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Elvis Smylie holed a bunker shot on the last to put his name above star attractions Jason Day and Cameron Smith with a 65 for a first-round lead at the rain-soaked Australian PGA Championship on Thursday.The 22-year-old, the son of multiple tennis Grand Slam doubles champion Liz Smylie, is two clear of 2022 British Open winner Smith and former world No.1 Day.Smylie was given his first name decades after his father sat in the front row with tennis icon John McEnroe during an Elvis Presley concert in the 1970s. He sprinkled his own stardust on day one of the Australian PGA at Royal Queensland in Brisbane – the opening round of the DP World Tour’s 2025 season.At the par-5 ninth, his last, he recovered spectacularly from a poor bunker shot by holing a subsequent shot from an adjoining sand trap for birdie.Smylie’s eight birdies and two bogeys put him at six-under-par, one ahead of unheralded Swiss golfer Joel Girrbach, Australia’s Matias Sanchez and Frenchman Victor Perez.“Technically, I didn’t touch the green and made (birdie), which is a good way to finish and there were lots of positives on Friday,” Smylie said about not needing a putter on the last.“I’ve played a lot of golf (at Royal Queensland) and every part of my game’s really good at the moment.”Perez plans to embrace forecasted heavy rain in pursuit of his fourth career DP World Tour win.“It’s a lot easier when you’re playing well,” he said of the deluge.“These conditions can create good separation and I was hitting the ball nicely, so I was able to free flow.”Left-handed Smylie upstaged Smith and Day, who joined crowd favourite and defending champion Min Woo Lee in a marquee group in the morning wave.Smith and Day shot 67 to join a large group at four-under including LIV golfer Marc Leishman.Three-time Australian PGA winner Smith was stagnant for nine holes before a terrific approach into the first hole, his 10th, for the first of four back-nine birdies.“Seeing that putt go in (provided) a little bit of confidence and from there, when I’m putting good, the rest of my game frees up and I can really start to play some aggressive golf,” Smith said.Lee was five-under through 12 holes but dropped three shots and carded a three-under 68.Day, a 13-time PGA Tour winner, played his first competitive round in Australia in seven years and was embraced warmly.“It has been a while since I’ve been here so I wasn’t not too sure how things would unfold but the Australian crowds are always great,” he said.

Stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah insisted on Thursday that India were carrying no baggage from their Test whitewash by New Zealand and warned Australia that star batsman Virat Kohli was looking “ominous”.India head into the first of five Tests against Australia on Friday in Perth on the back of their first home series loss in 12 years.But speedster Bumrah, who will captain the side after Rohit Sharma stayed home following the birth of his second child, said they were only looking forward.“The beauty about cricket is even if you win, you start from zero, and even if you lose you start from zero,” he told reporters. “So that’s how I look at the game.“Obviously, yes, we were disappointed and we were down that we had a tough series (against New Zealand).“But we are not carrying any baggages. We come with a fresh mindset, different opposition and you learn from the changes that have happened in our team.”With Rohit out, KL Rahul or Abhimanyu Easwaran are in line to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, while there are doubts over number three Shubman Gill who has hurt his thumb.Their bowling line-up is also unclear. Bumrah said India had settled on who would partner him in the attack, but he would wait until the toss to reveal all.Kohli is certain to play, but will pad up under increasing scrutiny after managing only two Test centuries in the last five years and averaging just 15 against New Zealand.Despite signs that one of the world’s greatest batsmen may be past his best at 36, Bumrah cautioned that Kohli should never be written off.Kohli has a stellar record in Australia, averaging 54.08. “He is one of the greats of the game,” said Bumrah.“He’s the utmost professional that we have in our team. He’s got a lot of success.“Okay, one or two series here and there can go up and down, but the confidence that he has at this moment, I have no doubts.“He’s looking to contribute. And the way I’ve seen him at training ... the signs are ominous.”With Bumrah taking the armband, the first Test will have two fast bowlers captaining their teams, with Pat Cummins in charge of Australia.Bumrah said he was determined to do the job his way.“I love responsibility. I wanted to do the tough job since I was a child,” he said.“I’ve never followed a copybook plan... I’ve never followed a model and I go with my instincts and that’s how I’ve always played my cricket. “I have a lot of faith in my instincts and gut,” he added.Cummins tells McSweeney not to emulate Warner against IndiaAustralia captain Pat Cummins on Thursday urged new opener Nathan McSweeney not to try and emulate swashbuckling David Warner, while admitting his team had unfinished business with India.The uncapped McSweeney will make his Test bow at Perth Stadium on Friday, parachuted in at the top of the order alongside Usman Khawaja after Warner’s retirement this year. He has big shoes to fill, and goes into the game having only opened once before at first-class level, in a warm-up Australia A match this month.Cummins said he must be himself when he fronts a world-class Indian attack spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah on what is expected to be a fiery pitch. “Davey is very hard to replace in many ways, but I think the most important thing for someone like Nath coming in is to play his own game,” he said.“He doesn’t need to strike at 80 like Davey did if that’s not his game.”Other than McSweeney, Australia has a settled side which is on a mission to win their first Test series against India in almost a decade. Only Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Steve Smith remain from the squad that last won in Australia back in 2014-15.Since then they have slumped to four straight Border-Gavaskar series losses, including two at home.“It’s kind of one of the last things to tick off for a lot of us,” Cummins told reporters of beating their big rival.“Almost every challenge that we’ve had thrown with us over the last few years we’ve stepped up and done well.“To do that for another year, another home summer, would kind of cement this.”While Australia go into the first of five Tests with their starting XI locked in, India is set for a shake up after their devastating 3-0 home series loss to New Zealand.Rohit Sharma will likely miss the match following the birth of his second child, with Bumrah assuming the captaincy.Number three Shubman Gill is a doubt with an injured thumb, while the bowling line-up behind Bumrah is yet to be decided.Nevertheless, Cummins is under no illusions about the task ahead. “There will always be pressure when you are playing at home,” he said. “We’re all excited, we know India are right up there with the best teams.“They are missing a couple of guys we are more familiar with, but we know that whoever they pick they will obviously think are good enough for Test cricket.”

Sri Lanka’s coach Sanath Jayasuriya (left) speaks as chief selector Upul Tharanga looks on during a press conference ahead of the team’s departure to South Africa for two Test matches, in Colombo on Thursday. The opening Test starts November 27 in Durban, followed by one in Gqeberha on December 5. The series is part of the ICC World Test Championships. (AFP)

Triple Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty said he is not ready to make a decision about competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Games after the Briton was left frustrated by illness and some of the team’s decision-making in Paris.Peaty missed out on a third straight 100 breaststroke title by 0.02 seconds at La Defense Arena.The 29-year-old had been bidding to join Michael Phelps as the second male swimmer to win the same Olympic individual swimming event three times but, struggling to recover from Covid-19, he lost out to Italian Nicolo Martinenghi.Though rating Paris as a “great Games” personally, Peaty told The Times he was also left with a feeling of frustration by the illness and with some of the decisions made by British team management.“There is still a lot of hurt there because of certain things and, because of the illness, and because of some decisions that were made by the team that I don’t think were in the best interest of the athletes,” said Peaty.“And so there is a bit of anger.”Peaty did not elaborate on his misgivings with team management but said there conversations to be had in private.“Anger is good, if it’s anger with purpose and it makes sure that my voice is heard. Britain can obviously grow from that experience (in Paris),” he added.Peaty, who will be 33 when Los Angeles hosts the Games, said he might take another six months or a year’s rest before being ready to commit to another gruelling Olympic training programme.The possibility of the 50 breaststroke being added to the Olympics might help sway him toward LA given the lower training load required for success compared to the 100. World Aquatics has asked for the 50 breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke events to be added to the schedule for 2028. Peaty is the world record holder in both the 50 and 100 events.“You can train a lot smarter for the pure sprint and it won’t take as much energy to do that,” said Peaty.

Turkiye’s central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged for an eighth month, while implying a cut could soon be justified due to slowing inflation.The Monetary Policy Committee, led by Governor Fatih Karahan, kept the one-week repo rate at 50%, in line with a Bloomberg survey in which all analysts predicted a hold.Commenting on the wider economic backdrop, the central bank highlighted improving services inflation alongside expectations of more manageable price increases.“The level of the policy rate will be determined in a way to ensure the tightness required by the projected disinflation path, taking into account both realised and expected inflation,” the MPC said in a statement accompanying Thursday’s decision.That “could be an important clue that a rate cut is coming,” said Piotr Matys, a senior analyst at in Touch Capital Markets. “With inflation decelerating, monetary policy would be still restrictive when the central bank starts cutting interest rates, assuming that it’s not a very aggressive easing cycle,” he said.The Borsa Istanbul Banks Index extended gains to as much as 5.6% and was up 5.1% as of 3.47pm in Istanbul. Two-year government bonds advanced, with the yield reversing earlier gains to drop 90bps to 41.6%. The lira trimmed losses to trade little changed at 34.48 per US dollar.Recent higher-than-expected inflation data had clouded the outlook for Turkiye’s monetary policy, with analysts divided on whether a rate cut could be possible next month or into the new year. Ahead of the decision, private lender Isbank’s Chief Executive Officer Hakan Aran said if month-on-month inflation in November is below 2% that could allow for a 250bps reduction in December.“We think the central bank is preparing for a rate cut in December or January,” economist Hande Sekerci of Is Portfoy said. “Though the possibility of a limited cut increases for December, we think this’ll be based on November inflation.” According to Sekerci, headline inflation this month could remain relatively high over vegetable, medicine and clothing prices.Prices rose an annual 48.6% last month, though the central bank focuses on seasonally-adjusted data. It said on Thursday that the underlying trend of inflation showed a decline in October.“We see policymakers kicking off a gradual easing cycle in December with a 250-basis-point trim. Risks to this outlook are tilted toward smaller or delayed cuts given the potential for higher price pressures especially in energy costs,” says Selva Bahar Baziki, economist, Bloomberg Economics.Earlier this month, Karahan said future cuts would only follow improvements in inflation trends, while emphasising that tightness would be preserved even if officials began lowering borrowing costs.He also revised up inflation projections, seeing price rises of 44% at the end of 2024, up from an original forecast of 38%.High borrowing costs have put pressure on Turkish companies, with influential business association Musiad calling for monetary easing even if it’s a “symbolic” cut.With a debate on next year’s minimum-wage raise looming, more attention is also being paid to complementary fiscal steps to help bring inflation down. The central bank highlighted Thursday that “increased co-ordination of fiscal policy will also contribute significantly” to bringing down price growth.

Sri Lanka’s new leader yesterday backed a controversial IMF bailout, marking a U-turn from his election pledge to renegotiate the deal secured by his predecessor.Leftist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who tightened his grip on power last week after winning a huge majority in the legislature following his own victory in September, vowed to maintain the IMF programme.Sri Lanka went to the IMF for a rescue package after the country defaulted on its $46bn external debt in April 2022 during an unprecedented economic meltdown.The shortage of foreign exchange that left the country unable to finance even the most essential imports of food and fuel led to months of street protests and forced then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign.The $2.9bn loan secured early last year required Colombo to sharply raise taxes, remove generous energy subsidies and agree to restructure more than 50 loss-making state enterprises.Dissanayake’s National People’s Power party had said it did not agree with the International Monetary Fund’s debt assessment and would renegotiate the bailout programme.But in his first address to the new parliament, where his party enjoys a two-thirds majority, Dissanayake said the economic recovery was too fragile to take risks.“The economy is in such a state that it cannot take the slightest shock... there is no room to make mistakes,” he said as he ruled out negotiations with either the IMF or creditors.

India’s Adani Group yesterday called US charges that their billionaire tycoon founder Gautam Adani had paid more than $250mn in bribes “baseless”, as the opposition leader demanded his arrest.The stiff denial came after shares in the industrialist’s conglomerate nosedived more than 23% in Mumbai, the morning after a bombshell indictment in New York accused him of deliberately misleading international investors.Adani, once the world’s second-richest man, is a close ally of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and critics have long accused him of improperly benefiting from their relationship.“The allegations made by the US department of justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission against directors of Adani Green are baseless and denied,” the conglomerate said in a statement. “All possible legal recourse will be sought,” it added.But Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi said the businessman should be taken into custody. “We demand that Adani be immediately arrested. But we know that won’t happen as Modi is protecting him,” Gandhi told reporters in New Delhi.“Modi can’t act even if he wants to, because he is controlled by Adani.”Wednesday’s indictment accuses Adani and multiple subordinates of paying huge sums of more than $250mn in bribes to Indian officials for lucrative solar energy supply contracts.The deals were projected to generate more than $2bn in profits after tax over roughly 20 years.None of the multiple defendants named in the case are in custody.Adani and two other board members of his Adani Group “lied about the bribery scheme as they sought to raise capital from US and international investors”, US attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.The conglomerate’s renewable energy subsidiary, Adani Green Energy, said it had decided to halt a planned bond sale “in light of these developments”.Gautam’s nephew and board member Sagar Adani, who is also named in the indictment, said in October that there was “no political connection” between Adani Group and the Modi government.“All the projects we got have not been granted by any concession but through an independent and transparent auction system,” he said.Modi’s government has yet to comment on the charges but a spokesman for his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Amit Malviya, said the indictment appeared to implicate opposition parties rather than his own. “Don’t get needlessly excited,” Malviya wrote on X.Kenya drops airport dealKenyan President William Ruto yesterday said he had ordered the cancellation of a procurement process that had been expected to award control of the country’s main airport to India’s Adani Group after its founder was indicted in the US. Under the proposed deal to expand the main Nairobi airport, Adani was to add a second runway at the Jomo Kenyatta international airport and upgrade the passenger terminal. “I have directed agencies within the ministry of transport and within the ministry of energy and petroleum to immediately cancel the ongoing procurement,” Ruto said in his state of the nation address, attributing the decision to “new information provided by investigative agencies and partner nations”.

Mashreq, a leading financial institution in the MENA region, has signed Sustainability-Linked Facilities (SLF) in Qatar with Landmark Retail, the leading value conglomerate in the retail sector in the Middle East. This marks the first time a private sector company has signed a bilateral sustainability-linked loan in Qatar.The partnership with Mashreq will further advance Landmark Retail’s sustainability objectives and it is a testament to the bank’s leading position in sustainable finance mobilization and sustainability advisory in MENA. It also contributes to the bank’s commitment to facilitate USD 30 bn of sustainable finance by 2030.The key performance indicators linked to financing includes Landmark Retail in boosting renewable energy capacity and implement advanced energy management solutions for greater efficiency and energy savings. It also includes responsible sourcing, waste reduction and recycling across Landmark Retail’s extensive operations. The retailer aims to enhance responsible sourcing by expanding the use of Better Cotton in its products.Tarek El Nahas, Group Head of International Banking, Mashreq, said: The partnership with Landmark Retail marks a significant advancement in our commitment to sustainability and our contributions to the sustainable finance ecosystem in the Middle East. This collaboration is a testament to Mashreq’s leadership in mobilizing sustainable finance across the region, particularly in Qatar. As a bank, we understand that our greatest impact comes from directing capital flows responsibly and offering clients solutions that extend beyond traditional financing. This partnership reaffirms our dedication to driving meaningful change in sustainable finance.”Salman Gulzar, Country Head, Mashreq Qatar, said: “This partnership represents a pivotal step in advancing sustainable finance in line with Qatar’s vision, reinforces Mashreq’s leading role in sustainable finance mobilization in the Middle East and exemplifying the collaborative and tangible impact-driven nature of the bank’s Climb2Change initiative. As a bank, we have got an important role to play in enabling our client’s own sustainability journeys through the facilitation of financing solutions that are tailored to their needs. Our partnership with Landmark Retail underscores our ongoing dedication to responsible banking and delivering strong performance across ESG metrics, in turn fostering environmental stewardship and positive change in the MENA region.”Rajesh Garg, Group Chief Financial Officer, Landmark Retail, said: “We are committed to conducting our business responsibly, by driving positive changes to reduce the environmental impact of our operations. Through our partnership with Mashreq, we aim to embed improved circular initiatives across our operations through renewable energy, circularity and responsible sourcing, marking another important milestone in our journey and in Qatar’s sustainability roadmap and ambitions.”This partnership adds to Mashreq’s recent agreement to lead the USD 3.25 bn debut Leverage Buyout sustainability-linked financing for GEMS Education, the region’s largest sustainability-linked financing up to July 2024. As part of Mashreq’s ongoing sustainable finance facilitation efforts, this SLF with Landmark Retail falls under the bank’s Climb2Change initiative, a comprehensive global initiative that encapsulates Mashreq’s wide-ranging ESG efforts including sustainable finance commitments and ambitions to accelerate environmental and social impact. Climb2Change consolidates Mashreq's strong performance in sustainable linked financing, responsible banking products and services, and social impact initiatives into a unique global initiative, solidifying the bank's leadership in sustainable banking in the MENA region and globally.

Gunmen opened fire on passenger vehicles in a tribal area in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 38 people and wounding 29, the chief secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, said.Among the fatalities in the attack, which occurred in the Kurram tribal district, were a woman and a child, Chaudhry said, adding: "It's a major tragedy and death toll is likely to rise."Tensions have existed for decades between armed Shia and Sunni Muslims over a land dispute in the tribal area that borders Afghanistan.No group claimed responsibility for the incident."There were two convoys of passenger vehicles, one carrying passengers from Peshawar to Parachinar and another from Parachinar to Peshawar, when armed men opened fire on them," a local resident of Parachinar, Ziarat Hussain told Reuters by telephone, adding that his relatives were travelling from Peshawar in the convoy.President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement, strongly condemned the attack on passenger vehicles.

Japanese Formula One driver Yuki Tsunoda said he was interrogated in his pyjamas for several hours by U.S. border control officials before being let into the country for Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix.The racer for Red Bull-owned RB told reporters on Wednesday he had no issues on his two previous visits this year for races in Austin and Miami."Luckily, they let me in after a couple of discussions," he said. "Well, a lot of discussions, actually ... I nearly got sent back home."Tsunoda said he had been travelling with his physio but had to go through immigration on his own and was then taken to a room for questioning despite having the correct paperwork.The Las Vegas race comes after a three-week break following a round in Brazil and Tsunoda had flown in ahead of the team for a promotional event."I was wearing pyjamas, so maybe I didn't look like an F1 driver," added the 24-year-old.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), has conducted a high-impact training programme on the Madrid System for the International Registration of Trademarks.This initiative specifically targeted private sector institutions and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Qatar, aiming to empower them with comprehensive knowledge of the Madrid Protocol’s benefits and practical application.Reaffirming the ministry’s dedication to fostering robust intellectual property (IP) rights protection, the programme sought to equip both current and prospective users with the tools needed to navigate international trademark registration seamlessly.It also underscored the extensive legal protections afforded by the Madrid Protocol, reinforcing its significance for businesses seeking global competitiveness.The training delved into critical areas, including an overview of IP principles, the strategic importance of trademarks, and the step-by-step process of international trademark registration—from application submission and examination by the office of origin to the rigorous review by WIPO. Participants gained valuable insights into common pitfalls in international applications and learned effective methods to address correction notifications from both the office of origin and WIPO via the e-filing system.Further, the programme shed light on the legal safeguards available to rights holders, detailing the implications of international registration, the refusal period, and correspondence related to protection status, as well as the processes for substitution and transformation.

The Israeli entity intensified raids on Thursday on villages and towns in southern Lebanon, killing two people in the process.The Lebanese National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes launched a series of raids on several towns during the night, murdering two persons.Israeli warplanes also launched three airstrikes Thursday morning on the Lebanese towns of Mansouri in Tyre District and Ansariya in Sidon District.The Israeli entity continues to launch raids on towns and villages in southern Lebanon alongside its ongoing genocide on the Gaza Strip, where raids resulted in deaths and injuries among Lebanese civilians, as well as forcing hundreds of families to flee their homes.