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A war crimes appeal hearing in The Hague was cut short dramatically when one defendant drank what he said was poison upon hearing the verdict. Slobodan Praljak, 72, was one of six former Bosnian Croat political and military leaders up before the court. He was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment in 2013 for crimes in the city of Mostar. On hearing that his sentence had been upheld, he told the judge, "I have taken poison". The six were attending the final appeals judgment to be handed down by the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Though allies against the Bosnian Serbs in the 1992-95 war, Bosnian Croats and Muslims also fought each other for a period of 11 months, with Mostar seeing some of the fiercest fighting. Praljak stood and raised his hand to his mouth, tipped his head back and appeared to swallow a glass of liquid. Presiding judge Carmel Agius immediately suspended the proceedings and an ambulance was called...

Obafemi Martins could have a chance to play at another World Cup if he keeps maintains his scoring form, Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has told KweséESPN. The 33-year-old, who plays in China for Shanghai Shenhua, has scored 16 goals in 39 appearances, with his last goal coming in Sunday's 3-2 second leg win over SIPG to lead his team to the Chinese FA Cup title. The Nigerian also scored the only goal of the first leg, which saw Shenhua progress on the away-goal rule. Martins also boasts a respectable goalscoring record at international level, netting 18 in 41 appearances, but has only played for the Super Eagles four times since 2010, with his last two appearances coming in 2015, despite impressive showings with Seattle Sounders in the MLS and now Shanghai Shenhua. However, Rohr says he is willing to chat to the Martins to increase his options up-front. "Yes, the door is open to all our best players, including Martins. He is scoring a lot of goals and we need to get ...

Having secured a deserved point from Saturday's enthralling encounter with Liverpool at Anfield, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has every reason to feel positive about the Blues' upcoming, if somewhat cluttered, fixture schedule. In the race for the Premier League title, the 1-1 draw on Merseyside may have seen third place Chelsea fall behind Manchester United and leaders Manchester City, who both won at the weekend, but Conte will pay no heed to the many pundits claiming the club's chances of retaining the trophy they won in fine style last season are all but over. With Liverpool out of the way, the Italian will be eyeing the Blues' run of league games to the end of the year with relish. Swansea (home), Newcastle (home) West Ham (away) Huddersfield (away), Southampton (home), Everton (away), Brighton (home) and Stoke (home) have to be viewed as a significant opportunity to harvest the full 24 points available. It won't be easy -- it never is. But Conte proved...

VALENCIA, Spain -- Three quick thoughts from Barcelona's 1-1 draw at Valencia on Sunday at the Mestalla. 1. Valencia, Barcelona play out thrilling draw The tussle for top spot in La Liga took several turns on Sunday as the top two -- Barcelona and Valencia, respectively -- played out an entertaining and controversial draw. Rodrigo opened the scoring, cashing in on a Jose Gaya cross in the second half, but only after Barca had been left fuming by the referee's failure to award a Lionel Messi goal in the opening period. Messi's shot was straight at Neto, but the Brazilian goalkeeper fumbled the ball over his own line. A late Jordi Alba goal eventually rescued a point for Ernesto Valverde's side, keeping them four clear of Valencia, but they will still feel hard by. So clear was it that Messi's shot had crossed the line that Barca players were already in the corner of the Mestalla pitch celebrating what should have been the opening goal. Even Valencia stoppe...

                  Goalkeeper: Petr Cech To kick us off, it's Cech who takes his place in between the sticks. While Alexis Sanchez's late winner for Arsenal at Burnley will grab all the headlines, it was Cech's fine work in the first half -- denying Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Robbie Brady -- that built the foundation for victory. "Those early saves guaranteed the three points," Steve Nicol says, with Paul Mariner impressed by Cech's "commanding of his area and good handling." Centre-back: Andreas Christensen Next up is a player whose recent performances have kept David Luiz twiddling his thumbs on the sidelines. Christensen turned in another mature display for the Premier League champions in their 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday. "Despite the pressure, the 21-year-old makes it look easy," says Nicol, while Mariner feels the youngster is "getting better and better with every game for Chelsea." Centre-back: Mamadou Sakho...

At least two people have been killed and dozens more injured in an explosion in the eastern Chinese port city of Ningbo, local officials say. The blast is said to have occurred at a factory at about 09:00 (01:00 GMT) in the city's Jiangbei District, causing some nearby buildings to collapse. State media reported that at least 30 people had been taken to local hospitals amid rescue operations. Footage showed rescuers carrying people away from an area surrounded by debris. Chinese media said at least two of the injured are reported to be in a serious condition, citing local authorities. Police said on social media that an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the explosion. The city has a large international shipping port and is best known for its auto-manufacturing industry, it is home to Geely - the Chinese owner of Volvo. Chinese media said the explosion happened in an industrial area, and residential buildings damaged nearby were already empty a...

MANCHESTER -- Jose Mourinho admitted he may have played with too many attackers as Manchester United laboured to a slender 1-0 victory over Brighton at Old Trafford. United needed a heavily deflected winner from Ashley Young in the second half to see off the spirited visitors. Mourinho started with Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata and Paul Pogba -- the same combination that helped thrash Newcastle 4-1 in their last Premier League outing -- but Brighton were much more stubborn. "I wouldn't be surprised if today some of the pundits say we play with too many attackers. I wouldn't be surprised," Mourinho told a news conference. "But if they say that, I think they were right. Sometimes you play with too many attacking players and you lose control of the game. We had a few problems defensively because [Nemanja] Matic and Pogba, they were a bit isolated in the centre of the park. "If you compensate that with more creation, that...

MANCHESTER -- Juan Mata has told ESPN FC he would like to extend his stay at Manchester United and has not ruled out playing until he is 40 years old. The Spain international's current contract expires next summer, although United hold an option to keep him at the club until 2019. Mata says he would like to remain at Old Trafford, and when asked whether he would like to sign a new long-term deal and finish his career at the club, the midfielder insists he is open to all possibilities. He told ESPN FC in an exclusive interview: "Why not? I'm 29 and hopefully I can play football for some more years. It would be great to play until I'm 40 like Ryan Giggs. But that's still a bit far, still 11 years. "I'm happy here. The club is massive, the support we have is massive. I've been settled down in the city since year one. Now it's my fourth year in Manchester. "You never know what can happen in football and in life. But my feeling...

Fellaini on PSG shortlist This might come as a surprise to some Premier League fans, but Marouane Fellaini is reportedly a top target for Paris Saint-Germain ahead of his Manchester United contract expiring next summer. The Belgian has failed to put pen to paper to extend his stay at Old Trafford, and French website Le10Sport claims PSG are now preparing to muscle in with the offer of a lucrative four-year deal. It's thought Jose Mourinho is eager to keep hold of Fellaini, but there has been little progress in negotiations and the 30-year-old could now replace Thiago Motta at PSG.

At least 50 people have been killed in a suicide bombing in the eastern Nigerian state of Adamawa, police say. A bomber struck inside a mosque packed with worshippers during morning prayers in the town of Mubi. Witness Abubakar Sule told AFP news agency that it appeared the bomber was part of the congregation. No-one has said they were behind the bombing but the Islamist militants Boko Haram typically target crowded places in northern Nigeria. Some 20,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram's eight-year insurgency. The BBC's Ishaq Khalid reports that Boko Haram militants have recently stepped up suicide bombings in Nigeria's north-east after the military recaptured territories previously controlled by the group. At least 45 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack in the same state last December. In that attack two female suicide bombers detonated their explosives in a busy market. ...

President Trump has announced that the US is re-designating North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, nine years after it was removed from the list. In a cabinet meting on Monday, he said the move will trigger "very large" additional economic sanctions. Mr Trump blamed the country's nuclear programme, and support for what he called international acts of terrorism. While announcing the decision, the US president said it "should of happened a long time ago". He said the regime must act lawfully and cease its nuclear weapons programme. It comes after the president returned from an extensive tour of Asia last week.

Harare - Money and indemnity from prosecution are the main items on the negotiation agenda between Robert Mugabe and the generals who want him to quit office before parliamentarians have to begin a process to expel him from the presidency on Tuesday. Robert Mugabe is a wealthy man. No one is sure how wealthy as so many of his deals have been below the surface and undeclared.  But he needs a great deal of cash to support his wife’s extraordinary spending. She, so far, has failed to make profit from her ventures, except recently when she unlocked a mining deal for contacts in Kazakstan. Grace Mugabe is the wealthiest woman in Zimbabwe. Perhaps among the richest women in sub Saharan Africa.  But her wealth sits uncomfortably on her shoulders, as she can’t prove she owns much of her vast property empire which is the largest slice of her known assets. No one is sure how much money the Mugabe family has stored outside Zimbabwe, but details about Grace Mugabe’s collectio...

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is targeting the Premier League title now that Jose Mourinho has finally welcomed back a host of key players. Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo were all back in the United squad to face Newcastle on Saturday after lengthy spells on the sidelines. Mourinho still has injury concerns over Michael Carrick, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly, but his problems are starting to ease and it has led Pogba, who scored one and made one in the 4-1 win over Rafael Benitez's side, to talk up United's chances of chasing down Manchester City at the top of the table. He told MUTV: "To win the league we need all our players. When you have one injured here, one injured there, it doesn't help. It's always better to have a full team. "Zlatan's back and Marcos after a long injury. It was hard for them but they kept believing and worked hard to come back. We need them to win the league and we're really glad they're here....

Former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna has died at the age of 49. The Women's Tennis Association said Novotna, who had cancer, "died peacefully, surrounded by her family". The Czech player had lost in the Wimbledon final in 1993 and 1997 before winning the Grand Slam tournament when she beat Nathalie Tauziat in 1998. Novotna captured the hearts of fans when she burst into tears after losing to German great Steffi Graf in 1993 and was consoled by the Duchess of Kent. "Jana was an inspiration both on and off court to anyone who had the opportunity to know her," said WTA chief executive Steve Simon. "Her star will always shine brightly in the history of the WTA. Our condolences and our thoughts are with Jana's family."Novotna was renowned for her serve and volley game and achieved a career-high singles ranking of number two. In addition to her only singles Grand Slam win at Wimbledon, she claimed 12 Grand Slam doubles titles and four in...