the magazine Paul McCartney would only regain publishing rights for his half of the compositions, most of which he co-wrote with John Lennon. Furthermore, the act only applies to the US, so The Beatles’ back catalogue would remain in the hands of Sony / ATV in the rest of the world.
The times are slowly but surely changing and women are in more need than ever of those who can lead the way and be the aspiration the next generation needs. Women still face discrimination and unconscious gender bias in lots of industries. However, that doesn’t mean that becoming powerful and influential is beyond your grasp. Success is as much about image and how you live as it is what your work is. These tips are for women on their way to a life of opportunity and influence. Hopefully, these tips should help you become the woman you want to be.
The fashion world is always more of a minefield for a woman that it is a man. The rules for men are always simple. Suits for formal and business. Suit jackets and shirts plus jeans for business casual. Yet women face a lot of criticism for their choice of outfit no matter what occasion. The lines of propriety blur depending on individual bias. So develop your own style. Keep a working wardrobe that doesn’t sacrifice style or femininity. Wear blouses and skirts as much you want while retaining a look of business-like demeanor with these blogs listed by Forbes.
Makeup
Another tribulation that’s often only associated with women in regards to the work world. Makeup is a difficult one to navigate, but not impossible. Makeup has benefits not just in attractiveness. Studies indicate it also has benefits in helping people assume trustworthiness and competence. So don’t feel like makeup is a frivolity that has no place in the business world. Easing up on eyeshadow and makeup that adds too much color can help people feel more at ease around you. But you also need to make sure that your makeup will last the whole day. Taking multiple trips to freshen it up will get in the way of your professional life.
Part of looking like a force to be reckoned with has to do with how well you keep yourself. Body image confidence is a great thing to have, but there are still a lot of stigmas about different shapes in the professional world. More importantly, taking care of your health will take a lot less time out of your work life. It can also give you the drive and motivated mindset you need in a competitive industry.
Lifestyle
Success and being part of the business world is just as much about presentation as it is about the work you do. We’ve already established that when it comes to your physical presentation, but it goes beyond that. If you’re a boss or entrepreneur, you will want people to follow you. To do that, it’s best to assume an air of success, even luxury. It’s a case of emulating others at the same time establishing your own style. Until you make it, sites like Just Richest can give you some great ideas.
Another part of that lifestyle is how it actually impacts you. Worldliness is one of the most helpful steps on the way to having the competence and flexibility you want to exude. Travelling is a great way to not only keep up that lifestyle image, but also give you experiences that build you as a person. Even before you make it as a business, there are plenty of ways you can travel on a budget. Expand your horizons and get yourself out there.
Body language
Confidence is key when you’re trying to give an impression of power and ability. Confidence and body language go hand in hand. Your confidence naturally influences how you carry yourself and express physically. But the reverse is also true. You can make use of body language to express confidence. In turn, this can help you build real confidence. In the meantime, it helps you establish yourself to others in the way you want to be seen. Learn some great body language for business situations and others from Beliefnet.
Image is important, but it’s the surface level. You’re going to need to have the ability to back it all up. So, what does it mean to be successful? How do you reach it? It’s about self-evaluation. It’s also about work. You might be headed to the top, but don’t be afraid to start at the bottom. Be adaptable because you can be sure your male counterparts will be flexible. At the same time, don’t be afraid to assert yourself whenever responsibilities are on offer. You might get looked over naturally, so you’ll occasionally have to be the loudest voice in the room.
Prince has confirmed he is writing a memoir, to be published in 2017.
The pop star told an audience in New York on March 18 it would start “from [his] first memory” and “hopefully… go all the way up to the Super Bowl” half-time performance he gave in 2007.
Prince’s book is titled The Beautiful Ones, after a track from the singer’s 1984 Purple Rain album.
Publisher Spiegel & Grau said it would “take readers on an unconventional and poetic journey” through Prince’s life.
Photo Getty Images
The publishing house, an imprint of Random House, said the memoir would include stories about Prince’s music, “the family that shaped him and the people, places and ideas that fired his creative imagination.”
“The good people of Random House have made me an offer that I can’t refuse,” Prince is quoted by the New York Times to have said.
Prince, 57, said he was working on the book with his “brother Dan” – a reference to Dan Piepenbring, web editor of The Paris Review.
The singer said: “He’s a good critic and that’s what I need.
“He’s not a <<yes man>> at all and he’s really helping me get through this.”
Chris Jackson, Spiegel & Grau’s executive editor, added: “We’re thrilled to be publishing Prince’s powerful reflections on his own life in his own incandescently vivid, witty and poetic voice.”
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have arrived in Cuba for a historic visit to the island and talks with President Raul Castro.
Barack Obama is the first sitting US president to visit Cuba since the 1959 revolution, which heralded decades of hostility.
“Looking forward to meeting and hearing directly from the Cuban people,” he tweeted on arrival.
President Barack Obama will meet Cuban President Raul Castro, but not retired revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, and the pair will discuss trade and political reform.
Barack Obama emerged smiling from Air Force One with First Lady Michelle and their daughters Sasha and Malia.
Holding umbrellas, the party walked in light drizzle along a red carpet to be greeted by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.
Photo Reuters
Barack Obama’s visit is the highpoint of a recent easing of ties, which included the opening of embassies last year.
Only hours before his arrival, protesters calling for the release of political prisoners were arrested in the capital, Havana.
Police took away dozens of demonstrators from the Ladies in White group, formed of political prisoners’ wives, from outside a church where they attempt to hold weekly protests.
Correspondents say the visit – the first by a sitting US president for 88 years – marks a huge turnaround in US-Cuban relations.
Barack Obama’s visit represents the opening of a new chapter in the affairs of the two nations.
Raul Castro and Barack Obama will sit together at a state dinner, there will be a joint news conference and they will discuss trade.
The White House has made it clear President Barack Obama will meet political dissidents, whether the Cuban authorities like it or not. That is expected to include members of the Ladies in White group.
However, this visit does not mark a complete normalization in US- Cuban relations.
The 54-year-old US economic embargo of Cuba is still in place and can only be lifted by a vote in Congress. Meanwhile, Cuba still complains about the occupation of the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has become the first American company to agree a deal with the Cuban authorities since the revolution of 1959.
The hotel and leisure company will renovate and run three hotels in Havana.
A Starwood spokesman said the company would be making a “multimillion-dollar investment to bring the hotels up to our standards”.
The news comes on the eve of President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba – the first by a US president in almost 90 years.
The deal is a welcome reminder of how far things have come between the US and Cuba since they decided to normalize ties.
Tourism in Cuba is at an all-time high, including a sharp rise in the number of US visitors, especially since travel restrictions were eased by President Barack Obama.
Some 50 protesters blocked a highway in Arizona as Donald Trump prepared to stage a rally near Phoenix.
Donald Trump addressed supporters in Fountain Hills.
Demonstrators caused traffic jams as they held up posters with slogans such as “Dump Trump”.
Donald Trump’s rallies have been marred by a series of recent incidents. A meeting in Chicago a week ago was cancelled after protests.
Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered at the University of Illinois and fighting broke out between supporters and protesters in the auditorium where Donald Trump was due to speak.
In the latest disturbance, protesters marched down the highway leading to Fountain Hills. Police made several arrests before the demonstrators dispersed.
Some, heavily outnumbered by Trump supporters, made their way to the edge of the rally venue in Fountain Park.
Speaking later at a rally in Tucson, Donald Trump described the protesters as “disgraceful” and said they were “representing [Democratic front-runner] Hillary Clinton”.
“They arrested three people and everybody else left… They left!” the Republican front-runner told a cheering audience.
“I love our police, but we should do a little bit more of that, you would have a lot less protesters, you would have a lot less agitators.”
Demonstrations also broke out there and the police had to escort out a number of people.
In Donald Trump’s home city of New York, several hundred protesters gathered outside Trump Tower in Manhattan.
Some chanted slogans accusing him of racism and being anti-gay. The gathering included immigrants’ rights activists and socialists.
Several protesters carrying “Vote Trump” placards were also present, explaining that they wanted to demonstrate their right to support Donald Trump.
On March 12, a man tried to rush Donald Trump as he spoke on stage in Ohio but was prevented from doing so by Secret Service agents.
A Donald Trump supporter was also charged with assault after multiple videos showed him punching a protester at a campaign rally in North Carolina.
Donald Trump has been accused of creating tension through divisive rhetoric, but he denies using hate speech or playing any part in fostering division.
The Arizona rally was the Republican hopeful’s second visit to the state in three months. A primary takes place there on March 22.
The winner in Arizona takes all 58 delegates at stake. Donald Trump leads the polls in the state.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has said she will take legal action against Senator Delcidio Amaral who has accused her of involvement in corruption at the state oil company Petrobras.
Delcidio Amaral said Dilma Rousseff knew of wrongdoings and tried to block investigations.
Dilma Rousseff has denied any involvement.
Meanwhile, the new justice minister has threatened to remove teams from the Petrobras inquiry if any more material is leaked to the press.
In a statement, Brazil’s presidency said Dilma Rousseff will sue Senator Delcidio Amaral for defamation over his interview with a magazine.
Delcidio Amaral was the leader of her Workers’ Party in the Senate and had agreed a plea bargain with prosecutors after being arrested as a result of the Petrobras scandal.
The inquiry has led to the arrest or investigation of dozens of executives and politicians, suspected of overcharging for contracts with Petrobras and using part of the money to pay for bribes and electoral campaigns.
There is widespread public support for the investigation, known as Operation Car Wash, but Dilma Rousseff and her allies have criticized its leading judge, Sergio Moro.
They argue the inquiry has become politicized and some of his actions have been illegal.
Last week, Judge Sergio Moro released phone recordings suggesting Dilma Rousseff had appointed her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as her chief of staff to spare him arrest over money-laundering charges he denies.
Even though Dilma Rousseff vehemently denies it, Supreme Court judge Gilmar Mendes has suspended Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s nomination, and a final decision is yet to be announced.
If Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is a minister, any charges against him can only be dealt with by the Supreme Court, which operates more slowly, and not by Sergio Moro.
Earlier this month, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was briefly detained and questioned at Sergio Moro’s request.
Dilma Rousseff’s supporters have also criticized leaks of questioning and details of the investigation to the media.
New Justice Minister Eugenio Aragao questioned the publication of the unverified phone tap conversations between Dilma Rousseff and Lula and said the Car Wash investigation was losing its objectivity.
The release of the recordings has also been criticized by Supreme Court judge Marco Aurelio Mello, who has questioned its legality.
However, the content of the phone calls has increased pressure on Dilma Rousseff, who is facing growing calls for her removal.
Additionally, there has been a resurgence in allegations of media bias against Dilma Rousseff and her Workers’ Party.
Much of the criticism has been against Globo, Brazil’s largest media group and one of the biggest in the world, allegations it denies.
In 2013, Globo issued an announcement about its support of the 1964 military coup, which led to a two-decade military dictatorship, and admitted it had made a “mistake”.
Pope Francis gained 10,000 followers within hours after joining Instagram on March 19.
The Pontiff has only posted two photos so far but there are an estimated 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the world.
Pope Francis is using the name @Franciscus, Latin for Francis.
The first photo wasn’t a selfie, it was a picture showing Pope Francis kneeling with his head bowed in prayer.
The accompanying caption reads “Pray for me” and is repeated in eight other languages.
The Instagram account won’t be maintained by Pope Francis himself – other people within the Vatican will be responsible for the content.
Pope Francis is no stranger to social media, he already has a Twitter account using the handle @Pontifex.
He used that to announce his presence on Instagram.
It’s thought the Vatican is trying to engage with younger Catholics through the use of social media.
According to Dario Viganò, from the Pope Francis’ communications team the account “will help recount the Papacy through images.”
He explained that it was “to enable all those who wish to accompany and know more about Pope Francis’ pontificate to encounter his gestures of tenderness and mercy”.
Instagram chief executive and co-founder Kevin Systrom met up with Pope Francis earlier this month.
Salah Abdeslam has revealed he wanted to blow himself up but then changed his mind, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins says.
The 26-year-old Paris attacks suspect has been charged with terrorism offences in Belgium a day after he was seized in a dramatic raid.
Salah Abdeslam will fight extradition to France but has been co-operating with police, his lawyer says.
The Paris attacks on November 13 left 130 people dead and dozens injured.
ISIS said it was behind the bombings and shootings.
Salah Abdeslam is charged with participation in terrorist murder and the activities of a terrorist group, Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office says.
Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told a news conference: “Salah Abdeslam today during questioning by [Belgian] investigators affirmed that, and I quote, <<he wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France and that he had backed down>>.”
Salah Abdeslam’s assertions should be treated with caution, the prosecutor added.
The French national, born in Belgium, is in custody following his arrest in Brussels on March 18 after four months on the run.
Investigators hope Salah Abdeslam, who was shot in the leg during his arrest, will reveal more information about the ISIS network behind the Paris attacks, its financing and plans.
They believe he helped with logistics, including renting rooms and driving suicide bombers to the Stade de France.
Salah Abdeslam is believed to have fled shortly after the attacks, returning to the Molenbeek district of Brussels.
Interpol has meanwhile urged “extra vigilance” at borders following yesterday’s raid in Brussels, saying more accomplices may try to flee Europe.
The subject of a massive manhunt, Salah Abdeslam was arrested about 1,600ft from his home in Molenbeek. His brother, Brahim, was one of the Paris attackers, who blew himself up.
Another man arrested at the same time as Salah Abdeslam on March 18, Monir Ahmed Alaaj, has also been charged with participation in terrorist murder and the activities of a terrorist group, the Belgian prosecutors say.
Yesterday’s raid also saw three members of a family detained.
They include Abid Aberkan, described as a friend of Abdeslam, who has been charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist organization and harboring criminals.
Another family member, identified as Djemila M, has been charged with harboring criminals, but is not in custody, the prosecutor’s office says.
Abid Aberkan’s mother, Sihane, has been freed and faces no charges.
The raid came after Salah Abdeslam’s fingerprints were found in a flat in another Brussels district, Forest, raided on March 15.
Dramatic footage showed Salah Abdeslam being bundled into a police car on March 18 after a volley of gunfire. Monir Ahmed Alaaj was also injured during the arrests, but both suspects were discharged from hospital on March 19.
France’s President Francois Hollande said Salah Abdeslam’s arrest was “an important moment”.
Prosecutors said Monir Ahmed Alaaj had travelled with Salah Abdeslam to Germany last October, where his fingerprints were taken during an identity check.
A false Syrian passport in Monir Ahmed Alaaj’s name and Belgian identity papers under an alias were found in a flat in Forest raided on March 15.
More details have meanwhile emerged about an Algerian national, Mohamed Belkaid, shot dead in March 15 raid.
Associated Press says it has been passed documents by the Syrian opposition news site, Zaman al-Wasl, suggesting he joined ISIS in 2014 and asked to be a suicide bomber.
Belgian investigators say he is likely to have been an associate of Salah Abdeslam.
Along with the Stade de France, the Paris bombings and shootings targeted the Bataclan concert hall and bars and restaurants.
Officials have identified most of the people they believe to have carried out the assaults and on March 18 Francois Hollande predicted that more arrests could follow.
Most of the suspects either died during the attacks or were killed in subsequent police raids.
At least four people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack at a busy shopping area in the Istanbul, officials say.
Another 36 were injured – among them 12 foreign nationals – as the bomb went off near a government building on Istiklal Street.
No-one has admitted carrying out the attack, the latest to target Turkey in recent months.
The Turkish government has blamed Kurdish militants for previous attacks and has retaliated against them.
Today’s attack in Istanbul – Turkey’s largest city – occurred at about 11:00 local time.
Photo Getty Images
Three Israeli tourists were among those injured, local media report say. The Israeli foreign ministry has confirmed Israelis were wounded, but has not given the number or said what condition they are in.
Both ISIS and Kurdish militants have claimed recent attacks in Turkey.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said terror groups are targeting civilians because they are losing their struggle against Turkish security forces.
Turkey is part of the US-led coalition against ISIS and allows coalition planes to use its air base at Incirlik for raids on Iraq and Syria.
It has also been carrying out a campaign of bombardment against Syrian Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which it regards as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
A two-year-old ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK broke down last summer.
Since then, more than 340 members of Turkey’s security forces have been killed along with at least 300 Kurdish fighters and more than 200 civilians.
The TAK (Kurdistan Freedom Hawks) was formed in 2004. It is regarded as the hard-line offshoot of the PKK, rejecting any attempt at ceasefire talks with the Turkish state.
The PKK has been fighting for autonomy for Turkey’s Kurdish minority for decades and has carried out regular attacks on Turkish security forces.
Rapper Snoop Dogg has mistakenly promoted the Romanian village of Bogata by tagging himself there on Instagram.
He posted an image which appeared to show he was in Bogata in the center of Romania.
Snoop Dogg was actually one letter out – an extra A instead of an O – and more than 6,000 miles away in the Colombian capital Bogota.
Bogata saw immediate interest with even a new website popping up.
The website’s creators described it as “the perfect place to be if you want to relax in nature and take in all it has to offer”.
Romanians got excited, thinking Snoop Dogg was in their country on a surprise trip.
However, others spotted Snoop Dogg’s mistake and one pointed out: “I think you should edit your location.”
The new VisitBogata website describes the village of 2,000 as the “best place for chillin’ in Romania”.
There is a problem, though: there’s no hotel in the village, so visitors are advised to bring a sleeping bag.
“The village is situated on the river Mureș, offering all that nature has to offer. You can camp there or even ask a villager for housing, if you feel like learning more on the location from its inhabitants,” the website said.
If they get hungry they can feast on a twist of the famous Hungarian goulash.
The website says: “We can trace it back to older times, when it is believed that Hungarian shepherds ate similar food to fill up and gain energy for a full day.”
Bogata mayor Laszlo Barta realized Snoop’s tag confusion was a handy way to promote his town.
Tens of thousands of people have joined pro-Dilma Rousseff rallies in Brazil to show support for the president who is facing calls for her impeachment.
Earlier, police used tear gas on anti-government protesters in Sao Paulo.
Several protests against Dilma Rousseff erupted two days ago after she appointed the former Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as a minister.
Meanwhile, a Supreme Court judge has suspended Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s nomination as minister.
The decision is not final, and the government can appeal. In naming Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Dilma Rousseff is accused of shielding him from charges of money-laundering, which he denies.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who remains a popular leader, addressed protesters early in the evening. Wearing a red shirt, he said: “There will not be a coup against Ms Rousseff.”
The former president also said the opposition did not accept the results of the 2014 election, in which Dilma Rousseff was re-elected for another four-year term.
“Democracy is the only way to allow people to participate in government’s decisions,” he told a cheering crowd.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he was joining Dilma Rousseff’s government to help the country and said Brazil, which is in its worst recession in decades, needed to resume growth.
Organizers said about 300,000 people demonstrated there, but the respected Datafolha institute put that number at 95,000.
Smaller rallies were also held in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and dozens of other cities.
Hours earlier, riot police dispersed anti-government protesters who had blocked the same central Sao Paulo thoroughfare since March 16, when demonstrations erupted against Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s appointment as minister.
The nationwide rallies on March 18 were the first time the government had massed the ranks of supporters since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was briefly arrested earlier this month.
They came after mass protests across Brazil on March 13 against corruption and calling for Dilma Rousseff’s departure. Estimates of the turnout range from one million to three million demonstrators.
Opponents who have called for Dilma Rousseff’s removal also accuse her of economic mismanagement and involvement in a sprawling corruption scandal in the state oil company Petrobras.
Dilma Rousseff denies wrongdoings, and has accused her rivals of mounting a “coup” against her.
The president insisted that she appointed Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had started to make overtures to stand for president in 2018, to help her rebuild her political base in Congress and fight the impeachment proceedings.
However, Supreme Court judge Gilmar Mendes suspended Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s nomination as chief of staff on March 18, saying it was an intention to interfere in investigations.
Opponents had argued that Dima Rousseff’s decision was unconstitutional and obstructed justice, as it was a move made to grant Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva immunity from money-laundering charges that he denies.
As a minister, any charges against the former leader could only be dealt with by the Supreme Court, which operates more slowly, and not by the judge in the southern city of Curitiba who is overseeing Operation Car Wash into allegations of corruption at Petrobras.
Dilma Rousseff and her supporters accuse judge Sergio Moro of political interference.
Meanwhile, an impeachment committee in the lower house of Congress held its first session on March 18 and said it expected to reach a decision within a month on whether to recommend removing Dilma Rousseff.
The process is over allegations that Dilma Rousseff broke the law managing the federal budget in 2014, when she was running for re-election.
Mitt Romney says he will vote for Texas Senator Ted Cruz in Utah caucus as he is “repulsed” by Donald Trump.
The former Republican presidential candidate said in a Facebook post that the only way to nominate a Republican is to have an open convention, in which party officials choose the nominee.
Mitt Romney campaigned with Governor John Kasich in Ohio but said voting for Ted Cruz is the only way to stop “Trumpism”.
He joins other Republican leaders coalescing around Ted Cruz.
Donald Trump has won the most state contests and holds 678 delegates – 1,237 are needed to win the nomination.
Photo Facebook
“Mitt Romney is a mixed up man who doesn’t have a clue. No wonder he lost!” Donald Trump said on Twitter.
However, Republican leaders are concerned that Donald Trump’s controversial comments about immigrants, women and Muslims would make him a weak candidate in the general election in November.
Some also feel that the onetime Democrat cannot be trusted to implement conservative policies.
“Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism,” Mitt Romney said.
“Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these.”
Earlier this month, Mitt Romney gave a speech outlining why he was against Donald Trump, a billionaire businessman with no political experience, calling him a “phoney” and a “fraud”.
Mitt Romney’s home state of Utah holds its presidential contest on March 22.
A group of conservatives including well-known talk radio host Erick Erickson met on March 17 to discuss ways to defeat Donald Trump, including launching a third party campaign to challenge the New York businessman.
“We encourage all former Republican candidates not currently supporting Trump to unite against him and encourage all candidates to hold their delegates on the first ballot,” he said in a statement, put out on behalf of the group.
“We believe that the issue of Donald Trump is greater than an issue of party. It is an issue of morals and character that all Americans, not just those of us in the conservative movement, must confront.”
Many GOP members have also misgiving about Ted Cruz because he has repeatedly and publicly denounced Republican leaders.
However, more prominent Republicans are throwing their support behind Ted Cruz in a last-ditch effort to stop Donald Trump.
Popular South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have recently endorsed Ted Cruz.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who left the Republican race on March 15, said this week he would not be endorsing any of his former rivals.
He also said he had no interest in becoming a vice-presidential nominee.
Donald Trump won four out five primaries on March 15, but the race in Missouri has not been called for the Republicans yet.
Hillary Clinton narrowly won the state’s Democratic primary after her opponent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders declined to pursue a recount.
A FlyDubai plane has crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all 55 passengers and seven crew on board, officials say.
The plane, a Boeing 737-800, coming from Dubai, missed the runway as it attempted to land at 03:50 local time on March 19.
It is not clear what caused the crash but poor visibility and high winds are being considered as a factor.
CCTV footage showed an explosion and a huge flash after the plane crashed.
The Investigative Committee of Russia said on its website: “The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces.”
Reports say the plane abandoned its initial attempt to land and circled for two hours before crashing at the second attempt.
It came down about 800ft short of the start of the runway in Rostov, some 600 miles south of Moscow.
Most of the passengers on board flight FZ981 were Russian, the regional governor said. Another official said three foreigners were on the passenger list, according to Reuters.
Six of the crew were non-Russians, a Russian emergency ministry statement said, the news agency reported.
About 700 rescue workers were sent to the site of the crash and the fire was extinguished, media reports said.
A search is under way for the plane’s flight recorders and an investigation has been opened into the cause of the crash.
Other flights have been diverted away from the airport.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the airliner confirmed the “tragic accident” and said an emergency response has been put in place.
Boeing said on Twitter its team was working to gather more details.
FlyDubai, a low cost carrier launched in 2009 with a hub in Dubai, operates flights to some 90 destinations.
The European Union and Turkey have reached a deal on the refugee crisis, which will see refugees returned to Turkey in exchange for aid and political concessions.
Under the plan, from March 20 at midnight refugees arriving in Greece will be sent back to Turkey if their asylum claim is rejected.
In return, EU countries will resettle Syrian refugees living in Turkey.
EU leaders have welcomed the agreement but German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of legal challenges to come.
Some of the initial concessions offered to Turkey have been watered down and some EU members expressed disquiet over Turkey’s human rights record.
Despite this Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu said it was a “historic” day.
“We today realized that Turkey and the EU have the same destiny, the same challenges and the same future.”
Donald Tusk stressed the agreement was no “silver bullet” and was just one part of the EU’s response to a crisis that has sharply divided the bloc’s members.
Angela Merkel said she was satisfied but added: “I have no illusions that what we agreed today will be accompanied by further setbacks.”
Since January 2015, a million refugees have entered the EU by boat from Turkey to Greece. More than 132,000 have arrived this year alone.
Tens of thousands are now stuck in Greece as their route north has been blocked.
Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in last year’s Paris attacks, has been wounded and arrested in a raid in Brussels, Belgian officials have said.
According to officials, Salah Abdeslam, who had been on the run since the November attacks, was wounded in the leg as police moved in on a flat in the Molenbeek area.
“We got him,” said Theo Francken, Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration.
Salah Abdeslam – one of Europe’s most wanted men – is a key suspect in the jihadist attacks in Paris which 130 people died.
Belgian PM Charles Michel had to urgently leave an EU-Turkey summit as details of the operation began to emerge.
The raid apparently continued late into the evening, as two more explosions were reported recently at the scene.
Salah Abdeslam’s fingerprints were found in a Brussels flat that was raided on March 15.
One man – identified as Algerian national Mohamed Belkaid and linked to the Paris attacks – was shot dead during the raid in the southern Forest suburb on March 15.
Officials said at the time they believed as many as two other suspects may have escaped.
Salah Abdeslam, a 26-year-old French national born in Brussels, had lived in Molenbeek before the November 13 attacks.
He is believed to have returned to Belgium immediately after the attacks, in which his brother Brahim blew himself up.
In January, Belgian police said they may have found a bomb factory in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels used as a hideout by Salah Abdeslam.
Police found traces of explosives, three handmade belts and a fingerprint of the suspect.
Salah Abdeslam has been the subject of a massive manhunt since the attacks, claimed by ISIS militants.
Officials have identified most of the people they believe to have carried out the assaults.
Most of the suspects either died during the attacks or were killed in subsequent police raids.
Parts of Brussels were sealed off for days after the Paris massacre amid fears of a major incident. A number of suspected attackers lived in the Belgian capital.
