Hashim Amla secured his third Test double-hundred on the fourth morning in Cape Town as he guided South Africa towards safety in the second Test. By lunch, he was 200 not out, the latest interlude in an innings that has spanned 467 balls and around 12 hours. South Africa trailed by 201 runs, the follow-on, to all intents and purposes, ...

Ballon d’Or glory is only a matter of time for Barcelona star Neymar, says Kaka Kaka believes it is only a matter of time until Barcelona star Neymar wins the Fifa Ballon d’Or. The 23-year-old has been included in the three-man shortlist for the 2015 edition of the accolade alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have split the award ...

Australia have pulled out of the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh starting on January 27 due to security concerns. CA chief executive James Sutherland said the decision was taken after advice from the government stated that the threat to Australian interests in Bangladesh was as high as when the senior team had pulled out of their tour in October last ...

West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle says he was “joking” when he asked a reporter out on live television. Journalist Mel McLaughlin was reportedly left angry and upset after Gayle abruptly asked her out during an interview in Hobart on Monday night. “To see your eyes for the first time is nice. Hopefully we can have a drink afterwards. Don’t blush ...

Mainland Chinese shares recovered early losses amid volatile swings, following Monday’s suspension of trading which led to a global equities sell-off. The Shanghai Composite was up 0.8% at 3,324.27 after opening more than 3% lower, while the Hang Seng also changed direction to head up 0.1% to 21,342.09. Trading in Shanghai was suspended early on Monday under a new rule ...

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has decided to add at least two Boeing aircraft to its fleet, aiming to tackle its aircraft shortage after the phase-out of its decades-old two Airbus aircraft. The national flag carrier has floated two tenders in this connection to take the aircraft under dry lease (only aircraft) system for 60 months, UNB reports quoting Biman officials involved ...

Image caption Local forces have been supported by the US and UK military in combating the Taliban in Helmand One US service member has been killed and two wounded during a special forces mission in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province. The forces were taking part in a counter-terrorism operation when they came under fire, officials told US media. A medical helicopter ...

US President Barack Obama is to widen background checks on buyers of firearms, in a series of measures to address gun violence. The plans will be announced on Tuesday by the president, despite opposition from Congress to new gun laws. All sellers who operate online or at gun shows will be forced to conduct background checks on potential buyers. Republican ...

The chief suspect in the latest propaganda video by so-called Islamic State (IS) is thought to be British man Siddhartha Dhar, the BBC understands. An official source told the BBC Mr Dhar was the focus of investigations into the video, which purports to show the killing of five men IS says were spies. “A lot of people think it is ...

 A prominent Iranian lawmaker says Saudi Arabia’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with Iran likely will force the Islamic Republic to stop sending pilgrims to the annual hajj. Lawmaker Mohammad Ali Esfanani, spokesman of the Judicial and Legal Committee of the Iranian parliament, made the comments on Monday. The semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Esfanani as saying: “When a country ...