Quinton de Kock plundered a century Monday as South Africa frustrated Australia to tighten their grip on the second Test as the sun emerged on the third day in Hobart.
     After Sunday's second day was washed out, the Australians were hunting for early wickets to put a brake on the Proteas after they were routed for a record low total of 85 on Saturday.
     But de Kock and Temba Bavuma batted South Africa into a position of strength with a century stand for the sixth wicket and a 203-run lead to put even more pressure on Steve Smith's embattled team.
     Wicketkeeper de Kock was bowled by Josh Hazlewood just before lunch for 104 -- his second Test hundred -- off 143 balls with 17 boundaries.
     His stand of 144 with Temba Bavuma was the highest by a visiting team in Hobart for the sixth wicket.
     At lunch, the Proteas were 288 for six with Bavuma unbeaten on 74 and Vernon Philander on three.
     De Kock became only the fourth South African to register 50 or more in five ...

De Kock ton as S.Africa tighten noose

PTI Automatic

Scoreboard at lunch on the third day of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Monday.
     Australia first innings 85
     South Africa first innings (overnight 171-5)
     S. Cook         c Nevill b Starc      23
     D. Elgar        lbw b Starc           17
     H. Amla         c Nevill b Hazlewood  47
     JP Duminy       c Smith b Starc        1
     F. Du Plessis   lbw b Hazlewood        7
     T. Bavuma       not out               74
     Q. De Kock      b Hazlewood          104
     V. Philander    not out                3
     Extras (b3, lb8, nb1)                 12
     Total (6 wickets; 92 overs)          288
     Fall of wickets: 1-43 (Elgar), 2-44 (Cook), 3-46 (Duminy), 4-76 (Du Plessis), 5-132 (Amla), 6-276 (De Kock)
     Bowling: Starc 23-1-71-3 (1nb), Hazlewood 26-8-71-3, Mennie 25-5-73-0, Lyon 17-2-57-0, Smith 1-0-5-0.

Hobart, Nov 14 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the third day of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Monday.

Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova clinched the Czech Republic's fifth Fed Cup title in six years on Sunday after beating France in the deciding doubles rubber in Strasbourg.
     With the tie level at 2-2, US Open finalist Pliskova teamed up with Strycova to defeat French Open doubles champions Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 7-5 to prolong the Czechs' reign.
     It was their third triumph in succession and 10th overall, with only the United States boasting more titles with 17.
     "Unbelievable. We don't have words yet, we are going to celebrate. The feeling is something so special, even if it's our fifth title. It's really unbelievable," said Strycova, a member of the title-winning teams in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015.
     "It's one of the best trophies I am going to win. I am going to place it next to the one from last year," added Pliskova.
     France had grabbed a 2-1 lead earlier in the day after Garcia moved them within reach of a first Fed Cup crown since ..

Czechs edge France to retain Fed Cup title

Fernando Alonso threatened to deliberately drive into Sebastian Vettel next time they are competing to teach him a lesson about his on-track conduct.
     The two-time world champion plans to ensure that the under-fire German understands that "the track belongs to everybody" after the pair clashed during Sunday's rain-hit and tempestuous Brazilian Grand Prix.
     The McLaren-Honda driver and the four-time champion Ferrari racer were fighting for seventh position when Vettel attempted to pass Alonso on the inside at Turn 11.
     Alonso said he was forced off the circuit by Vettel and had to run off to avoid contact and thereby conceded a position.
     "There was an asphalt run-off and I used it and nothing happened, but if there's a wall there, I either drive into the wall or into him, which is what I will probably do next time," raged Alonso.
     "I'll crash into him and he will lose more points than me."
     He added: "It's okay. You just use the asphalt run-off and that's it, ..

Alonso warns Vettel over track behaviour

Lewis Hamilton warned Nico Rosberg he was "hunting" a fourth world title after describing his stunning triumph in Sunday's wet and chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix as one of the easiest of his 52 career victories.
     The 31-year-old Briton won in Brazil for the first time at the 10th attempt to complete a hat-trick of consecutive wins and keep alive his championship defence, taking the title battle down to the wire at the final race, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 27.
     "I'm hunting and all I can do is what I am doing," said a delighted Hamilton, who trails his Mercedes team-mate and championship rival Rosberg, who finished second on Sunday, by 12 points with one race remaining.
     "The team have given me a great car and finally the reliability has been good. Right now, I am living in the moment. This was my dream when I was five or six, watching Nelson (Piquet) and Ayrton (Senna) race. It was one of my easier races, I didn't have any spins, any moments. It was pretty ...

I'm hunting you down, victorious Hamilton warns Rosberg

An emotional Felipe Massa received a rapturous reception from his home crowd and a guard of honour from rival teams after crashing out of Sunday's incident-packed Brazilian Grand Prix.
     The retirement-bound Williams driver collided with the barriers when he aquaplaned off in treacherous wet conditions at Interlagos on lap 46 of the 71-lap race.
     After climbing from his wrecked car unhurt, he walked back to the pit lane draped in a Brazilian flag and waving to the spectators in the packed main straight grandstand.
     As the 35-year-old strolled towards the Williams garage, the Mercedes and Ferrari teams stepped out into the downpour to applaud him, the Italian outfit hugging their former driver in an outburst of affection.
     One of the best-liked men in the paddock, Massa was struggling to hold his emotions in check.
     "It is so difficult to explain the feeling," he said. "This is such a special place for me."
     Massa grew up in the Interlagos neighbourhood and was a 

Massa in tears after emotional guard of honour

Lewis Hamilton survived carnage and relentless rain to send this year's world championship down to the wire in Abu Dhabi as he claimed a spectacular victory in Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.
     The defending three-time world champion showed all his tenacity and skill with a near-flawless drive in treacherous Interlagos conditions to finish ahead of his Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg.
     The German came home second to leave himself needing a podium finish in the final event on November 27 to seal his maiden title triumph, in what promises to be one of the most tense season F1 finales in recent memory.
     With one race remaining, Rosberg leads by 12 points, but Hamilton warned that he was "hunting" his team-mate.
     Max Verstappen produced the most stunning performance of the day -- if not the season -- when he recovered from falling to 16th after a late tyre change to claim third place with a series of daring passes in the final laps.
     It was ...

Hamilton wins to take title showdown to final race

Republican U.S. president-elect Donald Trump stands wife Melania and family at his election night rally in Manhattan, New York

"Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory," Trump said

Donald Trump picks Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff and Steve Bannon as chief strategist

Press Trust of India

Pro-Russian candidate Igor Dodon was on the brink of being declared winner of Moldova's presidential runoff, viewed as an East-West choice in the impoverished ex-Soviet country.
	With 97 per cent of ballots counted till late yesterday, Socialist Party chief Dodon had 55.3 per cent of the votes, according to the electoral commission, with pro-European rival Maia Sandu on 44.7 per cent.
	"We have won, everyone knows it," Dodon told a late-night press conference.
	Official results were due to be announced at 0800 (local time) today.
	The vote marks the first time in 16 years that Moldova -- wracked by corruption scandals in recent years -- is electing its leader by national vote instead of having parliament select the head of state.
	Wedged between Ukraine and Romania, the tiny nation of 3.5 million people is caught in a political tug-of-war between Russia and the West.
	Dodon had come out top in the first round of voting on October 30 with 48 per cent ahead of Sandu, a centre-right ...

Pro-Russian candidate set to win Moldova presidency

Trump names Priebus White House chief of staff. (AFP)

Israel's ministerial committee for legislation today approved a draft bill aimed at legalising wildcat Jewish settlements built on private Palestinian land, parliamentary sources said.
	The bill must pass through three readings in parliament and also be ratified by the supreme court before it can become law.
	Today's vote was rushed through the ministerial committee in an attempt to prevent the evacuation of the Jewish settlement of Amona in the Israeli-occupied West Bank by the end of the year.
	The supreme court has ordered the evacuation of settlers from Amona and the demolition of their homes by December 25.
	Amona is home to about 40 families and was built on land privately owned by Palestinians who had petitioned the court for the outpost to be removed.
	The international community considers all Israeli settlements in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank to be illegal, whether they are authorised by the government or not.
	They are also seen as a major ...

Israeli ministers approve draft bill to legalise outposts

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro today rejected early elections as a way out of a spiraling crisis that has led to widespread shortages, soaring inflation and mass protests.
	"An electoral way out? Way out to where?" he asked. "Nobody should get obsessed with electoral processes that are not in the constitution.

Maduro rejects early elections as way out of Venezuela crisis

Bulgaria risked plunging into fresh political turmoil today after a Moscow-friendly general backed by the Socialist opposition won the presidential run-off, exit polls showed.
	Ex-airforce chief and political novice Rumen Radev beat the handpicked nominee of centre-right Prime Minister Boyko Borisov by a whopping margin.
	Observers say the general's victory might tilt ex-communist Bulgaria, which has long walked a tightrope between Moscow and Brussels, towards Russia's orbit -- a trend seen across eastern and central Europe amid rising euroscepticism.
	Nearby Moldova also looked set to elect a pro-Russian president today.
	Radev swept just over 58 per cent of the vote to parliamentary speaker Tsetska Tsacheva's 35 per cent, according to the exit polls.
	"It's a victory for all Bulgarian people. Democracy has beaten apathy and fear today," Radev told public broadcaster BNT today evening.
	Borisov, who was re-elected premier for the second time in 2014, has threatened to step down if ...

Russia-friendly general wins Bulgaria presidential poll

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov announced his resignation today after his presidential nominee suffered a crushing defeat in a run-off at the hands of a Moscow-friendly general backed by the Socialist opposition.
	"I will hand in my resignation tomorrow or the day after... The results clearly show that the ruling coalition no longer holds the majority," the centre-right premier told reporters today evening.
	The announcement is likely to trigger early elections by next spring and risks plunging Bulgaria into renewed political turmoil just two years after Borisov took office for the second time.
	It came shortly after projections showed that ex-airforce chief and political novice Rumen Radev had swept close to 60 percent of ballots, while ex-parliament speaker Tsetska Tsacheva obtained just over 35 percent.
	Observers say the surprise win could tilt ex-communist Bulgaria, which has long walked a tightrope between Moscow and Brussels, towards Russia's orbit -- a trend seen across 

Bulgaria PM quits after his presidential nominee loses vote

Leon Russell, who achieved rare fame as a session musician by playing with artists from The Rolling Stones to Elton John and pursuing his own eclectic career, has died. He was 74.
	Russell, who remained active and had tour dates in front of him, died in his sleep at his home in Nashville, his wife said in a statement today without further details.
	Born in Oklahoma, Russell mastered the piano as a child and soaked up a variety of musical influences from country to rhythm and blues to gospel.
	By 14, he was singing pop standards in Oklahoma nightclubs and at 17 he took a Greyhound bus to Los Angeles, seeking out music gigs.
	He eventually became a leader of the so-called "Wrecking Crew" of top-notch session musicians in Los Angeles who recorded with top artists.
	Key collaborations throughout his long career included The Rolling Stones, Beatle George Harrison, Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and the Beach Boys.
	With his long beard, top hat and lively, .

Eclectic session band legend Leon Russell dead at 74

Bulgaria risked plunging into fresh political turmoil today after a Moscow-friendly general backed by the Socialist opposition won the presidential run-off, beating the handpicked nominee of centre-right Prime Minister Boyko Borisov by a whopping margin.
	Ex-airforce chief and political novice Rumen Radev swept just over 58 per cent of the vote to parliamentary speaker Tsetska Tsacheva's 35 per cent, exit polls showed.
	Borisov earlier threatened to step down if his pro-European Union candidate failed to win.
	"We will not participate in any way in the government if we lose today," Borisov said earlier on today.
	Observers say the general's victory might tilt ex-communist Bulgaria, which has long walked a tightrope between Moscow and Brussels, towards Russia's orbit -- a trend seen across eastern and central Europe amid rising euroscepticism.
	Nearby Moldova also looked set to elect a pro-Russian president on today.
	The straight-laced Tsacheva has failed to sway disgruntled voters ...

Russia-friendly opposition candidate wins Bulgaria prez vote

US law does not forbid Donald Trump from managing his corporate empire from the White House, according to one of his top advisors, who counseled nevertheless that the billionaire's businesses be run by his adult children.
	Rudy Giuliani, a former mayor of New York and one of the leaders of Trump's presidential transition team, told CNN that American presidents are not covered under laws preventing high government officials from having private industry ventures while in office.
	"You realize that those laws don't apply to the president, right? The president doesn't have to have a blind trust," Giuliani told CNN.
	"For some reason, when the law was written, the president was exempt," said Giuliani, an attorney who also served years ago with the US Justice Department.
	"I think he's in a very unusual situation," Giuliani said of Trump.
	In a separate interview on ABC's "This Week," Giuliani counseled that Trump should nevertheless remove himself from the running of his business ...

US law doesn't bar Trump from business empire: Giuliani

Myanmar's Rakhine state was hit by fresh waves of violence over the weekend with more than 30 insurgents killed over two-days of fighting, the military said, as fears soar for the strife-torn region.
	Northern Rakhine, which is home to the Muslim Rohingya minority and borders Bangladesh, has been under military lockdown ever since surprise raids on border posts left nine police dead last month.
	Soldiers have killed scores and arrested many more in their hunt for the attackers, who the government says are radicalised Rohingya militants with links to overseas Islamists.
	The crisis and reports of grave rights abuses being carried out in tandem with the security crackdown have piled international pressure on Myanmar's new civilian government and raised questions about its ability to control the military.
	Days of apparent calm were shattered yesterday when the army said six attackers and two soldiers were killed during a series of coordinated ambushes that were only beaten back with the 

Dozens killed in fresh violence in Myanmar's Rakhine

At least two dead in New Zealand earthquake: PM. (AFP)

Three caves in a remote Chinese village where Xi Jinping was sent during the Cultural Revolution receive a constant stream of Communist pilgrims, come to pay homage four years after he came to power.
	Xi, then 15, was ordered to Liangjiahe in 1969 as part of Mao Zedong's "Up to the Mountain and Down to the Countryside Movement", which saw educated city youth deployed to rural areas.
	The urbane son of a Communist Party grandee, Xi spent seven years hauling grain and sleeping in cave homes on fleabitten brick beds.
	But he has said he "left his heart" in Liangjiahe, and credits the experience with his political formation long before he became the most powerful man in the world's second-largest economy.
	Now the dusty village in Shaanxi province, 1,000 kilometres from Beijing, has been transformed into a living shrine to Xi's years of toil, with vintage Mao posters, thermoses, and kerosene lamps giving the cave homes he occupied an authentic feel.
	Between 1,000 and 7,000 tourists visit 

China's Communist pilgrims pay homage in Xi Jinping village

Dubai business magnate Mohamed Alabbar announced today the launch of a USD 1-billion regional e-commerce site in a joint venture with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund and other Gulf investors.
	Noon.Com is to go online in January with a 50-per cent investment from the kingdom's Public Investment Fund and the rest from around 60 investors led by Alabbar, who heads the emirate's real estate giant Emaar.
	He told a press conference that distribution centres are being set up in the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Jeddah, along with a giant warehouse the size of 60 football stadiums in Dubai.
	"We expect to become a world player but will concentrate firstly on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates," said the president of Emaar, the company which built the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
	With an initial inventory of 20 million products, the online retailer aims to expand to Egypt, the Arab world's most populous state, at the end of next year or early in 2018.
	Alabbar, ..

AFP

AFP

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