(Reuters) - Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and elected to bat first in the second and final test against Australia in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Pakistan named two debutants in Fakhar Zaman, who replaces the injured opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq, and left-arm seamer Mir Hamza, who comes in for Wahab Riaz after the paceman went wicketless in the drawn first test in Dubai. Tim Paine's Australia, bidding to win their first series in Asia since 2011, are unchanged from Dubai. Teams: Pakistan - Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mir Hamza, Bilal Asif, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah. Australia - Usman Khawaja, Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschangne, Tim Paine (captain), Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland. (Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by John O'Brien) … [Read more...] about Pakistan opt to bat in second test v Australia
Australia
Australia mulling embassy move to Jerusalem: PM
SYDNEY — Australia is considering moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Tuesday, following the lead of US President Donald Trump. Morrison called a press conference to say he was "open-minded" to proposals to formally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move his nation’s embassy to the holy city, a sharp break with the policy of successive Australian governments for decades. "We’re committed to a two-state solution, but frankly it hasn’t been going that well, not a lot of progress has been made, and you don’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results," Morrison said. He described proposals to recognise Jerusalem and move Australia’s embassy as "sensible" and "persuasive" and would be considered by the government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying he had discussed the possible embassy move with Morrison. The surprise … [Read more...] about Australia mulling embassy move to Jerusalem: PM
Harry brings the laughs to Australia
News / UK and world by Press Association October 16, 2018, 5:09 am FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsAppEmail Sign up to our Daily newsletter The Duke of Sussex took advantage of opportunities to raise a smile during his first overseas tour with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex. The jokes started early as the couple took in Taronga Zoo and Harry opened the Institute of Science and Learning. Finley Blue, four, and six-year-old Dacha Gallagher, both presented their bouquets of traditional flowers in Meghan’s direction, with Harry joking: “Oh, you’re giving them both to her!” The duke also showed off his sense of humour when the zoo’s director Cameron Kerr spoke of the various work the zoo does with pre-school groups, and Harry pointed to the 20 Youth at the Zoo volunteers aged 13-19 in the crowd and pulled a mock confused face. When Mr Kerr appeared to briefly struggle to get out all the syllables in “Duke of Sussex and Duchess of … [Read more...] about Harry brings the laughs to Australia
How papers in the UK and Australia reacted to Harry and Meghan’s baby news
News / UK and world by Press Association October 16, 2018, 2:41 am FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsAppEmail Sign up to our Daily newsletter The news of a new royal baby has made headlines across the world after Kensington Palace announced the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were expecting a child in the spring. It is no surprise the couple, who have been married for five months, feature on the front of most of the UK’s national newspapers on Tuesday. But the pair’s happy news is also celebrated on the front of many Australian newspapers too, as Harry and Meghan embark on their first overseas tour as a married couple Down Under. In typical Aussie, laid-back fashion, the country’s Daily Telegraph runs with the headline “Heir Dinkum!” – a play on the Australian slang “fair dinkum”, meaning fair or truth – and describes the unborn baby as the couple’s “little Aussie beauty”. The news added further … [Read more...] about How papers in the UK and Australia reacted to Harry and Meghan’s baby news
Australia considers recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Australia was considering recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest obstacles to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel regards all of the city, including the eastern sector that it annexed after the 1967 Middle East war, as its capital. Last December, U.S. President Donald Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy by recognising Jerusalem, enraging the Palestinians and upsetting the Arab world and Western allies. A statement issued by Netanyahu's office said he had spoken to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison by phone on Monday, and that Morrison had said he was "considering official recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and moving its embassy there". No comment was immediately available from Morrison's office. The U.S. Embassy became the only foreign embassy in Jerusalem in May, and Guatemala and Paraguay followed … [Read more...] about Australia considers recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital