Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer revived England's flagging hopes of victory in the fourth Ashes Test on Saturday with two wickets apiece to reduce Australia to 63-4 in their second innings at tea on the fourth day.
Australia, who will retain the Ashes at 2-1 up with one to play in the five-Test series if they win this match at Old Trafford, still had an overall lead of 259 runs, however.
Significantly, star batsman Steve Smith was 19 not out after making 211 in the first innings of a comeback Test, having missed England's dramatic one-wicket win at Headingley with concussion.
Broad had tea figures of two wickets for 19 runs in nine overs and Archer 2-27, also in nine.
The sixth ball of Australia's second innings saw left-handed opener David Warner out for his third straight Test duck when Broad, the successful bowler on each occasion, had him lbw.
It was the sixth time Warner, like Smith appearing in his first Test series since completing a 12-month ball-tampering ban, had fallen to ...

Broad and Archer rock Australia in fourth Ashes Test

PTI Automatic

Charles Leclerc secured pole for Ferrari in the Italian Grand Prix in shambolic circumstances on Saturday when only two cars participated in the final qualifying showdown laps.
An unprecedented 'cat-and-mouse' procession as the teams crawled round the circuit, backing each other up to claim good slipstreaming positions, resulted in a farce that saw eight cars timed out by the chequered flag.
"A big mess," said Leclerc, who took pole ahead of defending five-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Monegasque and Carlos Sainz of McLaren were the only drivers to produce final qualifying runs after clocking lap-times on their first runs in Q3.
The stewards immediately declared that the shambolic failure at the end of the session was under investigation, the teams having failed to deliver a contest for the paying public.
"Today, to see so many people here feels amazing," said a happy Leclerc, who claimed his maiden victory at last week's tragic Belgian Grand Prix where he dedicated his win to the 

Leclerc on Monza pole after shambolic qualifying 'mess'

Rock legend Mick Jagger attacked US President Donald Trump for his rudeness and lies Saturday and for "tearing apart" environment controls when America should be setting the standard for the world.
The Rolling Stones singer said he was "absolutely behind" young climate change activists who had earlier occupied the red carpet at the Venice film festival, where he was starring in the psychological thriller, "The Burnt Orange Heresy".
Jagger said he deplored how politics has descended into name-calling, "including in my own country this week" -- a reference to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson comparing opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to a "big girls blouse" and a "chlorinated chicken".
The icon, now 76, bewailed "the polarisation and incivility in public life", although the one-time bad boy of 1960s rock admitted he was "not always for civility" himself.
"But when you see it now... in so many countries, including my own this last week, but particularly the US, it's a sea ...

Mick Jagger blasts Trump for bad manners, lies, environment

Rafael Nadal looks to cap one of his greatest Grand Slam years with his fourth US Open title when he faces Russia's Daniil Medvedev in Sunday's final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 33-year-old Spanish left-hander chases his 19th career Grand Slam singles title, one shy of Roger Federer's all-time men's record, in his 27th Slam final and his fifth championship match on the New York hardcourts.
"Very happy for everything. Another final of the Grand Slam and another final here in Flushing Meadows means a lot to me," Nadal said.
"I feel comfortable here, I like the atmosphere, I like the crowd. I feel a big energy when I'm playing in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Thanks to the crowd because I feel a big support from them all the time. That's important for me."
Nadal, who made the semi-finals at all four Slams for the first season since 2008, captured his 12th French Open title in June, lost the Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic and fell to Federer in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
And while he has .

Nadal chases 19th Slam crown against Medvedev at US Open

German Chancellor Angela Merkel Saturday hailed a swap of 70 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine as a "sign of hope" and called for the implementation of a 2015 ceasefire deal that Paris and Berlin helped broker.
"This exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine is a sign of hope... it's worth continuing the hard work to implement the Minsk accord," Merkel said in a statement put out by her spokesman Steffen Seibert on Twitter.
"I am happy for the Ukrainian sailors and Oleg Sentsov who can finally return home," she said.
The 43-year-old Sentsov was the most famous Ukrainian prisoner held in Russia and the subject of a star-studded international campaign calling for his release.
He was arrested in 2014 and had been serving a 20-year sentence in an Arctic penal colony for planning "terrorist attacks" in Crimea.
Russian coastguards captured 24 Ukrainian sailors off the coast of Crimea in November last year after seizing their three vessels.
Moscow had wanted to put them on trial ...

Merkel says Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap a 'sign of hope'

The Netherlands pressed Kiev hard to drop the handover to Russia of a key figure in the 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 and regrets it was done, the government said Saturday.
The Dutch government contacted Ukraine "several times and at the very highest level" in an effort to prevent the handover of Vladimir Tsemakh, believed to be an air defence specialist for pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine, Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a letter to parliament, adding that he "regretted" Kiev's decision.
MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a Russian-made missile in July 2014 over eastern Ukraine, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board, two-thirds of them Dutch.
Blok said the authorities had had the opportunity to queston Tsemakh before he left for Russia but the Netherlands still profoundly regretted the outcome.
Russia had insisted that Tsemakh be handed over and consistently rejects any suggestion that it had a role in the disaster.
"The government 

Netherlands asked Ukraine not to hand over MH17 suspect to Russia

England were bowled out for 301 in reply to Australia's first-innings 497-8 declared, a deficit of 196 runs, on the fourth day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Jos Buttler's cover-driven four off Mitchell Starc saw England avoid the follow-on with just one wicket standing after Australia were unable to challenge an lbw decision against No 11 Jack Leach because they had used up all their reviews.
Buttler was last man out, bowled for 41, by Pat Cummins.
Nevertheless, Australia remained on top in a match where victory would see them retain the Ashes at 2-1 up with one to play in a five-Test series.
All of Australia's three fast bowlers were in the wickets, Josh Hazlewood leading the way with 4-57 in 25 overs.
Cummins took 3-60 and left-armer Mitchell Starc 3-80 after Australia star batsman Steve Smith had marked his return to Test cricket with a superb 211.

England 301 all out against Australia in fourth Test

Juan Manuel Correa is in an induced coma in a London hospital after suffering complications following the crash in which Anthoine Hubert was killed at last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.
The Ecuadorian-American racing driver is in a "critical but stable" condition, his parents said in a statement on Saturday.
Correa, 22, broke his legs and suffered a spinal injury last Saturday when he crashed with Hubert during a Formula Two race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Frenchman Hubert, 20, died at the circuit 90 minutes after the race.
Correa, grandson of former Ecuador president Rodrigo Borja, was moved to London from a Belgian hospital, where he underwent four hours surgery last Sunday, on Tuesday.
In their statement, Juan Carlos and Maria Correa said: "New complications have surfaced as a consequence of the massive impact he suffered Saturday in Belgium.
"On his arrival to London, Juan Manuel was diagnosed with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. This is an injury considered common in .

'Critical but stable' Correa in induced coma

Russia and Ukraine carried out a long-awaited swap of 70 prisoners on Saturday.
As a result of five years of bitter conflict, dozens of prisoners have been held by the two ex-Soviet countries.
Here are the high-profile prisoners involved in the swap.
Film director Oleg Sentsov is the most prominent of the Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia.
In 2015, he was sentenced to 20 years in a Russian Arctic penal colony on terror charges after a trial that Amnesty International likened to a Stalin-era show trial.
During court appearances, he remained unbroken, often smiling, singing the Ukrainian anthem and making defiant comments.
Sentsov, 43, opposed Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, where he lived.
He was sent to a strict-regime penal colony on the remote Yamal peninsula where he spent 145 days without solid food last year, demanding the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners.
His severe health problems and support from international film stars including Johnny Depp did not cause the 

Who are the prisoners exchanged by Moscow and Kiev?

The African Union (AU) has lifted its suspension of Sudan three months after freezing its membership following Khartoum's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
The AU's Peace and Security Council said Friday that the decision followed the announcement of Sudan's first cabinet since the ousting of veteran leader Omar al-Bashir.
Handing down its suspension in June, the AU's conflict-resolution body had said transferring power to a civilian-led authority was "the only way to allow the Sudan to exit the current crisis".
Sudan's new premier Abdalla Hamdok on Thursday unveiled a new 18-member cabinet, a major step in the transition toward civilian rule after decades of authoritarianism.
The move was hailed by AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki as "the beginning of a new era" for Sudan.
The cabinet formation followed the signing of a power-sharing deal last month between the movement that led the months-long protests against Bashir, and the generals who seized power after ousting .

African Union lifts suspension of Sudan

Australia's Mitchell Starc took two wickets, including the prize scalp of Ben Stokes, as England desperately tried to avoid following-on in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
England were 278-8 at lunch on Saturday's fourth day, 219 behind Australia's first-innings 497-8 declared and needing 20 more runs to make the tourists bat again.
Left-arm fast bowler Starc, in his first match of this Ashes, had so far taken two wickets for 66 runs in 18 overs.
Jos Buttler was 26 not out and Stuart Broad two not out.
Victory for Australia in Manchester would see them retain the Ashes at 2-1 up with one to play in a five-Test series.
England resumed on 200-5, after Josh Hazlewood -- a member of an impressive fast-bowling trio also featuring Starc and Pat Cummins -- had rocked them with a burst of 3-15 late on Friday.
They had been making steady progress during a third-wicket partnership of 141 between Rory Burns (81) and captain Joe Root (71).
But Hazlewood removed both batsmen before bowling Jason .

Starc at the double as Australia press for Ashes-clinching win

British master spy novelist John le Carre's 25th book condemns "pig-ignorant" Boris Johnson and the "lunacy" of Brexit, according to an excerpt published in Saturday's Guardian newspaper.
Set in 2018, "Agent Running in the Field" tells the tale of Nat, a 47-year-old MI5 foreign intelligence service member with doubts about Britain's fate.
Extracts of the 87-year-old writer's book, to be released on October 17, show Nat revealing his career choice to his daughter Steff.
Johnson is still foreign secretary in the book, a position he gave up in July 2018 in protest at former prime minister Theresa May's Brexit strategy.
Describing a Britain in "free fall", Nat lists the reasons why he doubts why his country was still a democracy that worked for its people.
"A minority Tory cabinet of tenth-raters. A pig-ignorant foreign secretary who I'm supposed to be serving. Labour no better. The sheer bloody lunacy of Brexit," Nat tells his daughter.
Le Carre is a renowned europhile who joined dozens .

Spy master Le Carre slams 'pig-ignorant' Johnson in 25th novel

Ibrahim Zadran and Asghar Afghan hit half-centuries while Rashid Khan played a quick cameo after claiming five wickets in an innings, as Afghanistan took command in the one-off Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong on Saturday.
The visitors -- playing only their third Test in history -- reached 237-8 at stumps on the third day, setting a huge target for Bangladesh by taking an overall lead of 374 runs.
Debutant Zadran hit highest 87 off 208 balls for Afghanistan in the second innings while former skipper Afghan made 50 off 108 balls, his second fifty, adding to Bangladesh's frustration.
Rashid added 24 off 22 balls before wicketkeeper-batsman Afsar Zazai's unbeaten 34 runs extended Afghanistan's lead.
Skipper Shakib Al Hasan took three wickets for Bangladesh, including two in the first over of the innings, but Zadran and Afghan shared 108 runs for the fourth wicket to snatch the momentum back for Afghanistan.
Shakib trapped Ihsanullah Janat for four in the third ball of the innings ...

Rashid's Afghans pile misery on Bangladesh

Cameroon's four-time African Player of the Year Samuel Eto'o announced his retirement on Saturday at the age of 38.
"The end, towards a new challenge," the former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea striker posted on Instagram.
"Thank you all, big love, adrenalin," added Eto'o, who enjoyed five hugely successful seasons with Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
In that time he won a pair of Champions League titles and three La Liga crowns before departing for Inter Milan.
He helped Jose Mourinho's team win the treble of Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia titles in his first season in Italy before moving to Russia's Anzhi Makhachkala.
He also had brief stints at Chelsea and Everton in the Premier League.  Last year, after a short spell with Turkish side Konyaspor, he joined Qatar league side, Qatar Sports Club, his last club.
With Cameroon he won two Africa Cup of Nations as well as Olympic gold in 2000.

African great Eto'o hangs up his boots

Ibrahim Zadran and former skipper Asghar Afghan smashed half-centuries as Afghanistan continued to build on their huge first innings lead in the one-off Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong on Saturday.
Debutant Zadran hit an unbeaten 82 while Afghan made 50 off 108 balls as the duo guided Afghanistan to 156-4 at tea on the third day, extending their 137-run first innings lead to 293 runs.
Zadran and Afghan shared 108 runs for the fourth wicket after Bangladesh reduced Afghanistan to 28 for three early in the second innings thanks to skipper Shakib Al Hasan, who struck twice in the first over.
Shakib trapped Ihsanullah Janat for four in the third ball of the innings and then dismissed first innings centurion Rahmat Shah for a golden duck in the next ball.
Afghan, who also made 92 runs in the first innings, joined Zadran after off-spinner Nayeem Hasan removed Hashmatullah Shahidi for 12.
Taijul Islam dismissed Afghan, who hit four fours and two sixes in his second fifty of the game, ..

Zadran, Afghan pile more misery on Bangladesh

Muslim rebels in the mainly Catholic Philippines began handing over their guns to independent foreign monitors Saturday, as part of a peace treaty aimed at ending a decades-long separatist insurgency that has left about 150,000 people dead.
Just over a thousand guerrillas in the country's restive south are turning in 940 weapons in a single day, in a graduated decommissioning process that aims to turn the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country's largest rebel force, into a regular political party
The fighters demobilised on Saturday represent a symbolic first step towards retiring what MILF says is a force of 40,000 fighters in the coming years.
"The war is over... I have no firearms left," Paisal Abdullah Bagundang, 56, a self-described veteran of more than 100 firefights with government security forces since the 1970s, told AFP.
But the disarmament will take time to make an impact in a place where violence is an almost daily threat.
A bomb hidden in a parked motorcycle ...

Muslim rebels hand over guns in Philippines peace deal

Israeli forces attacked Hamas positions in Gaza after rockets fired from the Palestinian enclave hit the Jewish state, the military said early Saturday.
The exchange came hours after two Palestinian teenagers were killed by Israeli fire during clashes on the Gaza border.
Late Friday, "five projectiles were launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel," the army said.
The projectiles hit open fields in southern Israel, an army spokesman told AFP.
In response, an "aircraft and tank struck a number of Hamas military targets in the northern Gaza Strip, including a post and military positions," the army said in a statement.
A Hamas security source said there were no casualties resulting from the Israeli strikes.
Later Saturday, a drone launched from southern Gaza crossed into Israeli airspace, the army said in a separate statement.
It "dropped what seems to be an explosive device" near the security fence, damaging a military vehicle before returning to Gaza.
In response, an Israeli ...

Israel strikes Gaza after rocket attack

Thailand plans to allocate more than USD 251 million for monarchy "security" in the 2020 budget, according to government figures, a hike of more than 13 per cent year-on-year.
The proposal, which still needs parliamentary approval, comes four months after 67-year-old King Maha Vajiralongkorn was crowned in an elaborate ceremony.
It is also the first budget under the staunchly pro-royalist administration of Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former coup maker turned civilian premier after a disputed poll.
The funds for the palace were included in a proposal released by the budget bureau, which provided no detailed breakdown on how the money would be used and were labelled only "security fundamentals".
The cabinet agreed on the 2020 figures Tuesday, and it will be proposed to the parliament for review and approval on a later date.
There are planned increases in defence, finance and interior ministries, and a slight decrease in education, according to calculations done by AFP.
King Vajiralongkorn ...

Thailand seeks $251 million for palace budget, a 13 per

Planes carrying 70 Russian and Ukrainian prisoners involved in a landmark exchange landed Saturday in Moscow and Kiev, with the Ukrainian leader personally greeting former inmates.
The jet carrying the Ukrainians touched down at Kiev's Boryspil airport to applause from the prisoners' relatives, an AFP correspondent said.  Filmmaker Oleg Sentsov said he was happy to be home. "I thank all the people who have fought for us," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and relatives had arrived at Boryspil to welcome the plane from Moscow.
The former comedian was seen hugging the former prisoners, an AFP correspondent said.
Russian state television showed the plane carrying the Russians landing at Moscow's Vnukovo airport. Soon after the former prisoners started disembarking, with big bags in their hands.
Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia's human rights ombudsman, said on Russian television that 70 people had been involved in the swap.

Planes carrying Russian, Ukrainian prisoners land in Moscow, Kiev

Italy has issued arrest warrants for 10 people, including an imam, suspected of financing terrorism, prosecutors said Saturday.
Eight of the suspects are of Tunisian origin and two are Italian. The Imam is from the city of Teramo in the central region of Abruzzo.
The suspects are alleged to have "created many false accounts, through various companies to set aside large sums of money," the prosecutor's office in Aquila said.
The money was used to finance activities related to the radical Al-Nusra organisation, the former Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, it said.
Part of the money was also intended for imams in Italy,  "including one convicted for association with a group linked to international terrorism".
An Italian accountant is also among the 10 suspects, whose property, money and real estate, said to be worth more than one million euros (over $1.1 million), were seized, the statement said.

Italy seeks 10, including Imam, on terror finance charges

Iran seized a boat and arrested 12 Filipinos as it busted a "fuel-smuggling ring" in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the semi-official news agency ISNA reported.
"A foreign tugboat was confiscated as well as 283,900 litres (75,000 gallons) of petrol worth 233.71 billion rials ($20.2 million)," ISNA said, citing the coast guard chief in the southern province of Hormozgan.
"Twelve Philippine nationals were arrested and the relevant judiciary officials are currently taking the required legal measures," Major Hossein Dehaki was quoted as saying.
Dehaki said the group was suspected of operating a fuel-smuggling ring and the confiscated shipment had been intercepted close to Sirik county in the Strait of Hormuz.
The seizure comes amid tensions in the Gulf after the United States unilaterally withdrew from a nuclear deal putting curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in return for relief from sanctions.
The escalation has seen ships mysteriously attacked, drones downed and oil tankers seized in 

AFP

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