Scoreboard at stumps on day  one of the first Test between New Zealand and the West Indies  in Wellington today:
West Indies first innings
K. Brathwaite c Nicholls b Wagner 24
K. Powell c Raval b Boult
42
S. Hetmyer c Latham b Wagner
13
S. Hope c Blundell b Wagner
0
R. Chase c Raval b Wagner
5
S. Ambris hit wicket b Wagner
0
S. Dowrich run out (Santner)
18
J. Holder b Wagner
0
K. Roach not out
14
M. Cummins b Boult
1
S. Gabriel c Latham b Wagner
10
Extras (B-2, LB-5)
7
Total (all out; 45.4 overs)
134
Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-75, 3-79, 4-80, 5-80, 6-97,  7-97, 8-104, 9-105, 10-134.
Bowling: Boult 16-8-36-2, Henry 11-1-39-0, de  Grandhomme 4-1-13-0, Wagner 14.4-2-39-7
New Zealand first innings
T. Latham c Roach b Holder
37
J. Raval not out
29
K. Williamson c Hope b Roach
1
R. Taylor not out
12
Extras (B-4, NB-2)
6
Total (two wickets; 38 overs)
85
Fall of wicket: 1-65, 2-68.
Bowling: Gabriel 10-2-22-0, Roach 9-4-27-1, Cummins 8  -5-6-0, Holder 9-4-19-1, Chase 2-0-7-0.

Wellington, Dec 1 (AFP) Scoreboard at stumps on day

PTI Automatic

Steve Smith returned fire today  after a taunt by James Anderson that Australia are bullies,  calling the England paceman one of the biggest sledgers in  cricket as insults flew ahead of the second Test.
Smith also denied laughing at England over the Jonny  Bairstow headbutt incident in what has become a fiery build-up  to the first day-night Ashes Test, at Adelaide Oval from  tomorrow.
Fast bowler Anderson called the Australian team "bullies"  in a newspaper column as the tourists fume over the reaction  to the Bairstow controversy, following their 10-wicket defeat  in Brisbane.
The Australians used the incident, described by Bancroft  as "weird" greeting by Bairstow, to get under the  wicketkeeper's skin as England collapsed in their second  innings.
Anderson declared in his column: "A bully waits until  they are in the ascendancy to pounce on people. That is what  Australian teams do."
Smith didn't hold back when asked for his response to  England's all-time leading Test ...

Anderson 'bullies' rant a bit rich, says Aussie captain

An undocumented Mexican  immigrant has been acquitted of murdering a woman in  California -- a dramatic conclusion to a polarising case that  President Donald Trump frequently used on the campaign trail  to make the case against illegal immigration.
Jose Ines Garcia Zarate -- who had been deported five  times from US soil -- was charged with fatally shooting  Kathryn Steinle, 32, in July 2015 in San Francisco.
His attorneys yesterday argued that the gun went off by  accident.
After several days of deliberations, jurors only found  him guilty of felony possession of a weapon.
Trump was quick to denounce the verdict, and immigration  authorities said they would work to see Garcia deported.
"A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case! No  wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal  Immigration," Trump tweeted.
During the heated 2016 race for the White House, Trump  regularly used the case to justify his proposed construction  of a massive wall on the border with ...

Mexican migrant acquitted in US murder case seized on by Trump

At least one worker was killed and 11  others injured in an explosion and fire that broke out today  at a chemical factory just a few kilometres from Mount Fuji in  central Japan.
Residents living within 100 metres of the factory were  ordered to evacuate as 17 fire engines and nearly 60  firefighters battled the blaze.
Plumes of thick black smoke billowed into the sky from  the factory belonging to Arakawa Chemical Industries, which  manufactures chemicals for the paper industry.
"A 64-year-old worker, who had earlier been missing, was  found dead," Takahiro Suzuki, a fire service official from  Fuji City, told AFP.
Eleven other workers were hurt, three seriously, he said,  updating an earlier announcement that 14 people had been  injured.
The casualties were all male and aged in their 20s to  60s.
Fuji city is located in the foothills of the world-famous  Mount Fuji, around 100 kilometres west of the capital Tokyo.
Officials said it was not immediately clear exactly what  was ...

Explosion at Japan chemical factory kills one, hurts 11

A Chinese man fed up with sitting  in traffic during his daily bus commute came up with a brazen  way of solving the problem -- repainting the lines on the  road.
The man, identified only by his surname Cai, was seen in  surveillance footage painting his own arrows at a junction in  the eastern city of Lianyungang to redirect the traffic as  cars manoeuvre past him, the regional Modern Express newspaper  said.
Police in Jiangsu province fined the 28-year-old 1,000  yuan ($150) after he was spotted crouching in the middle of  the busy road with a can of white paint, according to the  paper.
"I take the bus to go home after work every day, passing  by that place," Cai said in what appears to be a police video  obtained and published by the newspaper.
"The traffic jam there is always pretty bad but I saw  there are only a few cars in the lane that turns left so I  just want to expand one driving lane by adding one straight  arrow."
Authorities later ordered maintenance workers to remove  

Traffic-weary Chinese man fined for repainting road lines

Japan's Emperor Akihito will step down  on April 30, 2019, the prime minister announced today, the  first retirement in more than two centuries in the imperial  family believed to be the world's oldest.
Shinzo Abe said he was "deeply moved" at the "smooth  decision" taken after a special meeting of the Imperial  Council to decide on the date for the popular 83-year-old to  step down for health reasons.
"The government will make utmost efforts to ensure that  the Japanese people can celebrate the emperor's abdication and  the succession of the crown prince," added Abe.
Akihito's eldest son, 57-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito,  is expected to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne the next day.
The emperor shocked the country last year when he  signalled his desire to take a back seat after nearly three  decades, citing his age and health problems.
There have been abdications in Japan's long imperial  history dating back more than 2,600 years but the last one was  more than two centuries ...

Japan emperor to abdicate on April 30, 2019

Captain Joe Root says England will  use Australia's glee over Jonny Bairstow's headbutt  controversy as motivation for tomorrow's crucial second Ashes  Test in Adelaide.
The tourists were not amused over pictures of Steve Smith  laughing while team-mate Cameron Bancroft recounted the  England wicketkeeper's "weird" headbutt greeting, following  Australia's 10-wicket first Test victory in Brisbane.
While Root said it was important to move on from another  unwelcome distraction following suspended star all-rounder Ben  Stokes' availability saga. But he also chided Australia over  how they manipulated the Bairstow incident.
Asked at today's media conference if he would use the  Bairstow banter as motivation, Root fired back: "Absolutely.
"You look at the pictures from that press conference and  I think it's very important you be very careful how you  interpret that," he said.
"I'd like to think that Steve Smith has a good amount of  humility about him and that he's laughing at the ...

We are not amused: England motivated by 'headbutt' laughs

New Zealand's Neil Wagner took a  career-best seven-wicket haul to orchestrate a stunning  collapse as West Indies slumped to 134 all out on day one of  the first Test in Wellington today.
Twice in the innings Wagner took two wickets in  successive balls, and the renowned short-ball specialist  showed there was more in his armoury when he bowled West  Indies captain Jason Holder with a genuine yorker.
His figures of seven for 39 off 14.4 overs eclipsed his  previous best six for 41 against Zimbabwe last year as he  brought the West Indies' first innings to an end midway  through the second session of play.
At tea, New Zealand were nine without loss in reply with  Tom Latham on six and Jeet Raval on three.
The West Indies went into the Test riding a wave of  confidence after a series win over Zimbabwe and taking a Test  off England in recent months.
Even after losing the toss and being sent in to bat on a  green wicket, openers Kieran Powell and Kraigg Brathwaite  looked solid against .

Wagner bags career-best seven wickets as Windies crumble

The real countdown to the 2018 World  Cup in Russia begins today as the draw for the tournament is  held at a star-studded ceremony in the Kremlin.
President Vladimir Putin is expected to address the  footballing world that has descended upon Moscow, in the midst  of a freezing Russian winter, to find out who will play who,  when and where at the competition next year.
Putin and Russia will hope to make the draw itself a  memorable occasion and turn the focus firmly to football, and  the chosen setting, by Red Square and St Basil's Cathedral,  could scarcely be grander.
The build-up to Russia 2018 has been overshadowed by talk  of the controversial awarding of the tournament in the first  place, of the friction between Putin's regime and the West,  and of fears over terrorism and hooliganism.
Russia's sporting reputation has also taken a battering  after investigations into widespread doping by its athletes,  including at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
But now football's biggest ...

Russia ready for World Cup draw with Spain the team to avoid

Former world number one Novak Djokovic  said Radek Stepanek was joining his coaching team to  complement Andre Agassi.
Agassi and former doubles specialist Stepanek will  replace the Serb's former coaching duo of Boris Becker and  Marian Vajda.
He parted company with Becker last year and ended a  seven-year association with Vajda in May after seven years  working together.
"Not long ago, @radek_stepanek and I were on the opposite  sides of the net. Now we are teaming up to chase new goals  together and share the love for the game. What exciting times  we have ahead of us!" Djokovic said in an Instagram post.
Stepanek, a 39-year-old Czech, ended his career two weeks  ago after 21 years on the circuit during which he won two  doubles titles at Grand Slams.
Djokovic has slipped to 12th in the world since an elbow  injury forced him to end his season in July.
He is expected to return to action at an exhibition event  in Abu Dhabi on 28-30 December.

Djokovic brings Stepanek into coaching team

Billionaire James Packer has been  questioned by police in Australia over a corruption probe  involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is  suspected of receiving luxury gifts from wealthy supporters.

Australia tycoon Packer grilled over Netanyahu graft probe

Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-  Sarraj today told US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis that he  hopes a UN arms embargo can be eased.
The United Nations has enforced the embargo since the  2011 Libyan revolution that saw the ouster of Moamer Kadhafi's  regime.
During a meeting at the Pentagon, Sarraj told Mattis that  Libya has made progress against Islamist extremists and the  Islamic State group.
"We are also facing another challenge, which is the lack  of capabilities and means, and this includes also the embargo  on the armament that the National Accord Government is  facing," he said.
"We hope that this embargo will be partially ended, at  least against some of the military branches such as the  presidential guard and the coast guard so that they can  complete their mission."
Sarraj's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA)  has struggled to impose its authority in Libya in the face of  opposition from a rival eastern-based administration backed by  military strongman Khalifa ..

Libyan PM asks for easing of arms embargo

The International Monetary Fund  announced today it has approved a new USD 88 billion credit  line for Mexico, replacing the existing line.
The two-year flexible credit line boosts Mexico's ability  to immediately deal with a potential need for liquidity,  without having to request an IMF loan.
The country considers the funds precautionary and does  not intend to draw on them, although the IMF notes increasing  risks from the potential changes to the North American Free  Trade Agreement.
While Mexico's economy has proven resilient, the credit  line "will continue to play an important role in supporting  the authorities' macroeconomic strategy by providing insurance  against external risks and bolstering market confidence," IMF  Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in a statement.
"The global risk environment has improved, but the risk  of an abrupt change in Mexico's trade relations, or of a surge  in financial market volatility and a sharp pull-back of  capital from emerging ...

IMF approves new USD 88 bn credit line for Mexico

New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra  was ordered to pay French rival Danone NZ$183 million (USD 125  million) in damages today over a baby formula botulism scare.
The huge payout came after Danone sued over the 2013  issue, when fears about contamination in Fonterra-supplied  ingredients forced global formula recalls, including Danone  brands.
"We can confirm that this is the amount of the damages.  We are currently considering the full financial implications  of the award for Fonterra," the New Zealand cooperative said  in a statement.

Fonterra ordered to pay France's Danone USD 125 mln over baby

Italy's former prime minister Silvio  Berlusconi was ordered today to stand trial over alleged  witness tampering in a case related to his notorious "bunga  bunga" parties, media reports said.
The ruling is the latest chapter in the scandal involving  Karima El-Mahroug -- known as Ruby the Heart Stealer -- who  the veteran politician was accused of paying for sex.
After being convicted in 2013, he was cleared of all  charges in 2015.  Mahroug was 17 at the time of the alleged  offence.
But a court in Siena said Berlusconi should be tried over  purported payments to Danilo Mariani, a pianist who played  during the parties at the politician's house near Milan.
A first hearing is to take place in Siena on February 1,  2018, reports said, with Berlusconi accused of paying Mariani  to lie at his original trial.
The case is a setback for Berlusconi, now 81, who is  seeking another political comeback.
Ahead of a general election set to be held before May  next year, the billionaire four-time 

Berlusconi ordered to trial over alleged witness tampering

An Israeli man aged in his  twenties was stabbed to death today in a southern city in what  authorities called a terror attack.
"There is no doubt about the terrorist nature of the  attack," which happened in Arad, police spokesman Micky  Rosenfeld told AFP, adding that the assailants escaped.
Earlier in the day an Israeli settler shot dead a  Palestinian in the occupied West Bank after a group of Israeli  hikers was targeted by Palestinian stone-throwers.
Since a wave of violence began in October 2015, at least  309 Palestinians or Arab Israelis, 51 Israelis and seven  foreigners have been killed in a series of attacks, according  to an AFP count.
Israeli authorities say most of the Palestinians killed  were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks.
Others were shot dead in protests and clashes, while some  were killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
Violence is considered to have subsided greatly in recent  months.

Israeli stabbed to death in 'terror attack': police

Saudi Arabia today intercepted and  destroyed a ballistic missile fired from war-torn Yemen, state  media reported, in the second such attack this month claimed  by Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
The missile targeted the southern Saudi city of Khamis  Mushait, but no casualties were reported, said a spokesman for  the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Shiite rebels.
"Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted the missile  which was heading towards Khamis Mushait," the Saudi Press  Agency quoted the Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-  Maliki as saying.
The Huthi-run Al-Masira television channel had earlier  claimed the missile hit a military target inside Saudi Arabia,  but that was contradicted by the Saudi authorities.
Hours earlier rebel chief Abdulmalik al-Huthi threatened  to retaliate over the coalition's crippling blockade on Yemen,  which was imposed earlier this month in response to a missile  fired by the Huthis that was intercepted near Riyadh airport.
"Should the ...

Saudis intercept ballistic missile fired from Yemen: state

Clashes erupted today for a second  successive night between Huthi rebels and loyalists of former  president Ali Abdullah Saleh in the capital Sanaa, witnesses  and security sources said.
Security sources close to Saleh said armed supporters of  the Huthis had surrounded the residences of local officials in  the rebel government who are linked to the former president.
Saleh loyalists were also seen taking up positions in the  streets of the rebel-controlled city, witnesses and a security  source there said.
Saleh and the Huthis forged an unlikely alliance in 2014,  ending decades of animosity to join ranks in fighting against  Yemen's internationally recognised government.
The infighting now threatens to unravel the fragile  alliance, which has been battling the Saudi-backed government  of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in Yemen's devastating  war.
Today's violence comes 24 hours after clashes at the  Saleh mosque in Sanaa late yesterday killed nine Huthi rebels  and five Saleh ...

New rebel infighting hits Yemen capital

US President Donald Trump will  deliver his first traditional State of the Union address to a  joint session of Congress on January 30, officials said today.
"The New Year will bring an opportunity to take account  of the progress we have made but also lay out the work that  still remains to be done on behalf of the American people,"  House Speaker Paul Ryan said in his letter of invitation to  Trump.
A few hours later, the White House formally accepted the  invitation.
The president, and the Republicans who control Congress,  still lack a major legislative accomplishment 10 months into  his mandate, after failing to pass health care, immigration or  infrastructure reforms.
But Trump is now in reach of a major political victory,  with his controversial tax reform bill expected to come to a  vote in the Senate by Friday.
The State of the Union address is a presidential  obligation that allows the US leader to explain to the  American people and their elected representatives his  ...

Trump to give State of the Union address on Jan 30

Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said  today that the United States would pursue "unrelenting"  diplomacy in its efforts to resolve the North Korea crisis,  after Kim Jong-Un launched a missile capable of striking  anywhere in America.
"I am not willing to say that diplomacy has not worked,"  Mattis said.
"We will continue to work diplomatically, we will  continue to work through the United Nations, the United  Nations Security Council and we will be unrelenting in that.  At the same time, our diplomats will speak from a position of  strength because we do have military options.

US to push 'unrelenting' diplomacy in N Korea crisis: Mattis

Venezuela's military today arrested  the country's former oil minister and the ex-chief of state  oil company PDVSA after both men were sacked as part of an  anti-corruption crackdown.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab told journalists that  the former minister Eulogio del Pino and ex-PDVSA boss Nelson  Martinez were picked up in a dawn operation by the country's  Military Counterintelligence Unit.
Both former officials were arrested at their homes, four  days after they were axed from their jobs by President Nicolas  Maduro.
State television images showed black-clad security  forces, their faces covered and armed with rifles, knocking on  the door of Del Pino's apartment.
When he emerged, dressed in shorts and a Venezuela  football shirt, the powerful former official was handcuffed  and later fingerprinted.
Saab said Del Pino was accused of "intentionally altering  oil production figures" and said the arrests were part of an  operation "to dismantle the cartel that has been hitting 

AFP

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