Bangladesh stepped up security Saturday with thousands of army troops patrolling the streets along with paramilitary forces and police as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seeks a record fourth term in Sunday's general elections.
Security agencies have been asked to keep an extra vigil on religious minority communities during the voting on Sunday as media reports said at least three Hindu households were set on fire by miscreants between December 16 and 26, Chief Election Commissioner Nurul Huda said.
Law enforcement agencies in major cities are checking vehicles as part of their vigil as some 600,000 security personnel including several thousand soldiers and paramilitary border guards were deployed across the country.
Thirteen people have been killed and thousands injured in clashes between supporters of Hasina's ruling Awami League and activists of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The opposition parties have alleged that thousands of its leaders and activists have been .

Bangladesh intensifies security as Hasina seeks re-election on Sunday

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Usher has filed for divorce from estranged wife Grace Miguel after over two years of marriage.
According to the People magazine, the singer, 40, filed for divorce on Friday in Georgia. His filing comes nine months after they announced their separation in March.
The pair previously confirmed the breakup in a joint statement.
"After much thought and consideration, we have mutually decided to separate as a couple. We remain deeply connected, loving friends who will continue supporting each other through the next phases of our lives.
"The enormous amount of love and respect that we have for each other will only increase as we move forward," the statement read.
They were last photographed together in late June during a dinner outing in Los Angeles.

Usher files for divorce from Grace Miguel

Australia were 258 for eight at stumps on the fourth and penultimate day of the third Test against India here Saturday.
Set an improbable target of 399 after India declared their second innings at 106 for eight, the visitors were behind by 141 runs at close of play, with Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon batting on 61 and 6 respectively.
Brief scores:
India: 443/7 and 106/8 declared (Mayank Agarwal 42; Pat Cummins 6/27)
Australia: 151 all out and 258/8 in 85 overs (Pat Cummins batting 61, Shaun Marsh 44; Ravindra jadeja 3/82, Jasprit Bumrah 2/53).

Australia 258/8 at stumps, India need two wickets

Angelina Jolie has hinted that she is fine with the idea of joining politics in future.
The Hollywood actor-director, who is involved with the United Nations, in a recent interview did not rule out a stronger push into the political arena.
"Honestly, if you asked me 20 years ago I would've laughed, and I really don't knowI always say I'll go where I am needed. I don't know if I'm fit for politics, but then I've also joked I don't know if I have a skeleton left in my closet so I'm pretty open and out there.
"I can take a lot on the chin so that's good," Jolie said during a visit to the BBC's Today as a guest editor.
The actor, who is a special envoy for the U N refugee agency, used her guest editor slot on the BBC to highlight refugee issues in the Middle East. She also invited Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege on the show.

Angelina Jolie doesn't rule out move into politics

Actor Michael Fishman and his wife of nearly 20 years Jennifer Briner have parted ways.
Briner filed documents for legal separation from Fishman on Thursday.
Fishman is best known for playing DJ Conner on the long-running series "Roseanne" and its spin-off "The Conners".
According to TMZ, the actor, 37, said the decision to split with Briner is amicable.
The duo, who wed in 1999, have been in the process separating since June 2017 but was delayed when production on "Roseanne" was halted.

Michael Fishman and Jennifer Briner split

Actor Rupert Grint says he cannot watch Harry Potter movies later than "Prisoner of Azkaban" as he is still not able to detach himself from his character Ron Weasley.
The actor said he still feels close to the Ron of the films beyond the third installment of the franchise based on author JK Rowling's fantasy novels.
"I think those early ones are Ok. More time has passed. I can detach myself a bit more from that kid. I did see 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' not long ago, for the first time since the premiere, and I actually enjoyed looking back.
"But the more recent ones I definitely couldn't do. I could probably go up to 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'," Grint told Radio Times.
The actor is currently looking forward to his upcoming Amazon Prime series adaptation of Agatha Christie's "The ABC Murders", in which he plays Inspector Crome.

Rupert Grint can't see Harry Potter films after 'Prisoner of Azkaban'

"Lodge 29" actor Wyatt Russell and Meredith Hagner got engaged in Colorado over the Christmas holiday.
Hagner shared the news on Instagram.
"The love of my dang life proposed to me," the "Set It Up" actor, 31, wrote in the caption. "He is the best guy in the world."
Hagner also shared the details of the proposal, "It was an epic surprise surrounded by our closest family and I would give the proposal 5 stars on yelp!"
The duo started dating during the filming of 2016 movie "Folk Hero & Funny Guy".
Russell's parents Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn also fell in love while shooting "Swing Shift" in 1983.

Wyatt Russell, Meredith Hagner are engaged

Five workers were killed while another remained trapped in a coal mine accident in east China's Fujian Province, local authorities said Saturday.
The accident occurred Friday at a coal mine in Yongding District in the city of Longyan, the district's publicity department said, without elaborating on what kind of accident it was.
Nine people were working underground when the accident took place.
Five have been confirmed dead, one injured and two others were lifted to safety, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The search operation to rescue the trapped miner is on.
The coal mine owner has been taken into custody. An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, the report said.

Five killed in coal mine accident in China

Sudanese police broke up several protests held after Friday prayers, as security agents arrested a top opposition leader following calls for more demonstrations against a rise in bread prices.
Angry crowds have taken to the streets in Khartoum and other cities since December 19 after a government decision to hike the cost of bread.
Nineteen people have been killed so far in the protests, the government said, and the UN on Friday called on the authorities in Sudan to investigate the deaths.
Police fired tear gas at hundreds of worshippers who staged demonstrations after Friday prayers in several cities, including Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman on the west bank of the Nile, witnesses said.
Photographs posted by activists on social media networks showed thick plumes of smoke rising from some neighbourhoods in Khartoum as protesters burnt garbage and tyres.
In Omdurman, crowds of worshippers chanted "Freedom, Peace, Justice" as they poured out of a mosque belonging to main ...

Sudan police break up new protests as opposition leader arrested

Ariana Grande has cancelled her New Year's Eve weekend gig in Las Vegas due to "health issues", the pop star announced on Friday.
Grande was scheduled for perform on Saturday at the Cosmopolitan's Chelsea Theatre.
It would have been her first full performance since the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, her breakup with "Saturday Night Live's" Pete Davidson and the massive success of her singles "Thank U, Next" and "Imagine".
"Vegas, I'm currently working through some health issues and am beyond sorry I won't be able to see you this weekend. I love you and so look forward to seeing you and making it up to you next year" Grande wrote on her Instagram story.
In a statement to Variety, the Cosmopolitan confirmed  that the concert was off "due to unforeseeable health reasons," adding that they expected to reschedule the date but were offering full refunds in the meantime.
The Las Vegas concert also marked the singer's final live obligation of 2018 before her Sweetener World Tour kicks off .

Ariana Grande cancels Las Vegas gig due to 'health issues'

A Jamaat-e-Islami leader's wife and son were among four people arrested for allegedly trying to bribe voters using fake notes in Bangladesh, which is going to crucial polls on Sunday
The arrests were made after police on Friday raided the house of Amir Shahadat, chief of Jamaat's west unit at Sadar Upazila after getting tip-off about attempts to buy votes, bdnews reported.
The Jamaat leader fled the scene, but his son Jaharul Islam, wife Hafiza Khatun and two assistants were arrested.
As many as 39 counterfeit notes of Tk 1,000 denomination was recovered from the house, said the police.
Bangladesh's Election Commission last week allowed Jamaat-e-Islami, a crucial ally of jailed former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Opposition BNP, to contest the general elections, two months after it scraped the fundamentalist party's registration
The Jamaat is contesting from 25 seats in the parliamentary polls with 'sheaf of paddy', the electoral symbol of the BNP.

Jamaat leader's wife, son caught for bribing voters with fake notes in B'desh

Nepal-India relations saw an upward trend in 2018 as high-level bilateral visits gradually helped remove the mistrust, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying New Delhi was ready to be the 'Sherpa' in the land-locked Himalayan nation's quest to scale the mountain of success.
India was able to recover its lost ground in Nepal in recent months after a period of unease in bilateral ties following the violent agitation in 2015 by Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, who blocked Indo-Nepal border demanding more representation in Parliament and redrawing of provincial boundaries. The economic blockade severely affected Nepal, its economy and its ties with India.
India's bilateral engagement with Nepal in 2018 began with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in February meeting Left alliance leader K P Sharma Oli days before his swearing in as prime minister.
After Nepal witnessed political instability for several years, the Left alliance came to power in the historic polls in December, ...

Nepal-India ties move upward with high-level visits in 2018

House Republicans say more investigation is needed into decisions made by the FBI and the Justice Department in 2016 as they brought an unceremonious end to their yearlong look at the department's handling of probes into Democrat Hillary Clinton's emails and Donald Trump's ties to Russia.
In a letter released Friday evening, less than a week before Republicans cede the House majority to Democrats, the chairmen of two House committees described what they said was the "seemingly disparate treatment" the two probes received during the presidential election in 2016 and called on the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate further.
House Judiciary Chairman Robert Goodlatte and Rep Trey Gowdy, House Oversight and Government Reform chairman, both of whom are retiring next week, sent a letter to the Justice Department and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying they reviewed thousands of documents and conducted interviews that "revealed troubling facts which ...

House GOP quietly ends probe into FBI's 2016 decisions

Scoreboard at tea on the fourth and penultimate day of the third Test between India and Australia here on Saturday.
India 1st innings 443-7 dec
Australia 1st innings 151 all out
India 2nd innings (overnight 54-5)
Mayank Agarwal b Cummins 42
Hanuma Vihari c Khawaja b Cummins 13
Cheteshwar Pujara c Harris b Cummins 0
Virat Kohli c Harris b Cummins 0
Ajinkya Rahane c Paine b Cummins 1
Rohit Sharma c S.Marsh b Hazlewood 5
Rishabh Pant c Paine b Hazlewood 33
Ravindra Jadeja c Khawaja b Cummins 5
Mohammed Shami not out 0
Extras: (lb-1 b-5, w-1) 7
Total: (eight wickets declared, 37.3 overs) 106
Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-28, 3-28, 4-32, 5-44, 6-83, 7-100, 8-106
Bowling: Starc 3-1-11-0, Hazlewood 10.3-3-22-2, Cummins 11-3-27-6, Lyon 13-1-40-0.
Australia 2nd Innings
Marcus Harris c Agarwal b Jadeja 13
Aaron Finch c Kohli b Bumrah 3
Usman Khawaja lbw b Shami 33
Shaun Marsh lbw b Bumrah 44
Travis Head batting 29
Mitchell Marsh c Kohli b Jadeja 10
Tim Paine batting 1
Extras: (b-1, lb-4 ) 5
Total: ..

 Scoreboard at tea on the fourth and penultimate day of the third Test between India and ...

Australia were struggling at 138 for five at tea on the fourth and penultimate day of the third Test against India here Saturday.
India declared their second innings at 106 for eight, setting the hosts an improbable victory target of 399.
The hosts trailed by 261 runs at the break.
Brief scores:
India: 443/7 and 106/8 declared (Mayank Agarwal 42; Pat Cummins 6/27)
Australia: 151 all out and 138/5 in 42 overs (Shaun Marsh 44; Jasprit Bumrah 2/22).

Australia 138/5 at tea on day 4

Three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian tour guide were killed Friday when a roadside bomb blast hit their bus as it travelled close to the Giza pyramids outside Cairo, officials said.
A statement by the public prosecutor's office said 11 other tourists from Vietnam and an Egyptian bus driver were wounded when the homemade device exploded.
The improvised explosive device was placed near a wall along the Mariyutiya Street in Al-Haram district near the Giza Pyramids, it
said.
The bus was carrying a total of 16 people including 14 Vietnamese tourists, an Egyptian driver and a tour guide, according to the statement.  Armed security personnel quickly deployed to the site and cordoned off the area for inspection.
The white tourist bus could be seen with its windows shattered and surrounded by soot-covered debris.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli visited the injured tourists in hospital, where he announced that the tour guide had died from his wounds.  Madbouli urged against ...

Bomb kills three Vietnamese tourists, guide near Egypt pyramids

A team of British divers who helped save a junior football team stranded in a flooded cave in Thailand were awarded in Britain's traditional New Year Honours alongside former supermodel Twiggy and Monty Python's Michael Palin.
The seven underwater specialists involved in the remarkable rescue were also joined on the prestigious annual achievement list -- announced on Friday -- by Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan, Jim Carter from "Downton Abbey", best-selling author Philip Pullman and leading Brexiteer lawmaker John Redwood.
Four of the divers were given awards for exceptional bravery while the three others were made Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Richard Stanton and John Volanthen -- the first of the divers to reach the 12 stricken children and their coach -- were awarded the George Medal, the country's second highest civilian gallantry award.
Stanton had already been made an MBE in 2012 for his rescue services.  Fellow divers Christopher Jewell .

Thai cave rescue divers, Twiggy, Monty Python's Palin on UK honours list

A Turkish prosecutor on Friday launched an investigation into a prominent TV news presenter less than two weeks after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lambasted the journalist, local media reported.
The prosecutor's office said it was investigating Turkey's Fox Haber channel's Fatih Portakal for "openly inciting others to commit a crime" after the journalist speculated whether Turks could protest like those in the "Yellow Vest" movement in France, Hurriyet and Milliyet dailies said.
"Come on, let's have a peaceful protest, a protest against ... rising natural gas fees. Come on, let's do it. Would we be able to do it?" the journalist who has over six million followers on Twitter asked.
"For the love of God, tell me how many people would come out?" Portakal demanded as he speculated about the impact of Turks' fears of protesting in a news programme on December 10.
During anti-government protests in 2013, Erdogan was criticised for the police's heavy-handed crackdown against ...

Turkey probes prominent TV anchor: report

Pep Guardiola faces a testing week that could prove crucial in arresting Manchester City's slump and reviving the defence of their Premier League title.
City end 2018 with a testing visit to Southampton before opening 2019 with leaders Liverpool coming to the Etihad, a game in which defeat for City could leave them 10 or more points off first place.
Such an outcome could prompt Guardiola to have a change of heart and invest in new blood in the January transfer window to try and revive their title challenge.
City's sudden collapse, with three defeats in their last four Premier League games, has been blamed on the absence of injured holding midfielder Fernandinho and the lack of a suitable replacement.
The continued injury problems of French left-back Benjamin Mendy, and the recent loss of form of right-back Kyle Walker, have also presented Guardiola with a problem in the positions that are so key to his swashbuckling style of play.
Mendy's replacement Fabian Delph has turned in some ...

Saints await as Guardiola and City bid to stay in title race

West Ham were celebrating on Friday after rising teenage star Declan Rice signed a new long-term contract with the Premier League club.
The 19-year-old midfielder, who has made 51 appearances for the east London side, has signed new terms until 2024 -- with the option to extend for a further year.
The news will come as a boost to the Hammers, who moved into the top half of the table with a 2-1 win away to Southampton on Thursday, after Rice rejected an initial offer earlier in the season.
Rice's previous deal was due to run out at the end of next term, leading to fears he could leave West Ham for nothing were he to move to a rival club when that contract ran out.
"Signing Declan to a new long-term contract is something we have been planning for and working round the clock on and I, the board, the manager and Declan himself are all very happy that everything has now been completed," said West Ham joint chairman David Sullivan.
Such is Rice's ability he is being courted by both the ...

West Ham sign teenager Rice on long-term deal

European football governing body UEFA said that the correct anti-racism protocol had not been followed during the Italian league game between Inter Milan and Napoli midweek amid repeated abuse of Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
Napoli's French-born Koulibaly was targeted by monkey noises and racist chants at the San Siro, before being sent off for sarcastically applauding referee Paolo Mazzoleni.
Three announcements were made over the loudspeaker imploring fans to stop the chants, but they continued.
According to UEFA's protocol, the match should have been suspended then but instead the game was allowed to continue.
In a joint statement UEFA and players' union FIFPro said Friday they were "very concerned by this unacceptable racist incident and by what appears on the surface to be a failure to respect the widely-recognised three-step anti-racism protocol.
"Koulibaly was subject to racist chanting and, despite announcements made by the stadium speaker, the chants did not stop. ..

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