Scoreboard at lunch on the second
day of the third Test between England and Sri Lanka at Lord's today:
     England 1st Innings (overnight: 279-6)
     A Cook lbw b Pradeep                 85
     A Hales c Mathews b Herath           18
     N Compton c Chandimal b Lakmal        1
     J Root lbw b Lakmal                   3
     J Vince b Pradeep                    10
     J Bairstow batting                  156
     M Ali c Mathews b Herath             25
     C Woakes c and b Herath              66
     S Broad batting                       5
     Extras (lb15)                        15
     Total (7 wkts, 119 overs)           384
     Fall of wickets: 1-56, 2-67, 3-71, 4-84, 5-164, 6-227, 7-371
     Bowling: Eranga 25-2-89-0; Lakmal 23-2-77-2; Pradeep 27-4-104-2; Mathews 13-5-31-0; Herath 31-6-68-3.

London, June 10 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the second

PTI Automatic

Jonny Bairstow's Test-best score of 156 not out strengthened England's grip on the third Test against Sri Lanka today.
     At lunch, England, already 2-0 up in the three-match series, were 384 for seven.
     Bairstow shared a seventh-wicket stand of 144 with Chris Woakes, whose 66 was his maiden Test fifty.
     His latest innings meant that Bairstow has converted all five of his first-class fifties, shared between Yorkshire and England, this season into hundreds.
     Stuart Broad was five not out.
     England resumed on 279 for six with Bairstow, dropped on 11, 107 not out and Woakes unbeaten on 23.
     Bairstow's second century of the series, following his 140 on his Headingley home ground during an innings and 88-run victory in the first Test, helped rescue England from the depths of 84 for four on a first day where captain Alastair Cook's 85 was the only other major innings.
     Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews appeared resigned to England reaching 300 as he spread the field 

Bairstow piles on runs against Sri Lanka

Belgian police investigating the Brussels airport and metro attacks arrested a man in connection with "terrorist murders", the federal prosecutor said today.
	The man, identified only as Ali E.H.A., aged 31, was detained during a house search in the Schaerbeek area of the capital yesterday, the prosecutor's office said.

Belgium arrests new Brussels attacks suspect: prosecutor

Zimbabwean police arrested 15 people, including a journalist and the brother of a missing political activist, during a public protest against President Robert Mugabe, a lawyer said today.
	Opposition is mounting against the 92-year-old Mugabe, whose decades in office have been marked by economic decline, repression of dissent, claims of vote-rigging, mass unemployment and emigration.
	"Some were arrested last night. Some, earlier," lawyer Obey Shava told AFP.
	"The charges are robbery and obstructing or defeating the course of justice."
	Shava said police rounded up the activists while they were holding a vigil in Africa Unity Square in central Harare calling upon Mugabe, in power since 1980, to step down.
	The police claimed the protesters had robbed a woman passing by.
	"These are trumped up charges to instil fear and discourage people from occupying Africa Unity Square," the lawyer said.
	The square has been the venue of a series of protests over the disappearance of political ...

Zimbabwean police arrest anti-Mugabe protesters

The body of a fourth victim suspected of being killed by a bear in the past three weeks was found in a forest in northern Japan today, reports said.
	The badly mauled corpse has yet to be identified, but police in Akita prefecture were searching for a 74-year-old woman named as Tsuwa Suzuki, who was reported missing a day earlier, according to local media, which cited police.
	Hunters killed a bear just 10 metres from the spot where the woman's remains were discovered in a mountain forest in Kazuno city, in Akita, though it remained unclear if she was killed by that animal, reports said.
	Last month, three men, two in their seventies and one in his sixties, died in apparent bear attacks while out harvesting bamboo shoots in three separate incidents. The severity of their wounds have led experts to suspect bears were responsible.
	A local veterinarian said that as the attacks happened within the same area and in such a short timeframe, the same bear was likely responsible.
	"After ...

Japan police find fourth victim of suspected bear attacks

Dozens of fish species have disappeared or are on the verge of being lost from marine biodiversity hotspot the Philippines, an environmental group said today, citing a new study.
	Fishermen reported that 59 coral reef species had gone missing from catches since the 1950s, according to the study conducted by Haribon, one of the Philippines' oldest conservation groups, and Britain's Newcastle University.
	It based its findings on interviews with 2,600 fishermen across the Philippines, which has one of the highest concentrations of marine species in the world.
	Overfishing to meet the demands of a fast-growing population and Chinese restaurants around the region was a key factor in the decline, according to Gregorio dela Rosa, a marine biologist with Haribon.
	"These species are usually served in restaurants, swimming around in aquariums. They command a high price. If you have lots of mouths to feed, you need lots of fish to catch," dela Rosa, told AFP.
	The Philippines' population has ..

Dozens of Philippine fish species in danger: study

Chinese authorities are investigating playing fields at some of Beijing's top elementary schools after children reportedly fell sick from exposure to artificial turf.
	Youngsters have suffered nose bleeds and allergic reactions after using running tracks, in the latest health scare to rock a country where safety standards are a major concern.
	The news comes less than two months after reports that hundreds of students had been sickened elsewhere in China because of their school's proximity to shuttered chemical plants.
	The Beijing probe, which began last week, sparked a wave of anxiety online, with hundreds questioning the country's commitment to protecting one of its most valuable assets: its youth.
	The reports are a "nightmare", said one comment on China's popular social media platform Weibo.
	"Where is the Chinese dream for those children?" it asked.
	Toxic air and poisoned food already create dilemmas for Chinese concerned about their children's health.
	Frequent reports of ...

China probes school playing fields after kids sickened

Belgian police arrest new suspect over Brussels attacks:

A US-backed Arab-Kurdish alliance today severed the Islamic State group's main supply route to Turkey after encircling a key jihadist-held town in northern Syria, a monitor said.
	"The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) cut off the last road from Manbij to the Turkish border today morning," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
	IS still controls territory along the Turkish border with secondary roads to the frontier but these are more dangerous and difficult to access, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
	This week the SDF, backed by air strikes by a US-led coalition, cut the road north out of Manbij to the IS-held border town of Jarabulus, which the jihadists had used as a transit point for fighters, money and weapons.
	The SDF also blocked the road south out of Manbij heading to IS's de facto capital of Raqa.
	"For the jihadists to reach the Turkish border from Raqa, they now have to take a route that is more dangerous because of regime troops nearby and Russian air ...

Arab-Kurd forces cut IS Syria, Turkey supply route: monitor

A volatile volcano in the eastern Philippines sent a spectacular column of ash and steam high into the sky today.
	The plume of ash from Mount Bulusan in the rural eastern province of Sorsogon went two kilometres into the air, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in an advisory.
	Institute head Renato Solidum said nobody was living within a four-kilometre danger zone near the volcano, but that people in nearby communities should wear masks outside or stay indoors.
	Solidum said that inhaling the ash could cause difficulty in breathing and respiratory illnesses.
	Bulusan has had nine similar explosions since May last year. Solidum said today's lasted for about 30 minutes, and that more could be expected.
	The Philippines is located in the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire" and has over 20 active volcanoes.

Spectacular ash explosion at Philippine volcano

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, the founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, has snapped up two historic French vineyards for nearly 12 million euros (USD 13.56 million).
	Ma bought the Chateau Guerry and the Chateau Perenne, dating back to the 18th century, in the heart of the fabled Bordeaux wine-growing region.
	Their owner, French wine magnate Bernard Magrez, confirmed the sale to AFP late yesterday after the transaction was reported by the British specialised magazine Decanter.
	The Chateau Perenne is spread over 64 hectares in the Blaye Cotes-de-Bourg appellation, producing about 500,000 bottles of red and white wine annually.
	Chateau Guerry is the oldest estate in the Cotes de Bourg appellation, producing 84,000 bottles of red a year over about 20 ha. The purchases add to the Chateau de Sours vineyard, which Ma bought in Bordeaux' Entre-Deux-Mers wine region in February. It includes a magnificent 18th-century country house.
	Magrez said that the sale of the estates were part of a ...

Alibaba founder buys up two more French vineyards

Japan's first "naked restaurant" opens in Tokyo next month with draconian rules of entry - podgy prospective diners will be weighed and ejected if found to be too fat.
	Following the lead of establishments in London and Melbourne, "The Amrita" - Sanskrit for 'immortality' - also has strict age restrictions, with only patrons between 18 and 60 allowed in, after they check in their clothes and put on paper underwear provided by the restaurant.
	"If you are more than 15 kilos above the average weight for your height, we ask you refrain from making a reservation," a list of rules posted on the restaurant's website states, explaining that patrons could be weighed if they do not appear to be within the correct weight range.
	Guests found to be "overweight" will be refused entry to the restaurant, which opens on July 29, and will not be entitled to a refund, its website points out. All payments must be made in advance on an online booking page.
	"In London they allow overweight patrons in ...

Japanese 'naked restaurant' to ban overweight diners

France may order striking rail employees back to work, Transport Minister Alain Vidalies said today, hours before the Euro 2016 football championship was due to kick off.
	Vidalies told Europe 1 radio that the government would use "every tool available" to get fans to the match and "if we have to issue orders tomorrow (for trains to be driven), we will do so."
	He also ruled out any new negotiations with workers who have been striking for 10 days and warned the authorities would show "no tolerance of actions that threaten the big celebration."
	"The strike has no meaning anymore," he added.
	Europe's paramount soccer tournament begins today at 1900 GMT when France host Romania at the Stade de France, the national stadium on the northern outskirts of Paris.
	Vidalies said that the state-run railway, the SNCF, was laying on special trains from central Paris to get fans to the stadium in spite of the strike.
	"We will ensure transport," he said.
	Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo meanwhile ...

France may force rail strikers back to work: minister

Singapore's prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has defended the country's controversial decision to cut off civil servants' work computers from the Internet, calling the move "absolutely necessary" to keep information systems secure.
	"Are we happy? I don't think so, because it will slow us down in terms of day-to-day productivity. In terms of security, safety of our systems, safety of our citizens and information concerning them, it's absolutely necessary," he told Singapore media during a visit to Myanmar.
	Lee said that the defence and foreign affairs ministries already have separate computers for Internet access and for handling sensitive communications.
	There was a huge backlash on Wednesday when The Straits Times newspaper reported that some 100,000 government computers would be affected by the Internet blockage, aimed at keeping data secure and preventing the spread of malware.
	It quoted a cyber security official as saying that there were 16 attacks on government systems from ...

Singapore PM defends government Internet blockage

Muhammad Ali will be laid to rest Friday, the culmination of a two-day farewell for the beloved boxing legend and civil rights hero who electrified crowds the world over.
     Thousands from near and far are expected to line the streets of Ali's native city of Louisville in the southern US state of Kentucky to bid goodbye to the three-time heavyweight world champion who died last week at 74 after a decades-long battle with Parkinson's.
     Starting at 9 am (1300 GMT), the funeral procession will wind through the city of 600,000 where Ali was born at a time of racial segregation.
     It will pass sites that were important to "The Greatest": his childhood home, the Ali Center, the Center for African American Heritage -- which focuses on the lives of blacks in Kentucky -- and, of course, along Muhammad Ali Boulevard before arriving at the Cave Hill Cemetery for a private burial.
     Actor Will Smith -- who earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Ali on the silver screen -- and 

Boxing legend Ali to be laid to rest

Uruguay were sent crashing out of the Copa America Centenario as Venezuela and Mexico marched into the quarer-finals.
     Uruguay, the record 15-time Copa America champions, were eliminated in the group phase for the first time since 1997 after slumping to a shock 1-0 loss to Venezuela in Philadelphia yesterday.
     That result combined with Mexico's 2-0 Group C win over Jamaica in Pasadena left the 2011 champions struggling to digest a humiliating early exit.
     "We never found the game we wanted and that cost us," Uruguay's revered coach Oscar Tabarez said, adding that the ill-fated campaign should serve as a warning to his team as they now look ahead to the resumption of 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
     "It's been a very different Copa America. I've never experienced something like this before. We knew it was going to be difficult but this should be a wake-up call before the World Cup qualifiers," Tabarez added.
     Uruguay's defeat also capped a miserable tournament for ...

Uruguay crash out as Mexico, Venezuela advance

A US admiral has pleaded guilty to lying about his relationship with a Singapore-based defense contractor at the center of a massive bribery scandal that has tarnished top naval officers.
	Rear Admiral Robert Gilbeau -- the highest-ranking Navy officer charged in the ongoing probe -- admitted before a federal judge yesterday in San Diego that he had lied when he told investigators that he had never received gifts from Leonard Francis, owner of Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA).
	Few admirals in the history of the US Navy have ever been convicted of a felony charge.
	Gilbeau, 55, told the court that he had misled investigators when he told them he always paid his share when he and Francis dined together about three times a year over a period of several years.
	He also admitted that he destroyed documents and deleted computer files when he became aware in September 2013 that Francis and others had been arrested in connection with the fraud and bribery probe.
	Gilbeau, who was awarded the 

US Navy admiral admits he lied in massive bribery scandal

New Zealand today named Indian-born opening batsman Jeet Raval in the squad for the upcoming four-Test tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
     Raval was the only uncapped player named in the 16-man Black Caps' squad, which also features the recall of Indian-born spinner Ish Sodhi after a two year absence.
     The 27-year-old Raval was a junior player in India before moving to New Zealand with his family in 2004.
     He averages 43.85 in first-class cricket and hit a rich vein of form for the Auckland Aces in this year's domestic competition, including an unbeaten 202 against Otago.
     "In the past 12 months we've seen his maturity and decision-making continue to improve," Black Caps coach Mike Hesson said.
     "He's learnt to adapt to conditions and has performed well for New Zealand A, so we believe he's more than ready to make the step up to the international arena."
     Raval will be competing for an opening spot with Martin Guptill and Tom Latham, neither of whom have looked 

New Zealand pick Indian-born opener for Africa tour

Hindu monastery worker hacked to death in Bangladesh:

A food aid convoy has entered the Syrian town of Daraya, the first delivery since the start of the siege there by the Damascus regime in 2012, a Red Crescent official has said.
	"Nine lorries are currently being unloaded in Daraya. They are carrying food aid, including dry goods and flour, non-food aid as well as medical aid," said Tamam Mehrez, operations director of the Syrian Red Crescent.
	The aid delivered yesterday would be sufficient for one month, Mehrez added, without specifying how many people would benefit.
	Earlier yesterday, the UN said Syria had given approval for humanitarian convoys to reach all of the country's 19 besieged areas, including Daraya, by the end of the month.
	The UN envoy to the war-racked country, Staffan de Mistura, however, told reporters in Geneva that Syria had given such approvals in the past before ultimately blocking convoys from distributing life-saving supplies.
	He made the comments after the weekly meeting of the Syria humanitarian taskforce, 

Food aid enters Syria's besieged Daraya : Red Crescent

A Venezuelan opposition lawmaker was injured when police fired tear gas and forcefully broke up protesters demanding the authorities move forward with a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro.
	Police and soldiers formed a cord around the National Electoral Board (CNE) office in downtown Caracas to block the protesters, who were led by a group of opposition lawmakers vowing to march on the building.
	This is the fourth time in recent days that police have forcefully stopped attempts to march on the CNE.
	The demonstrators nevertheless tried to enter the building, unleashing a heated shoving match with police.
	A brawl broke out yesterday and punches flew when the protesters faced pro-government sympathizers. Julio Borges, a leading opposition lawmaker, was attacked with clubs and forced to flee to a nearby office.
	"We were going peacefully to ask to be heard, like any other Venezuelan," but the board members "refused to see us," said Borges, who spoke to reporters with ...

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