Rafael Nadal is "confident" he will be 100 percent fit when the Australian Open starts in less than three weeks' time despite enduring yet another tough battle with injuries over the past few months.
The Spanish world number two had to pull the plug early on his 2018 season and has not played since a knee problem forced him to retire during his US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro in September.
He underwent surgery on his ankle to remove an intra-articular loose body in November and only resumed training two weeks ago.
Nadal will dip his toes back into competition at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition in Abu Dhabi, where he faces either Kevin Anderson or Chung Hyeon in his opener on Friday.
"I started two weeks ago and of course doing the things step by step and I think I have time to be ready for Melbourne at my 100 percent," Nadal told reporters in the UAE capital on Thursday.
"It's going to be good to have some matches before but I'm confident that I'm ...

Nadal confident about fitness for Australian Open

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Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock steered South Africa to a first-innings lead on the second day of the first Test against Pakistan at SuperSport Park on Thursday.
Bavuma made 53 and De Kock hit 45 before South Africa were bowled out for 223, a lead of 42. Lunch was taken when the final wicket fell.
Left-arm fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi took four for 62 and four for 64 respectively.
Runs were again at a premium on a pitch which has helped the fast bowlers throughout.
Nightwatchman Dale Steyn hit 23 off 23 balls and Kagiso Rabada made 19 off 25 balls as the tail provided support to Bavuma and De Kock.
Bavuma moved to an assured half-century off 66 balls but was then tied down by some accurate bowling before edging Afridi to wicketkeeper and captain Sarfraz Ahmed for 53 off 87 balls with nine fours.
De Kock made his runs off 53 balls with five fours before he was last man out, driving Amir to cover.

Bavuma, De Kock give South Africa first-innings lead

French building conglomerate Vinci said Thursday it was adding Gatwick airport, Britain's second-busiest, to the dozens of hubs it already owns, booking a majority stake for nearly three billion pounds.
The purchase of Gatwick, which is Europe's eight-biggest airport and runs the busiest single runway in the world, comes only months before Britain is to leave the European Union.
The proximity of Brexit "probably helped us close the deal", Nicolas Notebaert, Vinci Airports chief, told a telephone conference.
The absence of a Brexit deal with the EU could cause major air travel problems as both sides would no longer recognise each other's aviation safety standards.
Vinci said it will own a 50.01-percent stake in Gatwick thanks to the deal worth 2.9 billion pounds (USD 3.7 billion, 3.2 billion euros) by the end of June.
Gatwick made headlines last week when it closed its runway repeatedly due to reports of mystery drone sightings nearby, impacting nearly 140,000 passengers.
Vinci is ...

London's Gatwick airport sold to French Vinci conglomerate

Top Chinese leaders have been forced to undergo a self-criticism session, state media said Thursday, in a further sign of President Xi Jinping's efforts to enforce party loyalty amid signs of internal dissent over his handling of a trade war with the United States.
A tool highly favoured by Mao Zedong and taken to extremes during the Cultural Revolution, self-criticism sessions are back in favour under Xi's presidency as he seeks to consolidate power and tighten discipline in the upper party echelons.
Members of the Politburo "were asked to conduct criticism and self-criticism in light of work experience," at a meeting held on Tuesday and Wednesday, state news agency Xinhua reported.
The were also questioned on "how they have taken the lead to implement Xi's instructions and key Party regulations and policies," it added.
The centre of power in China lies with the 25-member Politburo, though its role has lessened since Xi got the top job in 2012 and started concentrating powers in his .

Top Chinese officials forced to carry out self-criticisms

Campaigning ends tomorrow for Bangladesh's general election on December 30 with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League seeking a third straight term in office even as main opposition BNP is in a crippled state as its leader and former premier Khaleda Zia remains in jail for corruption.
The BNP has alleged that the Awami League government is trying to push it out of the electoral fray.
"The government is applying all its power to oust us from the election," Bangladesh Nationalist Party spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said.
Kamal Hossain, convenor of opposition National Unity Front (NUF) in which BNP is a key partner, called an emergency meeting of the alliance to decide their next course of action.
Rizvi claimed that over 9,200 of BNP activists were arrested since the declaration of the election schedule on December 4 saying "our activists were sued in 806 ghost cases since then to create an atmosphere of fear".
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, on the other hand, ..

Campaigning ends tomorrow for Bangladesh polls on Dec 30

People who are less likely to put on excess fat around their hips due to their genes are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes and heart attacks, according to a study.
While it has long been recognised that an 'apple-shaped' body is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease, the new research sheds light on the specific genetics linked to this body shape and the potential mechanisms behind the increased risk.
The findings, published in JAMA: the Journal of the American Medical Association, may help to better identify individuals at risk of developing these conditions and inform their subsequent treatment.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK studied the genetic profiles of over 600,000 participants from several large UK and international studies.
They identified over 200 genetic variants that predispose people to a higher waist-to-hip ratio, a measure of the 'apple shaped' body.
Using this data, the researchers identified two specific groups of genetic 

People with slim hips may have higher risk of diabetes, heart attacks: Study

Netflix is set to launch a stand-alone film, titled "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch", based on the hit sci-fi anthology series, on Friday.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming giant officially revealed the premiere date when it released a trailer only a day ahead of its debut.
"Black Mirror" explores the negative impact new technology can have on the modern world.
Set in the 1980s, "Bandersnatch" follows Stefan (played by Fionn Whitehead from "Dunkirk"), a young programmer who has hopes of creating a computer game inspired by an adventure novel given to him as a child.
"Bandersnatch", the first official stand-alone movie from the franchise, will be helmed by "Black Mirror" director David Slade.
Will Poulter, Craig Parkinson, Alice Lowe and Asim Chaudhry are part of the cast.
Meanwhile, the fifth season of "Black Mirror" is set arrive next year.

'Black Mirror' stand-alone film 'Bandersnatch' to premiere on December 28

The United Arab Emirates will reopen its embassy in Damascus Thursday, an official said, seven years after it severed ties with Syria over the violent repression that triggered the war.
An official at the information ministry invited journalists "to cover the reopening of the Emirati embassy in Damascus today".
The move is seen as another step in efforts to bring the regime of President Bashar al-Assad back into the Arab fold after years of diplomatic isolation. A visit to Damascus by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir earlier this month had been interpreted by some observers as a sign of that trend.
Rumours of the Emirati embassy reopening have circulated in recent days as renovation work was spotted getting underway at the building.
The UAE broke ties with Syria in February 2012, as the repression of nationwide protests demanding regime change was escalating into a war which has now killed more than 360,000 people.

UAE to reopen Damascus embassy after 7 years: official

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli Thursday laid the foundation stone for the reconstruction of the historic Dharahara tower situated in the heart of Kathmandu which was destroyed during the devastating earthquake of 2015.
A joint venture of Chinese company GIETC and a local firm has won the contract to rebuild the new 22-storeyed structure at a cost of NRs 3.48 billion.
The nine-storeyed 62-metre-tall white tower built by Nepal's first prime minister Bhemsen Thapa in 1825, had collapsed twice before during earthquakes in 1934 and 2015.
Speaking on the occasion Oli said his government accords top priority to rebuild structures damaged and destroyed by the earthquake over three years ago.
He said the government is committed to making the capital Kathmandu beautiful, safe and healthy to attract more tourists to the country.
He called upon all stakeholders and the general public to join hands and cooperate for rebuilding national pride projects such as the Dharahara tower.
The tower ...

Nepal to rebuild Kathmandu's historic Dharahara tower

As New Year's Eve approaches, many people will experience the familiar buzz by consuming their favourite cocktail, and now researchers have revealed a twist in how this intoxication happens.
When the cocktail reaches our nerve cells, the alcohol employs intermediary molecules on the membrane surface of the neuron to produce the intoxicating effect, said researchers from the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in the US.
In the study published in the Journal of Molecular Biology, the researchers enabled fruit flies to become inebriated to track ethanol's path.
The fly is a useful model to study gene activity because its genome is smaller than other animals and is easily manipulated.
The alcohol in beverages acts much like an anesthetic, said Scott Hansen, an associate professor at TSRI.
It creates a hyper "buzzed" feeling first, and then sedation, Hansen said.
It turns out there is an important intermediate step that was not previously known, researchers said.
They looked towards a ...

How people get 'high' on alcohol decoded

Stressing on continuity, chief coach Stephen Constantine has announced a 23-member Indian football team, to be spearheaded by the seasoned Sunil Chhetri, for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup.
The Asian Cup is scheduled to be held in the UAE from January 5 to February 1.
India play their first match against Thailand on January 6, with matches against hosts UAE and Bahrain slotted for January 10 and January 14, respectively.
"It was very important to keep on the continuity. It'll be silly of me to completely change the way we do things. Most of these boys are with us for some time now," Constantine said.
"The other five boys (from the list of 28) will also stay with us until January 2. In case of an injury or anything else happens, these five boys will need to step up," he added.
"We are looking forward to the massive tournament. We hope these 23 boys will do a good job for us."
The Blue Tigers were the first among 23 visiting teams to arrive in Abu Dhabi on December 20. A 28-member squad had 

Constantine announces 23-member India squad for Asian Cup

Pakistan and the UK on Thursday signed a prisoner transfer agreement, allowing foreign inmates in both countries to serve their sentences closer to home.
The UK-Pakistan Prisoner Transfer Agreement was signed by British High Commissioner Thomas Drew and Pakistan Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan in Islamabad.
The agreement will give prisoners the opportunity to serve their sentence closer to home and allows them to prepare for their reintegration into their home community when they are eventually released from prison, according to a statement by the British High Commission in Islamabad.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Drew said the agreement will strengthen UK-Pakistan ties.
"I am delighted to sign this updated prisoner transfer agreement today, which will allow prisoners to serve their sentence closer to home. This is a testament to the strength of our two countries' relationship," he said.
The agreement was approved in principle during British Home Secretary Sajid Javid's visit 

Pakistan, UK sign prisoner transfer agreement

Pakistan on Thursday described the Kartarpur corridor as the "high point of diplomacy" for the Imran Khan government while admitted that there was "no progress" on the contentious issues with India.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal also said that the Kashmir issue remained "on top of Pakistan's priority".
At the weekly media briefing here, Faisal said that the Kartarpur corridor was the "high point of diplomacy for Pakistan's new government, along with Afghan (peace) developments."
He said Prime Minister Khan in a letter to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in September gave a detailed roadmap to move forward but New Delhi failed to reciprocate.
Faisal said that despite India's refusal to start a dialogue, Pakistan went ahead with the groundbreaking of the Kartarpur corridor.
Prime Minister Khan in November laid the foundation stone for the corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to 

Pak says Kartarpur corridor 'high point of diplomacy' for Imran Khan govt

Cheteshwar Pujara has been in prime form in the current Test series against Australia but there has been no conscious effort to silence critics who have panned him for his underwhelming performance Down Under in 2014.
"When I play international cricket, I don't need to silence anyone. I just need to keep scoring runs and that is what I love to do. I don't want to get into all such things. My job is to score runs and I will keep scoring runs, whether it is home or away," Pujara said after scoring his 17th Test hundred.
However he accepted that once a player starts winning games for his country, even the critics can be kept at bay.
"Sometimes you do get criticised and you just have to accept it. But if you keep scoring runs and if India keeps winning, ultimately everybody is happy," Pujara said.
Pujara said that he had learnt from his mistakes from 2014 where he got only one half-century in Brisbane.
"When you play international cricket, experience makes a lot of difference. 2014 was my 

Don't need to silence anyone when I play international cricket: Pujara

A princess who tried to flee the United Arab Emirates months ago is "a troubled young woman", a former UN human rights chief said on Thursday after meeting her this month.
Mary Robinson told BBC radio 4's Today programme that she had been invited by Princess Haya, the wife of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, to help with his daughter, Sheikha Latifa.
Latifa has not been seen in public since she was allegedly captured at sea off India in March after leaving the UAE.
In a YouTube video at the time, she said she was leaving because of restrictions imposed on her by her family.
Robinson, who was seen alongside Latifa in photographs released by the UAE authorities earlier this month, said that she had been asked to "help with a family dilemma".
"The dilemma was that Latifa is vulnerable, she's troubled. She made a video that she now regrets and she planned an escape, or what was part of a plan of escape," she said.
"I had lunch with her. She's a very likeable young woman .

Dubai princess 'troubled': former UN human rights chief

A towering stack of marijuana that weighed a hefty 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds) went up in smoke Thursday as Indonesian police lit up the pungent contraband.
Authorities in the Muslim-majority nation's Aceh province took a match to the bricks of pot and also destroyed some 19 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, seized in raids this year.
Five drug suspects in bright-orange prison garb were paraded around the ceremony.  Aceh is a deeply conservative region at the tip of Sumatra island that publicly whips criminals for a range of offences including gambling, drinking alcohol, and having gay sex or relations outside of marriage.
Indonesia also has some of the world's strictest drug laws.
This month, five foreigners were arrested in Bali for drug trafficking, with a German and Peruvian possibly facing execution if convicted.

Up in smoke: Indonesia burns mountain of marijuana

Comedian Kevin Hart, who stepped down as the Oscars host earlier this month, will be ringing in New Year at another gig.
Hart will be hosting the New Year's Eve weekend event at Drai's Nightclub in Las Vegas where he will be joined by rappers Lil Wayne, Future and Big Sean among others.
The 39-year-old comedian announced the news on Instagram on Wednesday.
"Oh my God! New Year's Eve weekend in Vegas at Drai's is about to be unreal. Unreal? I'm talking about one of the biggest and best lineups in the world.
"You got my man Fab, you got Lil Wayne, you got Big Sean, you got Future. You got the countdown hosted by yours truly, Kevin Hart," he said in the video he posted.
The comic captioned the video: "NYE weekend I'm teaming up with my @Draislv family to host the biggest weekend ever... with a crazy line-up featuring  @myfabolouslife@bigsean @liltunechi @future".
On December 5, Hart was named the host of the 91st Academy Awards but stepped down following a controversy over his old ...

Kevin Hart to host New Year's Eve party post Oscars controversy

Germany's top soldier says authorities are contemplating allowing the country's military to recruit citizens of other European Union countries in some areas, including as doctors and information technology specialists.
Germany dropped military conscription in 2011, and the Bundeswehr now has to compete for recruits in a healthy economy with low unemployment.
The military's chief of staff, Gen. Eberhard Zorn, was quoted Thursday as telling the Funke newspaper group that "we must look in every direction at a time when there is a shortage of specialists."
He added: "One option we are examining is the question of whether we allow applications by fellow EU citizens for very specific fields of work  we are talking here about doctors or IT specialists, for example.

German military mulls recruiting EU nationals for some jobs

The man who hijacked a bus and crashed it into pedestrians in east China's Fujian province had killed two others before the incident, state media reported.
The hijacker, a 48-year-old identified only by his surname Qiu, killed a local official and police officer Tuesday before fleeing the scene and taking over a public bus in Longyan city, Fujian TV said Wednesday.
After Qiu killed the cadre who was visiting his home, he went to a local community office where he fatally wounded a police officer using a knife hidden in his clothes, the report said.  Photos taken by Fujian TV showed broken glass and a blood-splattered floor.
Qiu fled the scene and hijacked a bus, which he drove into a crowd.
Eight people were killed and 22 injured in the incident.
Longyan police did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
In a video posted by Duowei news, a Chinese media outlet based in the US, several injured people were shown lying on the street near a crashed bus, its front badly ...

China hijacker killed two before commandeering bus

The United States has warned its citizens that security at the Philippines's main airport does not meet international standards, urging travellers to exercise "increased caution".
The US Department of Homeland Security issued a travel advisory on Wednesday saying security at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport was not "consistent" with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
"Exercise increased caution when traveling to or from Ninoy Aquino International Airport," the US embassy in Manila said on its website citing the advisory.  The advisory was based on an assessment by security experts from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the US homeland security department said without specifying the findings.
Once derided as the world's worst airport due to leaking toilets and creaking facilities, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is the primary gateway to the Southeast Asian nation.
A statement on the US homeland security department website said 

US warns travellers over security at Manila airport

Cheteshwar Pujara is not known to score at a fast clip but but the slowness of the MCG track was something that bogged down even India's dogged No 3 during the first innings of the third Test against Australia.
"We have to bat like the way the wicket is behaving and what the situation is. On this pitch, every batsman has to play a lot of balls to score runs. If it were a different wicket maybe I would have scored 140-150 after playing so many deliveries. But in Test cricket it is important to read both situation and pitch when batting," Pujara, who scored  106 off 319 balls in India's first innings total of 443/7 declared.
Pujara admitted that the pitch is extremely difficult to bat on and the runs put on board is good enough to challenge Australia.
"It is a tough pitch to score on. If we look at first two days number of runs scored are very less and in a way I would say that 200 in a day is a tough task, so I think we have enough runs on the board," said Pujara.
The variable bounce ..

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