Scoreboard at tea on the second day of the third Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston today:
     England 1st Innings 297 (G Ballance 70, M Ali 63; Sohail Khan 5-96)
     Pakistan 1st Innings
     Mohammad Hafeez c Ballance b Anderson        0
     Sami Aslam batting                          69
     Azhar Ali batting                           72
     Extras (b2, lb10, nb1)                      13
     Total (1 wkt, 55 overs)                    154
     Fall of wickets: 1-0
     Bowling: Anderson 13-4-22-1; Broad 12-3-24-0; Finn 12-3-33-0; Woakes 12-1-31-0; Ali 6-0-32-0.

Birmingham, Aug 4 (AFP) Scoreboard at tea on the second day of the third Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston today:

PTI Automatic

Rafael Nadal admitted the fear of losing the chance to carry Spain's flag at an Olympic Games opening ceremony for the second time has driven him into competing in Rio, despite serious fears over his injured left wrist.
     The 30-year-old Nadal was due to lead his team out at the London Games in 2012 but a knee injury forced him out of the tournament where he had been due to defend his gold medal.
     Basketball star Pau Gasol took over flag-bearing duties instead.
     Four years on, 14-time major winner Nadal is injured again, this time nursing a damaged left wrist which has kept him off tour since the French Open in May.
     "The Olympic Games are the most important sports event. They are something unique and different," said Nadal who is scheduled to lead Spain out at Friday's opening ceremony.
     "Clearly, it's another plus to be the flag-bearer and I have already had to give it up in London. To give it it up two times in a row would have been very hard and has of course ...

Nadal driven on by flag day pride

Two Russian swimmers barred from the Olympics after an investigation found state-run doping have been given the all-clear to compete in Rio, world swimming federation FINA told AFP today.
     Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev had been banned after being implicated in the Richard McLaren report on state-run doping in Russia. But they were named among 31 swimmers allowed to compete in Rio, FINA said.
     The appeals of Yulia Efimova, a London bronze medallist, and Daria Ustinova were still pending, with Efimova's case being heard on Thursday morning.
     With the Rio opening ceremony fast approaching on Friday, the International Olympic Committee was racing to confirm the final list of Russians allowed to compete in the Games.
     A three-man IOC commission will confirm the athletes put forward by the international sports federations.
     The IOC gave the federations the job of determining which Russians should be eligible after opting against a blanket ban of the country.
     

Banned Russian swimmers given Rio all-clear

Novice opener Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali shared an unbroken stand of 154 after Pakistan lost Mohammad Hafeez without a run on the board in the third Test against England at Edgbaston today.
     At tea, the recalled Aslam was a Test-best 69 not out and Azhar, dropped twice, 72 not out in a total of 154 for one.
     That left Pakistan 143 runs behind England's first innings 297.
     Pakistan were none for one just four balls into their innings on Thursday when Hafeez fell for a duck after lazily guiding a short James Anderson delivery to Gary Ballance at point.
     The tourists had seen Sohail Khan, one of their two changes from the side beaten by 330 runs in the second Test at Old Trafford as England levelled the four-match series at 1-1, take five wickets on Wednesday.
     Now all eyes were on Aslam, also playing just his third Test, after the 20-year-old had been brought in to replace struggling opener Shan Masood.
     Left-hander Aslam steered Stuart Broad wide of gully for the .

Aslam and Azhar frustrate England in third Test

A 6.0 magnitude earthquake shook an area near Argentina's northern border with Bolivia today, the US Geological Survey reported.
	The quake, which struck at 1415 GMT, was centered about 48 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of the town of Abra Pampa, Argentina at a depth of 258.1 kilometers, the agency said.

6.0 magnitude quake in northern Argentina: USGS

Pope Francis travelled to the Italian town of Assisi today for a private visit to mark the 800th anniversary of the 'Pardon of Assisi', under which the slates of sinners can be wiped clean.
	The 79-year-old pope arrived by helicopter in the hill-town in central Italy where his namesake Saint Francis of Assisi was born and found God, renouncing his wealth for a life of poverty and becoming an emissary of peace during the Crusades.
	The Argentine pontiff, who took the name of Francis in homage to the famous Christian friar and his devotion to the downtrodden, prayed in silence in the Porziuncola, a tiny church inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels.
	It was here the Franciscan movement was founded, and here the venerated patron saint of Italy, animals and the environment died.
	Yesterday the pope said it would be "a very simple pilgrimage, but a very significant one".
	Thousands of pilgrims turned out to catch a glimpse of the head of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, ...

Second chance for sinners as pope fetes 'Assisi pardon'

Plans for a waterpark in Marseille to set aside a day just for Muslim women wearing burqinis -- full-body swimsuits -- sparked outrage in secular France today.
	The "Pool Day" set for September 10 at the southern city's Speed Water Parc smacks of "dyed-in-the-wool communalism," said Florian Philippot, a top advisor to far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
	The event is the brainchild of Smile 13, a women's association in the port city, whose population of nearly two million includes around 220,000 Muslims, mainly of Algerian origin.
	"This sort of event should be banned," Philippot said, warning of a "risk of public disorder".
	Criticism also came from the left, with Senator Michel Amiel -- who is mayor of the northern suburb, Les Pennes Mirabeau, where the waterpark is located -- saying he would seek a ban.
	"I am shocked and angry. I see this event as a provocation that we don't need in the current climate," he told the daily Aujourd'hui in the wake of two jihadist attacks that rocked ...

Planned 'Burqini Day' sparks outrage in secular France

China has sent a policeman to the Rio Olympics to help protect its sporting delegation, media and travelling spectators, state-media said today, after a Chinese hurdler said he had been robbed.
     The policeman named Shao Weimin, whose official title is temporary police communication officer, arrived in Rio two months ago to prepare for his role, the Beijing News reported.
     "My main job is to strengthen communication with Rio police so that we can better protect the safety of Chinese sports delegates, tourists, journalists as well as all Chinese citizens in Rio," the state-run China News Service quoted him as saying.
     Shao's role is as a "diplomatic" officer who is mainly responsible for communication and will not directly carry out police duties in Brazil, the reports indicated.
     The report came after Chinese hurdler Shi Dongpeng told state media that his personal computer was stolen on arrival in Brazil, posting security camera images of the alleged thief on his ...

China sends policeman to Rio amid safety fears

Gaurika Singh may be the youngest competitor at the Olympic Games in Rio but the 13-year-old says there's nothing unusual about that in her London school.
     The Nepalese swimmer will be the youngest competitor at the Games when she dives into the water for the 100m backstroke heats on Sunday.
     But she said such achievements at Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls in Hertfordshire, England -- a highly competitive independent school -- are par for the course.
     When asked what her school friends think about her Rio jaunt, Singh told AFP: "They're happy for me but a lot of people at my school are successful!
     "Like national tennis players, a girl playing in the Harry Potter film -- the new one -- and Matilda on Broadway.
     "So, yeah, we all have different opportunities."
     Singh, who was born in her native Nepal but moved to Britain when she was two -- first to Scotland, then Preston and Leeds before her family finally settled in London -- is not even sure she's the .

Youngest Olympian rolls off school talent line

Scoreboard at stumps on
the opening day of the second cricket Test between Sri Lanka and Australia in here today:
     Sri Lanka 1st innings:
	D Karunaratne c Burns b Starc       0
	K Silva c Nevill b Starc            5
	K Perera c Smith b Lyon            49
	K Mendis c Nevill b Starc          86
	A Mathews c Nevill b Marsh         54
	L Chandimal c Khawaja b Hazlewood   5
	D de Silva lbw b Holland           37
	D Perera lbw b Lyon                16
	R Herath b Starc                   14
	L Sandakan b Starc                  1
	V Fernando not out                  0
	Extras: (B-4, LB-10)               14
	Total: (all out in 73.1 overs)    281
	Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-9, 3-117, 4-184, 5-199, 6-224, 7-259, 8-265, 9-274, 10-281
	Bowling: Starc 16.1-7-44-5, Hazlewood 15-3-51-1, Lyon 18-1-78-1, Marsh 9-0-30-1, Holland 15-0-64-1
     Australia 1st innings:
	J Burns c Perera b Fernando           0
	D Warner c Mathews b Dilruwan Perera 42
	U Khawaja not out                    11
	Extras: (LB-1) 

Galle (Sri Lanka), Aug 4 (AFP) Scoreboard at stumps on

Half centuries from the in-form Kusal Mendis and skipper Angelo Mathews gave Sri Lanka the edge over Australia on the opening day of the second cricket Test here today despite a five-wicket haul from Mitchell Starc.
	Mendis followed up his maiden century in the first Test with a top score of 86 in Galle as Sri Lanka posted a total of 281 in their first innings before then grabbing two early wickets during the tourists' response.
	Australia were 54 for two at stumps, still trailing the hosts by 227 runs in what is a must-win match for Steve Smith's side after they lost the first Test last weekend in Pallekele.
	Vice captain David Warner was out in the last ball of the day when he edged Dilruwan Perera to slip after making a quickfire 42 off just 41 balls, an innings which included seven fours.
	The debutant Vishwa Fernando also celebrated his first wicket in Test cricket when he sent opener Joe Burns trudging back to the pavilion for nought in only the second ball of the ...

Mendis gives Sri Lanka edge against Australia

Scoreboard at lunch on the second day of the third cricket Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston today:
     England 1st Innings: 297
     Pakistan 1st Innings:
	Mohammad Hafeez c Ballance b Anderson        0
	Sami Aslam not out                          27
	Azhar Ali not out                           38
	Extras: (LB-6, NB-1)                         7
	Total: (for 1 wkt in 27 overs)              72
     Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Hafeez)
	Bowling: Anderson 6-2-13-1; Broad 6-3-14-0; Finn 6-3-8-0; Woakes 7-0-24-0; Ali 2-0-7-0.

Birmingham, Aug 4 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the second day of the third cricket Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston today:

Novice opener Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali helped Pakistan recover from the early loss of Mohammad Hafeez on the second day of the third Test against England at Edgbaston today.
	At lunch, Pakistan were 72 for one in reply to England's first innings 297 -- a deficit of 225 runs.
	Aslam, playing his first match of the series, was 27 not out and Azhar 38 not out after Hafeez had fallen for a fourth-ball duck to leave Pakistan none for one.
	Pakistan suffered a setback just four balls into their innings on Thursday when Hafeez lazily guided a short and wide delivery from James Anderson straight to Gary Ballance at point.
	Pakistan had seen Sohail Khan, one of their two changes from the side beaten by 330 runs in the second Test at Old Trafford as England levelled the four-match series at 1-1, take five wickets yesterday.
	Now all eyes were on Aslam, also playing just his third Test, after the 20-year-old had been brought in to replace struggling opener Shan Masood.
	Left-hander Aslam guided .

Aslam and Azhar steady Pakistan

A string of overseas investments has shone a new spotlight on Chinese conglomerate Fosun, after the mysterious disappearance -- and re-emergence -- of its tycoon chairman rattled investors.
	In the space of three days last week, the Shanghai-based company bought a stake in an Indian drugmaker for USD 1.26 billion, acquired a Brazilian investment firm and announced plans to take a stake in Portugal's biggest private bank.
	That came only a week after it bought English Championship football club Wolves, and two months after it was part of a consortium that signed a memorandum of understanding to buy Athens' former main airport. Last year, it won a long-running battle to take over French holiday resorts group Club Med.
	Founded 24 years ago by a group of classmates from China's prestigious Fudan University, Fosun has announced more than USD 15 billion in overseas acquisitions since 2010, according to Bloomberg News.
	Started with capital of just 38,000 yuan (now USD 5,760), the company ..

China's giant 'Unicorn' Fosun races for more deals

The International Boxing Assocation (AIBA) said today that all 11 Russian boxers entered for the Rio Olympics should be allowed to compete.
     The AIBA said a day before the opening ceremony that a review of the cases of the nine men and two women fighters had been implemented, following accusations of state-run doping in an investigation carried out for the World Anti-Doping Agency.
     "That process is now complete and confirmation has been received from the IOC review panel that the following 11 Russian boxers are eligible to compete at Rio 2016:," said a statement, before listing the members of the Russian boxing team.
     The AIBA gave its figures ahead of an expected announcement by the International Olympic Committee on the total number of Russians who will be allowed to compete in Rio.

All Russian boxers should compete - federation

Ukraine said today it had reached an agreement with the US-based electric giant Westinghouse to build a nuclear fuel production unit that would help reduce its reliance on Russia.
	The former Soviet republic has been trying to sever all forms of dependence on its giant eastern neighbour since a bloody February 2014 pro-EU revolution drove the disdained Kremlin-backed president into self-imposed exile in Russia.
	The Kremlin's subsequent annexation of Crimea and a pro-Moscow revolt in eastern Ukraine that has claimed more than 9,500 lives over 27 months has only further spurred Kiev's drive to build up its ties with the West.
	About half of Ukraine's energy is produced by nuclear power stations that still operate in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster that left thousands dead or dying.
	But 95 per cent of the fuel for those plants comes from Russia -- a dependence that Energy Minister Igor Nasalyk vowed to break.
	Nasalyk told reporters that his June visit to the United States had .

Shifting from Russia, Ukraine strikes US nuclear fuel deal

Japan's hawkish new defence minister singled out North Korean provocations and Chinese use of "force" in territorial disputes today as she reviewed troops on her first day in the job.
	Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed Tomomi Inada, a close confidante with staunchly nationalist views, on Wednesday just hours after North Korea fired a test missile that landed in Japanese-controlled waters for the first time.
	"North Korea is repeating militarily provocative acts such as nuclear testing and a series of ballistic missile launches," Inada told troops after performing a ceremonial review.
	Her appointment also came after Japan sharply criticised China in an annual defence white paper earlier this week, warning its aggressive stance in territorial disputes risks sparking unintended conflict.
	"China has rapidly become active in waters and airspace surrounding (Japan) and it continues its attempt to change the status quo through force," Inada said.
	The comments were an apparent critique ..

Japan's new defence chief warns on N Korea, China

Scoreboard at tea on the
opening day of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia in Galle on Thursday:
     Sri Lanka 1st innings
     D. Karunaratne c Burns b Starc       0
     K. Silva c Nevill b Starc            5
     K. Perera c Smith b Lyon            49
     K. Mendis c Nevill b Starc          86
     A. Mathews not out                  49
     L. Chandimal c Khawaja b Hazlewood   5
     D. De Silva not out                  9
     Extras: (b4, lb9)                   13
     Total (5 wickets, 54 overs)        216
     Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Karunaratne), 2-9 (Silva), 3-117 (Perera), 4-184 (Mendis), 5-199 (Chandimal)
     Bowling: Starc 15-6-44-3, Hazlewood 13-3-41-1, Lyon 14-0-62-1, Marsh 3-0-14-0, Holland 9-0-41-0.

Galle (Sri Lanka), Aug 4 (AFP) Scoreboard at tea on the

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc toiled hard against Sri Lanka's top order Thursday to leave the hosts on 216 for five at tea on the opening day of the second Test in Galle.
     Sri Lanka were looking confident after Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera's 108-run stand, but their departure after lunch saw the hosts in some trouble.
     Skipper Angelo Mathews, with his unbeaten 49, then ensured Sri Lanka stay in the hunt after electing to bat first on a bright sunny day. He has Dhanajaya de Silva (9 not out) for company.
     Starc (3-44), who marked the day with his 100th Test wicket, denied first-match centurion Mendis his second consecutive ton after getting the in-form batsman caught behind for 86.
     Off-spinner Nathan Lyon got the first wicket of the afternoon session after sending Perera (49) trudging back to the pavilion.
     Mathews came to the crease with a positive mindset as he made the reverse-sweep his stock shot against Lyon. His 55-ball stay was laced with two fours and ...

Aussie bowlers chip away against Sri Lanka

The European Union today hit China and Russia with anti-dumping duties on cold rolled steel imports after complaints by EU producers they were being forced out of the market.
	The European Commission said the levies, announced provisionally in February, will run for five years as Europe tries to cope with a global steel glut largely driven by massive Chinese output.
	"In the wake of the global steel overcapacity crisis, the Commission is applying the trade defence instruments to re-establish a level-playing field between EU and foreign producers," it said in a statement.
	Cold rolled steel is used extensively by industry to make all sorts of goods and appliances, from automobiles to refrigerators.
	The Commission said the anti-dumping duties on Chinese cold rolled steel will range from 19.7 per cent to 22.1 per cent, and from 18.7 per cent to 36.1 per cent for Russian companies.
	It said the EU has more than 100 trade defence measures in place, 37 of them targeting unfair imports of ..

EU hits China, Russia with steel anti-dumping duties

A Malaysian man who raped a 14-year-old girl avoided being thrown in jail after he married the young victim, sparking calls from angry activists for legal reforms today.
	A court in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo island ruled last week there was "no necessity to proceed further with this case" following evidence that the two were married, the Borneo Post news website reported.
	The victim, now 15, was allegedly raped twice by Ahmad Syukri Yusuf, in his twenties, last year. Rape in Malaysia carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison and whipping.
	Activists say such cases are not uncommon in the conservative Muslim-majority country, where sometimes victims' families would rather a girl marry her rapist instead of her name being tarnished in court.
	But this loophole in the system can give the wrong signal to others that there are no serious consequences for rape, they say.
	"Over the years we have handled many such cases where the man marries the victim and then divorces ..

AFP

AFP

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