AUSTIN — A federal judge in Austin blocked Gov. Greg Abbott’s order limiting the number of mail ballot drop-off sites a county can have. In an order issued late Friday night, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman of Austin put on hold Abbott’s order thereby allowing counties to have multiple mail ballot drop-off sites. The order said agents of the state are blocked from taking …

ia Dallas County reported 448 more confirmed coronavirus cases Friday, including 444 which the county considers new and four from previous months. Three new COVID-19 deaths were reported. Labs either report coronavirus cases directly to the county health department or to the state health department, which then relays the information to individual counties. Of cases reported Friday, Dallas County health …

Health authorities are closely watching an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a new strain of coronavirus known as COVID-19. Here are the answers to key questions about the outbreak: What is the new virus? Scientists have identified the virus as a novel, or new, coronavirus. The name comes from the Latin word for crowns or halos, which coronaviruses resemble …

WASHINGTON – Suburban women, soccer moms – whatever you call them – Friday night’s Senate debate suggested they’re the key to Texas elections, and can’t be pigeonholed. Three-term GOP incumbent John Cornyn and Democrat MJ Hegar each made a pretty compelling case to this bloc. He projected reasonable and conservative. She projected tough but caring and as a bonus, relatable …

LONDON: Serbia reached the Euro 2020 playoff finals after a double from second-half substitute Sergej-Milinkovic Savic gave them a 2-1 win away to Norway after extra time on Thursday while seven other nations joined them on a night of nerve-wracking action. Scotland will face the Serbians in Belgrade in one of four playoff finals on November 12 for a berth …

In my late sixties, and in the sunset of a cricket career which never really had a dawn, I have found it a huge privilege to play in Pakistan. I have recommended this experience to all my cricketing friends in England: some have followed me, and I hope that more will follow them. Some have asked me whether Pakistan is …

Rawalpindi: With Central Punjab (CP) and Southern Punjab (SP) making a surprising comeback today, the National T20 Cup has taken a curve and things look quite enthralling ahead in the tournament.  Here is how the points table of the event looks like after completion of 16 matches:      Teams         M         W …

PARIS: Twelve-time champion Rafael Nadal reached his 13th French Open final on Friday with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) win over Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, setting up a potential blockbuster title clash against Novak Djokovic. For 34-year-old Nadal, it was a 99th win at Roland Garros since his 2005 debut and put him just one victory away from equalling Roger Federer’s …

KARACHI: Central Punjab revived their semi-final aspirations in the National T20 Cup on Friday when the returning Pakistan duo of Babar Azam and Faheem Ashraf combined to put an end to reigning champions Northern’s remarkable 10-match winning streak in Rawalpindi. The opening fixture of the 19-game First XI competition’s second leg at the Pindi Cricket Stadium was a virtual one-way …

ISLAMABAD: Months after severe country-wide oil shortages, the country’s oil refineries are raising red flags over lower uplifting of their refined products by oil marketing companies (OMCs), resulting in curtailment of capacity utilisation and crude production from oilfields. A senior government official said the OMCs had scaled down their upliftment of petroleum products following government’s decision to shift oil pricing …