Thursday 20 February 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Karachi: 30 more suspects arrested

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KARACHI (Sunya News) – At least 30 suspects were arrested during overnight search operations in Orangi Town area of MPR Colony on Thursday night.According to police, notorious target killer Amir alias Mirchi was among the arrested suspects.The operation was undertaken following the targeted killings of five people in MPR Colony. Firearms and drugs were also recovered from the possession of arrested persons.

Karachi: Police seize explosive-laden vehicle

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Police have foiled a terror bid in Karachi and seized an explosive-laden vehicle from Maripur area with 100 kg explosives on a tip-off on late Thursday night.Police also arrested three suspects identified as Fareed Mehsud, Saeed Ullah and Humayun during the raid.According to police, Fareed Mehsud is a close associate of TTP commander Khan Zaman Mehsud and was involved in several bomb blasts in the city.The arrested suspects were shifted to som undisclosed location for further investigation.

Dozens dead on Ukraine's deadliest day

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KIEV (AFP) - More than 60 protesters were killed on Thursday by live gunfire in the deadliest day of violence in Ukraine since the beginning of protests.The deaths -- which brought to nearly 100 the number of people who have been killed since Tuesday -- came as EU foreign ministers in Brussels imposed sanctions on Ukrainian ministers and security officials with blood on their hands.Ukraine's embattled President Viktor Yanukovych appeared ready to concede to one of the protestors' main demands after the latest wave of violence by suggesting to visiting EU dignitaries that he may be ready to hold early elections.Emphasising the sense of crisis was a rare joint call for a political solution by the US and Russian leaders. Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin - who have bickered openly over a crisis that has pitted the ex-Soviet country's future between Russia and the West -- by telephone and all three called for a halt to the bloodshed.Ukraine's three-month street demonstration has become an orgy of bloodshed since Tuesday night.Opposition medics said more than 60 protesters had been shot dead by police on Thursday alone. Kiev authorities for their part put the total toll from three days of violence at 75.Bullet-riddled bodies were scattered on Thursday amid smouldering debris after masked protesters hurling Molotov cocktails forced gun-toting police from the capital's Independence Square -- the epicentre of the increasingly bloody revolt against Yanukovych's pro-Russian rule.Both sides accused each other of using snipers in a major escalation of to a standoff that was sparked by Yanukovych's rejection in November of an EU pact in favour of closer ties with Moscow.But the White House said bluntly that it was outraged by the images of Ukrainian security forces firing automatic weapons on their own people.Volunteer medics who made a makeshift morgue out of a popular hotel overlooking the square also accused police of killing demonstrators with live rounds. They were shot in the head or in the heart by live bullets, not by rubber ones, said first aid worker Natalia.Ukraine's interior ministry said only that it reserved the right to use live munitions in self-defence.The ministry also accused extremists of seizing 67 of its troops at gunpoint and holding them hostage in one of buildings near the war-scarred square.Events on the ground gave an apparent impetus to political discussion with some hope that Ukraine's leaders were about to concede ground on the key political issue of early electionsAmong other things it was agreed with Yanukovych that there was a willingness to hold early elections this year - both presidential and parliamentary -- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters after a meeting with the Ukrainian leader in between Kiev that included Warsaw top diplomat and the foreign ministers of Germany and France.But Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko quickly cautioned after his own subsequent meeting with the same EU troika that there was no deal yet.And Tusk himself suggested that the violence seems to have spiralled too far for the shell-shocked country to be satisfied with a simply a move of election a few months ahead of their expected March 2015.The only way (the violence) can end is with the physical destruction of the president, a protester from the predominantly pro-EU western Ukraine named Bogdan said shortly after Thursday's most brutal violence subsided.

Iran sticking to nuclear freeze: UN watchdog

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VIENNA (AFP) - Iran is sticking to a six-month nuclear freeze agreed under a November interim deal with world powers, the UN atomic agency said in a new report Thursday, a month after the agreement came into force.The International Atomic Energy Agency update said that uranium enrichment to medium levels -- the main concern to the international community -- is no longer taking place, as agreed in the deal.The IAEA also said that a proportion of Irans medium-enriched uranium stockpile, as set out in the November deal, which took effect on January 20, is being downblended and the remainder is being converted to uranium oxide.Enrichment to low purities however continues at a rate of production similar to that indicated in the last report from November, meaning that its stockpile of this material rose in the last three months.This is consistent with the agreement with world powers, as long as by the end of the six-month period on July 20 the stockpile is not higher than at the start.Iran is currently building a facility to convert this type of material to oxide form, the IAEA report said, from which it would be more difficult to enrich to weapons-grade.In addition, Iran has not installed any additional uranium enrichment centrifuges at either of its facilities, Natanz and Fordo, according to the IAEA.Regarding a reactor being constructed at Arak, the IAEA said: No additional major components have been installed at this reactor and there has been no manufacture and testing of fuel for the reactor.The agency also said Iran has provided it with a so-called Design Information Questionnaire (DIQ) for Arak, and that access was granted to centrifuge assembly workshops, centrifuge rotor production workshops and storage facilities.

Six dead in car bomb at Turket-Syria border post

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BEIRUT (AFP) - At least six people were killed when a car bomb exploded at a border crossing between Syria and Turkey on Thursday, a Turkish official told AFP.The official said the bomb detonated on the Syrian side of the Bab al-Salama crossing, adding that 45 people were wounded.He said the injured were taken to a hospital in Turkeys Kilis province on the border.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, also reported the bomb blast, but said five people were killed.The Syrian side of the crossing is under the control of Islamist rebels who have been battling jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant since early January.ISIL has regularly targeted rival rebel brigades with car and suicide bomb attacks.The attack is not the first time border crossings between Turkey and Syria have been targeted.In January, at least 16 people were killed in a double suicide car bombing at the Bab al-Hawa border post in northwestern Idlib province.

Host Brazil boosts World Cup security blanket

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FLORIANOPOLIS (AFP) - Brazil has dramatically increased its World Cup security operation, drafting in tens of thousands of additional personnel as it aims to prevent the tournament being disrupted by violent protests, officials said Thursday.Andrei Rodrigues, Brazils national secretary for major events, told a FIFA seminar in Florianopolis that 150,000 public security personnel would be deployed for the World Cup.Rodrigues had told reporters on February 6 that around 100,000 security personnel would be on duty during the tournament.In addition, Rodrigues said Thursday some 20,000 private security professionals would also be used during the event.Brazil is anxious to avoid a repeat of the scenes which rocked last years Confederations Cup, when large scale protests over poor public services and the multi-billion-dollar cost of hosting the World Cup and 2016 Olympics dominated the headlines.Violent protests in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month which left a television cameraman dead renewed concerns about the possibility of demonstrations at the World Cup.Our concern is to prevent violence and combat vandalism, Rodrigues said Thursday.Demonstrations would be allowed provided they were peaceful, he added.We guarantee the freedom of peaceful protests, which are a legitimate exercise in a democracy, Rodrigues said.FIFA director of security Ralf Mutschke indicated he was confident in Brazils ability to host a safe tournament.We are convinced a safe World Cup will be delivered in Brazil, Mutschke told a news conference.The teams have great faith in the level of security going to be provided, Mutschke added, as a two-day logistics workshop attended by the coaches of 25 of the 32 competing teams ended.Thursdays security meeting in the southern city of Florianopolis saw defense and justice ministry officials join FIFAs security spokesman to lay out the parameters of the events security matrix.Mindful of how authorities were caught out by protests that drew more than a million people during last Junes Confederations Cup warm-up event, Brazil will deploy the army to counter major disruption.President Dilma Rousseff said Wednesday troops would be mobilized if necessary to ensure fan security at the June 12-July 13 World Cup.Armed forces shall be called on if needed to guarantee law and order, said army General Jamil Meyid Junior.The general added the state-of-the-art system would be fully operational by May 21.Rodrigues admitted to concerns over potential violence and said the host nation was committed to preventing it, though he offered dialogue with protesters.Brazil has earmarked around $800 million for security operations in an operation which will see a national command center oversee a dozen regional centers at the venues.Rodrigues said the budget had been set in 2011 and any adjustment would be small.Given the protests, Brazil is at pains to offer transparency on Cup-related public spending.However, that has had a negative side effect with the northern city of Recife cancelling its planned fan-festival citing a need to cut costs.FIFAs General Secretary Jerome Valcke had earlier indicated some Fan-Fests, where ticketless supporters can congregate and watch games on giant screens, might be moved if security concerns warranted it.Valcke earlier this week criticized Recife after it became the first of the 12 host cities to drop its Fan Fest.World Cup-themed enertainment events may still go ahead in the city if private firms stump up the cost in the region of $5 million, reined in from an initial estimate of almost double that.The festivals have drawn the ire of some local vendors in Brazil who have complained only official World Cup sponsors can sell merchandise in Fan Fest areas.Mutschke said as well as security, organizers had addressed the topic of match-fixing.He said FIFA has in coordination with Interpol adopted zero tolerance match-rigging and set in place an early warning system to flag irregular betting patterns.

Olympics: Poulin powers Canada to women's hockey gold

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SOCHI (AFP) - Marie-Philip Poulin scored an equalizer 54 seconds from time and then potted the game winner in overtime as Canada rallied from 2-0 down to defeat the United States 3-2 and win women's ice hockey gold.Poulin's golden goal came on the power play as she took a pass from Laura Fortino and snapped the puck past a sliding Jesse Vetter in goal for the Americans in the gold medal contest of the 2014 Sochi Games.Canada had trailed 2-0 late in the third and appeared to be heading to defeat before coming to life to score two goals just 2:32 apart to send the game into extra time at the Bolshoy Ice Dome. Brianne Jenner and Poulin both scored late to tie the game 2-2.Once we got one we knew to put it on the net, said Canadian forward Meghan Agosta, who won her third Olympic gold. We ended up pulling the goalie and putting one in to go into overtime. At that point we knew we had the momentum.Poulin got the equalizing goal with their net empty and just 54 seconds left on the clock by beating Vetter in close. Canadian defenceman Rebecca Johnston backhanded the puck from the right corner towards the net and Vetter knocked it directly onto the stick of Poulin who made a quick move and fired it home to force overtime.I heard her call, said Johnston of Poulin. I knew she was somewhere in front of the net. I just tried to pass it as quickly as I could.I put it a little closer to the goalie than I hoped, but it ended up working out well.Poulin's overtime winner touched off wild celebrations on the ice as she was mobbed by her teammates while the crowd sang the national anthem 'O Canada'.It was Canada's fourth straight Olympic women's title and 20th straight victory in the Winter Games dating back to 2002.

Olympics: Sotnikova stuns Kim to win dramatic gold

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SOCHI (AFP) - Adelina Sotnikova won Russia's first ever women's Olympic figure skating gold in dramatic circumstances on Thursday as defending champion Kim Yu-Na was dumped into the silver medal position.The 17-year-old took her first major title ahead of South Korean superstar Kim with Italy's Carolina Kostner winning the bronze after the free skating final.I can't do anything about this. I did all I could, said Kim, 23, who later confirmed it was her final competition. The result was good because I made no mistake. The scores are given by the judges so I'm not in the right position to comment and there is nothing that will change with my words. The most important thing for me is to participate in these Games.Despite an error when she two-footed a double loop in her combination jump Sotnikova improved her free skate score by a massive 18 points from her previous best a month ago at the Europeans.Any questions are for the judges, not for me. I did my job. I gave a gift to Russia, said the skater from Moscow.It was a third title in Sochi for hosts Russia, with shouts of Spassiba, Spassiba' (thanks) resounding around the Iceberg Skating Palace.I didn't see the performance of Yu-Na, but I did see her score. When I saw them, I just ran to my coach. I couldn't believe it, said Sotnikova.She achieved the second best score ever in the free skate and was just 0.11 off the world record mark Kim achieved on her way to gold in Vancouver four years ago.In contrast, both Kim and Kostner gave error-free performances.

Football: Ramos gets revenge on Spurs, Swans hold Napoli

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PARIS (AFP) - Juande Ramos earned a measure of revenge for his sacking by Tottenham Hotspur as Dnipro snatched a late 1-0 win over his former club in the Europa League last 32 first leg on Thursday.Ramos was axed by Spurs in October 2008 after just 12 months in charge at White Hart Lane, but the 59-year-old is 90 minutes away from making his old employers pay after Yevhen Konoplyankas penalty in the closing stages gave the Ukrainian club a slender advantage to defend in the second leg in north London on February 27.The game was given the green light despite reports that at least 60 have died in three days of violent political protests in Kiev.Dnipro are based 220 miles away from the Ukrainian capital, but the shocking scenes in Kiev still resonated in Dnipropetrovsk, where there was a minutes silence before kick-off and both teams wore black armbands in a show of respect for the dead.The visitors were left to rue a terrible miss by Roberto Soldado early in the second half, the Spanish striker scuffing over with the goal at his mercy four yards out.Dnipro stole the win in the 81st minute when Jan Vertonghen gave away a penalty as he fouled Matheus just inside the area and Konoplyanka, a transfer target for Liverpool, stepped up to slot in the spot-kick via a post.A Paulinho effort hit a post in the final moments, but Spurs were unable to scramble in the rebound, and manager Tim Sherwood later blamed the state of the pitch for Soldados miss.I am not using it as an excuse, not for the chance, as both teams played on it but I am sure that it must have played some part in Robbie missing that one, he said.The pitch was a disgrace, it is no excuse as both teams had to play on it but it is possibly the worst pitch I have experienced in a long time.We could have played better, he conceded. We will score at the Lane, guaranteed, but it depends how many we will have to score.Swansea City performed well against Napoli but couldnt find a way past the Serie A giants at the Liberty Stadium.Visiting goalkeeper Rafael Cabral made a crucial save from Wilfried Bony in the first half after the striker had latched on to a superb pass by Pablo Hernandez.Rafael then came off injured at the interval, and his replacement Pepe Reina continued to thwart the Welsh club in the second half, keeping out headers from Ashley Williams and Chico Flores as well as a curling effort by Wayne Routledge.I think were really pleased with the way we played. It tells a lot that were disappointed to come away with a 0-0 draw, captain Williams told ITV.Meanwhile, Serie A leaders Juventus appear to have one foot in the last 16 after beating Trabzonspor of Turkey 2-0 in Turin.Pablo Daniel Osvaldo took advantage of a lucky ricochet to fire Juve ahead early on, but it was Paul Pogbas goal deep in injury time that allowed them to take a significant lead into the return leg next week.Juve could face compatriots Fiorentina in the next round, with La Viola winning 3-1 away to Esbjerg in Denmark.However, Lazio face an uphill struggle after losing 1-0 at home to Ludogorets of Bulgaria, and Ajax are staring at the exit door after a 3-0 home humbling against Salzburg.The 2011 winners Porto squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at home against Eintracht Frankfurt, while last seasons runners-up Benfica - potential last-16 opponents for Tottenham - beat PAOK 1-0 in Greece.Lyon came away with a goalless draw from their trip to face Chornomorets Odessa in Ukraine, but the violence in the Ukrainian capital meant Dynamo Kievs game against Valencia was moved to Nicosia in Cyprus, with the Spaniards winning 2-0 through late goals from Eduardo Vargas and Sofiane Feghouli.

Golf: Garcia, Fowler, Dubuisson advance at Match Play

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MARANA (AFP) - Spanish second seed Sergio Garcia and a resurgent Rickie Fowler advanced to the third round of the $9 million World Golf Championships Match Play Championship with impressive wins on Thursday.Garcia outlasted American Bill Haas 3 and 1 to book a third-round date with Fowler, who edged out US compatriot Jimmy Walker 1 up, beating a form player and the only man to have won three US PGA Tour events this season.Haas sank a six-foot eagle putt at the second hole to seize the lead and a par at the seventh put him 2-up, but Garcia eagled to win the eighth and squared the match with a par at 11, then birdied three of the next six holes to take the match.He played really well early on, then I was able to go on a very nice run from the eighth hole, said Garcia, adding that he was very pleased, with the win.Fowler and Walker each won three of the first six holes in a match that was never more than 1-up in eithers favor. Both players missed birdie putts at the 18th but Walker could not make par from 14 feet while Fowler two-putted for par from 51 feet, sinking a six footer to win.Finally got the putter to roll a couple in, said Fowler, who in the first round downed the Ryder Cup hero and renowned English competitor Ian Poulter, in a welcome burst of form after several missed cuts on tour.Fowler, 25, sporting a new short haircut, said he hoped his ability to hold off Walker would give him a little confidence going into Friday.Also through to the last 16 at the 64-player event is seventh-seeded Frenchman Victor Dubuisson, who dispatched Swedish 15th seed Peter Hanson 3 and 1.Event debutante Dubuisson, 23, opened with three birdies but was squared after Hanson birdied three in a row starting at the fifth. A seven-foot birdie at the eighth again gave the Frenchman the lead and he kept it to the end, finishing the match with a 15-foot birdie at 17.I did play well, Dubuisson said. I started the first few holes and I made some good birdies. Then he made three birdies and we were all square. Then I decided just dont watch him play, just play my stroke play and try to make some birdies.Next up for Dubuisson is American Bubba Watson, last weeks PGA winner at Riviera who eliminated Swede Jonas Blixt, 2 up.

Study predicts Antarctic ice melting will endure

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The melting of ice in the Antarctic is considered a top threat to global sea level rise, and scientists said Thursday the trend could continue for decades or even centuries to come.Researchers focused on the Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica, which has been thinning at an increasingly rapid pace for about the past 20 years, as the waters beneath get warmer along with the rest of the ocean.Based on new geological surveys and advanced dating techniques on rocks that have been exposed by the retreating ice, experts said in the journal Science that a similar phenomenon occurred thousands of years ago.Some 8,000 years ago, the glacier thinned as fast as it has in recent decades, suggesting it may follow a similar pattern in the future, they reported.This thinning was sustained for decades to centuries at an average rate of more than 100 centimeters per year, comparable to contemporary thinning rates, said the article in Science.Our findings reveal that Pine Island Glacier has experienced rapid thinning at least once in the past, and that, once set in motion, rapid ice sheet changes in this region can persist for centuries.The research team came from Britain, Germany and the United States.Last month, scientists reported in the journal Nature Climate Change that the glacier was melting irreversibly and could add as much as a centimeter (0.4 inches) to ocean levels in 20 years.A massive river of ice, the glacier by itself is responsible for 20 percent of total ice loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet today.On average, it shed 20 billion tonnes of ice annually from 1992-2011, a loss that is likely to increase up to and above 100 billion tonnes each year, said the Nature study.

Flu hits young, middle aged people hard this year

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The flu is hitting young and middle aged people in the United States particularly hard this season, as a tough flu strain re-emerged and too few people were vaccinated, health authorities said Thursday.More than 60 percent of all severe flu cases this season in the United States were in people 18-64 years old -- or about double the usual rate, they said.Typically, people at risk for flu complications include pregnant women, the elderly, children and people with compromised immune systems.The main flu circulating this season is H1N1, otherwise known as the swine flu that caused a pandemic four years ago.It is back this year, and it is hitting younger people hard, said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Tom Frieden.One of the reasons, he said, is that the vaccination rate for young adults, 18-64, is too low.Only a third of all people in that age group were vaccinated as of November, compared to nearly two-thirds of children and elderly people, he said.That is one of the reasons we are seeing a much higher proportion of hospitalizations and death among 18-64 year olds than we generally see.People with underlying health conditions such as obesity, asthma, lung disease and diabetes are particularly vulnerable to dangerous bouts of the flu, leading to pneumonia and possibly death.Although experts do not have a tally of US deaths yet this season, early indications suggest that there have been more deaths than normal in the 18-64 age group.Over the previous three flu seasons, people age 18-64 represented only about 35 percent of all flu hospitalizations.Last year the predominant flu type was H3N2, which accounted for fewer hospitalizations among middle aged people.Getting vaccinated lowered the risk of having to see a doctor by about 60 percent for people of all ages, the CDC added.Vaccination is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself against the flu, Frieden said.The flu is expected to continue to make people sick for the next several weeks across the United States.The CDC recommends that all people over the age of six months get a flu vaccine each year.

Oil prices slip on signs of soft US, China demand

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Global oil prices slipped Thursday as US distillate stocks fell less than expected despite severe winter weather and weak manufacturing data dented demand expectations in China.The main US futures contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for March, closed at $102.92 a barrel, down 39 cents from Wednesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Brent North Sea crude for delivery in April, shed 17 cents to settle at $110.30 a barrel in London trade.The US Department of Energy's weekly oil inventories report was slightly bearish, said John Kilduff of Again Capital.US commercial crude inventories rose by 1.0 million barrels in the week ending February 14, less than the 1.8 million expected by analysts.But US distillates reserves, which include diesel and heating fuel, fell by only 300,000 barrels instead of the 1.9 million barrel estimate. Traders were closely watching heating fuel supplies as a series of winter storms and cold grips large parts of the country.Gasoline supplies meanwhile rose 300,000 barrels last week.Distillate products and heating fuel are going to start to lose their ability to support the crude complex as winter draws to a close, said Kilduff.Oil prices also were pressured by a report showing Chinese manufacturing contracted for a second consecutive month in February. HSBC's preliminary reading for its purchasing managers' index for China fell to 48.3, a seven-month low, after slipping to 49.5 in January. A number below 50 indicates contraction.Weak China manufacturing data is cooling off a red hot petroleum complex, said Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group.More cracks in the emerging market may temper the markets' gains, Flynn warned.

Dollar gains as eurozone activity slows

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The US dollar picked up strength against the euro Thursday after a key measure of eurozone business activity weakened slightly.Around 2300 GMT, the dollar was at $1.3718, compared to $1.3733 late Wednesday.The dollar was flat against the yen at 102.32 yen, while the euro slipped to 140.37 yen from 140.50 yen.The dollar also gained on the British pound, with the pound falling to $1.6653 from $1.6680.The dollar was helped by Wednesday's news that Federal Reserve policymakers had last month discussed -- but ultimately rejected -- an early rise to the Fed's benchmark interest rate.In addition, the Markit Economics eurozone purchasing managers index for February fell to 52.7 points from 52.9 in January, against expectations of a slight increase.Markit's services PMI edged up to 51.7 points in February from 51.6 in January while the manufacturing PMI dropped sharply to 53 from 54.A dip in the eurozone PMI provides a reminder that the region's recovery continues to be uneven and fragile, chief Markit Economist Chris Williamson said.Williamson noted that growth continued to be led by Germany, which contrasts with a worrying renewed downturn in France, despite a better export performance.There is a risk of the French economy contracting again in the first quarter, he said.

Late wickets boost Australia

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PORT ELIZABETH (AFP) - Dean Elgar played a solid anchor role in an improved South African batting performance before two late wickets swung the balance towards Australia on the first day of the second Test against Australia at St George's Park on Thursday.Elgar made 83 as South Africa reached 214 for five before bad light ended play.It has been a time of contrasts for the left-handed Elgar, who heard that he would be playing in Port Elizabeth on the same day that he was told his central contract with Cricket South Africa was not being renewed.It was disappointing news before a big Test, said Elgar, but it probably served as added motivation.In all likelihood Elgar would have batted at number six or seven but he was told on the morning of the match that he would be in his preferred position as opening batsman because Alviro Petersen was ill.It was the first time in eight Test matches that he had opened but most of his first-class career has been at the top of the order. I'm more at home opening the batting, he said.Elgar showed admirable patience during a 192-ball innings but it was a lack of that quality that cost him his wicket and opened the door for Australia, who won the first Test in Centurion by 281 runs.He had earlier hit off-spinner Nathan Lyon for two sixes but an attempt to hit a third went horribly wrong, with the ball slicing high off the outside half of his bat to cover.New cap Quinton de Kock also went softly, lofting part-time leg-spinner Steve Smith to mid-off.On a slow pitch which negated the menace of Mitchell Johnson and his fellow fast bowlers, Lyon was the best of the Australian bowlers, taking two for 47 in 23 overs.We thought it was a pretty good day, said Lyon. We knew it was a slow pitch and we had to work hard. We'll hopefully take the new ball tomorrow, take five quick wickets and get batting.South Africa lost captain Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla inside the first six overs. But Elgar and Faf du Plessis (55) put on 112 for the third wicket - only the second century stand against Australia since the start of their 5-0 Ashes sweep against England earlier in the summer.Elgar saw Smith and Amla depart before he opened his score off the 20th ball he faced.But he never lost his composure and handled the pace of first-Test destroyer Johnson with courage and skill, albeit in conditions more batsman-friendly than in the first Test at Centurion.With seven overs remaining in the day, Australian captain Michael Clarke appeared to want to take the second new ball only to be told by the umpires that the light was not suitable for batsmen to face fast bowling.AB de Villiers and JP Duminy, South Africa's last two specialist batsmen, will resume on Friday and are likely to have to combat the second new ball.De Villiers took some time to adjust to the pace of the pitch but finished the day unbeaten on 51.It was the twelfth consecutive Test in which he had made a half-century or better - a new Test record.Ryan Harris made the first breakthrough when Smith played across the line and was leg before wicket for nine.Johnson followed up with his 50th Test wicket in seven matches since the start of the Ashes series against England when Amla was beaten for pace and trapped leg before with a full-pitched delivery.Elgar and Du Plessis steadied the innings before Du Plessis was out off the first ball of the afternoon drinks break, turning a ball from Lyon into the hands of Steve Smith at short leg.Elgar was one of three changes to the South African team.In a surprise move, De Kock, another left-hander, who was not part of the original squad, was flown in and batted at number six, with the selectors opting for a specialist batsman in place of injured all-rounder Ryan McLaren. Left-arm fast-medium bowler Wayne Parnell replaced left-arm spinner Robin Peterson.
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