Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal today raised hopes that he will pass a bowling action test after he was suspended last year, but ruled out any chance of featuring in next month's World Cup.
     The 37-year-old will travel to Chennai, India later Thursday and have a reassessment test on his bowling action in the International Cricket Council (ICC) accredited laboratory.
     He was reported during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka in August last year and he was subsequently suspended from bowling a month later after a bio-mechanic analysis found his action illegal.
     "I have worked really hard to overcome the flaws and I am hopeful that I will be cleared," Ajmal told media.
     "I am going to give test on five various deliveries and I am quite hopeful that I will return as spearhead of the team after getting clearance."
     After his suspension Ajmal did remedial work under former Pakistan great Saqlain Mushtaq and claimed to have cleared unofficial tests.
     Ajmal ruled out any ...

Ajmal hopeful of clearing bowling action test

PTI Automatic

Tim Cahill's brilliant double strike sank China and took Australia into the Asian Cup semi-finals today as Son Heung-Min defied illness to lead South Korea into the last four.
     Hosts Australia had the upper hand against China without crafting the breakthrough, until 35-year-old Cahill pulled out a stunning bicycle-kick just after half-time.
     The latest uber-strike from Cahill, whose World Cup volley against the Netherlands was short-listed for goal of the year, was followed by a trademark header for the 2-0 win.
     Australia's victory ended an encouraging tournament from China, who won all three group games for the first time to end their 11-year absence from the knock-out stages.
     The Socceroos will now face either Japan or UAE at Newcastle's modest Hunter Stadium, the smallest of the Asian Cup venues, on January 27.
     "This is a big win for us, it's something that I knew deep down was going to happen before the game, because I believe in this team," said Cahill.
    

Super Cahill sinks brave China

North Korea has told the United Nations that its call to refer Pyongyang to the International Criminal Court is invalid after a prominent defector retracted part of his testimony to a UN rights inquiry.
	North Korea made the argument in a letter dated Wednesday from Ambassador Ja Song Nam to the UN General Assembly and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
	In the letter, the envoy branded Shin Dong-hyuk a "swindler" and a "parasite" who has been "pretending to be a 'survivor from the political prison camps' which are non-existent in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
	Shin admitted this week that elements of his best-selling gulag survivor book "Escape from Camp 14" were inaccurate, although he stressed that the crucial details of his suffering and torture still stood.
	The well-known defector was one of the prominent witnesses to the UN Commission of Inquiry which concluded in its report last year that North Korea was committing human rights violations "without parallel in the ...

North Korea tells UN to drop call for ICC referral

Serena Williams was slow to get going before finding her groove to bulldoze into the Australian Open third round today, joining rampant fellow world number one Novak Djokovic and comeback queen Victoria Azarenka.
     With the temperatures again sizzling around 33 Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) at Melbourne Park, the American 18-time Grand Slam champion took time to adjust to the sauna-like conditions against Russian veteran Vera Zvonareva.
     She had to save two set points before exploding into action in the second set to easily win 7-5, 6-0 and keep alive her dream of a sixth Australian title.
     Djokovic, gunning to be crowned champion a fifth time, was on fire in his showdown against Andrey Kuznetsov, crushing the hapless Russian 6-0, 6-1, 6-4, while defending champion Stan Wawrinka had to work hard to get past Marius Copil.
     The Romanian took the fourth seed to two tiebreakers before the Swiss star triumphed 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3. Japan's Kei Nishikori also went through.
    

Sluggish Serena joins rampant Djokovic in third round

Cuban officials sat down today with the highest-level US delegation to visit Havana in 35 years for landmark talks on reopening embassies and thawing long frozen ties.
	US assistant secretary of state Roberta Jacobson, the most senior US official on the communist-ruled island since 1980, led the American delegation as the Cold War-era rivals opened a second day of meetings.
	Cuba was represented by the director of the foreign ministry's US affairs department, Josefina Vidal, at the capital's Convention Center.
	The two sides claimed a good first day yesterday despite persistent disagreements over US migration policies, which Havana says encourages Cubans to flee to nearby Florida.
	US President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro surprised the world in December when they simultaneously announced plans to normalise relations following months of secret negotiations.
	The raising of the US and Cuban flags in each other's capitals would send powerful signals of the new era the two ..

US, Cuba seek to reopen embassies in historic talks

Armed men shot dead today the head of security in the Islamist-held coastal city of Sirte, hometown of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi, a security source said.
	Colonel Senussi Kaiba was killed along with his driver when gunmen opened fire at their car in a residential area of the city, the source said.
	Security services were placed on high alert and a manhunt launched for the assailants who fled after the attack, the source added.
	Two days earlier a local administration official escaped unhurt after gunmen opened fire at him in a similar attack.
	Sirte is in the hands of Islamist militias, including Ansar al-Sharia, which the UN added to its terror list in November over links to al-Qaeda and for running camps for the Islamic State jihadist group.
	The Far Libya (Libya Dawn) alliance of Islamist-backed militias is also present in the city which lies 500 kilometres east of Tripoli.
	More than three years since Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a NATO-backed uprising, oil-rich Libya is .

Gunmen kill security chief in Libya's Sirte

Evo Morales was sworn today for a third term as president of Bolivia at a ceremony in the country's national assembly as thousands of supporters cheered outside.
	Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president, took the oath of office with his left fist raised "on behalf of the Bolivian people and equality for all human beings."
	The 55-year-old former coca grower, in office since 2006, was re-elected in October with 61 per cent of the vote. His new terms ends in 2020.

Bolivia's Morales sworn in for third term as president

The European Central Bank today said it would launch a programme to buy 60 billion euros of private and public bonds starting in March to avert the threat of deflation in the euro area.
	"The combined monthly purchases of public and private sector securities will amount to 60 billion euros (USD 70 billion).
	They are intended to be carried out until end-September 2016 and will in any case be conducted until we see a sustained adjustment in the path of inflation," ECB president Mario Draghi told a news conference, adding that the purchases would begin in March.

ECB launches massive bond purchase programme

Rights group Amnesty International said today that Saudi Arabia would postpone the flogging of blogger Raef Badawi, whose case has sparked international criticism, for a second week on medical grounds.
	"The planned flogging of Raef Badawi will be suspended this Friday after a medical committee assessed that he should not undergo a second round of lashes on health grounds," the London-based watchdog said in a statement.
	He has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam and is serving a 10-year jail term.
	His wife Ensaf Haidar, who has sought asylum with her children in Canada, told AFP by telephone that Amnesty had notified her of the latest delay but she had no other details.
	Badawi, 30, received the first 50 lashes of his sentence outside a mosque in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on January 9.
	He was expected to undergo 20 flogging sessions to complete the punishment but last Friday Haidar said the second round had been delayed on medical grounds.
	She also said her ...

Saudi to again postpone flogging of blogger: Amnesty

Sierra Leone said today that it would reopen schools across the country in March, with the deadly Ebola epidemic slowing throughout west Africa.
	Classrooms have been empty since the government announced a state of emergency in July in response to an outbreak which has killed almost 9,000 people in the region, more than 3,000 of them in Sierra Leone.
	A statement from President Ernest Bai Koroma's office quoted him as saying "a timely reopening" was needed to limit the damage caused by the crisis to children's education.
	Government spokesman Abdulai Bayratay told AFP ministers would "shortly announce a specific date after all modalities have been put in place".
	"An Ebola task force will be attached to schools to promote best practice for the safety of school children. Teachers will be trained to effectively use (thermometers) to frequently test students," he added.
	"Schools that have been used as holding and treatment centres will be washed and chlorinated before they are ...

SLeone to reopen schools in March as Ebola retreats

The fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine has intensified to levels that preceded the September ceasefire deal, NATO's top military commander General Philip Breedlove said.
	"The fighting has intensified to pre-agreement, pre-stand down levels and in some cases beyond," Breedlove told reporters in Brussels, referring to the largely ineffective ceasefire agreed in Minsk.
	Ukrainian officials said Thursday that 41 soldiers and civilians were killed in 24 hours after conceding that government forces were forced to abandon Donetsk airport, the symbolic prize of a nine-month war with the separatists.
	"The Russian-backed forces have renewed capabilities," Breedlove said. "In some places they moved the line of contact to the west."
	When asked if more Russian troops were observed in eastern Ukraine, he replied: "We are beginning to see the signatures of air defence systems and electronic war defence systems that have accompanied Russian troops in .

Ukraine fighting has intensified to pre-truce levels: NATO

The Australian agency leading the search for missing airliner MH370 is calling for expressions of interest for the recovery of the Malaysian jet, if it is found, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said today.
	The passenger aircraft was carrying 239 people when it disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 and there has been no sign of it since, despite a massive air and sea operation.
	The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which is heading up the hunt in the remote Indian Ocean off western Australia, has so far scoured 26 per cent of the 60,000 square kilometre priority underwater search area.
	"While no wreckage from the missing aircraft has yet been found, preparations are being made so a recovery operation can be mobilised quickly and effectively when needed," Truss said in a statement today.
	"Responses to the request for expressions of interest will allow the ATSB to assess which organisations are able to supply the equipment and expertise required for 

Australia calls for MH370 recovery tenders as search goes on

At least 41 people were killed in Ukraine's east , one of the deadliest days in the separatist war, with a bloody bus shelling in Donetsk as government forces abandoned their defence of the city's strategic airport.
	In a graphic illustration of the degenerating nine-month conflict, pro-Russian rebels also paraded some 20 captured Ukrainian soldiers through Donetsk and forced them to kneel before enraged locals who threw snowballs and glass at them, some of it from the shattered bus.
	The trolleybus shelling in the rebel bastion city was the day's bloodiest incident, with 13 civilians killed and Kiev alleging that ultimate blame for the tragedy rested with Russia.
	The violence came only hours after peace talks in Berlin called for a ceasefire and as the toll from the conflict surpassed 5,000 dead, with a million people also forced from their homes.
	Another 10,000 have been wounded by rocket and mortar strikes raining down daily on the industrial region's residential districts, ...

Bloody bus attack in Ukraine as troops abandon airport

England one-day captain Eoin Morgan was recently the target of a blackmail attempt by an Australian man, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) revealed in a statement today.
     The ECB said it had received an email from the man demanding a "five-figure sum" to prevent him revealing details of a relationship that Morgan had with a woman five years ago to the British and Australian press.
     Following discussions with British police, the ECB approached the man, who "admitted and apologised for his actions, blaming jealousy". The ECB said the man is currently in a relationship with the woman in question.
     "We will not allow anyone to disrupt our team's preparation or performance in the Tri Series and as we build up to the World Cup," said ECB managing director Paul Downton.
     "I am pleased that this issue has now been brought to a swift conclusion. At this point we'd like to thank the Metropolitan Police for their advice, which assisted us in dealing with this in the ...

Morgan subjected to blackmail attempt - ECB

China's controversial telecommuni- cations equipment maker Huawei supports the ruling Communist Party and loves the country, its CEO said today, but stressed Beijing has never asked it to spy on the US or others.
	Ren Zhengfei, a former People's Liberation Army (PLA) engineer, founded the company in 1987 and it has risen to rank among the world's top manufacturers of network equipment.
	But his PLA service has led to concerns of close links with the Chinese military and government, which Huawei has consistently denied.
	Asked about the issue in a rare public appearance at the World Economic Forum, Ren said through an interpreter: "We are a Chinese company, we definitely advocate (the) Communist Party of China.
	"We love our country," he added. "But having said that, we definitely will not compromise the interest of any other country or government. We comply with laws and regulations in every country we do business in."
	Asked whether Beijing has ever asked him to use the company's ...

China has never asked Huawei to spy: CEO

The United States has lifted restrictions on a small portion of its military assistance to the Philippines that was withheld over human rights concerns, the foreign minister said today.
	The gesture affects about USD 15 million dollars that have been withheld over the last five years, a fraction of Washington's total military assistance to the South East Asian island.
	Albert del Rosario told reporters that the aid restriction had been lifted "sometime last year", but did not explain why it had been lifted.
	A day earlier, US assistant defence secretary David Shear said that the Washington had provided USD 300 million in military-related assistance since 2001 and would provide another USD 40 million in 2015 as part of America's support to modernise the poorly-equipped Philippine military, which is one of the weakest in the region.
	Philippine-US defence relations have been complicated by leftist and nationalist groups who oppose the longstanding alliance and who have protested against 

Philippines says US lifted restrictions on military aid funds

At least five people were killed today in a suicide car bombing against a hotel in Mogadishu on the eve of a visit to the Somali capital by Turkey's president, police and witnesses said.
	Sources in the hotel, situated close to the heavily-fortified presidential palace, said there were around 70 members of a Turkish delegation in the hotel at the time, but none of them was hurt by the blast.
	There was no immediate claim of responsibility, although Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab rebels -- who are fighting to overthrow the country's internationally-backed government -- have carried out a string of attacks against high-profile targets in Mogadishu.
	Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due in Mogadishu on Friday in what will be a rare visit by a foreign leader, although officials said the trip would go ahead as planned.
	"Five people were killed in the attack, among them three security guards," police official Mohamed Adan said.
	"The attacker drove a car loaded with explosives aiming .

Suicide attack in Somali capital ahead of Turkish prez visit

A record 1,215 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2014, a 21 per cent increase from the previous year, environmental authorities said today.
	"During 2014, the number of 1,215 rhinos were killed, this is a rise in the number of poached rhino from 1,004 in 2013," said Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa.
	"The figure remains worryingly high."
	Over two thirds of the animals were killed in the famed Kruger National Park.
	Molewa told journalists that "over 100 rhinos have been moved to more secure locations" in a bid to save the threatened animals, killed for the purported medicinal quality of their horns.
	"Through this method we aim to create rhino strongholds, areas where rhino can be cost-effectively produced," said Molewa.
	Some of the animals were moved to neighbouring countries, in a  program that started last year.
	"Despite these successes that we're talking about, the organised transnational illicit trade in rhino horn undermines our efforts," said Molewa.
	"This 

Record 1,215 rhino poached in S Africa in 2014: official

Air France told union leaders today that the heavily-indebted French airline would shed more jobs, reportedly offering new voluntary departure incentives to 800 ground personnel and cabin crew.
	No figures were provided publicly by the management of the airline. Despite shedding 8,000 jobs over the past three years, the AirFrance-KLM group looks set to continue losing money.
	But union sources said plans would seek to reduce the number of Air France ground staff by 500 and cabin stewards and stewardesses by 300.
	The Air France-KLM group, which lost 1.8 billion euros in 2013, hasn't turned a profit since 2010. Air France and its subsidiaries employ some 65,000 people.
	Further details could come out during the next meeting between Air France management and union leaders on February 5, or when the airline group releases its 2014 results on February 19.
	Air France-KLM executives have been hinting that more job cuts were on the way after issuing a profit warning last month.
	A strike by 

Air France heading for more job cuts

Two tribesmen were killed in an ambush by Shiite Huthi militiamen in oil-rich Marib, a province in eastern Yemen on which the expanding movement has set its sights, a tribal source said.
	The ambush took place in Naqil al-Watada, an area between Marib and Sanaa, the source said, adding that six armed tribesmen were wounded in a clash following the attack.
	Several Huthis were also killed, the source said, without giving an exact toll for the Shiite movement which rarely discloses its losses.
	The fighting came a day after the Huthis extracted major political concessions from President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, following escalating violence in Sanaa.
	The Shiites' leader, Abdul Malik al-Huthi, threatened earlier this month to take control of Marib, which supplies electricity and fuel to most of Yemen including the capital.
	And in a televised speech on Tuesday after his men seized the presidential palace in Sanaa, Huthi demanded that authorities "immediately" improve the security situation 

Shiites kill 2 Sunni tribesmen in Yemen oil province

China would welcome a visit by Kim Jong-Un to Moscow, a government spokeswoman said today, amid speculation that the North Korean leader could make his international debut in the Russian capital later this year.
	May 9 marks the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, and around 20 foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, are expected to attend a commemoration event in Moscow.
	Asked yesterday about the possible attendance of Kim Jong-Un, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov burst out laughing before telling reporters that North Korea had given a "positive" response to Moscow's invitation.
	"As a first signal, it was a positive one," Lavrov said.
	If confirmed, the visit would be Kim's first foreign trip since taking power just over three years ago following the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il.
	At a regular briefing today, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that North Korea and Russia are "both friendly .

AFP

AFP

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