Wednesday 5 March 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Govt, Taliban negotiators to meet PM today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will meet government and the Taliban negotiators at the PM House in Islamabad today.The members of both the committees would exchange views with the prime minister over the road map to make the peace process more effective.Earlier on Wednesday, Irfan Siddiqi said that the government and the Taliban committee have produced satisfactory results.Addressing a joint press conference in Akora Khattak after a session with Taliban committee, member of the government committee Irfan Siddiqi said that the first round of talks has completed, adding that it was meant to build contact.Irfan said the second phase has begun and it will take final decisions. He also said that the both committees have agreed to work on future course of action.Meanwhile, Taliban negotiator Maulana Samiul Haq said that the announcement of ceasefire from both sides was a big achievement. The Taliban committee also expressed their desire to meet PM Nawaz.Samiul Haq said the world powers don’t want to see peace in Pakistan, therefore, incidents of terrorism were continued across the country. He also said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) will have to deny their involvement in all terrorist activities so that the atmosphere of trust continue throughout the talks.He also said that the TTP hadn’t demanded to mend constitution or the current system.Samiul Haq also applauded the role of PM for continuing dialogue process despite international pressure. Taliban committee member maintained that the military operation would never resolve the sensitive matter.

Attacks in Baghdad area kill 21 people

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - Bombings mainly targeting Shiite areas of Baghdad and attacks on security force checkpoints in and around the capital killed at least 21 people Wednesday, officials said.Iraq has been hit by a year-long surge in bloodshed that has reached levels not seen since 2008, driven by widespread discontent among its Sunni Arab minority and the bloody civil war in neighbouring Syria.And Baghdad is hit by near-daily bombings and shootings.Wednesday's seven car bombs and two roadside bombs, which struck six different areas of Baghdad, killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 70 people, the officials said.One of the car bombs exploded near the University of Technology in the Karrada district of central Baghdad, killing three people and wounding at least 10.The terrorist was planning to blow up the car on the main road near the university, but security forces do not allow cars to stop there so he instead left it on a side street, a police officer at the scene said.An AFP journalist saw the charred remains of the car, and said two cars and several nearby homes were damaged by the blast.While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, Sunni jihadists often target members of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority, whom they consider to be apostates.Gunmen later attacked three checkpoints in Baghdad while a roadside bomb exploded near a fourth in Tarmiyah, north of the capital, killing at least four police and three soldiers.Gunmen also attacked a bus northeast of the city of Baquba, killing an Indian man and wounding four others.The violence came a day after two suicide bombers attacked the city council headquarters in Samarra, north of Baghdad, and took employees hostage.A third bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle after police and anti-Al-Qaeda militiamen arrived at the scene, while the two inside blew themselves up after exchanging fire with security forces.The violence, which showcased the impunity with which militants can strike even targets that should be highly secure, killed six people and wounded 46.Powerful militant group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which operates in both Iraq and Syria, claimed the attack in a statement posted on the Honein jihadist forum.The statement said that three lions of the Islamic State attacked the building, killed its guards and executed its members, and took complete control of the council.Militants have carried out similar assaults elsewhere in Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad, and battled security forces for control of the Sulaiman Bek area, killing dozens of people.The government also faces a more than two-month crisis in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, where it has lost the city of Fallujah as well as shifting parts of provincial capital Ramadi to anti-government militants.This is the first time anti-government forces have exercised such open control in major cities since the peak of the deadly violence that followed the US-led invasion of 2003.More than 370,000 people may have been displaced by the violence in Anbar during the latest crisis, according to the United Nations.Violence in Iraq has killed more than 1,800 people since January 1, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.

Kerry confirms discussions with Ukraine, Russia to continue

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PARIS (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that intense discussions with Russia and Ukraine would continue in the coming days in the hope of securing a de-escalation of current tensions between them.We initiated a process today that we hope will eventually lead to de-escalation, Kerry told reporters after a day of diplomatic negotiations in Paris ended with Russia refusing to bow to Western demands for direct talks with the new Ukraine government.Kerry said he would continue talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Rome on Thursday, where both will be for a meeting on Libya.He said Wednesday's discussions had been constructive.I'd rather be where we are today than yesterday.Kerry added: I will be in touch with the foreign minister and prime minister of Ukraine later tonight.We had very thorough discussions today.This is hard, tough stuff. This is very serious.Kerry played down Lavrov's refusal to meet his Ukrainian counterpart in Paris, saying he had harboured zero expectation of that happening.He also insisted that sanctions against Russia were still an option but stressed: We would prefer to find an appropriate diplomatic solution to this.We made it clear that the decision to go to Crimea is not without cost.Now we need to go forward and see if we avoid everybody being put in a corner where it's more and more difficult to find the path that presents you with the solution of dialogue.I was encouraged today that Russia indicated that they would prefer to see us be able to find that path.That's the beginning of a negotiation.

Drone strike kills 4 Qaeda suspects in Yemen: military

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SANAA (AFP) - A US drone strike in northern Yemen on Wednesday killed four suspected Al Qaeda members, including an Iraq veteran, a military official said.The unmanned aircraft fired two rockets at a vehicle in the Khalka area of Jawf province, the official said, adding that among those killed was Ali Juraym, a local militant chief who had fought in Iraq.The American military operates all drones flying over Yemen in support of Sanaas campaign against Al Qaeda and has killed dozens of militants in a sharply intensified campaign in the past year.Drone strikes have triggered criticism from rights activists, who say they have claimed the lives of many innocent civilians.The United Nations said 16 civilians were killed and at least 10 wounded when two separate wedding processions were targeted by drones in early December.The victims had been mistakenly identified as members of Al Qaeda, the UN quoted local security officials as saying at the time.Following the deaths, Yemens parliament voted for a ban on drone strikes, but analysts say lawmakers have limited powers and are unlikely to have an impact on Washingtons campaign.The United States says that drones are an essential part of its war on terror.Yemen is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden and the home base of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which Washington views as the jihadist networks most dangerous franchise.

Football: Brazil, Spain win as World Cup rivals struggle

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PARIS (AFP) - Neymar scored a hat-trick as Brazil routed South Africa 5-0 while Spain edged fellow heavyweights Italy 1-0, but a host of World Cup rivals faltered on Wednesday.Ninety-nine days out from the World Cup, there were unimpressive 1-0 friendly wins for England and Germany over Denmark and Chile respectively.Argentina and Colombia were held to draws while fellow finalists Australia, Ghana and the United States were all beaten.At Soweto, Chelsea's Oscar opened the scoring for Brazil on 10 minutes, Barcelona ace Neymar struck once in the first half and twice in the second, and Manchester City's Fernandinho marked his first start with a goal as well.It was the final warm-up for the World Cup favourites before the May announcement of their 23-man squad.It was not an easy game. The scoreline does not tell the story. South Africa played well -- they moved the ball well, said Brazil coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari.The difference was that Brazil have very special players. We are happy with what we saw, but there are one or two things we need to work on, and that will be done at training sessions.Pedro Rodriguez's goal was enough to give world and European champions Spain a 1-0 win over Italy in their final game before coach Vicente del Bosque names his squad to defend their world title.Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa was handed his debut on home soil at Madrid's Vicente Calderon in what was a rematch of the Euro 2012 final.However, Costa failed to make much of an impression and it was Spain's top goalscorer in qualification, Pedro, who made the difference when his shot squirmed under Gianluigi Buffon just after the hour mark.Portugal were also big winners as Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed a brace in a 5-1 win over Cameroon while 1998 champions France also looked good with Karim Benzema and Blaise Matuidi sealing a 2-0 win over the Netherlands in Paris.It was a first defeat for 2010 World Cup runners-up Netherlands in 19 matches.At Wembley, Daniel Sturridge scored an 82nd-minute header to give England victory over Denmark in their last friendly before manager Roy Hodgson names his World Cup squad.Hodgson gave a debut to Southampton left-back Luke Shaw, but it took the second-half introductions of Adam Lallana and Danny Welbeck to give England a spark.Lallana teed up the winning goal for Sturridge, whose back-post header ended a 264-minute goal drought for England at Wembley Stadium after November's friendly defeats by Chile and Germany.It was a very organised Danish team and we had to work very hard, said Hodgson.From the 60th minute onwards we showed some really good play and Adam Lallana made a big difference.In Bucharest, Argentina could only draw 0-0 against Romania in a friendly which saw Lionel Messi play despite being physically sick seven minutes in. Argentinian coach Alex Sabella started with pretty much his first choice side with Messi in the playmaking role while Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain were the strikeforce and other regulars such as Angel di Maria, Javier Mascherano and Pablo Zabaleta also featured.But the two-time world champions toiled to create any serious openings.Germany were booed off in Stuttgart after failing to impress in a fortunate win over fellow World Cup finalists Chile.Jorge Sampaoli's side had the Germans under pressure for long spells and created 17 shots to the Germans' seven.The corner count of Chile's 14 to Germany's four told its own tale and the hosts enjoyed only a brief period of pressure in the first-half which led to Mario Goetze's 16th-minute winner.That was a lucky win. I can understand the jeers and whistles, said Germany captain Philipp Lahm.In Barcelona, Colombia drew 1-1 with Tunisia as the South Americans' lack of a cutting edge in the absence of knee injury victim Radamel Falcao was exposed.Jurgen Klinsmann's United States team lost 2-0 to Ukraine in a game switched to Cyprus because of the worrying security situation in the troubled European country.Other World Cup finalists were also handed pre-tournament reality checks with Ghana going down 1-0 at Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina, who'll be making their tournament debut, slipping to a 2-0 home loss to Egypt.Australia gave up a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 to Ecuador in London while Copa America champions Uruguay, who were semi-finalists at the 2010 World Cup, were held 1-1 by Austria.

Football: China survive huge scare to reach Asian Cup

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SINGAPORE (AFP) - China survived an almighty scare before scraping into next year's Asian Cup on goal difference thanks to a late penalty in their 3-1 defeat to Iraq on Wednesday.The perennial under-achievers looked set to miss out on reaching an 11th successive Asian Cup as they went three goals down and rivals Lebanon plundered a fifth goal against Thailand in Group B.As they stood, China were set to miss out on a berth as the best third-placed team in all the groups, despite starting the evening three points ahead of Lebanon and with a superior goal difference.But deep into the second half, Thailand's Adisak Kraisorn scored in Bangkok to make it 5-2, before Zhang Xizhe slotted the crucial penalty that took China to the 2015 tournament in Australia.The dramatic turn of events, played out within minutes of each other but thousands of miles (kilometres) apart, will have left China's new coach Alain Perrin in no doubt about the size of his task.While China heaved a sigh of relief, former champions Iraq were left to celebrate leap-frogging the visitors into Group C's second automatic qualifying spot thanks to two goals from 2007 hero Younis Mahmoud.Mahmoud, who scored the winner in Iraq's 1-0 Asian Cup final win against Saudi Arabia seven years ago, struck twice in the first half before Ali Adnan netted their third after the break.The second automatic berth in Group C and the spot for the best third-placed team were the only ones up for grabs as qualifying wrapped up on Wednesday, with 13 teams already locked in.Malaysia beat Yemen 2-1 away in Group D but their faint hopes of qualifying as the best third-placed team were ended by the victories for Iraq and Lebanon.Hong Kong and Syria also had their flickering ambitions extinguished when they lost 3-1 to Vietnam and 2-1 to Jordan respectively.

Golf: Scott seeks dream win to dethrone Tiger as No. 1

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MIAMI (AFP) - Reigning Masters champion Adam Scott has a chance to dethrone Tiger Woods as world number one with a victory in this weeks $9 million World Golf Championships Cadillac Championship.The 33-year-old Australian, who already achieved one dream by becoming the first Aussie to capture the coveted green jacket with his triumph last year at Augusta National, would accomplish another by taking the top ranking.Its impossible not to think about it, Scott said. It would be a dream come true to make it to that point.Scott has plenty of work ahead of him.In addition to having to win the event over the revamped layout at Dorals Blue Monster course, Woods must finish outside the top six.Its not necessarily probable, Scott said.There is no reason why Im going to roll out and win this week but its great motovation for me to do that.Scott moved to world number two last August with a victory at The Barclays and is confident he has what it takes to win this weeks $1.53 million top prize.Im very comfortable with where my games at, Scott said.I believe its in a position where I can put myself in contention this week.Scott said that he expects to feel an extra spark come Sunday if he is in the hunt for the top spot as well as the title.The motivation to win would be that much more. Would be a great way to do it, he said.Scott will play alongside Woods and Swedens Henrik Stenson for the first two rounds.Coming only 11 months after his first major win, Scott admits the chance to become number one has arrived quicker than he anticipated.It is certainly a little bit sooner than I expected, Scott said.Its an incredible opportunity for me. It has taken a long time for me to get to this point. Id love to go out and play great this week.To wake up number one in the world on Monday morning, that would be amazing.

Oil prices sink on news of rising US crude supplies

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Global oil prices sank on Wednesday as investors markets weighed news of increases in US petroleum stocks and kept a wary eye on the Ukraine crisis.A barrel of West Texas Intermediate for April delivery, the US benchmark futures contract, finished at $101.45, down $1.88 from Tuesday's close.In London trade, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in April sank $1.54 to $107.76 a barrel.The US Department of Energy said the nation's commercial crude-oil inventories rose by 1.4 million barrels in the week ending February 28.That was more than analysts' consensus estimate of a 1.0 million barrel gain, indicating demand that was weaker than expected for the world's largest crude-oil consumer.A 1.4-million-barrel stock build reflected the combined impact of greater imports and lower demand, noted BNP Paribas analysts.Independent analyst Andy Lipow said the build in crude was due to a slowdown of refinery activity during maintenance season, particularly along the Gulf Coast.Distillate products, which include heating oil and diesel fuel, unexpectedly rose by 1.4 million barrels, instead of falling by 1.1 million as estimated.Crude futures also pulled back as fears of an immediate armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine cooled, but analysts said the presence of Russian-backed troops in Crimea in the country still lent price support.Ongoing normal flows via Ukraine and the prospect of a recovery in Libyan oil production next week were prompting some selling in the Brent market, with indirect downward pressure on the US markets as well, said Tim Evans of Citi Futures.The oil market had soared on Monday to the highest levels this year as the Ukraine crisis raised concerns about disruptions to energy supplies.Markets were also hit on Wednesday by fresh concerns over growth in China.China's National People's Congress began its annual meeting on Wednesday, with Premier Li Keqiang saying the government was targeting 7.5 growth in 2014, compared to the 7.7 percent growth recorded in 2013 and 2012.

Dollar firms slightly ahead of ECB, BoE meetings

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar firmed a bit on Wednesday as investors kept an eye on the Ukraine crisis and awaited the outcome of the next days European Central Bank monetary policy meeting.The euro bought $1.3736 around 2300 GMT, down from $1.3742 late Tuesday.The dollar rose to 102.33 yen from 102.21, while the European unit bought 140.57 yen compared with 140.46 yen the prior day.Although fears of a war between Russia and Ukraine have eased since the weekend, markets were monitoring the situation after pro-Russian forces seized control of Crimea in the country.The situation in Crimea is still grabbing headlines, but there is absolutely no consensus on the key points, said Jean-Pierre Dore of Western Union Business Solutions.The uncertainty is reason for traders to err of the side of caution, which is fueling a slight broader dollar rally as we await clarity.The euro, meanwhile, came under pressure ahead of the ECBs interest rate decision on Thursday.What is interesting about the euros recent price action is that the currency sold off when the tensions in Ukraine escalated but failed to rally when the fears began to ease, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.Lien attributed the pressure on the euro to concerns that the crisis is far from over and selling ahead of the ECB rate decision.Traders were also looking ahead to Fridays US jobs report for February. Economic data on Wednesday pointed to weaker job growth in the private sector and a slump in employment in the services sector, the largest part of the US economy.After two months of subpar payroll growth, the Federal Reserve desperately needs a strong month of job growth to justify continuing their current pace of tapering, Lien said. Fed policy makers will meet on March 18 and 19 to consider a fresh cut to the now $65 billion a month stimulus program.The dollar edged up to 0.8871 Swiss franc from 0.8870 franc.The pound, however, firmed against the greenback, buying $1.6722, up from $1.6663 the prior day.Analysts expected the Bank of England will leave its monetary policy unchanged Thursday, to avoid stalling the British economys recovery.

Alzheimer's disease may kill as many as cancer in US

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Deaths from Alzheimer's disease are under-reported in the United States and the most common form of dementia may be taking as many lives as heart disease or cancer, said a study Wednesday.Alzheimer's disease currently ranks sixth among causes of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart disease is first, and cancer second.But researchers reported in the journal Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, that Alzheimer's-linked deaths could be six times more common than thought.Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are under-reported on death certificates and medical records, said study author Bryan James of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.Death certificates often list the immediate cause of death, such as pneumonia, rather than listing dementia as an underlying cause. For the study, researchers followed more than 2,500 people aged 65 and older who were tested annually for dementia.A total of 559 participants developed Alzheimer's disease during the course of the study, and the average time span from diagnosis to death was four years.People aged 75 to 84 who were diagnosed with Alzheimer's were also four times more likely to die than those without it. One third of all deaths among those aged 75 and older were attributable to Alzheimer's disease, said the study.According to James, the findings would translate to an estimated 503,400 deaths from Alzheimer's in the US population over age 75 in 2010.That figure is six times higher than the 83,494 reported by the CDC based on death certificates.Determining the true effects of dementia in this country is important for raising public awareness and identifying research priorities regarding this epidemic, said James.

Root century tops Ramdin as England take series

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NORTH SOUND (AFP) - A stroke-filled maiden century by Denesh Ramdin just wasn't enough as England held on to defeat the West Indies by 25 runs in the deciding third and final one-day international on Wednesday.Ramdin's 128, the first ODI hundred by a West Indies wicketkeeper, lifted the home side from 43 for four in pursuit of a daunting target of 304 when he was last out with the total on 278, bowled by Tim Bresnan having taken 14 runs off the first three deliveries of the 48th over. Earlier, Joe Root battled through the considerable pain of a sore right thumb -- the result of a blow inflicted by fast-medium bowler Ravi Rampaul at the start of his innings -- to stroke his first hundred in this form of the game while Jos Buttler fell one run short of his own first ODI century to take England to 303 for six.Root, who was named man of the match, and Buttler put on 175 for the fifth wicket after the innings was at a crossroads when Sunil Narine bowled the experienced Eoin Morgan to reduce England to 116 for four in the 24th over. The spinner came in for some rare punishment later in the innings, conceding 21 runs off his ninth over. It was good to watch what our boys did with the bat over the final ten overs, given what happened to us in the first match, said England skipper Stuart Broad. The overall effort is encouraging looking ahead to the World Twenty (in Bangladesh later this month). West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo finished with three wickets, including two off consecutive deliveries but Moeen Ali's 55 at the top of the order was necessary to avoid a complete collapse before Root and Buttler took over.Wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler was left to rue an attempt to sneak his 100th run in the final over as he only succeeded in spooning a catch back to the bowler Rampaul. England batted well and this was a much better wicket, said a rueful Bravo.But we can't blame the bowlers. It's our batsmen who have to take the blame for this loss. As in the previous two matches, the West Indies top-order batting again failed to fire and not even the inclusion of the experienced Marlon Samuels seemed capable of halting the slide.However Ramdin played the limited-over innings of his life, dominating half-century partnerships with Bravo and Darren Sammy before taking on the improbable task virtually on his own. Two sixes in one over off James Tredwell took him to the century-mark, yet just when it seemed England were poised to self-destruct under the pressure, Bresnan produced the perfect yorker to end Ramdin's effort and seal victory in the match and the series.

Australia beat South Africa in epic Test nailbiter

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CAPE TOWN (AFP) - Australia won the third and final Test against South Africa by 245 runs at Newlands on Wednesday in a nailbiting finish with just 27 balls to spare after a day of epic home resistance.Ryan Harris bowled Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel with the first and third balls of his 25th over as Australia won the match as well as the series by two Tests to one.Steyn and Vernon Philander (51 not out) came together with 19.5 overs remaining and survived until Harris returned to the attack for a final burst.Michael Clarke's side became the first team to win a series against South Africa since Ricky Ponting's Australians won by the same margin in South Africa in 2008/09.South Africa will retain their number one position in the official Test rankings, but the defeat could signal the imminent end of an era, with captain Graeme Smith stepping down from international cricket.Smith's retirement, announced after the third day's play, follows the retirement earlier in the season of star all-rounder Jacques Kallis, while long-serving wicketkeeper Mark Boucher was forced to quit through injury in 2012.Australia, on the other hand, continued a resurgence under the leadership of Clarke and coach Darren Lehmann, following their 5-0 Ashes triumph against England earlier in the season.It has been tough away from home for us for a long time. The way the boys have played is tremendous. The series in India and England were not good. To turn it around is great, said Clarke.Playing South Africa, and in South Africa, has been the greatest challenge.Smith admitted he had endured a tough few days both professionally and personally with his daughter Cadence reportedly unwell.The courage the guys showed was immense. We have been outplayed in this Test throughout so it was important to show the fight today, said Smith.I am really proud of that, but it is important to congratulate Michael Clarke and his team. We have had great battles over the past years, and this one will go down too.When South Africa resumed on 71 for four it seemed unlikely they could pull off another great escape to go along with a draw they earned against Australia in Adelaide in 2011/12 and India in Johannesburg earlier this season.But a succession of stubborn partnerships took the match down to the last five overs.AB de Villiers and nightwatchman Kyle Abbott defied Australia's bowlers for just over an hour and a half during an extended morning's play before Abbott, who batted for 116 minutes and faced 89 balls in scoring seven runs, did not play a shot to a ball from James Pattinson which cut back and clipped the top of his off stump.The home side's hopes seemed to rest with De Villiers and Faf du Plessis, two of the key figures when South Africa fought out a draw from a similar position in Adelaide in November 2012.De Villiers started his innings after tea on the fourth day. He was dismissed in the fifth over with the second new ball when he edged Harris to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. He had batted for 326 minutes and faced 228 balls. It was an effort reminiscent of De Villiers' innings in Adelaide when he batted for more than four hours and faced 220 balls in scoring 33.On that occasion, Du Plessis, making his debut, saved the match with a marathon innings of 110 not out.Du Plessis was again resolute but shortly before tea he was leg before wicket to the first ball of a new spell by part-time leg-spinner Steve Smith, who pitched a ball on a good length on leg stump, turning slightly towards middle, with Du Plessis misjudging the line.Du Plessis sought a review but it confirmed that umpire Kumar Dharmasena had made the right decision. Du Plessis batted for 157 minutes and faced 109 balls in making 47.But the drama was not finished as Philander defied the Australians for 155 minutes and 105 balls.Australia were on top virtually from the start of the decisive Test, with opening batsman and man of the series David Warner setting the tone with a rapid century in the first innings which he followed with another hundred in the second innings.Australia took a first innings lead of 207, with Mitchell Johnson taking four wickets and Harris three, then rattled up 303 for five declared in their second innings to set South Africa a nominal target of 511.

India bow out of Asia Cup with easy win

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DHAKA (AFP) - World Cup champions India ended their disappointing campaign in the Asia Cup with an eight-wicket romp over minnows Afghanistan in their final league match in Dhaka on Wednesday.Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin shared seven wickets as India skittled Afghanistan for 159 after electing to field at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.Openers Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan then put on a 121-run stand as India surpassed the modest target in the 33rd over of their innings.Rahane scored 56 and left-handed Dhawan made 60 before both batsmen fell in successive overs, but Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik saw their team through in the one-sided contest.The result of the first-ever one-dayer between the two teams had no bearing on the tournament because Pakistan and Sri Lanka have already qualified for Saturdays final.India finished the five-nation tournament with two wins against hosts Bangladesh and Afghanistan, but having lost key matches against Sri Lanka and arch-rivals Pakistan.Indian captain Virat Kohli, standing in for the injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni, said he was happy to sign off from the tournament with a good win.This was a complete performance from the team, he said. It is hard to motivate yourselves when you are out of contention for the final.But being relaxed worked for us. I think we were quite tense in the earlier games. This is a young team and we have to be patient with them. The results will follow.We committed crucial mistakes against Pakistan and Sri Lanka and lost close games. But I am happy the way team showed character and fought till the end.Afghanistan, preparing for their maiden World Cup appearance next year, were beaten in three of their four matches, their lone victory coming against the hosts.Skipper Mohammad Nabi said the Asia Cup was a good experience for his team.I think this has been a great tournament for us and we have shown that we belong in this group, he said. The win over Bangladesh was a good sign for us.But I hope we continue to get more matches against the Test nations so that our players can learn from them and improve.Samiullah Shenwari top-scored with 50 and Noor Ali Zadran made 31, but eight Afghanistan batsmen failed to reach double figures in good batting conditions.The batsmen appeared comfortable against the seamers, racing to 54-1 by the 12th over, before wickets collapsed in a heap against the turning ball.Left-arm spinner Jadeja, brought on to bowl the 12th over, struck with his first and third deliveries to reduce the Afghans to 55-3.With Jadeja and off-spinner Ashwin quickly taking care of the next four batsmen, Afghanistan found themselves struggling at 95-7 in the 26th over.Shenwari boosted the total with six boundaries and a six in his fifth one-day half-century as the last three wickets added 64 valuable runs.Jadeja returned with four for 30, but Ashwin (3-31) and team-mate Mohammed Shami (2-50) finished at the top of the tournaments bowling list with nine wickets each.They were one ahead of Saeed Ajmal of Pakistan (eight wickets) and two more than Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka (seven), both of whom have games in hand.Sri Lanka will take on Bangladesh in the last league match on Thursday.

Govt's negotiation committee likely to be restructured

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Government is highly likely to restructure its committee to negotiate with Taliban, new committee might comprise of members from armed forces, intelligence agencies, Interior minister Ch Nisar and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak, source close to government told Dunya News.According to sources, the government is considering to reform the committee following the first phase of dialogue. The committee is likely to be more influential with government and intelligence agencies’ members onboard.Earlier, Irfan Siddiqi said that the government and the Taliban committee have produced satisfactory results.Addressing a joint press conference in Akora Khattak after a session with Taliban committee, member of the government committee Irfan Siddiqi said that the first round of talks has completed, adding that it was meant to build contact.Irfan said the second phase has begun and it will take final decisions. He also said that the both committees have agreed to work on future course of action.Meanwhile, Taliban negotiator Maulana Samiul Haq said that the announcement of ceasefire from both sides was a big achievement. The Taliban committee also expressed their desire to meet PM Nawaz.Samiul Haq said the world powers don’t want to see peace in Pakistan, therefore, incidents of terrorism were continued across the country. He also said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) will have to deny their involvement in all terrorist activities so that the atmosphere of trust continue throughout the talks.He also said that the TTP hadn’t demanded to mend constitution or the current system.Samiul Haq also applauded the role of PM for continuing dialogue process despite international pressure. Taliban committee member maintained that the military operation would never resolve the sensitive matter.

Chinese woman world's youngest billionaire

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HONG KONG (AFP) - A 24-year-old Hong Kong-based woman has been named the worlds youngest billionaire, replacing a former Facebook co-founder and spurring gossip in the city.Perenna Kei, a graduate from the University of London who lives in Hong Kong, was ranked by Forbes as the worlds youngest tycoon in its annual super-rich list, with a net worth of $1.3 billion.Little-known Perenna Kei, a newcomer to the list, displaces former Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz as the very youngest billionaire, Forbes said on its website along with the release of the billionaires list.It said her wealth grew along with the listing of a company run by her Chinese tycoon father, Ji Haipeng.Kei debuts on this years Forbes Billionaires List following the Hong Kong listing in December of Logan Property Holdings, Forbes said, describing her debut as an unexpected twist.The city of seven million, where 45 billionaires were on the Forbes list for 2014, is a popular destination for Chinese high-rollers to set up businesses or invest in property.A growing number of wealthy Chinese are also relocating to the city.Logan Property is a mid-sized developer based in the mainland city of Shenzhen bordering Hong Kong.When the company listed on the citys bourse in December, it raised some HK$1.6 billion ($206 million), the South China Morning Post said in a report at the time.Forbes said Kei, also known as Ji Peili, has an 85 percent stake in the property firm through various companies and a trust.Keis debut on the global super-rich list comes as a surprise for some in the city, with the Post describing her as a secretive woman.A staff member at the Shenzhen office of Logan Property said Kei would not give interviews.
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