Former England captain Michael Vaughan has labelled plans to introduce a points system for the upcoming home series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka as a "nonsense".
     In international men's cricket, Tests, one day internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 matches have been regarded as separate entities.
     But in order to give bilateral series more "context", the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are holding talks with their Sri Lankan and Pakistani counterparts about a system where points will be awarded for Tests, ODIs and T20s, with an overall winner then announced.
     "It's an over-complication that is not needed," Vaughan told the BBC.
     The system has been used by England and Australia's women in their version of the Ashes since 2013.
     However, women's teams generally play far fewer international matches than their male counterparts and there had long been a feeling that an Ashes series should not be decided by a solitary Test.
     A further complication is the ...

Points plan 'nonsense' says Vaughan

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel expects Turkey to stick to a deal to limit refugee flows to the EU even after the announced resignation of its Prime Minister, her spokesman said today.
	"The Chancellor has worked very well until now with Turkish Prime Minister (Ahmet) Davutoglu and all Turkish representatives and we assume that this good and constructive cooperation will continue with the new Turkish Prime Minister," German government spokesman Georg Streiter told reporters.
	"The EU and Germany will continue to fulfil all their obligations under the agreement and we expect this from the Turkish side as well."
	Davutoglu yesterday announced he would step down in two weeks as ruling party chief and premier, in a shock departure expected to further tighten President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's grip on power.
	The premier championed a March deal with the EU, brokered by Germany, to stem the flow of refugees across the Aegean Sea -- an accord in which the President has shown little interest ...

Germany expects Turkey to honour EU migrants pact

Six Myanmar citizens died in Thailand when homemade fireworks exploded inside a home, blowing the roof off and leaving the area covered in gunpowder, police said today.
	The massive blast killed four women and two men who police believe were hired to illegally manufacture fireworks from the farmhouse in central Thailand.
	"They were killed by giant firecrackers while they were making them," said Sayam Suanin, said a police officer from Suphan Buri province's U-Thong district.
	He said the group lacked proper licensing and likely sold the homemade explosives to farmers to chase away birds.
	Police are working to identify the victims' charred remains and have sent their bodies to a forensic lab.
	"Officers could not tell their ages as their bodies were all blackened by the burns," Sayam said, adding that police were still investigating the exact cause of the explosion.
	Homemade fireworks and rockets are widely available in Thailand, where they are often used to celebrate traditional ...

Homemade fireworks kill 6 Myanmar nationals in Thailand

The United States has warned citizens in Afghanistan of a "very high" kidnapping risk after an American citizen narrowly escaped abduction in the heart of Kabul and an Australian aid worker was taken hostage last week.
	Katherine Jane Wilson, a well-known Australian NGO worker, was kidnapped on April 28 in the city of Jalalabad, close to the border with Pakistan.
	"The US Embassy in Kabul reminds US citizens that the threat of kidnapping and hostage taking continues to be very high," the diplomatic mission said in a statement yesterday.
	"The US Embassy continues to take this threat seriously and advises...US citizens to take appropriate security precautions and to avoid predictable travel patterns within Afghanistan."
	The statement added that an attempted kidnapping last Monday targeted several expatriates, including a US citizen. It offered no further details.
	Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said that Canberra is working to secure the release of Wilson, but insisted ..

US warns citizens in Afghanistan of 'high' kidnap risk

Scottish nationalists won a third term in power but lost their outright majority today in one of a series of local and regional elections seen as a key test for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
	The main opposition Labour Party came third in the vote for Scotland's devolved parliament but its candidate Sadiq Khan is expected to clinch victory in London to become the city's first Muslim mayor.
	Deputy leader Tom Watson told BBC radio the results were a "mixed picture" for Labour, whose socialist leader Corbyn has come under pressure after a scandal over alleged anti-Semitism among some party members.
	"We certainly have to make progress in Scotland before the next general election," Watson said.
	Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), claimed the result as a major victory as her party seeks a mandate to move towards a second independence referendum.
	"What is now beyond doubt is that the SNP has won a third consecutive Scottish Parliament election." .

Scottish nationalists win but lose ground on Super Thursday'

China will take part in a regular US-led naval exercise starting next month, a top US commander said today, despite tensions over Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea.
	The United States will host multi-national naval drills called the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) -- billed as the world's largest -- off Hawaii in June and July.
	Although the Chinese navy has previously joined the exercises, held every two years, the latest drill comes as the country more aggressively asserts its maritime claims in Asia, prompting the US to say in March that it was "reassessing" Beijing's participation.
	But Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, commander of the US Seventh Fleet, told journalists in Shanghai today: "The PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy) will participate in an exercise, the largest exercise that we do, in a couple of months."
	He was speaking after the arrival of his flagship the USS Blue Ridge in the commercial hub, just days after China denied a port call for a US ...

China to join US-led naval exercise: US official

Search teams today recovered the body of a Malaysian deputy minister in the Borneo island state of Sarawak near where a helicopter carrying her and five others is believed to have crashed, officials said.
	The Eurocopter AS350 had been ferrying Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister Noriah Kasnon and her husband Asmuni Abdullah from Sarawak's interior to its capital Kuching when it went missing yesterday.
	Parliament member Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad, two other government officials and a Filipino pilot were also on board.
	Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim confirmed in a Facebook post that the woman's body was Noriah's.
	"Now, I'm at the Sarawak police headquarters to receive the body of...Noriah, who is the first victim of the helicopter crash," she wrote.
	Nor Hisham Mohammad, a local fire and rescue official, told AFP the body was found near the banks of a river.
	He said divers had begun searching for wreckage in the river which, like many 

First body found after Malaysia copter crash

SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean early today after launching a Japanese communications satellite into orbit.
	   Shouts of "USA, USA, USA" and applause from the ground control crew greeted the feat, only the second time it has been accomplished by SpaceX, the company headed by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk.
	   The two-stage rocket lifted off on schedule at 1:21 am (0521 GMT) with a telecommunications satellite owned by Japanese operator SKY Perfect JSAT.
	   As the second stage moved into orbital position, the first stage fell back for the landing, firing its engine to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.
	   SpaceX had not expected to land the first stage successfully because of the returning rocket's high speed, but streaming video captured a picture-perfect touchdown.
	   The California-based company pulled off such a landing last month for the first time, after launching an unmanned cargo ship to the ...

SpaceX successfully lands rockets after space launch

North Korea today staged its most important political show for a generation, aimed at cementing the absolute rule of leader Kim Jong-Un and underlining the sanctions-hit country's "prestige" as a nuclear power.
	The first ruling party congress for nearly 40 years drew thousands of selected delegates from across the country to Pyongyang for what, in theory at least, was a gathering of North Korea's top decision-making body.
	It also drew around 130 foreign journalists who were invited to cover the event but not allowed inside the venue, restricted instead to watching from a spot 200 metres (yards) away in the light drizzle falling on the capital.
	And state television provided no live coverage, devoting its programming to archive material, films and patriotic concerts.
	The 33-year-old Kim, who was not even born when the last Workers' Party Congress was held in 1980, was to deliver a keynote address that will be scrutinised for any sign of a substantive policy shift, especially on the .

N Korea stages once-in-a-generation party congress

A Saudi police officer has been shot dead in the Mecca region, the interior ministry said today, after four suspected jihadists died during a raid in the same area.
	Corporal Khalaf al-Harithi was on duty at a station in the western region on Thursday evening when he was hit by gunfire from an unknown source, the ministry said in a statement.
	An investigation is under way into the incident.
	It occurred several hours after officers shot dead two "terrorists" during an exchange of fire at their hideout between the holy city of Mecca and the mountain resort of Taif, about 80 kilometres to the east, according to the ministry.
	Two other suspects killed themselves by detonating suicide belts, it said.
	A simultaneous raid occurred on a hideout in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, where two people were arrested.
	Since late 2014 the Islamic State group of Sunni extremists has claimed deadly bombing and shooting attacks against the kingdom's minority Shiite community, and members of the security 

Saudi policeman shot dead after Mecca raid: ministry

Myanmar's president has urged the creation of a new ministry for Aung San Suu Kyi's state advisor position, official media reported today, a move that will deepen her influence and likely rile the powerful army.
	Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency by the military-drafted constitution despite having led her pro-democracy party to a landslide victory in November.
	She has instead hoovered up a slew of other senior positions, including foreign minister, president's officer minister, and the specially-devised role of state counsellor, which gives her vaguely-defined powers to guide parliamentary affairs.
	The broad array of powers across government has helped the
veteran activist fulfil a pledge to rule "above" her presidential proxy and close ally Htin Kyaw.
	Shortly after taking office she used her role as state counsellor to announce a major political prisoner release in April.
	She has also met with a host of foreign dignitaries and today accompanied Htin Kyaw on a trip to Laos, ...

Myanmar president proposes new ministry for Suu Kyi

Australian police have charged a 21-year-old woman with fraud after she allegedly spent USD 3.4 million that her bank mistakenly gave her, with much of the money reportedly lavished on handbags.
	The woman, named in Sydney media as Malaysian chemical engineering student Christine Jiaxin Lee, reportedly splashed out on luxury apartment rentals, designer bags and other high-end items after her Australian bank gave her an unlimited overdraft on her savings account.
	"That's a lot of handbags," magistrate Lisa Stapleton said yesterday, according to Sydney's Daily Telegraph.
	Police arrested the woman as she attempted to board a flight to Malaysia on Wednesday night.
	They said she had been charged with dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
	"Police will allege the woman obtained an illegal financial advantage when she overdrew her account by AUD 4.6 million (USD 3.4 million)," they said in a statement.
	Reports said that 

Woman charged over USD 3.4 mn Australian 'handbag spree'

Amir Khan is taking inspiration from Leicester City's remarkable Premier League title triumph as he prepares for a daunting battle with World Boxing Council middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in Las Vegas tomorrow.
     The 29-year-old Khan will start as a massive underdog when he climbs into the ring to face the hard-hitting Alvarez at the gambling haven's sparkling new 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena.
     Khan, who normally fights at welterweight, is stepping up by two divisions to face Alvarez, a destructive puncher who has compiled an impressive 46-1 record with 32 knockouts.
     The world title showdown is billed as a classic contrast of styles, pitting the elusiveness and speed of Khan (31-3, 19 knockouts) against the brute strength of the naturally bigger Alvarez.
     But in a week when the exploits of 5,000-1 shots Leicester have captivated the sporting world, Khan believes he is able to write another fairytale win.
     "I'm seen as the underdog in this fight against ..

Khan hoping to 'do a Leicester' on Alvarez

Spanish health authorities said they had detected the country's first known case of the microcephaly birth defect in the foetus of a pregnant woman infected with the Zika virus.
	"A pregnant woman was infected by Zika and dengue and the foetus has shown various defects," the health authority of the Catalonia region said in a statement.
	This was Spain's first case of Zika-related microcephaly, where babies are born with abnormally small heads and sometimes brain damage.
	A total of 105 people in Spain have been infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, according to official statistics from May 3.
	Spanish authorities have said all the infection cases -- including 13 pregnant women -- are "imported cases" found in people either "from, or who have visited affected countries" in Latin America.
	The current Zika outbreak began in early 2015 in Brazil, where some 1.5 million infections have been reported. Since then, the epidemic has spread to several other countries in the ...

Spain reports first case of Zika-related microcephaly

Fighting between Syrian regime forces and Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists and their allies has left more than 70 dead south of the battleground city of Aleppo, a monitor said today.
	Al-Nusra Front and allied Islamists seized Khan Tuman and surrounding villages after less than 24 hours of clashes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
	"At least 43 Al-Nusra and allied fighters, including a local commander, and 30 on the side of the regime and allied militia were killed in the battle," said the British-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria.
	Pro-regime troops had driven the jihadists out of Khan Tuman, located about 10 kilometres southwest of Aleppo, in December.
	"The recapture of the area and surrounding villages means that the regime's lines of defence south of the country's second city have been pushed back," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
	A 48-hour truce in Aleppo between the regime and non-jihadist rebels appeared to be largely .

73 dead as Syria army battles jihadists near Aleppo: monitor

Leicester City may be able to let their hair down now they have secured one of sport's most unlikely triumphs in winning the Premier League but manager Claudio Ranieri wants no let-up from his champions.
     Fans at the King Power Stadium on Saturday will have Ranieri's fellow Italian Andrea Bocelli, one of the world's leading tenors, to serenade them before kick-off and after the match skipper Wes Morgan will collect the Premier League trophy -- final proof that the 5,000/1 pre-season outsiders have indeed clinched the title.
     But in between they face Everton, with the Merseyside club's manager Roberto Martinez desperate for a win that will help take the Toffees into the top half of the table and lessen the calls from angry fans demanding the Spaniard be replaced at Goodison Park.
     "Inside me there are two people. One is a very aggressive, I want to win, I won the Premier League but now I want to win on Saturday," said Ranieri.
     Martinez said he did not expect Leicester .

Ranieri urges no Leicester let-up

More than 70 dead as Syria army battles jihadists south

Louis van Gaal admitted on Thursday that Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini must show more restraint following his three-game ban for elbowing Leicester defender Robert Huth.
     But United manager Van Gaal insists he has sympathy for the Belgian international because of the provocation from Huth, who was also given a three-match suspension for pulling Fellaini's hair in the incident that sparked the altercation in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
     "We don't have an appeal because I said already that the reaction of Fellaini is like a human being," said Van Gaal, who will lose Fellaini for three Premier League games but have him available for the FA Cup Final against Crystal Palace later this month.
     "When the FA gives Huth a suspension of three matches, then they admit that it was a penalty and I said that also after the match. So for us it's very disappointing but the referee was not seeing the fact and I still believe Fellaini makes a reaction like a human ...

Van Gaal warns Fellaini to control himself

Daniel Sturridge was involved in all three goals as Liverpool impressively beat Villarreal 3-0 at Anfield on Thursday to set up a Europa League final date with holders Sevilla.
     Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Liverpool levelled the tie when Bruno Soriano put through his own goal under pressure from Sturridge, who scored the second goal in the 63rd minute before helping to tee up Adam Lallana for a late strike that completed a 3-1 aggregate win.
     It took Liverpool into their first continental final since the 2006-07 Champions League, preserving Jurgen Klopp's hopes of finishing his first season as manager with both a trophy and a place in Europe's elite competition next season.
     Villarreal, for whom centre-back Victor Ruiz was sent off, had been bidding to reach their first ever major final, but could console themselves with the knowledge that following Sunday's 2-0 win at Valencia in La Liga, their place in next season's Champions League play-offs is already secure.
     

Sturridge sends Liverpool into Europa League final

Malaysian search crews have found suspected debris from a helicopter that disappeared with six people on board, including a deputy minister and a member of parliament, the prime minister said today.
	Search teams recovered a rotor blade, a floatation device, part of a wall panel, a door and a seat early Friday on the Borneo island state of Sarawak near where the helicopter is believed to have crashed, Najib Razak told reporters.
	"We are using all our assets to find the six passengers," he said.
	Najib added that rescuers were searching for the main body of the helicopter and said the debris was found close to Batang Lupar, one of the widest rivers on Borneo island.
	The Eurocopter AS350 was ferrying deputy minister Noriah Kasnon, her husband Asmuni Abdullah and parliament member Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad from the state's interior to the state capital Kuching when it went missing Thursday.
	The others in the aircraft included two government officials and a Filipino ...

Missing Malaysia helicopter debris found: PM

World number one Novak Djokovic racked up his 30th win of a dominant season with a 6-2 6-1 destruction of Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the Madrid Masters quarter-finals on Thursday.
     The resurgent Rafael Nadal and defending champion Andy Murray also remained on course for a semi-final clash as they eased past Sam Querrey and Gilles Simon respectively in straight sets.
     Djokovic is playing in Madrid for the first time in three years, but hasn't taken long to adjust to the different conditions in the altitude of the Spanish capital as he has reached the quarters for the loss of just nine games.
     "After a long game at 2-2 in the first set, I managed to break his serve. It was a flawless performance after that, everything worked very well," said Djokovic.
      "Today the way I played gives me a lot of satisfaction. I'm just hoping I can continue playing this well tomorrow."
     The Serb will continue his quest for a fifth title of the season against Milos Raonic as 

AFP

AFP

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