Chanterelle Mushroom and Bacon Tartlets

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp minced shallots

1 clove minced garlic

1 1/2 cups chanterelle mushrooms(chopped)

1 tbsp brandy

• 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme
  
  
  1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
  
  
  
  
  1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste
  
  
  
  
  1 egg
  
  
  1/4 cup milk
  
  
  1/4 cup Swiss cheese
  
  
  2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
  
  
  2 slices cooked bacon
  
  
  24 mini phyllo tart shells
  
  
  Directions
  
  
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  2. Heat olive oil in a  skillet over medium heat. Saute shallots until they begin to brown. Add garlic and mushrooms, and cook until tender. Deglaze pan with brandy, and season with thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat, and let it cool.
  3. In a bowl, mix egg, milk, Swiss cheese, cream cheese, and bacon. Fold in mushroom mixture. Spoon evenly into phyllo cups, and place cups on baking sheet.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until filling is set.

Yakisoba Chicken

Ingredients

1/2 tbs sesame oil

1 tbs canola oil

2 tbs chile paste

2 cloves chopped garlic

4 boneless(also skinless) chicken breast halves 

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 onion, sliced lengthwise into six-eight pieces

1/2 medium head cabbage, coarsely chopped

2 carrots( chopped)


8 ounces soba noodles(cooked)

Directions

In a skillet mix sesame oil, canola oil and chili paste. Stir fry 30 seconds. Add chopped garlic and stir fry an additional 30 seconds. Add chicken breast and 1/4 cup of the soy sauce and stir fry until chicken is notpink anymore. Remove mixture from pan, set aside and keep warm.

In the emptied pan mix the onion, cabbage and carrots. Stir fry until cabbage begins to wilt. Stir in the remaining soy sauce, noodles and the chicken mixture to pan and mix to blend. Serve and enjoy!

Corned Beef Hash Cakes

Ingredients

1 tbs vegetable oil

1 small chopped onion

2 cups mashed potatoes

Salt and pepper(to taste)

1 cup shredded and cooked corned beef

Directions

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chopped onion in oil until translucent. Transfer to a medium bowl, and mix with potatoes and beef. Season with salt and pepper as you like it. Form into 8 patties. Fry patties in the skillet between medium and high heat until golden brown on both sides.

Benfica 3 - Newcastle 1

Benfica 3 - Newcastle 1

Newcastle suffered a second-half collapse in their Europa League quarter-final first leg against Benfica.

Papiss Cisse tapped in a low Moussa Sissoko cross as the visitors made the most of a bright start in Portugal.

After Cisse struck the post, the hosts came to life and Rodrigo pounced on a rebound to equalise for Benfica.

Cisse hit the woodwork again, before Lima punished a loose Davide Santon back-pass and Oscar Cardozo scored from the spot after a Steven Taylor handball.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew hasbemoaned the strain the Europa League had put on his squad as they proceed to hover above the Premier League relegation places.

The 51-year-old resisted the temptation to field a weakened side, however, and was even able to select Netherlands international goalkeeper Tim Krul after a seven-match absence with an injury.

They faced strong opponents in the Portuguese league leaders, who had already gone past the 100-goal mark in all competitions this season, and only been beaten at home by Spanish heavyweights Barcelona in the Champions League.

But the visitors started the brighter in a rain-soaked Lisbon and went ahead when Cisse poked in at the back post for his 11th goal of the season after Sissoko burst free down the right flank and put in a great low cross.

Pardew's side threatened repeatedly on the counter-attack as they looked to take advantage of the defensive line favoured by the hosts.

They went close to a second when Cisse's shot was deflected on to the woodwork at full stretch by centre-back Ezequiel Garay, after the Senegal international was found by Jonas Gutierrez.

Stung into action, Benfica increased the tempo and equalised when the rusty Krul pushed Cardozo's 20-yard shot into the path of former Bolton loanee Rodrigo, who reacted quickest to side-foot into an open net.

The goal ended Newcastle's hopes of a club-record fifth consecutive clean sheet in Europe.

If the Magpies were slightly lucky to go in level at half-time, they threatened again after the break as Cisse burst into space and confidently chipped over goalkeeper Artur, only to find the post again.

Benfica then turned the game around with two quick-fire goals just after the hour mark as Newcastle imploded.

First, substitute Lima, fresh from a hat-trick in Saturday's 6-1 thrashing of Rio Ave,  latched onto a slack back-pass from full-back Santon and scored past Krul from a tight angle.

Benfica's top-scorer Cardozo held his nerve to place the ball past Krul from a retaken penalty.

Benfica continued to push for a fourth but Newcastle held on to give themselves feint hope in the return leg which will be at St James' Park on 11 April.

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho wary in spite of the first-leg win

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho wary in spite of first-leg win

Real Madrid boss Mourinho remained cautious despite his team's 3-0 win over Galatasaray

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain put Real on the verge of the semi-finals.

"If we score a goal in Istanbul they have got to score five so the result is very good," Mourinho told Sky Sports.

"But I've seen a lot of things in football so nothing can surprise me. Istanbul is a difficult place to go."

The Turkish side did not capitalise on a number of chances they created before Higuain's goal sealed the win for Real, but Mourinho was adamant that his side could not underestimate Galatasaray's opposition.

"We played seriously," said the former Chelsea boss. "The Spanish press were not quite so respectful towards Galatasaray but we were very respectful towards them. We knew they have a fantastic team and good players.

"We were defensively better than we were attacking. We could have scored more goals but the team played well."

Higuain, who found the net after replacing Benzema in the 65th minute, was less cautious than his manager.

"We knew the return would be very difficult and the truth is we can go there happy because 3-0 is a  favourable result," said the Argentine striker.

North Korea's mid-range missile

North Korea has moved a missile with "considerable range" to its east coast, South Korea's foreign minister says.

Kim Kwan-jin played down concerns that the missile could target the US mainland, and said the North Korea's intentions were not clear enough.

Pyongyang earlier renewed threats of a nuclear strike against the US, though its missiles are not believed to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The US is responding to North Korea by moving missile defence shields to Guam.

Meanwhile, Russia said Pyongyang's attempts to violate decisions of the UN Security Council are unacceptable.

This radically complicates, if it doesn't in practice shut off, the prospects for resuming six-party talks," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement on Thursday.

The talks involving North and South Korea, the US, Russia, China and Japan were last held in late 2008.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to North Korea to "change course" and called on all parties in the crisis to engage in dialogue.

"Nuclear threat is not a game. It's very serious," said Mr Ban. "I think they have gone too far in their rhetoric."

Japan said it was co-operating closely with the US and South Korea to monitor the North Korea's next move.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that although the rhetoric was "increasingly provocative", Japanese government would "calmly" watch the situation.

Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga earlier told reporters that Japan was braced for a "worst-case scenario".

The Pentagon said the shield on its Pacific island territory would be ready within weeks, adding to warships already sent to the area.

The North has previously named Guam among a list of possible targets for attack that included Hawaii and the US mainland.

Japanese and South Korea reports had suggested the missile being moved by the North was a long-range one with a capability of hitting the US west coast.

However, experts believe the North's most powerful rocket, which it test-fired last December, has a range of 6,000km (3,700 miles) and can reach no further than Alaska.

Kim Kwan-jin told MPs in a parliamentary defence committee meeting that the missile had "considerable range".

"The missile does not seem to be aimed at the US mainland. It could be aimed at test firing or military drills," he said.

Analysts have interpreted Mr Kim's description as referring to the Musudan missile, estimated to have a range up to 4,000km. Guam would be within that range.

The North is believed to have its main military research centres in the east side.

It has test-fired missiles from there before, and its three nuclear weapons tests were performed in the east.

Despite its belligerent rhetoric, North Korea has not taken direct military action since 2010, when it shelled a South Korean island and killed four people.

But in recent weeks it has threatened nuclear strikes and attacks on specific targets in the US and South Korea.

It has announced a formal declaration of war on the South, and pledged to reopen a mothballed nuclear reactor in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.

In its latest statement, attributed to a military spokesman, the North appeared to refer to continuing military exercises between the US and South Korea in which the US has flown nuclear-capable bombers over the South.

The statement said the "ever-escalating US hostile policy towards the DPRK [North Korea] and its reckless nuclear threat will be smashed".

It promised to use "cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means of the DPRK" and said the "merciless operation of its revolutionary armed forces in this regard has been finally examined and ratified".

The US Department of Defense said  it would deploy the ballistic Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (Thaad) to Guam in the coming weeks.

The Thaad system includes a truck-mounted launcher and interceptor missiles.

US officials recently also announced that the USS John McCain, a destroyer capable of intercepting missiles, had been positioned off the Korean peninsula.

Some analysts say Pyongyang's angry statements are of more concern than usual because it is unclear exactly what the North hopes to achieve.

As well as the angry statements, the North has also shut down an emergency telephone line between Seoul and Pyongyang and stopped South Koreans from working at a joint industrial complex in the North.

The Kaesong complex, one of the last remaining symbols of co-operation between the neighbours, is staffed mainly by North Koreans but funded and managed by South Korean firms.

North Korea: US to move missiles to Guam

The US has announced it is moving an advanced missile system to the Pacific island of Guam as North Korea steps up its warlike rhetoric.

The latest statement from Pyongyang "formally informs" the Pentagon it has "ratified" a possible nuclear strike.

Pyongyang has threatened to target the US and South Korea in recent weeks.

The US Department of Defense said on Wednesday it would deploy the ballistic Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (Thaad) in the upcoming weeks.

The Thaad system includes a truck-mounted launcher, interceptor missiles, and AN/TPY-2 tracking radar, together with an integrated fire control system.

North Korea's warlike statements follow fresh UN sanctions and joint military drills by the US and South Korea.

The Pentagon said the missile system would be moved to Guam, a US territory with a significant US military presence, as a precautionary move to strengthen our  defence posture against the North Korean  ballistic missile threat.

"The United States remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and stands ready to defend US territory, our allies, and our national interests," the Pentagon added.

The US had planned to send a Thaad system to Guam, but not under these conditions, analysts say.

Later on Wednesday, a statement carried by the official North Korean news agency said: "We formally inform the White House and Pentagon that the ever-escalating US hostile policy towards the DPRK [North Korea] and its reckless nuclear threat will be smashed by the strong will of all the united service personnel and people and cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means of the DPRK and that the merciless operation of its revolutionary armed forces in this regard has been finally examined and ratified."

In recent weeks, North Korea has stated military bases in the US territory of Guam and the US state of Hawaii as possible targets.

"As they have ratcheted up her bellicose, dangerous rhetoric, and some of the actions they've taken over the last few weeks present a real and clear danger," said US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, in his first major speech on Wednesday since taking up his post.

He added that Pyongyang had also threatened the interests of South Korea and Japan.

The North has apparently been angered by UN sanctions imposed after a recent nuclear test. Pyongyang has escalated its warlike rhetoric amid the current round of US-South Korea military drills.

The US has recently made a series of high-profile flights of stealth fighters and nuclear-capable B-52 bombers over South Korea.

Officials have also confirmed that the USS John McCain, an Aegis-class destroyer capable of intercepting missiles, has been positioned off the Korean peninsula.

A second destroyer, the USS Decatur, has been sent to the region.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry called recent North Korean actions "dangerous" and "reckless".

Real Madrid- Galatasaray: 3-0

Real Madrid took a huge stride towards the Champions League semi-finals by brushing aside Galatasaray in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.

Cristiano Ronaldo handed the hosts an early lead by chipping over goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

Karim Benzema deftly controlled Essien's cross to stroke in the second, before substitute Gonzalo Higuain nodded in after the break.

Didier Drogba and Emmanuel Eboue wasted the Turkish champions' best chances.

Galatasaray were far from outclassed in the opening 70 minutes and created a number of decent opportunities, particularly in the first half, as they searched for a vital away goal.

But a lethal combination of Real's array of attacking talent and three defensive lapses had already proved the difference before Fatih Terim's team ran out of steam in the closing stages.

Argentine striker Higuain, who replaced fellow goalscorer Benzema eight minutes earlier, put the gloss on a comfortable home display at the Bernabeu and left Galatasaray facing a difficult task in the return leg in Istanbul on 9 April.

Real Madrid's boss Jose Mourinho stressed the importance of Champions League success to the Spaniards after conceding the Primera Division title was beyond his side - they trail leaders Barcelona by 13 points.

And his team, aiming for a record 24th semi-final appearance in Europe's premier club competition, made the perfect start against Galatasaray.

Ronaldo latched on to Ozil's perfectly-weighted through ball and almost nonchalantly lifted the ball over a helpless Muslera after only nine minutes.

However, Galatasaray seemed unfazed by the early setback and responded well, neatly maintaining possession.

Much of the pre-match build-up had centred on the meeting between Drogba and his former Chelsea mentor Mourinho, and the Portuguese boss must have been concerned when the Ivorian forward forged a clear sight of goal shortly after Ronaldo's opener.

Galatasaray striker Drogba brushed aside home defender Raphael Varane to turn on the edge of the Real penalty area but could only fire wildly over the crossbar.

Moments later the powerful forward, who netted Chelsea's winning penalty in last season's Champions League final, unleashed a 20-yard shot which Real goalkeeper Diego Lopez unconvincingly punched clear.

But Galatasaray were left to rue those missed opportunities as Benzema doubled Madrid's advantage.

Essien swung in a deep cross from the right flank and Eboue inexplicably ducked away from it, allowing Benzema to kill the ball before placing a firm shot inside the near post.

Former Arsenal defender Eboue could have made amends within seconds, only to fire straight at Lopez's legs after playing a neat one-two with Drogba.

Galatasaray boss Terim sacrificed attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder for central defender Gokhan Zan at the interval in a bid to provide a more solid platform for his team.

The switch enabled them to stifle Real's attacking intent, but also deprived them of an effective link between their midfield three and strikers Drogba and Burak Yilmaz.

Clear-cut chances had been rare after the interval before Ozil side-footed at Muslera after he was picked out in the Galatasaray penalty area by Xabi Alonso's sublime lofted pass.

And it was Spain midfielder Alonso who provided another perfect delivery, this time from a deep free-kick, to enable an unmarked Higuain to net his first Champions League goal of the season and give Real what looks like being a decisive advantage to take to Turkey for the return leg.

Obama's proposal: Brain mapping 

USA President Barack Obama has unveiled a new initiative to map the human brain.

Speaking at the White House, he announced an initial $100m investment to shed light on how the human brain works and provide insight into diseases such as Alzheimer's and epilepsy.

President Obama said initiatives like the Human Genome Project had transformed genetics; now he wants to do the same with the brain.

The project will be performed by both public and private-sector scientists.

The project is called Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies - or BRAIN.

Mr Obama said: "There is this enormous mystery waiting to be unlocked, and the BRAIN initiative will change that by giving scientists the tools they need to get a dynamic picture of the brain in action and better understand how we think and learn and remember. And that knowledge will be transformative."

The project will begin in 2014, and will involve the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The $100m investment will be used to develop technologies to investigate how the billions of cells in the human brain interact with each other.

Scientists will also focus on how the brain records, stores and processes information.

President Obama said that as our understanding of the brain was growing, there was still a long way to go.

"As humans we can identify galaxies light years away, we can study particles smaller than the atom, but we still haven't unlocked the mystery of the 3lb of matter that sits between our ears," he said.

The project will also involve partnerships with the private sector.

This includes the Allen Institute for Brain Science, which has committed to spending $60m annually on projects relating to the BRAIN initiative, and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, which has dedicated $28m.

Mr Obama said that it was worth investing in science, claiming that it would help to create new jobs and strengthen the economy.

He said that basic research was "a driver of growth".

"We can't afford to miss these opportunities while the rest of the world races ahead," he added.

The funding announcement comes after recent news of another push in neuroscience in Europe.

About 80 European research institutions and some from outside the EU will take part in the Human Brain Project, which is estimated to cost more than 1bn euros.

The project will use supercomputer-based models and simulations to reconstruct a virtual human brain to develop new methods for neurological conditions.

Steven Gerrard happy to help out at both ends for Liverpool

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes fifth place is still achievable after his second half penalty completed a fine turnaround against Aston Villa.

Gerrard condemned relegation-threatened Villa to a 2-1 defeat with a 60th minute penalty which takes his goal tally to 11 against the Villans - more than he has managed against any other club.

The win moves Liverpool within three points of sixth-placed Merseyside rivals Everton, and five adrift of fifth-placed Arsenal.

Speaking after the win, Gerrard told Sky Sports: "I think we showed a lot of character, we had to raise it a little bit after half-time. We felt a little bit hard done by to be trailing, we thought we did enough in the first half to at least be level.

"After the manager spoke, we needed to go out and score as early as we can and that gave us the confidence and belief to go on and win the game."

Gerrard was forced into action at the other end of the pitch after his penalty, reacting well on the post to keep out Benteke's goal-bound effort with his head.

The experienced midfielder added: "One of my close friends has been giving me stick about my hair and actually said to me before the game that I might score the winner with my head today. The penalty was the winner but I think the header actually won us the game so he was right in the end."

Asked about Liverpool's aspirations for the rest of the season, Gerrard insists fifth spot is not out of the question, even though both Everton and Arsenal have games in hand over the Reds.

"(We want )To win every game. We want to finish as high as we can. If we can nick fifth or sixth that's what we want to try and do."

Louisville guard Kevin Ware suffers gruesome compound fracture during regional finals

Louisville guard Kevin Ware suffered a gruesome compound fracture in the first half of the Cardinals' Midwest regional final against Duke on Sunday.

Ware rushed out to challenge a 3-pointer by Duke's Thornton and appeared to land awkwardly. When laying on the court, the tibia bone in his right leg appeared to be protruding from the skin. The game was stopped for a period of time and a pall fell over Lucas Oil Stadium.

Louisville's players reacted with anguish. Chane Behanan fell to the floor sobbing. Russ Smith was crying . Coach Rick Pitino was wiping tears from his face.

Ware asked to speak to his teammates and Pitino called them over. Then he was taken off the court on a stretcher and sent by ambulance to Methodist Hospital, which is two miles from the stadium.

Ware had been played excellent basketball for the Cardinals in recent weeks.

Futsal to produce an English Lionel Messi?

Just how far away are UK from producing their own Lionel Messi?

The prospect of a player in the shirt of the Three Lions, displaying the kind of skills and intelligence currently associated with arguably the world's most talented footballer is a mouth-watering one.

But is such a player merely a pipe dream or a real possibility?

For years, coaches at grassroots level have had to contend with poor facilities, uneven pitches and unpredictable weather, undoubtedly hindering efforts to improve the technical ability of the future generation of English footballers.

The Football Association has already recognised the need for an overhaul,pledging to invest £150m over the next three years to improve facilities.

Nevertheless, it is another step they are taking, which won't garner the kind of attention a multi-million pound cash injection has, that could ultimately prove as influential.

The latest edition of The Future Game the FA's technical guide for young player development - will include a recommendation for a sport which the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo grew up on - Futsal.

Futsal, a small-sided variant of football played between two teams of five players in an indoor arena, is something that has been played for decades in countries like Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Italy.

In those countries, Futsal is part of a development programme where children play the sport up until the ages of 10 or 11 before deciding whether to focus solely on football or stay with the small-sided variant.

Peter Sturgess is the FA's head of development for five- to 11-year-old players and head coach of the England men's Futsal team.

He told BBC Sport: "The FA is establishing Futsal as part of the footballing landscape in this country.

World peace hitcher is killed

An Italian woman artist who was hitch-hiking to the Middle East dressed as a bride to promote world peace has been found dead in Turkey.

The naked body of Giuseppina Pasqualino di Marineo, 33, known as Pippa Bacca, was found in bushes near the northern city of Gebze on Friday.

She had said she wanted to demonstrate that she could put her trust in the kindness of local people.

Turkish police say they have detained a man in connection with the murder.

Reports say the man led the police to the body.

Ms di Marineo was hitch-hiking from Milan to Israel and the Palestinian Territories with a fellow artist on their "Brides on Tour" project.

They had separated in Istanbul, planning to reunite in Beirut.

Ms di Marineo was last seen on 31 March in Gebze.

An Italian embassy official told that the Associated Press news agency police tracked the man when he put a new SIM card into Ms di Marineo's mobile phone.

Local media identified the suspect only by the initials MK and said he had a previous conviction for theft.

Ms di Marineo's sister, who had gone to Turkey to look for her, identified the body. An autopsy is being conducted in Turkey.

"Her travels were for an artistic performance and to give a message of peace and of trust, but not everyone deserves trust," another sister, Maria, told the Italian news agency, Ansa. 

David Miliband quits

Labour MP David Miliband has resigned from the board of Sunderland FC because of the new manager Paolo Di Canio's "political statements".

Mr Di Canio has previously claimed to be a fascist, not a racist.

The former UK foreign secretary was serving as the club's vice-chairman and as a non-executive director.

Miliband wished the club "all success in the future. It is a great institution that does a huge amount for the North East".

Mr Di Canio was pictured in 2005 making a raised-arm salute to a group of supporters of Lazio, where he was playing.

He was given a one-match ban and fined £7,000 for this incident, and additionally was banned for a match following a similar incident earlier in 2005.

In 2011, when Mr Di Canio was appointed as Swindon Town's manager, the GMB union withdrew its sponsorship of the club, citing his political views.

Mr Di Canio scored 48 goals in 118 appearances for West Ham after joining the London club for £1.7m from Sheffield Wednesday in 1999. He began his career at Lazio, and also played for Juventus, Napoli, AC Milan, Celtic and Charlton before later returning to Lazio.

Playing for Sheffield Wednesday in 1998, he pushed referee Paul Alcock to the ground after being sent off and was banned for 11 matches.

France fire: Five children die

The blaze in Saint-Quentin, about 130km north-east of Paris, probably accidental, reports say.

The children's father was present but escaped with serious burns, local officials said.

Three people were also killed and 13 hurt in a fire in the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers on Saturday. Officials suspect the fire was of criminal origin and an investigation is being carried out.

Officials said that the fire in Saint-Quentin began at around 22:30 local time (21:30 GMT).

The father had been looking after the children for the first time since splitting up with his wife three months earlier.

He tried to rescue his children but was beaten back by the flames and jumped from the first floor of the building to raise the alarm, reports say.

But by the time emergency services arrived, the building was not secure to enter and the children's bodies were discovered when the fire had been put out.

The flames severely hampered the firefighters' work, local official Jean-Jacques Boyer said.

The children's bodies were eventually found and they had died of asphyxiation.

Four of those injured in the Aubervilliers fire were in a serious condition. Around 60 people were reported to be in the seven-storey building when the fire began.

"The fire was probably of criminal origin, it looks like it was a settling of scores," the mayor's Chief of Staff Michael Dahan told TF1 radio.

Aubervilliers' deputy mayor for housing, Evelyne Yonnet, told French media the building was "very badly managed, with a squatting problem".

Those who escaped from the building were being temporarily housed in a local gymnasium, reports say.

Islamist rebels attack Mali

Islamist rebels have striked Gao in northern Mali, officials say.

The rebels were repelled after two hours of fierce fighting, a Malian army official said.

He said the insurgents had slipped past army checkpoints to enter the town. Gao residents had raised the alarm, saying rebels had entered their neighbourhood.

Gao was controlled by an Islamist group for several months before it was liberated in a French-led offensive.

The MUJWA Islamist group had tried to impose an extreme form of sharia on the town.

Gao Mayor Sadou Diallo said the Islamist fighters had launched Saturday's attack inside the city's Quatrieme Quartier, or Fourth District, and retreated when they were engaged by Malian forces.

"There was heavy gunfire. The situation is under control now. The Islamists entered via Quatrieme Quartier, and the army went to meet them and was able to push them back," Mr Diallo told the Associated Press news agency.

"There is another group that entered via the river, but they too were pushed back. It's under control."

No death toll was immediately available after Saturday's firefight.

Islamist rebels seized vast swathes of northern Mali a year ago after a military coup in the capital Bamako.

France intervened militarily in January amid fears that the militants were preparing to advance on Bamako. It currently has about 4,000 troops in Mali.

Mali's army and soldiers from several African countries, including 2,000 from Chad, have also been involved in the fighting.

Since the intervention began, major cities including Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu have been recaptured but fighting is still continuing in desert.

France plans to withdraw its troops from Mali next month, with West African countries expected to take over in the run-up to elections due in July.