Afghanistan's election organisers are again considering postponing April's presidential ballot for two months, an official said Thursday, in an attempt to avoid a repeat of October's shambolic legislative vote.
The remarks come at a sensitive time for Afghanistan as the Taliban step up their bloody offensive and President Donald Trump's plan to slash American troop numbers threatens to derail US-led peace efforts.
The Independent Election Commission, which was skewered over its handling of the parliamentary vote, was meeting with "relevant sides", including potential candidates, to discuss delaying the ballot.
"The purpose is reform and to avoid problems which occurred in the parliamentary election," IEC spokesman Zabi Sadat told AFP.
"No decision is final yet, but we will make an announcement soon." The IEC is still finalising results of the parliamentary vote held two months ago and observers have expressed concern that it would struggle to organise a presidential election in ...

Afghan election organisers mull delaying presidential vote

PTI Automatic

Scoreboard on the second day of the third Test between India and Australia here Thursday.
India 1st Innings
Hanuma Vihari
c Finch b Cummins
8
Mayank Agarwal
c Paine b Cummins
76
Cheteshwar Pujara
b Cummins
106
Virat Kohli
c Finch b Starc
82
Ajinkya Rahane
lbw b Lyon
34
Rohit Sharma
batting
63
Rishabh Pant
c Khawaja b Starc
39
Ravindra Jadeja
c Paine b Hazlewood
4
Extras: (B-15 LB-14 W-1 NB-1)
31
Total: (For 7 wkts in 169.4 overs)
443 decl
Fall of Wickets: 1/40 2/123 3/293 4/299 5/361 6/437 7/443
Bowling: Mitchell Starc 28-7-87-2, Josh Hazlewood 31.4-10-86-1, Nathan Lyon 48-7-110-1, Pat Cummins 34-10-72-3, Mitchell Marsh 26-4-51-0, Aaron Finch 2-0-8-0.

 Scoreboard on the second day of the third Test between India and Australia here

US President Donald Trump has defended his decision to withdraw troops from the war-torn Syria, saying America cannot be the world's policeman, as he made his first unannounced trip to Iraq.
President Trump and First Lady Melania secretly left Washington on Christmas night and visited Iraq on Wednesday to deliver holiday greetings to US combat troops.
"President Trump and the First Lady travelled to Iraq late on Christmas night to visit with our troops and Senior Military leadership to thank them for their service, their success, and their sacrifice and to wish them a Merry Christmas," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a tweet.
Trump delivered a speech to around 100 uniformed service members at an air base west of Baghdad where he defended his decision to pull American troops out of Syria.
"The United States cannot continue to be the policeman of the world," Trump told reporters soon after he addressed American soldiers.
He said the US could use Iraq as a regional ...

America cannot be world's policeman: Trump tells US troops in Iraq

A 33-year-old Indian-origin police officer in the US state of California has been killed after being shot by an "armed" unidentified gunman while he was conducting a traffic stop.
Corporal Ronil singh of the Newman Police Department was shot and killed during a traffic stop when he was "working overtime on Christmas night to provide the best for his family."
"A few moments later he called out 'shots fired' over the radio," the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said in a statement, which is leading the investigation.
"Multiple agencies responded to assist, and Singh was found at the scene with gunshot wounds."
He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, the department said.
It said the suspect had fled the scene in his vehicle before the police arrived. The department is leading the investigation and have released surveillance photographs of the suspect and vehicle, asking for any information on the identity of the suspect.
The California Highway Patrol ...

Indian-origin police officer shot and killed in California

A sublime six-wicket haul by Trent Boult and half centuries from Tom Latham and Jeet Raval gave New Zealand a vice-like grip on the second Test against Sri Lanka in Christchurch on Thursday.
At the close of the second day, New Zealand were 231 for two, holding a commanding 305-run lead in their second innings with eight wickets in hand.
Sri Lanka's hopes of taking the series-deciding Test were severely dented in a 15-ball masterclass of swing bowling from Boult when he took six wickets for four runs.
It gave New Zealand a 74-run first-innings lead, which Latham and Raval extended to 195 with a century opening stand.
Kane Williamson and Latham added a further 68 for the second wicket until Williamson played a lazy shot to Lahiru Kumara and was caught at first slip for 48.
At the close of the second day, Latham was on 74 with Ross Taylor on 25.
Latham, who starred in the first Test with an unbeaten double century, has faced 213 deliveries.
He received a life on 32 when he top-edged ...

Boult sublime, runs flow as New Zealand take control

Singer Miley Cyrus and actor Liam Hemsworth have officially confirmed their marriage.
Days after reports of the couple tying the knot surfaced over the weekend, the couple made things internet official on Wednesday.
Cyrus, 26, shared black-and-white images from the intimate ceremony, reported to have been held on Sunday, on social media.
She posted a series of photographs of her with Hemsworth. They first started dating after meeting on the sets of Nicholas Sparks' 2010 film "The Last Song".
In one of the pictures, the duo can be seen embracing each other, with a wedding ring visible on the 28-year-old actor's finger.
In a flash forward-like sequence, an apparent nod to their once on-again off-again relationship, Cyrus shared a photo captioned: "10 years later..."
The couple became engaged in 2012 but broke it off the following year and separated. They reconnected in 2015 and announced their engagement later.
Hemsworth also took to Twitter where he shared one of the images from the ...

Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth confirm marriage

Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach during the infamous ball-tampering scandal, feels then captain Steve Smith shouldn't have turned a "blind eye" to the ill-fated plan in Cape Town.
Lehmann stepped down as coach after Smith and his deputy David Warner were handed one-year bans by Cricket Australia in exemplary punishment for their role in the scandal in March that shook the game.
Cameron Bancroft, who actually committed the offence, was banned for nine months. His ban ends on Saturday, while Smith and Warner will have to wait until March.
"Steve decided to turn a blind eye. He was captain of the country and he should have more control of that," Lehmann told 'Macquarie Sports Radio'.
"I still can't understand the pressures of captaining your country, it's quite high you would think."
Lehmaan said Bancroft should have approached the support staff when he was asked to tamper the ball.
"Yeah, he (Bancroft) could have and should have come to us," he said.
"A severe mistake made by the ...

Smith turned blind eye to ball-tampering plan, should've had more control: Lehmann

Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma added 47 runs for the fifth wicket as India reached 346 for 4 at tea on day two of the third Test against Australia here on Thursday.
At the break, Rahane was batting on 30 not out, while Sharma was unbeaten on 13 runs, as the duo undertook a rebuilding job after Australia removed both Cheteshwar Pujara (106) and Virat Kohli (82) in the space of four overs.
Post lunch, Kohli-Pujara took their third-wicket partnership to 170 runs before the game turned.
The Indian skipper took medication for some back issue and then stepped through the gears as he brought out two pulls against Mitchell Starc (1/68) in the 123rd over.
He pressed on the accelerator a tad too much, and cut straight to third man, much to the bowler's delight to be dismissed for 82.
Four overs later, in the 126th, Pujara got a delivery from Pat Cummins (3/56) that kept a tad low and knocked back his stumps as India were suddenly reduced to 299/4.
Rahane then took charge of proceedings and ...

Rahane-Rohit rebuild innings, India 346/4 at tea

Indonesia on Thursday raised the danger alert level for a volcano that sparked a killer tsunami at the weekend, after previously warning that fresh activity at the crater threatened to trigger another deadly wave.
Authorities also widened a no-go zone around Anak Krakatoa to five kilometres (three miles) -- up from a previous two kilometres -- and warned shell-shocked residents to stay away from the coast, after more than 400 were killed by Saturday night's killer wave.
Plumes of ash burst into the sky as pyroclastic flows -- hot gas and other volcanic material -- flowed down the crater, raising the risk of rough seas for boats in the vicinity.
Authorities raised the crater's status to high alert, the second-highest danger warning, while aviation officials ordered flights to be redirected away from the area.
"We've raised the status of (the volcano) since this morning because there's been a change in the eruption pattern," Kus Hendratno, a senior official at the Krakatoa observatory, .

Indonesia hikes danger level for deadly tsunami volcano

Japan hanged two men convicted of murder on Thursday, the justice minister said, bringing the number of executions this year to 15 -- tied for the highest amount on record.
With more than 100 inmates on death row, Japan is one of the few developed nations to retain the death penalty, and public support for it remains high despite international criticism, including from rights groups.
The minister named the two men executed as Keizo Kawamura, 60, and Hiroya Suemori, 67, who were convicted of the 1988 strangling of an investment firm chief and an employee.
After stealing 100 million yen ($900,000 at today's rate) they buried the two bodies in concrete in the mountains. Their capital punishment sentence was finalised in 2004.
"This was an extremely heinous crime that shook society," Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita told a press conference.
The minister, who is a a former prosecutor, said he ordered the executions after careful consideration, and made it clear that Japan would not stop .

Japan hangs two for murder, bringing 2018 executions to 15

Scoreboard at tea on the second day of the third Test between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here Thursday.
India 1st Innings:
Hanuma Vihari
c Finch b Cummins
8
Mayank Agarwal
c Paine b Cummins
76
Cheteshwar Pujara
b Cummins
106
Virat Kohli
c Finch b Starc
82
Ajinkya Rahane
batting
30
Rohit Sharma
batting
13
Extras: (B-15 LB-14 NB-1 W-1)
31
Total: (For 4 wkts in 143 overs)
346
Fall of Wickets: 1/40 2/123 3/293 4/299
Bowling: Mitchell Starc 26-7-68-1, Josh Hazelwood 28-10-65-0, Nathan Lyon 37-5-93-0, Pat Cummins 30-10-56-3, Mitchell Marsh 22-4-35-0.

 Scoreboard at tea on the second day of the third Test between India and Australia at the ...

India reached 346 for 4 at tea on the second day of the third Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here Thursday.
Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma were batting on 30 and 13 respectively at the break.
Cheteshwar Pujara and captain Virat Kohli were out for 106 and 82 respectively in the post-lunch session.
Brief Scores:
India 1st Innings: 346 for 4 in 143 overs (Cheteshwar Pujara 106, Virat Kohli 82; Pat Cummins 3/56).

India to 346/4 at tea in 3rd Test

An unbeaten 117-run stand by Jeet Raval and Tom Latham tightened New Zealand's domination of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday as they backed up Trent Boult's sublime six-wicket haul.
With Raval on 72 and Latham on 40, New Zealand were 191 runs ahead at tea on day two of the Christchurch Test with all second innings wickets intact.
Sri Lanka resumed the day sensing they held a slight advantage at 88 for four in reply to New Zealand's first innings 178.
But a magic spell of swing bowling by Boult swung the game firmly New Zealand's way with six wickets for four runs in 15 deliveries.
It saw Sri Lanka bowling again 74 runs in arrears and Raval and Latham have steadily increased the lead, batting from lunch through to tea in the first wicketless session of the Test.
Raval, in his 16th Test, was closing in on his career-best 88 set last year against South Africa while Latham was looking for his 15th half century.
The pair put on 36 in just over an hour before lunch then ...

New Zealand back Boult's six-wicket burst with ton opening stand

Liverpool moved six points clear at the top of the Premier League as the leaders eased past Newcastle 4-0 at Anfield and Manchester City were beaten for the second time in five days, 2-1 at Leicester.
Tottenham leapfrog City into second after thrashing Bournemouth 5-0, while Manchester United's perfect start under caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continued with Paul Pogba scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Huddersfield.
United remain eight points off the top four as Eden Hazard scored twice in Chelsea's 2-1 win at Watford, but fifth-placed Arsenal could only manage a 1-1 draw at Brighton.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has tried in recent days to stress that it is still far too early for his side to be talking of ending a near three-decade wait to win the title in December.
However, another routine win and a 12th clean sheet in 19 Premier League games will do little to dampen expectations ahead of a huge week for Liverpool with Arsenal visiting Anfield on Saturday before a visit to 

Liverpool open up six-point lead as Man City lose again at Leicester

Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti said the club asked Serie A game against Inter Milan to be stopped a number of times following racist chants towards Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
Koulibaly was sent off 10 minutes from the end of Napoli's 1-0 defeat at the San Siro, with substitute Lautaro Martinez scoring a stoppage-time winner for Inter.
Centre-back Koulibaly was initially booked for a foul on Matteo Politano and then shown another yellow card in the aftermath for sarcastically applauding the referee.
The 27-year-old had been subjected to monkey noises from home supporters throughout the match.
"We asked three times for the match to be suspended and there were three announcements, but the match continued," Ancelotti told Sky.
"The player was irritable, he wasn't in the best state of mind. Usually he's a very calm and professional player but there were these noises throughout the game."
"It looks like an excuse but the player was agitated and irritable. It's not good, not for ...

Napoli asked for halt to Inter game after racist chants

A withering burst of six wickets for four runs by Trent Boult put New Zealand firmly in charge of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Christchurch on Thursday.
In the space of 15 deliveries, the left-arm seamer destroyed Sri Lanka with a dream spell of bowling that handed New Zealand a 74-run first innings lead which had increased to 110 by the time they went to lunch.
Sri Lanka resumed the day at 88 for four with the in-form Angelo Mathews unbeaten on 27 to give them a slight advantage as they closed in on New Zealand's first innings 178.
But after adding six to their overnight total, Sri Lanka crashed when Boult unleashed his lethal attack and their innings was over just 45 minutes into the day.
Boult, who sent down 10 overs without reward on day one, finished with a career-best six for 30 off 15 overs, eclipsing his previous best of six for 32 against England earlier this year.
The onslaught began with Roshen Silva (21) and Niroshan Dickwella (four) both caught at third slip by ...

Boult's six-wicket onslaught puts New Zealand in charge

US President Donald Trump has said that he plans to visit the country's southwestern border with Mexico early next year for groundbreaking.
Trump has made securing the southern border a focal point of his presidency, with plans to beef up border security and create a wall as key components.
In an interaction with reporters during his surprise visit to Iraq with First Lady Melania, Trump said he wants to visit the border wall before the State of the Union Address next year.
This is his first visit to Iraq as the US President.
Trump said he is planning on "going to the wall" on the Southwest Border of the US early next year for a "groundbreaking".
Trump made these remarks while taking questions from reporters during a briefing with US military leaders shortly after landing in Iraq.
Trump indicated that he will not budge from his position on border wall. With the opposition Democrats refusing to approve the necessary funds, the federal government has been under a partial government ...

Trump to visit Mexico border for groundbreaking

A couple who were well-known Sioux Falls philanthropists were killed when a small plane crashed in a residential neighborhood of South Dakota's largest city, police said Wednesday.
The Minnehaha County coroner positively identified the victims as Vaughn and JoAnn Meyer of Sioux Falls, police said. Both were 68 years old.
The plane crashed at around 5 p.m. Tuesday in the backyards of four homes in Sioux Falls, causing significant damage to two of the homes but not injuring anyone on the ground, authorities said.
Police Capt. Loren McManus said at a news briefing that the two people who were on the plane were killed. He later said authorities do not know who was piloting the plane.
The Meyers were known for their philanthropy, the Argus Leader reported . Sioux Falls Lutheran School announced earlier this year it was naming a new 400-seat chapel and performing arts center after the couple after they donated more than $1 million to the project.
Vaughn Meyer was a retired plastic surgeon ..

Philanthropist couple killed in US plane crash

Scoreboard at lunch on the second day of the third Test between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here Thursday.
India 1st Innings:
Hanuma Vihari
c Finch b Cummins
8
Mayank Agarwal
c Paine b Cummins
76
Cheteshwar Pujara
batting
103
Virat Kohli
batting
69
Extras (B-10 LB-9 NB-1 W-1)
21
Total (For 2 wickets in 117 overs)
277
Fall of Wickets: 1/40 2/123
Bowling: Mitchell Starc 20-6-48-0, Josh Hazelwood 24-10-53-0, Nathan Lyon 30-4-80-0, Pat Cummins 24-8-46-2, Mitchell Marsh 19-4-31-0.

 Scoreboard at lunch on the second day of the third Test between India and Australia at ...

India reached 277 for 2 at lunch on the second day of the third Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here Thursday.
Pujara was batting on 103 and captain Virat Kohli was giving him company on 69 at the break as India scored 62 runs from 28 overs in the morning session.
Brief Scores:
India 1st Innings: 277 for 2 in 117 overs. (Cheteshwar Pujara 103 batting, Virat Kohli 69 batting; Pat Cummins 2/46).

Pujara hundred takes India to 277/2 at lunch

An American adventurer has become the first person to complete a solo trek across Antarctica without assistance of any kind.
Colin O'Brady, 33, took 54 days to complete the nearly 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) crossing of the frozen continent from north to south.
"I accomplished my goal: to become the first person in history to traverse the continent of Antarctica coast to coast solo, unsupported and unaided," O'Brady wrote in an Instagram post after covering the final 77.5 miles in 32 hours.
"While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced," he wrote.
"I was locked in a deep flow state the entire time, equally focused on the end goal, while allowing my mind to recount the profound lessons of this journey. I'm delirious writing this as I haven't slept yet." His voyage was tracked by GPS, and live updates of the trip were provided daily on his website colinobrady.com.
O'Brady and ..

Page 3718 - PTI Stories National