Final scoreboard on the fifth day
of the third and final Test between Sri Lanka and Australia in here today.
     Sri Lanka 1st innings: 355
     Australia 1st innings: 379
     Sri Lanka 2nd innings (overnight 312 for 8)
     D Perera lbw b Starc                   8
     D Karunaratne st Nevill b Lyon        22
     K Silva c Smith b Holland            115
     K Perera c Nevill b Holland           24
     K Mendis lbw b Starc                  18
     A Mathews c Smith b Lyon              26
     D Chandimal lbw b Lyon                43
     D de Silva not out                    65
     R Herath c Smith b Lyon                5
     S Lakmal not out                       4
     Extras: (B-8, LB-3, W-1, NB-5)        17
     Total: (For 8 wkts decl; 99.3 overs) 347
     Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-44, 3-69, 4-98, 5-156, 6-246, 7-276, 8-297.
     Bowling: Starc 19.3-4-72-2, Lyon 37-7-123-4, Holland 20-4-72-2, Hazlewood 14-2-33-0, Smith 2-0-13-0, M Marsh 3-1-3-0, M Henriques 2-0-9-0, A Voges .

Colombo, Aug 17 (AFP) Final scoreboard on the fifth day

PTI Automatic

Sri Lanka clinched their first series whitewash over a major cricketing nation today as they won the third and final Test against Australia by 163 runs, with spinner Rangana Herath taking 7-64.
     Set a formidable target of 324 in their second innings at Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), the world number one Test side collapsed in the afternoon session on the fifth day and were all out for 160.
     It was the third time in a row that the Australians had lost all of their Tests in away series against teams from the sub-continent.
     Openers David Warner and Shaun Marsh gave Australia some hope of a consolation win with a brisk start in the morning session but once their partnership was broken, the visitors suffered a rapid collapse.
     Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera struck just before lunch to send Marsh, who scored a century in the century in the first innings in Colombo, back to the pavilion on 23.
     Herath soon took over from his fellow spinner to dismiss Australian skipper Steve .

Whitewash as Sri Lanka wins 3rd Australia Test

Germany's Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel raised eyebrows today over a video of him showing the middle finger to a group of far-right protesters.
	Gabriel was at a visit to Lower Saxony on Friday, when he was accosted by a group of masked protesters holding banners bearing the slogan "Traitor".
	"Man, your father loved his country, and what have you done to it? You're destroying it," a protester could be heard saying on the video, in a reference to Gabriel's father, who was a Nazi.
	The Social Democrat leader, who has publicly condemned his father as a "die-hard Nazi", turned to face the protesters with a smile, before making the vulgar gesture. His party has confirmed the authenticity of the video posted on Facebook by a youth group linked to the neo-Nazi NPD.
	Frauke Petry, the leader of populist party AfD, swiftly condemned Gabriel's gesture, calling him the "unworthy vice chancellor" in a Facebook post.
	Gabriel is not the first Social Democrat leader to be seen making the gesture .

German vice-chancellor gives neo-Nazi protesters the finger

Vietnam cancelled a long-arranged commemoration ceremony for Australian war veterans today in a move Canberra described as "a kick in the guts" that it is seeking to overturn.
	More than 1,000 veterans and their families have travelled to Vietnam to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan on Thursday.
	"We have been working with the Vietnamese government for over 18 months for this, towards making sure that this commemoration took place in a low-key, dignified and respectful way," Veterans Affairs Minister Dan Tehan said.
	"For us to be given such short notice of the cancellation is, to put it in very frank terms, a kick in the guts," he said from Canberra.
	The Battle of Long Tan took place on August 18, 1966 and was the most costly single battle fought by Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War. Seventeen Australians were killed in action and 25 wounded, one of whom later died from his injuries.
	Tehan said he was bitterly disappointed at the decision which he said ...

Vietnam cancelling veterans' ceremony a 'kick in the guts':Aus

Oil prices fell in Asia today as investors booked profits from recent gains, but stayed above USD 46 on hopes producers would decide to freeze output at a meeting next month.
	Prices closed at five-week highs overnight, bolstered by a weaker dollar and after remarks by OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC rival Russia on cooperation to stabilise prices, which could include an output freeze.
	US crude climbed 1.8 per cent to settle at USD 46.48 a barrel in New York and Brent also advanced 1.8 per cent to close at 49.23 in London yesterday.
	Both contracts were down in Asian trade on Wednesday as investors booked some profits, but analysts said the decline was tempered by buying in anticipation that prices would still go higher.
	"Yes, there is an element of profit taking initially. However it looks as though...  Asian traders have used that profit taking move down to add to long positions," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA.
	At around 0400 GMT, US benchmark West ...

Oil stays above USD 46 as market ponders output freeze calls

A rapidly spreading fire raging east of Los Angeles forced the evacuation of more than 82,000 people as the governor of California declared a state of emergency.
	Around 34,500 buildings were threatened by the blaze, according to the multi-agency Inciweb information site.
	The state of emergency called by Governor Jerry Brown will allow California to mobilise its government agencies to fight the fire blazing out of control in San Bernardino County, located just 100 kilometers east of Los Angeles.

More than 82,000 flee California fires: authorities

Australia has returned home six Sri Lankans which it said were onboard a "people smuggling boat" after intercepting it at sea, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton today said.
	Under 'Operation Sovereign Borders' asylum-seekers trying to reach Australia by boat are either sent back to where they departed from or transferred to remote Pacific island camps.
	Dutton gave no indication of where the boat was detected, whether those on board applied for asylum or were assessed for refugee status, and how they were returned.
	"Australia has returned a group of Sri Lankan nationals to Sri Lanka yesterday (Tuesday) after recently intercepting a people smuggling venture," the minister said in a statement.
	"Six Sri Lankans who were attempting to travel illegally to Australia were aboard the vessel which was intercepted on an approach to Australia."
	More than 25 boats have been returned since the introduction of Operation Sovereign Borders in September 2013, a policy the government says has ...

Australia returns Sri Lankans from 'people-smuggling' boat

A tropical storm dumped rain on Japan's northeast coast today, prompting cancellations of flights and train services as officials warned of possible landslides and flooding.
	Tropical Storm Chanthu, packing gusts up to 126 kilometres per hour, was travelling along Japan's Pacific coast, bringing heavy rains, strong winds and high waves to the northeastern region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
	"Due to continued heavy rain, risks of landslides are increasing," in the northeast, the agency said in a statement.
	At least 800 households in Ibaraki prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, experienced power outages early Wednesday due to the storm damage, Tokyo Electric Power said.
	It caused some cancellations of train services in the northern region, including bullet trains.
	Japan Airlines cancelled 14 domestic flights to and from northern Japan, including regional hubs such as Sendai.
	Its rival All Nippon Airways said services were largely unaffected by the storm.
	Japanese ...

Tropical storm hits Japan's northeast, hitting transport

North Korea today labelled South Korean President Park Geun-Hye a "psychopath" after she made a speech slamming Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and defending the deployment of a US anti-missile system.
	In her televised address on Monday, Park had stressed that deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system was an act of "self-defence" in response to the North's expanding nuclear weapons programme.
	A spokesman for the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country said Park's argument was "preposterous" and unfounded.
	"This is just a lame excuse and she should know that no one will be taken in by such sophism of a puppet that can do nothing without an approval of her US master," the spokesman said.
	"This is no more than nonsense talked by a psychopath," he added in a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency.
	North Korea has threatened to take "physical action" against the THAAD deployment, saying any South Korean ports and ...

N Korea calls South's leader 'psychopath' over missile row

A son of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was among a group kidnapped from a bar in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta, authorities have confirmed.
	Seven gunmen in pickup trucks swooped on the upscale bar and restaurant yesterday around dawn and abducted several victims.
	Investigators said it was likely part of a settling of scores between rival drug cartels.
	"Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, 29, is the son of Joaquin (Guzman) Loera, this has been confirmed," and he is among those being held, regional public prosecutor Eduardo Almaguer told a news conference.
	He said Guzman Salazar was one of the four people who have so far been identified among six abducted.
	He added that "various security agencies" had confirmed that Guzman Salazar was the son of "El Chapo."
	The elder Guzman is the jailed boss of the powerful Sinaloa cartel and one of the most notorious drug lords in the world.
	Authorities initially said 10 to 12 people had been kidnapped, but after analysing security 

'El Chapo' son among Mexico kidnap victims: prosecutor

Three resorts in France were poised to join three other seaside towns in banning the burkini, the full-body Islamic swimming garment that has sparked concern about religious extremism.
	Prime Minister Manuel Valls also weighed in on the debate, lashing the wearing of the burkini as "not compatible with the values of France and the Republic" and saying he supported mayors who ban it if they acted in the public good.
	In the southwest, the mayor of the resort town of Leucate, Michel Py, was to sign a municipal decree yesterday that would ban the burkini on public beaches, the town hall said.
	The decree, which runs until August 31, will bar access to public beaches to "any person who is not properly dressed, respectful of moral behaviour and secularism, hygiene and bathing safety."
	"The wearing of bathing clothes which are associated with these principles is also forbidden," according to the decree, seen by AFP.
	Leucate is located on the Mediterranean coast, 35 kilometres (20 miles) ..

Three more towns in France to join burkini ban

Iranian weightlifter Behdad Salimikordasiabi set a new world record of 216kg in the snatch in the men's superheavyweight +105kg competition at the Rio Olympics on Tuesday.
	   Salimikordasiabi, often called 'Salimi', had owned the record of 214kg going into the event only for Georgia's Lasha Talakhadze to lift 215 with his third attempt.
	   However, the Georgian only held the world record for around one minute as Salimi confidently strode onto the podium and immediately grabbed the record back for himself.
	   Salimi leads by 1kg going into the clean and jerk.
	   The men's +105kg will see the 15th and final weightlifting gold medal of the Rio Games awarded.

Iranian lifter snatches new world record

Iceland has announced that it plans to lift nearly all the restrictions on currency movements imposed on its citizens in the 2008 global financial crisis.
	The country, which introduced capital controls at the time to prevent a capital flight and shore up the national currency, the krona, said it can now begin progressively lifting restrictions.
	The finance ministry unveiled draft legislation which will allow Icelanders, for example, to buy property overseas and expand "significantly" their right to purchase foreign currency in cash.
	"Important steps are being taken to lift the capital controls in full," said the ministry in a statement setting out details of the draft law.
	"With the measures provided for in the bill, the capital controls should not place substantial restrictions on most individuals, and by the turn of the year, only a very few individuals should be affected," it added.
	Drafted with the approval of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the bill is due to be ...

Iceland to free up currency movements

The International Weightlifting Federation will ban Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus from competing for one year after the Rio Olympics finish because of doping, its chief told AFP in an interview.
     IWF president Tamas Ajan said the governing body would announce the bans at the end of September or beginning of October, adding that he expected to punish several other nations as well.
     "After the Games we will suspend these countries. I give a guarantee about this... (It) will be Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus," Ajan told AFP at the Rio Games.
	Weightlifting has long been afflicted by doping scandals and the IWF has undertaken a major crackdown on athletes using performance-enhancing drugs, often from former Soviet Union or Eastern Bloc countries.
	It prevented Russia and Bulgaria, both traditional powerhouses, from competing in weightlifting at the Rio Olympics for repeated and high-profile doping offences.
	The IWF had also wanted to bar Kazakhstan and Belarus but the ...

Weightlifting body to ban Russia, Kazakhs, Belarus over doping

One in every four women living in South Africa's platinum mining belt has been raped in her lifetime, a study by the medical charity MSF reported today.
	Doctors Without Borders (MSF) randomly surveyed over 800 women between the ages 18 and 49 in the Rustenburg area, northwest of Johannesburg, over a two-month period at the end of 2015.
	"What we found from the survey is that one in four women has been raped in Rustenburg," Garret Barnwell, an MSF humanitarian affairs officer in the area, told AFP.
	"What was quite striking for us is that if you use the prevalence rate, you can say that there were round about 11,000 women who were affected every year," he added.
	The report cited community health worker Rosina Palai, saying "for many women, sexual violence has become part of their daily lives. Violence is routine."
	The report also showed that only five percent of the women who were raped visited a health care facility for post-rape care and treatment.
	Stigma plays a part, said ...

Study finds startling rape numbers in S.Africa's mining area

Three workers with the Catholic aid organisation Caritas were abducted today in a troubled region of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the charity said.
	The incident occurred 125 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital of Goma, in an area notorious for attacks by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group.
	"Two Caritas-Congo vehicles were ambushed in Misinga and three Congolese workers were kidnapped," Caritas-Congo spokesman Guy-Marin Kamandji said.
	"One of the vehicles came under fire... (but) was able to turn around," he said.
	One of its occupants, a German photojournalist, was wounded in the leg, he said.
	The vehicles were carrying neither money nor aid, Kamandji said.
	FDLR members are the "suspected authors" of the kidnapping, he said.
	Set up in the eastern DRC after the genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994, the FDLR has been accused of committing frequent atrocities against civilians in areas under its control.
	Several of its ..

Three aid workers kidnapped in DR Congo: Caritas

Argentina humiliated double defending Olympic champions Germany 5-2 to reach the men's hockey final for the first time on Tuesday.
	   The South Americans pounced on a German team who only squeezed into the semi-finals by scoring three times in the closing five minutes to beat New Zealand in the last-eight, 3-2.
	   Defender Gonzalo Peillat hit a hat-trick of penalty corners with Joaquin Menini and Lucas Vila giving Argentina a 5-0 lead.
	   Menini's 35th minute goal was the pick of the bunch for an Argentina team who will win their first medal in men's hockey.
	   Agustin Mazzilli escaped a defender to lift the ball over German goalkeeper Nicolas Jacobi for his teammate to tap home.
	   Peillat's triple took his total for the tournament to 10.
	   "We watched a lot of videos of the Germans before this game. We had three corners in the first part of the game and then we scored three-from-three so it was good, happy," said 24-year-old Peillat.
	   Moritz Furste and Christopher Ruhr ...

Argentina humiliate defending hockey champions Germany

The death toll from historic flooding in the US state of Louisiana went up to eight on today, as the expanding flood zone prompted authorities to declare disasters in a dozen parishes.
	While waters were receding in parts of southern Louisiana, other areas were seeing rising waters. The National Weather Service issued renewed flood warnings.
	"We're seeing unprecedented flood levels as the waters move south," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said at a news conference.
	Officials said 40,000 homes have been impacted by the floods, and more than 8,000 people were in shelters.
	More than 20,000 have been rescued or evacuated, they said.
	A dozen parishes -- similar to counties in other states -- have now been declared emergency disaster areas, up from four yesterday.
	The designation frees up federal money to aid with rescue operations and emergency housing, among other things.
	Waters were receding in some northern and western areas of the flood zone, while other areas were still in .

Eight dead, 40,000 homes flooded in Louisiana

Four people were killed today when a speedboat sliced into a wooden tourist vessel near a popular Greek holiday island, the coastguard said.
	Those dead include the tourist vessel's captain and a nine-year-old girl, a coastguard spokeswoman said.
	Three of the victims are Greek but the fourth, a man, has not been identified.
	The motorboat's pilot was arrested, she added.
	Five people were also hurt in the crash off Egina, an island near the capital where many Athenians have summer homes, officials said.
	Among those injured is a 28-year-old woman who lost her lower leg in the accident, reports said.
	Another 20 people were rescued, but the search is ongoing as only the captain knew exactly how many people were on board the tourist launch, the coastguard said.
	"We saw over 8-9 people in the sea... Some were swimming, others were unconscious, dead," a witness told Greece's Mega broadcaster.
	Another witness told Skai radio that the motorboat, which had four people on board, had sliced 

Four killed in Greek tourist boat collision

German police today arrested a man believed to have supplied a gun and bullets used by a teenage gunman to kill nine people in a rampage at a Munich shopping centre, prosecutors said.
	Police had began tracking the 31-year-old German suspect while investigating two cases of illegal arms transactions that were unrelated to the Munich gunman, David Ali Sonboly.
	After establishing the suspect's transaction procedure through the internet and encrypted emails, investigators set up a fake deal for the purchase of a machine gun, pistol and ammunition.
	During the process, the unnamed "suspected weapons dealer" said that he had supplied the Glock 17 pistol and ammunition to the Munich assault gunman", prosecutors said in a statement.
	"The 31-year-old man was arrested as he was handing over a shotgun" in the set up, police said.
	Sonboly killed himself after his murderous spree on July 22 with the pistol he had bought on the internet.
	His attack, which began at a McDonald's branch, also ...

German police arrest Munich gunman's 'weapons supplier'

Zambian police said today they had arrested 150 opposition activists over protests that erupted after President Edgar Lungu was declared the winner of a highly-contested vote.
	Supporters of opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema took to the streets in Southern Province after the election results were released yesterday, blockading roads with logs and burning tyres.
	"The people of Southern Province were very sure that Hichilema was going to win... And this sparked riots... resulting in the arrest of 150 people," the province's police commissioner Godwin Phiri in a statement.
	Hichilema, who heads the United Party for National Development (UPND), has rejected Thursday's poll as rigged and the party said it would formally challenge the result.
	The 54-year-old self-made businessman hails from the south and enjoys widespread support in the region.
	Hichilema, who was making his fifth bid for the presidency, claimed there were clear signs of fraud and vote rigging over the four days it ...

AFP

AFP

Page 1499 - Afp