Wednesday 17 December 2014

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Dunya TV

Obama, Castro declare historic breakthrough in ties

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and Cuba made a historic breakthrough in their Cold War stand-off Wednesday, moving to revive diplomatic ties and launch measures to ease a five-decade US trade embargo.In the wake of a prisoner exchange, President Barack Obama said the United States was ready to review trade ties and to re-open its embassy in communist Cuba that has been closed since 1961.Cubas President Raul Castro, in a simultaneous address in Havana, confirmed that the former enemies had agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties after more than half a century.Castro cautioned that the issue of the embargo -- which he called a blockade -- remained to be resolved.In Washington, Obama admitted the US embargo had failed and said he would approach the US Congress to discuss lifting it alongside the advances in diplomatic and travel links.We are all Americans, Obama declared in Spanish, in a set-piece White House address marking a historic attempt to reassert US leadership in the Western hemisphere. Obama hailed the support he said that Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, and the Catholic Church had provided in brokering better relations between the long-time enemies.The breakthrough came after Havana released jailed US contractor Alan Gross and a Cuban who spied for Washington and had been held for 20 years -- and whom Obama called one of the most important US agents in Cuba.The United States in turn released three Cuban spies, and Obama said he had instructed the US State Department to re-examine its designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.We will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries, Obama said. Through these changes, we intend to create more opportunities for the American and Cuban people and begin a new chapter among the nations of the Americas, he added.The United States imposed a trade embargo against Cuba -- the Cold War foe closest to its shores -- in 1960 and the two countries have not had diplomatic relations since 1961.The ensuing stand-off was marked by incidents that threatened to turn the Cold War hot, such as the 1962 missile crisis, in which US vessels blocked the island to prevent the delivery of Russian nuclear arms, and the earlier Bay of Pigs invasion by US-backed Cuban exiles.The embargo hurt the Caribbean island states economy, but it failed to unseat the communist governments led by the Castro brothers.Obama now has only two years left in office, Fidel Castro is 88 and ailing, and Raul is 83. With the window for the rival leaders to revive relations, both sides were under pressure to make a gesture.Senior Democratic lawmaker Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate foreign relations committee, hailed the move.Opening the door with Cuba for trade, travel and the exchange of ideas will create a force for positive change in Cuba that more than 50 years of our current policy of exclusion could not, he said.But Republican Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio, a champion of the anti-Castro community in Florida, denounced the deal.The White House has conceded everything and gained little, Rubio said, in a foretaste of the resistance that Obama will face as he tries to persuade Congress to back a full end to the embargo. All this is going to do is give the Castro regime, which controls every aspect of Cuban life, the opportunity to manipulate these changes to perpetuate itself in power.Just before Obama spoke, Gross, a 65-year-old US contractor who had been held for five years on allegations of spying, was welcomed back onto US soil by Secretary of State John Kerry.Also returning was an unnamed intelligence agent who had caught working for the US in Cuba and held for two decades.This man, whose sacrifice known to only a few, provided America with the information that allowed us to arrest the network of Cuban agents that included the men transferred to Cuba today as well as other spies in the United States, Obama said. This man is now safely on our shores.In exchange for this second prisoner, the United States released three alleged Cuban spies, in what a US official called a swap of intel assets.Both sides had previously made the release of their nationals a precondition for opening negotiations on warmer ties.Gross was arrested in 2009 for distributing communications equipment to members of Cubas Jewish community while working as a contractor for the US Agency for International Development.He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2011 after being convicted of acts against the independence or territorial integrity of the Cuban state.

US 'no problem' with 'thoughtful' Palestinian bid: Kerry

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States has no problem with Palestinians putting a draft resolution to the UN aiming to boost their hopes for statehood, providing it doesnt heighten tensions, top US diplomat John Kerry said Wednesday.The US secretary of state insisted we havent seen the language yet, we dont know precisely what was filed, adding that Washington had been troubled by some of the language that had been out there at different points of time.Kerry only returned Wednesday from a whirlwind three-day trip to Europe seeking to head off a showdown at the United Nations as the Palestinians seek to push their hopes of statehood to the top of the diplomatic agenda.He met with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat as well as his European counterparts and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki refused to respond to Palestinian claims that Kerry had told Erakat that Washington would veto a resolution, which the Palestinians said they had asked Jordan to submit on their behalf.We dont have any problem with them a filing some resolution providing its done in the spirit of working with people to see how we could proceed forward in a thoughtful way that solves the problem doesnt make it worse, Kerry told reporters at the State Department.But he added it would be premature to comment on language we havent seen, a process that has not yet fully taken shape.

US-led aircraft carry out 61 raids in Iraq since Monday

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US and allied warplanes have carried out 61 air strikes against Islamic State jihadists in Iraq since Monday, including dozens in support of Kurdish forces, the military said Wednesday.The strikes backing the Kurdish peshmerga destroyed approximately 50 targets, the US military command overseeing the air war said.The air assault represented a spike in the pace of US-led strikes compared to recent days.The US military did not specify where the 45 strikes took place, but the announcement came as Kurdish forces launched a major offensive around the Sinjar area near the Syrian border.The Kurdish operation is being staged from two locations: Rabia on the border with Syria and at Zumar along the Mosul dam, senior officers in the peshmerga said.The peshmerga chief of staff, Massud Barzani, who is president of Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region, said the aim was to recapture the entire Sinjar area.The US military said the air raids in support of the Kurds involved 15 coalition aircraft and the targets hit included bulldozers, vehicles, checkpoints, enemy fighting positions, enemy fighters, and equipment.In addition, US-led aircraft carried out 16 other strikes in Iraq, bombing IS militants near Mosul, Arbil, Tal-Afar, Heet and Ramadi.In Syria, the coalition conducted six strikes, including five raids around Kobane near the Turkish border, it said.

India clears $700 million defence purchase

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NEW DELHI (AFP) - Indias defence ministry cleared Wednesday proposals worth nearly $700 million to buy military equipment but deferred a key multi-billion dollar decision on replacing the countrys ageing air transport fleet.India, the worlds largest buyer of weapons, is in the midst of revamping its ageing military equipment and recently lifted a cap on foreign investment in defence.The country has been keen to move ahead with defence orders amid a string of new border skirmishes with arch-rival Pakistan in the disputed Kashmir region and an increasingly assertive China.The deals included the purchase of four helicopters for survey vessels and upgrading the nations electronic warfare system, a defence ministry spokesman told reporters.The defence acquisition council has also cleared a proposal relating to purchase of a platform system for transporting military equipment, he said.The proposals cleared were worth 44.4-billion rupees ($696 million), the ministry official added.The defence council, which approves big military procurements, deferred a decision on a joint bid by European giant Airbus Defence and Space and Indias Tata Advanced Systems Ltd to supply the Airbus C295 medium transport aircraft.The C295s are meant to replace the Indian Air Forces fleet of 56 Avro aircraft valued at $3 billion.According to the proposal, 16 twin-turboprop tactical military aircraft would be supplied in fly-away condition by Airbus and the remaining 40 would be assembled by Tata in southern Hyderabad as part of a technology transfer.

Football: Sterling lifts Rodgers as Liverpool make semis

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LONDON (AFP) - Raheem Sterling eased the pressure on under-fire manager Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool swept into the League Cup semi-finals with a 3-1 win over Championship leaders Bournemouth on Wednesday.Rodgers has endured stinging criticism in recent weeks after Liverpool dropped down the Premier League table and crashed out of the Champions League in the group stages.A dismal 3-0 defeat at arch-rivals Manchester United on Sunday prompted Rodgers to admit Liverpools squad lacked the unity that almost carried them to the English title last season.In the circumstances, an embarrassing defeat to second tier Bournemouth would have been a major blow to the beleaguered Rodgers hopes of holding on to his job, but he was able to leave Dean Court with his head held high as Sterlings double sandwiched a Lazar Markovic strike in a one-sided quarter-final.I thought it was a brilliant performance. It was always going to be a difficult job, but we controlled the game. We thoroughly deserved it, said Rodgers, whose side will face Chelsea in the two-legged semi-finals in January.Raheem Sterling has got some stick recently which I find extraordinary. He is a kid of 20 and he has been outstanding for us.It didnt matter who we got in the draw, it was just important to get there - to win this competition you have to win games against big sides.Despite their recent struggles, Liverpool had won at Dean Court in the FA Cup last season and, after Bournemouths Callum Wilson missed a good chance early on, the visitors took control.England forward Sterling opened the scoring with a glancing header from close range after Jordan Henderson nodded Markovics cross back across goal in the 20th minute.Rodgers relief was clear to see as he celebrated Sterlings first goal since September by vigorously punching the air on the touchline.And, with the Reds cutting through the Bournemouth defence at will, Rodgers was on his feet again seven minutes later to salute Liverpools second goal.Philippe Coutinho ignored Bournemouths appeals for offside as he cut inside to test Artur Boruc with a low shot and when the ball spun out to Markovic, the Serbia winger kept his cool to sidefoot home his first goal for Liverpool from the edge of the penalty area.With Liverpools supporters making their support for Rodgers loud and clear, Sterling ran clear to net their sides third goal in the 51st minute as he glided past Tommy Elphick before slotting home.Former Everton midfielder Dan Gosling got one back for Bournemouth in the 57th minute when his tame shot trickled past a weak attempted save from Brad Jones.In Wednesdays other quarter-final, Tottenham thrashed Newcastle 4-0 at White Hart Lane as the Magpies suffered more north London misery.Five days after a 4-1 beating at Arsenal, Alan Pardews side were on course for another heavy defeat from the 18th minute.Jak Alnwick, a 21-year-old making just his third appearance in goal for Newcastle, made a hash of catching a corner and allowed the ball to slip out of his grasp to midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, who hooked home from four yards for his first Tottenham goal.Newcastle conceded again 36 seconds into the second half when Nacer Chadli drove a perfectly-placed shot into the corner of Alnwicks net.Harry Kane put the result beyond doubt when the Tottenham striker scuffed his shot past Alnwick in the 65th minute and Spanish forward Roberto Soldado added the fourth five minutes later.Tottenhams reward was a semi-final tie against third tier Sheffield United, who enjoyed a shock 1-0 win over Southampton on Tuesday.We have respect for Sheffield United. They deserve to be in the semi-finals. We expect a tough game, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said.Also on Tuesday, Premier League leaders Chelsea had advanced to the last four with a 3-1 win at Championship side Derby.

Squash: Massaro keeps record bid on track

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CAIRO (AFP) - Laura Massaro stayed on course to become the first player to win three world titles in a year when she overcame old rival Annie Au of Hong Kong 12-10, 12-10, 11-2 to reach the World Squash Championship quarter-finals in Cairo on Wednesday.The 31-year-old titleholder saved game points in both the first two games against Au, the world number nine, who has in the past had some notable wins over the Englishwoman.This time though Massaro was at her most resilient in crisis moments, particularly when the referee unaccountably stopped the rally with Au leading 10-9 in the second game, apparently thinking the ball was down, but eventually requiring the point to be replayed.If Massaro manages to go on to a successful title defence on Saturday, she will do so only nine months after becoming champion, and only two weeks after heading up the England squad which regained the world team title at Niagara Falls.I like to think that my strengths are my adaptability and also sticking to my game plan, she said.Annie can be a difficult opponent and playing last match at night can make the ball really cool.That made it harder to force the pace against the lobs, cross courts and changes of direction from the skilful Au, and difficult to strike the cool ball accurately into the back corners.But Massaro did it well enough to complete the job in 40 minutes and earn herself a meeting with Alison Waters, a fellow member of Englands world title winning team, who beat another team mate Sarah-Jane Perry in straight games.It will be strange to play each other, but we just have to get on with it, said Massaro, who is the second seed and expected to play in the final against Nicol David, the top-seeded Malaysian who has won the world title a record seven times.Before that can happen though, both will have to win twice, with David due to face Camille Serme, the world number six from France, in the first match on Thursday.The other quarter-final in Massaros half will see Raneem El Weleily, the third-seeded Egyptian, take on her 21-year-old compatriot, Nour El Tayeb.Both won on Wednesday and their successes mean there are three players from the home counry in the last eight.For a while though it seemed El Weleily, one of only three woman probably capable of winning the tournament, might not survive - despite her ultimately convincing win over Dipika Pallikal, the leading Indian, by 7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-6.El Weleily turned an ankle over within five points of the start, re-emerging from treatment with a bulky strapping, and seeing the first game slip quickly away from her after that.The good thing is that I have played with this before, and I managed to get used to it, said El Weleily, whose wide range of strokes began to blossom as the match wore on.I was pleased with my mental response, she added.Meanwhile El Tayeb, who progressed with an 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3 win over Rachael Grinham, the 37-year-old former world champion from Australia, will have other worries.She is in the middle of final exams in economics at the American university in Cairo, and claims she spent five hours studying the night before her second round match.Im not saying whether Im expecting to win, she said.I dont want to put pressure on myself - but hopefully that will work.

Dense fog blankets several cities of Punjab

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Dense fog descended on Lahore and other cities of Punjab including Faisalabad, Sargodha, Multan, DG Khan, Sahiwal, Okara and Shekhupura on night between Wednesday and Thursday.Fog also affected road traffic. The Motorway has been closed from Lahore to Pindi Bhattian as visibility was down to zero due to dense fog.The Motorway police have appealed the drivers to use GT Road for travel from Lahore to Pindi Bhattian. The Motorway police have also urged the drivers to drive slowly and switch on fog lights. They also requested people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travelling.

Five Pakistani Taliban killed in Karachi clash

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KARACHI (AFP) - Five Pakistani Taliban were killed Wednesday in a clash with Rangers in Karachi, a spokesman for the paramilitary force said.The militants opened fire when Rangers raided their hideout in the Mangopir area of Karachi, Rangers spokesman Sibtain Rizvi said.The Rangers retaliated, as a result five terrorists were killed. The Rangers also recovered automatic weapons and explosive materials from the hideout, Rizvi said.The clash came a day after the Pakistani Taliban carried out the deadliest ever attack in the country on a military-run school in the northwestern city of Peshawar killing 148 people, mostly children.The attack bought international condemnation as well as promises of a decisive crackdown on militants from political and military leaders. Police have also arrested five suspected members of Al-Qaedas newly formed South Asian chapter suspected of carrying out an attack on a naval dockyard in Karachi in September.Karachi, a teeming metropolis of around 18 million people, is rife with political, ethnic, sectarian and criminal violence.

Ebola toll rises to more than 6,900: WHO

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GENEVA (AFP) - More than 6,900 people have now died from the Ebola virus, almost all of them in west Africa, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.As of December 14, there were 18,569 cases of infection of the deadly virus in the three worst affected countries, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and 6,900 deaths.This is out of a total of 18,603 cases and 6,915 deaths across eight countries affected by the outbreak.In some good news, the UN agency said Mali has not seen a new case for three weeks, completing one of the two 21-day incubation periods needed to be declared free of the virus.The death toll in other countries was unchanged: six in Mali, one in the United States, and eight in Nigeria, which was declared Ebola free in October.Spain and Senegal, which have both been declared free from Ebola, meanwhile counted one case each, but no deaths. - Sierra Leone -Sierra Leone earlier this month overtook Liberia as the country with the most infections.But the WHO said: There are signs the increase in incidence has slowed, and that incidence may no longer be increasing.It counted 8,356 cases and 2,085 deaths up to December 14, up from 8,273 cases and 2,033 deaths a day earlier.- Liberia -Liberia, long the hardest-hit country, has continued to see a decrease in the rate of transmission, the WHO said, although it had no new figures.As of December 9, the country counted 7,797 cases and 3,290 deaths, up from the 7,765 infections and 3,222 deaths tallied two days earlier.- Guinea -In Guinea, where the outbreak started nearly a year ago, 2,416 cases of Ebola and 1,525 deaths were recorded as of December 14, up from 2,394 cases and 1,518 deaths a day earlier.The WHO said that incidence of infection was fluctuating. - Healthcare workers -Ebola, one of the deadliest viruses known to man, is spread only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms such as fever or vomiting.People caring for the sick or handling the bodies of people infected Ebola are especially exposed.As of the latest figures up to December 14, a total of 649 healthcare workers were known to have contracted the virus, and 365 of them had died, the WHO said.

Eight-year Venus probe ends after it runs out of fuel

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PARIS (AFP) - The space probe that spent eight years carrying out a detailed analysis of Venus is out of fuel and will float to a fiery demise in the planets toxic atmosphere, the European Space Agency has announced.Venus Express was running on fumes, Adam Williams, ESAs acting manager of the craft said on Tuesday. We are pleased to have been pushing the boundaries right down to the last drop.Before its end, which is expected to occur in the next several weeks, Express provided data that helped scientists draw important conclusions about the planet, which is similar to Earths size and mass. Data collected by Express show Venus is still geologically active and may have once had oceans similar to those on Earth.Contrary to its alluring name, Venus is now the planet from hell, with an atmosphere so hot, toxic and heavy that any visitor would risk being simultaneously melted, suffocated and crushed.The planets searing surface temperature of 477 Celsius (890 Fahrenheit) is the hottest in the Solar System.Launched in November 2005, Venus Express was pulled into Venuss orbit on April 11, 2006 to begin study of the planet. Its initial mission was extended several times and last spring its masters at ESA sent the probe on one last adventure. Scientists ordered the craft on a controlled drop toward Venus in mid-2014, bringing it as close as it had ever been to the planet in an effort to explore previously unknown layers of the atmosphere. After surviving its journey to the noxious atmosphere, Venus Express returned to its normal orbit in July. But then scientists realised the probe was slowing drifting back to the planet. Contact with the Express became limited and unstable at the end of November.One of the probes studies discovered lava flows on Venus that dated to 2.5 million years ago, just yesterday on geological timescales and possibly even much less than that, ESA said.Hydrogen in Venuss atmosphere also suggests it once had a lot of water, which is now mostly gone, and possibly even oceans like those on Earth.While the science collection phase of the mission is now complete, the data will keep the scientific community busy for many years to come, said Hakan Svedhem, a project scientist at ESA.

Donkey dies after being sat on in Spanish Nativity scene

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MADRID (AFP) - An overweight man was on Wednesday charged with animal abuse in southern Spain after a young donkey died three days after he sat on it at an outdoor Nativity scene.The five-month-old donkey named Platero was on display along with other animals in the centre of the town of Lucena in Spains Andalucia region, as part of their annual Christmas celebrations.But on December 10 a man weighing nearly 150 kilos (330 pounds) climbed into the donkeys pen and sat on the animals back to have his picture taken, two animal rights groups, Adebo and Circulo Animalista de Podemos Lucena, said in a statement.A photo widely circulating on social media show the portly man, who wore a blue shirt and green pants, grinning as he poses on the donkey with one hand on his hip and the other hanging on to the wooden fence that was meant to keep him out. Two days later the donkey was taken to a vet after local residents contacted Lucena town hall to say that the animal was not able to stand, the animal rights groups said. The donkey died the following day.Our Platero was literally squashed by a man, the statement said.The man proudly posed with his almost 150 kilos of weight on the fragile body of the animal, fatally injuring him.Police in Lucena detained a 38-year-old man over the incident and charged him with animal abuse, a local police spokesman said.TAKE CARE OF ANIMALS Dont be an ass...Show humanity and intelligence. Respect the rules, Spains national police said in a Twitter message that included a link to a story about the case in El Mundo newspaper.Nativity scenes depicting the birth of Jesus are found across towns and cities in Spain in the lead-up to Christmas, and often include live animals such as sheep and donkeys.

Oil rises on stabilizing ruble, US supply drop

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NEW YORK (AFP) - World oil prices rallied somewhat Wednesday after the Russian ruble stabilized and the US reported lower crude inventories.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for January delivery gained 54 cents to $56.47 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.European benchmark Brent oil for delivery in January advanced $1.17 to $61.18 a barrel in London.John Kilduff, founding partner of hedge fund Again Capital, said traders were relieved that Russias moves to stabilize its currency appeared to be working. Russia said it would sell about $7 billion in foreign reserves to prop up the ruble. Other actions seek to ease access to foreign currency and protect banks from having to book losses that would weaken their financial strength.The market was worried about contagion in the eurozone and their economies due to instability in Russias markets, Kilduff said.Russias measures were well received by the market, he added.Oil prices also received support from a report by the US Department of Energy that showed US crude inventories fell by 800,000 in the week ending December 12.Despite Wednesdays gains, WTI finished well below its intra-session high of $58.97 a barrel. Some of the retreat followed a US Federal Reserve policy announcement that lifted the dollar, said Gene McGillian, broker and analyst at Tradition Energy.The market is all over the place because of the uncertainty of the rebalancing of the global petroleum complex, McGillian said. As the day has worn on, the fears that have driven us to these five-year lows have reemerged and the market continues to hunt for a bottom.

Dollar gains as Fed stays course on monetary policy

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar jumped against other major currencies Wednesday as the US Federal Reserve signaled no shift in its expectation to raise interest rates in 2015.The Fed left its key interest rate, the federal funds rate, at the 0-0.25 percent level, where it has been for six years to help the US emerge from deep recession.The Federal Open Market Committee judges that it can be patient in beginning to normalize the stance of monetary policy, the Feds policy arm said in a statement after a two-day meeting. The central bank insisted the decision will depend on economic data.The Fed said the policy was consistent with its prior statement that it would only begin normalization a considerable time after the end of massive asset purchases, or quantitative-easing stimulus, which occurred at the previous meeting in October.Although the change in language was subtle, it was nevertheless a modification consistent with the view that rates are likely to rise in the first half of next year, said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange.The Fed plan to raise rates in 2015 stands in sharp contrast to additional easing expected by other big central banks, Esiner said.Harm Bandholz, chief US economist at UniCredit Research, said the new language does not signal a change in the Feds policy intentions. It is, however, an important milestone as we are getting closer to the first rate hike.

Amla, De Villiers put South Africa on top

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CENTURION (AFP) - Captain Hashim Amla and his senior lieutenant AB de Villiers both hit centuries as South Africa took command after early setbacks on the first day of the first Test against the West Indies at SuperSport Park on Wednesday.South Africa were 340 for three at the close.Amla, captaining South Africa for the first time in a home Test, made 133 not out, while De Villiers hit an unbeaten 141.They will resume on Thursday after adding 283 for the fourth wicket, a South African record against the West Indies.The pair came together with South Africa in a minor crisis after losing three wickets for no runs with the total on 57.It could have been 102 for four but Amla, on 25, had an escape when a ball from Kemar Roach brushed his off stump but did not dislodge a bail.It was a superb display of batting by two of the best batsmen in the world but it was not a good day for the West Indians, who failed to take advantage of sending South Africa in to bat in heavily overcast conditions.Much of the bowling was mediocre and the tourists suffered a blow when Roach, who was comfortably their best bowler, pulled up lame after bowling five balls of his 16th over half an hour after tea.Roach went for a scan on his right ankle and a team spokesman said the results would be assessed overnight.Roach was surprisingly not given the new ball and runs flowed freely from South African openers Alviro Petersen and Dean Elgar before he was brought into the attack after 44 runs had been scored in nine overs.He immediately imposed some control and made the first breakthrough in his third over when he had Petersen caught at first slip and followed up with the wicket of Faf du Plessis, who was caught behind. When Roach limped off he had taken two for 52.Roachs wickets sandwiched the dismissal of Elgar, who was caught at gully off left-armer Sheldon Cottrell. The three wickets fell in the space of 15 balls.Cottrell said he had been given the new ball because of his ability to make the ball swing in to the right-handed batsmen.The ball was moving quite a bit but I didnt have the control I wanted, he admitted.Cottrell gave credit to Amla and De Villiers.It is difficult bowling to them. They are experienced, they play spin and pace very well and they are playing on their home ground.Rain delayed the start by half an hour and the sky was overcast for almost the entire day but with the exception of Roach, the bowlers were not consistent enough to exploit any assistance from the conditions.After the early setbacks, Amla and De Villiers saw their team through to lunch, adding 45 runs before the break with largely risk-free batting.Their stroke play blossomed after Amlas escape in the first over after the interval.Amla was beaten by a ball from Roach, who appealed for a catch behind.Umpire Aleem Dar turned down the appeal and a slow motion replay showed the ball brushed his off stump, causing the leg bail to lift slightly before settling back into its groove.De Villiers was first to a half-century, reaching the mark off 78 balls with his tenth four.The 100 partnership came up at the same time off 156 deliveries. Amla?s fifty followed soon afterwards off 87 balls with seven fours.De Villiers became the fifth South African to score 20 Test centuries after facing 138 balls, while Amlas 23rd hundred came off 161 deliveries.

Lord's to host 2019 World Cup finals

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LONDON (AFP) - Lords has been chosen to host the 2019 World Cup final and the 2017 Womens World Cup final, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Wednesday.The ECB also revealed the 2019 semi-finals will be held at Old Trafford in Manchester and Edgbaston in Birmingham.The Oval, Taunton, Chester-le-Street, Headingley, Trent Bridge, Cardiff, Bristol and the Rose Bowl are all also due to host World Cup games, with all the venues subject to International Cricket Council (ICC) approval.Lords, the north London venue regarded as the spiritual home of cricket, staged the first three World Cup finals in 1975, 1979 and 1983, and also the finale to the 1999 event.The West Indies won the first two, while India were victorious in 1983 and Australia in 1999.The ICC Cricket World Cup attracts television audiences which have the potential to outstrip all other major international sporting events, ECB chairman Giles Clarke said.As chairman of the ICCs Financial and Commercial Affairs Committee I know that we are anticipating a global television audience of more than two billion for the final.Meanwhile, Headingley and Old Trafford, Lords, The Oval and Edgbaston will host the five Ashes Tests in 2019, with Trent Bridge and Cardiff both missing out after being named to host matches in 2015.Cardiff misses out after being given the honour of hosting the opening Ashes Test in 2009 and 2015, while Trent Bridge wont have an Ashes contest for the first time since 2009.Taunton has also been handed its first Twenty20 international as part of the ECBs Major Match Awards announcement, with England taking on South Africa at the home of Somerset in 2017.Headingley has been handed a Test in 2017 when the West Indies are the tourists and they will also play Tests at Edgbaston and Lords, with one-day internationals at Bristol, Old Trafford, The Oval, The Rose Bowl and Trent Bridge and a T20 international at Chester-le-Street.South Africa also visit in 2017 and they will play Tests at Lords, The Oval, Trent Bridge and Old Trafford with ODIs at Chester-le-Street, Headingley and Lords.Pakistan come calling in 2018 with Tests at Headingley and Lords while India will also play five-day matches at Edgbaston, Lords, The Oval, the Rose Bowl and Trent Bridge.India will also face ODIs at Bristol, Headingley, Lords, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge while England will play 50-over games against Australia at Cardiff, Chester-le-Street, Old Trafford, The Oval and Trent Bridge.Australia will also be the visitors for a T20 at Edgbaston while India face England in the shortest format at Cardiff.In 2019, as well as playing Australia, England face Pakistan in five ODIs at Bristol, Chester-le-Street, Headingley, The Oval and the Rose Bowl and a T20 at Cardiff.The ICC Champions Trophy will be held in England in 2017 and Cardiff, The Oval and Edgbaston will host matches in a repeat of 2013, with The Oval staging the final.England will also face the winners of the ICC Test Challenge at Lords in 2019 with a four-match series between the 10th-ranked Test nation and winner of the ICC Intercontinental Cup deciding their opponents.
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