Saturday 1 March 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

5 militants killed in Khyber Agency airstrikes

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KHYBER AGENCY (Dunya News) – According to details, military gunship helicopters shelled militants’ hideouts in Khyber Agency on early Monday, killing at least five militants.The attacks focused on the towns of Shalober and Aka Khel and surrounding areas in Khyber Agency.

Nisar phones Sami, discuss Taliban ceasefire

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ISLAMABAD (Online) - Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar and Taliban committee member Maulana Samiul Haq, Saturday, on telephone discussed the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) month-long ceasefire announcement. Official sources said Chaudhry Nisar assured Maulana Sami, who is in Madina Munawara (Saudi Arabia), that a positive response would be given to the Taliban's announcement. Maulana Sami told the interior minister that the government should benefit from the announcement. Meanwhile, media reports say both sides were also agree for the government and Taliban committees to meet in the next few days. Earlier, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced a month-long ceasefire with the Pakistani government. The Taliban’s decision was confirmed by TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid.

All political parties welcome Taliban ceasefire statement

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ISLAMABAD (Online) - Almost all major political parties welcomed Taliban statement in which banned terror outfit announce ceasefire for one month.Jamiat Ulema-I-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has welcomed the Taliban’s declaration of ceasefire.He termed the Taliban announcement as a wise decision and called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to convene an all parties conference immediately.Opposition leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah welcomed TTP announcement.Talking to media in Sukkar, Pakistan People’s Party leader said that his party wants peace in the country by any mean.He said all options must be considered to restore peace in the country added that if there would be sincerity from both sides, dialogue could be succeed.ANP, MQM and PTI also welcomed Saturday development saying that peace must be giving a chance to restore peace in the country.

At UN, US demands Russia stand down in Ukraine

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The United States demanded an immediate end to Russian intervention in Ukraine on Saturday as Kiev urged the United Nations Security Council to take immediate action to stop the crisis.After the Russian parliament endorsed military action in Ukraine and Kiev warned Russian troops were pouring into Crimea, the 15-member Security Council convened emergency talks in New York. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, branded Russia's parliamentary approval as dangerous as it is destabilizing and accused Moscow of acting without legal basis.It violates Russia's commitment to protect the sovereignty territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine, she said.It is time for the Russian intervention in Ukraine to end. The Russian military must stand down. Power called for monitors from the UN and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to be deployed to Ukraine and backed a separate international mediation mission to Crimea.The monitors would provide transparency about the movement and activities of military and paramilitary forces in the region, and diffuse the tensions between different groups, Power said.Our paramount concerns are to end the confrontation and to find a solution that allows the Ukrainian people to determine their own destiny, their own government, their own future.The open session of the Security Council, which only got underway after two hours of debate on whether to allow the cameras in or not, began with an emotional appeal from Kiev.We call on the Security Council now to do everything possible to stop aggression of the Russian Federation to Ukraine. There is still a chance, Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev said.He accused Moscow of aggression against Ukraine and claimed that more Russian troops were arriving by the hour.Ukraine also demanded the deployment of international monitors and said Russia had brutally violated the basic principles of the charter of the United Nations.We urge all member states of the United Nations to demonstrate solidarity with the Ukrainian nation to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, Sergeyev added.Ukrainian Defense Minister Igor Tenyukh accused Russia of sending 30 armored personnel carriers and 6,000 additional troops into Crimea.Dozens of pro-Russian armed men in full combat gear patrolled outside the seat of power in Crimea's capital Simferopol.Similar gunmen seized the city's parliament and government buildings on Thursday and took control of its airport and a nearby military base on Friday.The Security Council spent nearly two hours debating British, French and US demands supporting Ukraine's request that the session be public, which Russia initially opposed.UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate restitution of calm in Ukraine and expressed grave concerns directly to Russian leader Vladimir Putin by telephone.It is important to recall the mission of this organization, to always search for peaceful settlements of dispute, deputy secretary general Jan Eliason told the Security Council.Now is the time for cool heads to prevail.Russia's envoy criticized Western support for the protesters that ousted Russian-backed leader Viktor Yanukovych and said Putin had not yet decided to use force.I repeat, as Mr Eliason said quite correctly, we need cooler heads to prevail, ambassador Vitaly Churkin said.The UN envoy to Ukraine, Robert Serry, said he was flying to Geneva and ruled out a visit to the Crimea region for logistical reasons as requested by Ban following emergency talks on Friday.I have since been in touch with the authorities of the autonomous republic of Crimea and have come to the conclusion that a visit to Crimea today is not possible, Serry said.He plans to brief Ban and together discuss the next steps.

Putin tells Obama Russia has 'right' to protect interests

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia has the right to protect its interests and Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart Barack Obama Saturday.Putin told Obama there was a real threat weighing on the lives and the health of Russian citizens in Ukraine, according to a Kremlin statement.The Russian president accused the new government in Kiev of supporting criminal actions by ultranationalists, the Kremlin said.The two leaders spoke by telephone after Russia's parliament authorised military action in Ukraine in a dramatic escalation of tensions.The Kremlin statement said the conversation was instigated by the US side and focused on the extraordinary situation in Kiev.It came after Obama's national security team met Saturday to weigh policy options as Washington tried to keep pace with the fast escalating crisis in Ukraine and Crimea.

Mass stabbing at China rail station leaves 28 dead

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BEIJING (AFP) - A mass stabbing at a Chinese train station late Saturday left 28 people dead and 113 injured in a violent terrorist attack, state media said.Victims described knife-wielding attackers dressed in black bursting into Kunming railway station in the southwestern province of Yunnan province and slashing indiscriminately.Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts in the investigation and for the attackers to be punished in accordance with the law, the official news agency Xinhua said.Beijings top security official was heading to the scene.The bloody assault which happened at around 9:20 pm (1:20 pm GMT) was an organised, premeditated violent terrorist attack carried out by unidentified knife-wielding people, Xinhua reported, citing authorities.Police shot dead five of the attackers at the train station and were hunting the rest, it said.Yunnan has no history of violent attacks, and it was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, or what motivated it.A knife victim named Yang Haifei, who was wounded in the chest and back, told Xinhua that he had been buying a train ticket when the attackers approached and had tried to escape with the crowd.I saw a person come straight at me with a long knife and I ran away with everyone, he said, while others simply fell on the ground.Some who had escaped were desperately looking for missing loved ones.I cant find my husband, and his phone went unanswered, Yang Ziqing was quoted as saying.She said she had been waiting for her train to Shanghai when a knife-wielding man suddenly came at them.Officers sealed off a wide area around the station, it added, while Xinhua said police were questioning people at the site.The attackers were dressed in similar black clothing, the official China News Service said, citing eyewitnesses.A group of men carrying weapons burst into the train station plaza and the ticket hall, stabbing whoever they saw, it said.State broadcaster CCTV called the incident a terrorist attack on its Weibo account.Chinas top security official Meng Jianzhu would travel to Kunming to oversee its handling, CCTV said, while President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang sent condolences to the victims and their families.Photos posted on Sina Weibo showed blood spattered across the station floor and medical staff crouching over bodies lying on the ground, although the authenticity of the images could not be verified.The photos showed crowds gathered outside among police officers and ambulances. The injured had been delivered to hospitals around the city, local television station K6 said.A Weibo user going by the name HuangY3xin-Dione who was at a restaurant near the scene told how she saw a group of men in black with two long knives chasing people, Xinhua reported.Another eyewitness told the Beijing News that she had seen two women in black walking towards the station and that some of the attackers had their faces covered.Such incidents are rare in China, although knife and bomb attacks against local officials occur sporadically in the far-western region of Xinjiang, home to the mainly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority.The Uighurs complain of cultural repression and tight security, while Beijing says it is facing a violent separatist movement.Incidents involving Uighurs are often labelled terrorist attacks while others carried out by Chinese seen as having grievances against society or the authorities are not.In a high-profile incident in Beijing last October, three Uighur family members set their car on fire at Tiananmen Square, the symbolic heart of the Chinese state, killing themselves and two bystanders.The following month 41-year-old Feng Zhijun set off explosions outside a Communist Party office in the northern city of Taiyuan, killing one person and wounded eight.Feng had previously served nine years in jail for theft and sought to take revenge on society, Xinhua said.In another prominent case last July, a wheelchair-bound man Ji Zhongxing set off a homemade bomb at Beijings international airport in protest against alleged police brutality, but did not cause casualties.Ji elicited widespread public sympathy and was sentenced to six months jail.

Tennis: Federer downs Berdych for sixth Dubai Open

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DUBAI (AFP) - Roger Federer followed his best win in 18 months by taking his first title in nine months with a revenge victory over Tomas Berdych in Saturday's final of the Dubai Open.Federer came from behind to beat world number two Novak Djokovic on Friday.Now he did the same against Berdych, the man who saved two match points against him in last year's semi-finals, winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to claim a sixth title in the UAE.It was never a great final, for the error count was too high, but it became increasingly dramatic as the game's best known player worked his way back into it against one of the sport's most dangerous hitters.Federer was a set and a break down and appeared to be out of it but managed to find some good returns at last, just as the match was slipping away, and broke back at once. Then his standard went up.It extended Federer's record of Dubai titles to six, and moved him above John McEnroe's total of 77 titles into third place in the all-time title list. Only Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors remain above the Swiss.Most of all it helped the Grand Slam record-holder to maintain his belief that even at 32, he has another major in him. It's the mental belief that you're gonna win instead of losing -- I think that's what I got back right now, said Federer, after lifting his first trophy since Halle in June last year.While he had been brilliant in the second half of the match against Djokovic, Federer was more circumspect about the tennis which had got him over the line against Berdych.He should have brought it home, Federer admitted. I got a little lucky. I just fought well and I couldn't be more happy with the outcome.How had he escaped from peril in the second set? I just stand on the baseline, try to hit a few good shots, hope Tomas doesn't keep hitting big serves, and hope you get a little lucky, he said.I was able to stay calm and once I got back on even terms I started to play better. I really enjoy playing against Tomas, who is a great player and has had a great streak.This was a reference to Berdych's 11 successive wins which is the longest streak of his career. But he will be very disappointed to have lost three of his next five service games from 3-2 up in the second set, and again questions will be raised about the Czech's mental capacity to make the best of his considerable talent.Federer's patchy start happened despite being donated an early break for a 2-1 lead by four successive driving errors from Berdych. After it, he dropped serve twice without looking likely to make a break back.Berdych's first serve and a few of his forehand blows were delivered as fast as any in the game, but still Federer's timing was nowhere near the sharpness it had been in the second half of his win 24 hours previously.Early in the second set he stood with hands on hips, staring in frustration at another mistimed forehand, just when he needed to make a push to turn the match around. Berdych began to make further serious progress by breaking Federer for a 3-2 lead, and had he consolidated that the match might have been over quickly.Instead Federer found a bit of magic at last, breaking back with a thunderous forehand, holding with a delicate little half-volley drop shot, then holding to love with his best game of the match, and forcing Berdych to serve to save the set.He couldn't. Instead he produced his most inhibited game of the match, dropping serve to love, with Federer now rampaging around, launching great drives.The third set saw Federer much more in the ascendant. He nearly broke for 2-0, did break for 3-1, and further eroded Berdych's self-belief with a tremendous recovery from 15-40 down on his serve, which got him to 5-2.Berdych did well to save two match points on his own serve, which might briefly have reminded Federer of what happened last year. However, the Swiss favourite was more solid in closing out his advantage than the Czech nearly man, and at the death there were no wobbles. Berdych said: It's very disappointing for me the way I handled that situation. I was in the better shape and playing really well, and made many chances, but unfortunately I didn't execute.

Football: Chelsea pull clear, Pardew sent off for headbutt

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LONDON (AFP) - An Andre Schurrle hat-trick saw Chelsea stretch their lead in the Premier League on Saturday, while Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew was sent off for headbutting an opposition player.Germany international Schurrle scored three times in 17 second-half minutes as Chelsea won 3-1 at Fulham and a 1-0 loss for Arsenal at Stoke City left Jose Mourinho's side with a four-point lead over their London rivals.Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described his side's result as a massive setback and his misery was compounded later in the day when Liverpool moved above Arsenal into second place following a 3-0 win at Southampton.At Craven Cottage, new Fulham manager Felix Magath was overseeing his first home game and he almost saw his side take an early lead when Clint Dempsey headed wide from close range.However, after Fulham goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg had saved from Fernando Torres just before half-time, Schurrle made the breakthrough in the 52nd minute when he ran through to score from a lofted Eden Hazard pass.Hazard teed up Schurrle for his second goal in the 65th minute before Torres released the former Bayer Leverkusen man for his third goal four minutes later.Victory extended Chelsea's lead to six points over Manchester City, who have two games in hand, while Fulham, who replied through Jonny Heitinga, remain four points adrift of safety at the foot of the table.At half-time, I told them nothing, said Chelsea manager Mourinho.Nothing, not a word. I walked in, then I walked out. I don't know if anyone else gave a team talk. The second half was a great reaction to the worst performance of the season.We have four points more than Arsenal. The gap to Man City is a fake advantage. If they win their games in hand, they're top of the league. We're behind them.Unlike City, who tackle Sunderland in Sunday's League Cup final, Arsenal do not have the consolation of any games in hand on Chelsea after their defeat at Stoke.Wenger had Mesut Ozil back in his squad after injury, but he saw his side beaten by a 76th-minute Jonathan Walters penalty after Laurent Koscielny had been penalised for handball.It is not slightly worrying, it is a big worry for us to lose a game like that. It's a massive setback, said Wenger.In a game like that, we didn't produce the performance we wanted. To win a title when you are expected to perform, you have to perform. It's as simple as that.Arsenal's defeat, their fifth of the season, enabled Liverpool to steal above them on goal difference after their success at Southampton.Luis Suarez opened the scoring in the 16th minute, sweeping home after Jose Fonte had inadvertently gifted him the ball to mark his 100th Premier League appearance with a 62nd league goal.In reply, Adam Lallana hit the post for Southampton, but Raheem Sterling made it 2-0 in the 58th minute with his first touch after coming on as a substitute before Steven Gerrard added a stoppage-time penalty.We dropped points here last year (losing 3-1) and we have learned our lesson, said Liverpool captain Gerrard.We made the decision to leave our two up front all the time, and if teams want to go two-on-two against Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, then all the best.Newcastle won 4-1 at Hull, but the match was overshadowed by Pardew's dismissal for aiming a headbutt at home midfielder David Meyler.Pardew was sent to the stands after inclining his head towards Meyler during a second-half touchline confrontation and Football Association chairman Greg Dyke subsequently announced that his organisation would investigate the incident.Pardew issued a public apology moments after the final whistle, telling Sky Sports: It was a heat-of-the-moment thing. I massively regret it and I will have to sit down from now on.Of course, I didn't mean to do anything aggressive. I did move my head forward, and that's enough. Of course I apologise. I represent a big club.Moussa Sissoko scored twice for Newcastle, with Loic Remy and Vurnon Anita also on target, while Curtis Davies replied for Hull.Meanwhile, Romelu Lukaku marked his return from a month-long absence with an ankle injury by coming off the bench to score the winning goal for Everton in a 1-0 win at home to West Ham United.The Belgian slammed home from Leighton Baines's pass in the 81st minute to end West Ham's run of four consecutive wins and take Everton to within two points of fifth-place Tottenham Hotspur.

Football: FIFA authorise wearing of veils, turbans during matches

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ZURICH (AFP) - Football's world governing body FIFA on Saturday officially authorised the wearing of head covers for religious purposes during matches.It was decided that female players can cover their heads to play, said FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke at a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the sport's lawmakers, in Zurich.That will allow female muslim players who wear a veil in everyday life to cover their heads during matches, and Valcke added that male players will also be authorised to do so following a request from the Sikh community of Canada.It was decided that male players can play with head cover too, he said, although they will not be the same as those worn day to day.It will be a basic head cover and the colour should be the same as the team jersey.The wearing of head covers had been banned until 2012, with FIFA saying that they posed too great a risk of injury to the head or neck.However, the IFAB then allowed for them to be tested out over a two-year period following a request from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), a trial which proved to be successful.It's a worldwide authorisation, said Valcke, who confirmed that the hosting of the 2016 women's under-17 World Cup by the Arab kingdom of Jordan played a part in the authorisation being introduced.It was a plus for them to have authorisation from the IFAB for women to be able to play (wearing head covers). It was a request from these (muslim) countries that said it would help support women's football there.However, it seems that not all countries will be supporting the IFAB's decision.The French Football Federation (FFF) reacted to the announcement by saying they would continue to ban the wearing of head covers out of respect to France's status as a secular country.In a statement sent to AFP on Saturday, the FFF said they will maintain the prohibition of the wearing of all religious or confessional symbols.This is due to the constitutional and legislative principles of secularism that prevail in our country and figure in its statutes.

Golf: McIlroy takes two-shot lead into PGA final round

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PALM BEACH GARDENS (AFP) - Rory McIlroy navigated windy conditions for a one-under par 69 Saturday to seize a two-stroke lead after 54 holes at the US PGA Honda Classic, where top-ranked Tiger Woods impressed.McIlroy fired four birdies against three bogeys at PGA National to stand on 12-under par 198, two strokes ahead of American Russell Henley.Scotsman Russell Knox was third on 201 with Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas on 202 and England's Luke Donald, Australian Stuart Appleby and Americans Ryan Palmer and Keegan Bradley on 203.McIlroy could join Jack Nicklaus, Mark Calcavecchia and Johnny Miller as the only repeat winners of the $6 million event, the 24-year-old Northern Irishman having taken the title in 2012 to become world number one for the first time.I feel comfortable with where my game is, McIlroy said. I thought 69 in the conditions I had today was a pretty good score.Woods, meanwhile, made seven birdies against two bogeys on his way to a five-under 65, his low round of the year, to stand on 205, seven strokes off the pace in a share of 17th after only making the cut on the number.I struck the ball well and made some putts, Woods said.McIlroy, who walked off the course here last year with claims of a toothache but later apologized, solved tricky breezes and could take a wire-to-wire victory near his South Florida home with his parents and tennis-star fiancee Caroline Wozniacki watching.It was a little more difficult for sure, McIlroy said. The wind was coming from a slightly different direction which made the last few holes play quite tough. That's about as tough as they play.You can't get away with anything out here. You have to be in control of your golf ball and for the most part I have been this week.Two-time major champion McIlroy teed off only one stroke ahead of playing partner Brendon de Jonge and each birdied the first and par-5 third holes, but Zimbabwe's de Jonge fell two back with a bogey at the fourth.De Jonge took a double bogey at the sixth but McIlroy made bogeys at the sixth and par-3 seventh. De Jonge birdied eight but a bogey at nine and a double bogey at 11 heralded a back-nine collapse, a bogey-bogey finish taking him to a 76 and eight shots off the lead.McIlroy sank a five-foot birdie at 12 to move four clear of the field and followed a bogey at 14 with a nine-foot birdie putt at 16.Henley, who had 10 pars and a bogey to start, birdied 12 and reached 10-under with a 150-yard eagle shot from the fairway at the par-4 14th.I couldn't have hit it any better, Henley said. It was a pretty cool feeling. Henley missed a seven-foot par putt at 15 but answered with a 48-foot birdie at the par-3 17th, the fast-rolling ball popping into the air as it hit the hole before falling into the cup.Woods enjoyed his finest round of the year after missing the secondary cut at Torrey Pines and sharing 41st at Dubai.It's going to turn around, Woods said. We are all going to have hot spells and we're going to have cold spells, especially the longer we stay out here. I've had situations where it just seems like no matter what you do, nothing really goes your way.Woods, in the second group out, opened with a 15-foot birdie, went over the green on his way to a bogey at the fourth, then birdied the par-3 fifth from 38 feet and the par-3 seventh from 25 feet.I had good feel today, Woods said.Woods sank an eight-foot birdie putt at 10, chipped in from beyond 50 feet at the 12th and followed with a 15-foot birdie at 14 and a five-footer at 15.

Formula One: World champion Vettel suffers test wipeout

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MANAMA (AFP) - Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel admitted Red Bull were facing serious problems after he failed to complete a lap in testing on Saturday, just two weeks out from the start of the new season.Vettel's car suffered electrical issues which meant he stopped on the installation lap at Sakhir and then spent the rest of the day frustratingly kicking his heels in the garage.The setback came just a day after teammate Daniel Ricciardo had completed 66 laps in the second Red Bull for the Australian's most convincing outing this winter.At the moment we obviously have lots of different problems we are curing, said Vettel, who will have his final test run of the close-season on Sunday before the season gets under way in Melbourne on March 16.It's not the best situation to be in but we can't change it. Obviously reliability is still a big question mark. It's difficult to say how long it will take to remedy. I think some things will just come down to the fact that in two weeks' time we'll have lots of new parts on the car. We've had some damage because of the problems we've had here and the parts aren't available overnight, so from that side I think things will get better over the next couple of weeks.Williams driver Felipe Massa topped the time charts with a time of 1min 33.258sec off 99 laps with Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg in second spot just ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.We had a very good day today doing almost 100 laps. We did a lot more performance work in the car which is something that we haven't done so much of so far, said Massa.I'm really happy with the car and feel we found a good balance. We did so much work on the set-up but it is very important that we go to Australia prepared.

Warner, Clarke put Australia in control

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CAPE TOWN (AFP) - David Warner hit a century and captain Michael Clarke battled his way back into form as Australia dominated the first day of the series-deciding third and final Test against South Africa at Newlands on Saturday.Warner put a week of controversy behind him and hit a sparkling 135 off 162 balls in an Australian total of 331 for three.Clarke, who twice needed treatment after being hit, went past 24 for the first time in 12 Test innings to make 92 not out on a day when South Africa lost strike bowler Dale Steyn with a hamstring injury midway through the afternoon.South African bowling coach Allan Donald said Steyn was feeling stiff but said the fast bowler would have a fitness test before play on Sunday. But he added: If you lose your gun bowler the rest are going to have to step up.It was the second time in successive matches that South Africa have lost a bowler after deciding to play with only four specialists. Wayne Parnell suffered a groin strain in the second Test in Port Elizabeth.Warner was fined 15 percent of his match fee and criticised by his captain, Clarke, after making inappropriate comments suggesting ball tampering by South Africa after the second Test.But if the left-handed opening batsman was affected by the controversy he showed no sign of it. He was in charge from virtually the first ball he faced after Clarke won the toss and claimed first use of what Donald described as a fantastic pitch for batting.Warner did not attend the post-play press conference. Instead former Australian spin bowling great Shane Warne, in South Africa as a spin bowling consultant, heaped praise on him.Davey set the tone first up, said Warne. He puts pressure on the opposition captain by how fast he scores and the way he scores. I saw a sign of maturity from David Warner today. He got a couple of singles to point then when they brought point up he hit a couple of fours. So he's not just smashing the ball, he's quite clever about it.Warne also praised the courage of Clarke, who took a pounding from tall fast bowler Morne Morkel.Clarke was struck on the left forearm, the shoulder and was felled by a blow to the cheek before being hit on the gloves. Late in the day he was struck on the right thumb when Morkel was bowling with the second new ball.He's got four, maybe five ice packs on him, said Warne. He could have tried to hit his way out of trouble but instead he went the other way and said, 'You can hit my body but you're not going to get me out'.Donald said Warner had played an excellent innings, while Clarke had shown great courage. Michael took a lot of blows for his team. Australia played with intent and the bad balls were put away. But he said Morkel was unlucky. Morne was absolutely outstanding. The way he bowled today was worth at least three wickets.Warne said Australia were in a strong position on a dry pitch which he said had already started to offer uneven bounce. It's going to be very hard to bat last, said Warne.Warner reached his fourth successive score of 50 or better after facing just 50 balls and went to his seventh Test century off 104 deliveries.Warner shared partnerships of 65 for the first wicket with Chris Rogers, who started Autralia's dominance by hitting two fours in the first over by Steyn, 73 for the second wicket with Alex Doolan and 79 for the third wicket with Clarke.Clarke and Steve Smith pressed home the advantage with an unbeaten fourth wicket stand of 114. Smith became the third batsman to notch a half-century, finishing the day on 50 not out, made off 92 balls.After surviving five dropped catches in his previous three innings of 115, 70 and 66, Warner did not offer a chance, although when he was on 95 the South Africans thought he had been caught behind down the leg side by AB de Villiers off Steyn. He was given not out by umpire Aleem Dar. South Africa sought a review but replays showed the ball had deflected off his thigh pad, not his bat.Clarke and Steve Smith scored freely against the second new ball, adding 37 runs in six overs before the close. Clarke faced 191 balls, hitting nine fours.

Bangladesh's Gazi ruled out of Asia Cup

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FATULLAH (AFP) - Bangladesh spinner Sohag Gazi has been ruled out of the Asia Cup after injuring his right thumb during Saturdays match against Afghanistan.The 22-year-old was injured after he bowled just three deliveries during Bangladeshs shock 32-run defeat.The cut was caused by the seam and it had to be stitched up. He will need seven to 10 days to recover, said national team physiotherapist Vibhav Singh.Bangladesh were bowled out for 222 in 47.5 overs with Afghanistan clocking an innings of 254-6.Mahmudullah has been called up to replace Gazi in the Bangladesh squad for the remaining matches.It was Bangladeshs second injury setback after paceman Mashrafe Mortaza was also ruled out.Bangladesh, who also lost to India in their opening match, will now play Pakistan on Tuesday and Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Afghanistan shock Bangladesh in Asia Cup

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FATULLAH (AFP) - Afghanistan put up a brilliant performance to upset hosts Bangladesh by 32 runs in the Asia Cup match at Fatullah on Saturday.Afghanistan rode on a brilliant unbeaten career best 90 by Asghar Stanikzai and a punishing 69-ball 81 by Samiullah Shinwari to post a challenging 254-6 before bowling out their rivals for 222 in 47.5 overs.Afghanistans victory marked its first win over a Test playing country in four one-day matches. They previously lost both their one-day internationals against Pakistan and one against Australia.Afghanistan are playing the Asia Cup for the first time.It was a great shock for the hosts, who were runners-up in the last Asia Cup in 2012 to Pakistan as they played without their key all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, suspended over indiscipline, and injured spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza.Bangladesh, who lost their opening match to India, never looked settled in their run-chase as they lost their openers by the second over with only a single run on the board.It was a 68-run stand between Mominul Haque (50) and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (23) that lifted Bangladesh before Afghan captain Mohammad Nabi claimed his counterparts wicket.Nabi finished with 3-44 while pacemen Hamid Hassan and Shapoor Zadran took two wickets apiece.Mominul hit six boundaries in a sedate 72-ball innings but once he was bowled by Shinwari (1-23), all hopes of a home team win evaporated.Nasir Hossain and Ziaur Rahman chipped in with 41 apiece but could only delay the inevitable.Afghan captain was ecstatic over the win.Its our first win against a full member, said Nabi. It was a good partnership between Stanikzai and Shinwari that lifted us and despite missing some chances in the field we bowled well to achieve this landmark win.Fans and the whole country must be celebrating and we will do our best in the remaining matches, he said.Bangladesh captain Rahim was left disappointed.We were outplayed in all three departments. We played well earlier in the first 30 overs but they did well thereafter. Its disappointing to lose, he said.Earlier, Afghanistan, put in to bat, owed their total to a record sixth wicket stand of 164 runs between Stanikzai and Shinwari who lifted their team from a precarious 90-5.The Stanikzai-Shinwari stand is the third highest partnership for Afghanistan in all one-day internationals and the highest for the sixth wicket.Stanikzai hit six boundaries and three towering sixes in his highest one-day score while Shinwari smashed 10 fours and a six.They ran riot in the final 10 overs as Afghanistan added 107 for the loss of Shinwari who was run out off the penultimate delivery.Afghanistan had lost opener Mohammad Shahzad (two) in the third over of the innings before Karim Sadiq (12) and Najibullah Zadran (21) took the total to 40.Nawroz Mangal (24) and skipper Mohammad Nabi (seven) too failed to benefit from good starts as Afghanistan were left struggling at 90-5 in the 27th over.It was left to Stanikzai and Shinwari to lift the innings.Sri Lanka have won both their matches while title-holders Pakistan and India have won one of their two matches.India meet Pakistan in a high-profile match in Mirpur on Sunday.

South Africa ease past Pakistan for Under-19 title

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DUBAI (AFP) - South Africa won their maiden Under-19 World Cup title when they defeated two-time former champions Pakistan by six wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.Fast bowler Corbin Bosch claimed four for 15 and wicketkeeper Clyde Fortuin collected six catches as Pakistan were bundled out for 131 in 44.3 overs after electing to bat first.South Africa captain Aiden Markram then scored an unbeaten 66 to guide his team home in 42.1 overs.
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