MOUNT MAUNGANUI: New Zealand were left ruing a day of missed opportunities as England battled to 241-4 at the close of the opening day’s play in the first-ever Test at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Thursday. England all-rounder Ben Stokes provided some late fireworks, which included hitting Trent Boult for four successive boundaries, to finish on 67 not …

Pakistan were left to rue a basic error from 16-year-old debutant Naseem Shah as Australia opener David Warner plundered the visitors’ attack with a brilliant 151 not out on the second day of the first Test at the Gabba on Friday. Australia finished the day on 312 for the loss of just one wicket, 72 runs ahead of Pakistan’s first …

  WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Thursday passed a temporary spending bill that averts a government shutdown, sending the one-month measure to President Donald Trump´s desk hours before federal funding was to expire at midnight. The short-term bill only funds federal operations until December 20, meaning Congress will be forced to once again debate and pass fiscal year 2020 funding …

LONDON: Prince Andrew was urged Thursday to speak to lawyers representing victims of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after the royal announced he was quitting public life because of the scandal. Queen Elizabeth II´s second son, 59, has faced days of outrage since a television interview in which he defended his friendship with the disgraced US financier. Andrew denies claims he had …

WASHINGTON: Google´s tightening of its political ad policy could help reduce the spread of misinformation on election campaigns, but at a cost for lesser-known candidates. The move by Google placing restrictions on how advertisers can target specific groups of voters also adds to the pressure on Facebook to modify its hands-off policy on political ads. Google announced Wednesday it would …

Prince William and wife Kate Middleton pulled out a royal event  — Tusk Conservation Awards gala — at the last minute in a surprise on Thursday night, according to reports. It was a surprise for many as Kate Middleton along with Prince William had attended the tea party earlier in the day at Kensington Palace. The Duchess of Cambridge skipped …

Lebanon marked 76 years of self-rule Friday, with nationwide festivities by protesters taking centre stage in place of the traditional military parade to mark a first year of “real independence”. An unprecedented protest movement has gripped the small Mediterranean country since October 17, demanding the complete overhaul of politicians deemed inept and corrupt. In central Beirut, protesters organised a civil …

Social media was set ablaze with praises on Friday for a ‘Muslim hero’ who interrupted an anti-Islam rally last week to stop another man from burning a copy of the Holy Quran in Norway. A scuffle broke out after the leader of the ‘Stop Islamisation of Norway (SIAN)’ rally, Lars Thorsen, tried to burn a copy of the holy book …

ANKARA: Turkey condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran in Norway on Friday, calling on western countries to counter the rise of Islamophobia. A video started doing the rounds on the internet of an anti-Islam rally in which a man belonging to an anti-Islam organisation started burning the Holy Quran. A man jumped in and tried to save the Holy …

A US court on Thursday handed down a four-year prison term to a former American Idol contestant for conspiring to distribute drugs. Antonella Barba, 32, was convicted by US District Court in Norfolk, Virginia months after she pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Barba, who had finished in the top 16 on …