Friday 16 October 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Multan: 3 killed, 15 injured in bus, trailer collision

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MULTAN (Dunya News) – At least three people were killed when a speeding bus collided with a trailer near Multan on early Saturday morning, Dunya News reported.The ill-fated bus was going to Multan from Lahore. According to initial reports, the bus collided with a trailer parked on the road side due to over-speeding near Qadirpur Raan village in the outskirts of Multan, killing three people and injuring 15 others.Rescue teams reached the spot after the accident and shifted the dead and injured to Nishtar Hospital, Multan. The bus driver was among the injured. Hospital sources said that condition of five injured persons is stated to be critical.Two of the victims have been identified as Asia and Ijaz. According to DSP Motorway, the accident took place due to negligence on the part of the bus driver.

Five killed in Saudi Shiite shooting claimed by IS

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RIYADH (AFP) - A gunman shot dead five people at a Shiite gathering in eastern Saudi Arabia on Friday before police gunned him down, the interior ministry said.A group claiming affiliation with the so-called Islamic State Sunni extremists said it carried out the attack, the latest in a series of bombings and shootings linked to the group in Saudi Arabia over the past year.The murders, in the Qatif area of Eastern Province, came two days after the start of commemorations of Ashura, one of the holiest occasions for the Shiite faith, a minority in Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia.As result of his shooting, five citizens... were killed, including a woman. Nine others were wounded, an interior ministry spokesman said in a statement.He said that at about 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) Friday a suspect with an automatic weapon started to shoot randomly at Al-Haidaria hussainiya in the Saihat area of Qatif city.A hussainiya is a Shiite hall used for commemorations.Police intervened and opened fire, killing the suspect, the spokesman said without giving details about the attacker.The situation is still under investigation, he said.State television earlier reported that the gunman was 20 years old.A group calling itself Islamic State-Bahrain State said in a communique that one of its soldiers, Shughaa al-Dosari, attacked a Shiite infidel temple with an automatic weapon in Saihat.It warned that infidels will not be safe in the island of Mohammed.During Ashura last year, gunmen killed seven Shiite worshippers, including children, in the eastern town of Al-Dalwa.The interior ministry said that unprecedented incident had links to IS.A witness to Fridays attack, Ali al-Bahrani, told AFP that a gunman began randomly shooting at people attending a sermon. He said that a woman was killed.Hussein al-Nemr, a local resident, said the shooting was one of three incidents on Friday evening.Nemr, speaking from Saihat, said a gunman had stolen a taxi in neighbouring Dammam city, and a shooting also occurred at a mosque in Saihat but nobody was injured there.We are not sure yet if they are linked to each other, he told AFP, adding IS had warned of attacks.Since the start of Ashura commemorations Shiite security volunteers had been checking people at the entrances to houses of worship, Nemr said.Security has been tightened at Shiite facilities since May when separate suicide mosque bombings killed 25 people.Both attacks were claimed by IS, which considers Shiites to be heretics.Most Saudi Shiites live in the oil-rich east, and many complain of marginalisation. The Ashura commemorations -- which peak late next week -- mark the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, by the army of the Caliph Yazid in 680 AD. That event lies at the heart of Islams divide into Shiite and Sunni sects.IS, which has also targeted Saudi police, controls swathes of neighbouring Iraq and Syria where it has carried out widespread abuses.Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Gulf neighbours last year joined a United States-led military coalition that is bombing IS in Syria and Iraq.In July, the interior ministry said it had broken up an IS-linked network and arrested more than 430 suspects involved in attacks and plots.Earlier Friday, Saudi Arabias top cleric, Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, named IS as an enemy of Islam.The reality is that they are shedding Muslim blood and destroying Islam. There is no good in them, he said during weekly prayers at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque in Riyadh.They are neither an Islamic state nor mujahedeen or Islamic mercenaries. Their faith is falsehood... their reality is bloodshed and looting.

Kerry calls Abbas, Netanyahu to urge Mideast calm: US official

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MILAN (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry has called the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to express concern at recent violence and ask them to work to restore calm, an official said Friday.The move comes amid mounting clashes in Israel and the Palestinian territories that have raised fears of a full-scale uprising, with an overnight arson attack on a Jewish holy site in the West Bank the latest incident to heighten tensions.Kerry, in Milan as part of a European tour, spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, the State Department official said, to discuss how best to end the recent wave of violence, and to offer U.S. support for efforts to restore calm as soon as possible.A day earlier Kerry called Palestinian Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and reiterated the importance of avoiding further violence and preventing inflammatory rhetoric, accusations and actions that will increase tensions, the official said.Kerry also said he hoped to visit the region at the appropriate moment.Israeli security forces have deployed massively in Jerusalem after two weeks of Palestinian attacks in the city and across Israel.The torching of Josephs Tomb in Nablus came as Palestinians called for a Friday of revolution against Israel, while Israeli fire killed two Palestinians and wounded 98 in clashes along the border with the Gaza Strip.Outside a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, a Palestinian disguised as a news photographer stabbed and wounded a soldier before being shot dead.Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in the recent violence, while 37 Palestinians have died and hundreds more been wounded in clashes.In the Palestinian uprisings of 1987-1993 and 2000-2005, thousands were killed and many more wounded in near daily attacks.Netanyahu and Kerry are planning to meet in Berlin next week, according to US and Israeli officials, though the exact details have yet to be confirmed.

Two Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli army fire: medics

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GAZA CITY (AFP) - Two Palestinian died after being shot by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip Friday, the enclaves health ministry said, the latest such incidents in more than two weeks of clashes and attacks.Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP that Yehya Abdul Qadir Farhat, 22, died after he was shot directly in the head by the military in clashes close to the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in northern Gaza.Mahmud Homaida, 22, was confirmed dead later in the day in clashes along the border.The health ministry reported 98 others wounded, including those shot or exposed to tear gas.Thirty-seven Palestinians have been killed, including alleged attackers, since an upsurge in violence began at the start of the month.Hundreds more have been wounded in clashes with Israeli forces.Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in a series of gun, knife and car attacks.The Gaza clashes occurred during what Palestinians called a Friday of revolution against Israel. Hundreds of demonstrators clashed with the Israeli military at different locations along the Gaza border after Hamas and Islamic Jihad called for protests.Violent protests that first began in annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank have spread to Gaza in recent days.

Syria army begins offensive near Aleppo with Russian support

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Syrian troops backed by Russian airpower and allied militias opened a new front Friday against rebels around second city Aleppo, where Washington claimed up to 2,000 Iran-backed forces were deployed.The offensive came as Turkey said it had downed a drone of unknown origin that violated its air space close to the Syrian border, and a monitor said the toll in the conflict had risen to more than 250,000 people.The Aleppo offensive is the fourth that President Bashar al-Assads regime has launched since Moscow began an air campaign on September 30.Control of Aleppo city, once the countrys economic hub, has been divided between the regime and rebels since mid-2012. There and in the surrounding countryside the front lines have long been static.A security source said the operation in southern Aleppo province was backed by Russian strikes and fighters from Iran and Lebanons Hezbollah militia.And a US official said as many as 2,000 Iranian and Iran-backed forces were aiding the offensive. We are now seeing a coordinated effort between Iran and Russia to assist Assad with fighting opposition groups, the official said.The joint command for the Aleppo operation said the army had begun operations on the western and southern outskirts of Aleppo to liberate you from the armed terrorist groups.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the regime had taken control of two villages so far, and that Russian warplanes were pounding two others.Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Russia had carried out dozens of strikes on the area, which is controlled by a patchwork of rebel groups, including moderates, Islamists and Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.The Aleppo fighting comes a day after government forces began an operation north of Homs city, which lies in the centre of the country and is largely under government control.State media said the operation was intended to restore safety and security to the area and would not target civilians.But the Observatory said all but 17 of the 60 people killed in the fighting Thursday were civilians.Since Syrian forces began ground operations in tandem with Russian air strikes on October 7, their focus has appeared to be a stretch of highway between Aleppo and Homs.Syrian forces have also sought to reinforce the coastal province of Latakia, a regime stronghold, fighting rebels in the north of the province.Moscow says its strikes have targeted the Islamic State group and other terrorists.It said Friday it had hit more than 456 IS targets in Syria since the start of its campaign.But rebels and their backers accuse Russia of targeting moderate and Islamist opposition forces rather than IS.US President Barack Obama warned Russia Friday they could not bomb their way to a peaceful solution in Syria.Their basic theory on how to solve Syria has not worked and will not work, Obama told a press conference with visiting South Korean President Park Geun-Hye.Russias entry into the conflict has raised concerns about military accidents in Syrias crowded air space, where a US-led coalition against IS is also present.On Friday, Turkey said it had shot down an unidentified drone that had violated its airspace near the Syrian border.Russia said all its planes in Syria were safe and its drones working as normal.But the US military said all indications were that the Turks had downed a Russian drone, adding that the Syrian army did not appear to use the same type of aircraft.Turkey has previously shot down Syrian government helicopters and a plane, and has accused Russia of violating its airspace in recent weeks.The Syrian conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011 but has since spiralled into a multi-front civil war involving the regime and its allies, the rival jihadists of IS and Al-Qaeda, and Kurdish militia as well as a string of rebel groups.The Observatory said on Friday that the death toll was now more than a quarter of a million, over 74,000 of them civilians.And the UNs humanitarian chief Stephen OBrien told AFP that the increasing air strikes on the country were putting aid supply routes at risk.That has meant that we have been unable to have as many convoys moving to get the supplies to the people in need, he told AFP in an interview.

Obama 'very concerned' by outbreak of Mideast violence

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama expressed concern Friday about the outbreak of violence centered in Jerusalem and called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to tamp down inflammatory rhetoric.We are very concerned about the outbreak of violence, Obama said at a news conference with visiting South Korean President Park Geun-Hye.We condemn in the strongest possible terms violence directed against innocent people, and believe that Israel has a right to maintain basic law and order and protect its citizens from knife attacks, and violence on the streets, he added.We also believe that its important for both Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu and Israeli elected officials, and President Abbas and other people in positions of power, to try to tamp down rhetoric that may feed violence or anger or misunderstanding, he said.Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in the violence so far, while 37 Palestinians have died, including alleged attackers, and hundreds more have been wounded in clashes.Fresh protests erupted Friday after Palestinians torched Josephs Tomb, a site revered by Jews in the West Bank city of Nablus.The arson came as Palestinians called for a Friday of revolution against Israel, and police barred men under 40 from attending the main weekly prayers at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, seeking to keep young protesters away.Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry was planning to meet with Netanyahu in Berlin next week, Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer told CNN.Over time, the only way that Israel is going to be truly secure, and the only way the Palestinians will be able to meet the aspirations of their people, is if they are two states living side by side in peace and security, Obama said.But right now, he said, everybody needs to focus on making sure that innocent people arent being killed.

Russia claims 456 'IS targets' in Syria hit since start of bombing

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia has hit more than 456 Islamic State group targets since launching its bombing campaign in Syria on September 30, a high-ranking military official said on Friday.Since the Russian air force went into action on September 30, we made 669 combat sorties, Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov, a senior Russian General Staff official said in a defence ministry statement.In the strikes, 456 targets have been destroyed, he said. According to the General Staff, we were able to significantly disrupt the militants infrastructure, supply and control systems of the terrorist groups.Russia launched a bombing campaign in Syria in support of its longstanding ally President Bashar al-Assad, but it has been criticised by the West for hitting moderate groups rather than Islamic State jihadists.Kartapolov said the air force is avoiding areas where the Free Syrian Army -- the main Western-backed opposition force -- is believed to be operating.We only hit targets of internationally-recognised terrorist groups. Our planes are not working in southern Syria, where, according to our information, the Free Syrian Army groups are located, he said.Moscows military has systematically claimed its strikes have hit Islamic State group targets despite the fact that many of the sites struck seem to fall outside territory held by the group. The United States and other members of a rival coalition targeting IS say Moscow has focused the bulk of its firepower on other rebel groups battling Assad. In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, Kartapolov slammed the US-led coalition, saying Washington had not responded to Russias invitation to cooperate in the fight against IS.They consider it humiliating to admit that they cannot fulfil a task they had set out for themselves one year ago without Russia, Kartapolov said, slamming the coalitions year-long bombing campaign as window-dressing.They are in fact unlikely to have the necessary amount of information about IS targets, which the results of their strikes reflects, he said.He added that Russia is close to signing an agreement on safe use of Syrian airspace with the United States: We believe that this document will be signed shortly.Kartapolov also accused the US coalition of bombing infrastructure essential to a ground operation by the Syrian army.It (coalition bombing) does not complicate the activities of ISIL as much as that of the government forces of President Assad, he said, using another acronym to refer to IS. Speaking at a regional summit in Kazakhstan on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile praised the Russian campaign, saying the strikes had destroyed dozens of command posts, munitions depots, hundreds of terrorists and a large amount of military hardware.The Russian defence ministry said Friday that the latest air strikes had created favourable conditions for a Syrian ground offensive and destroyed two IS command posts in Aleppo province, among other targets. Kartapolov said that Russia -- which already has a naval facility in the port city of Tartus and uses an airfield in Latakia -- could build a full-fledged Russian military base in the country.

Israel rejects call for international presence in east Jerusalem

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Israel on Friday rejected Palestinian calls for a protection force to be deployed in east Jerusalem to quell violence around the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque. Let me be crystal clear -- Israel will not agree to any international presence on the Temple Mount. Such a presence would be a change in the status quo, Israeli Deputy Ambassador David Roet told the UN Security Council. The 15-member council met in an emergency session to discuss weeks of escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinians in Jerusalem and the territories.On Friday, Palestinians torched a Jewish holy site in the West Bank as they staged a Friday of revolution against Israel and a man posing as a news photographer stabbed an Israeli soldier before he was shot dead.UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemns this reprehensible act and calls on those responsible to be swiftly brought to justice, Assistant Secretary General Taye-Brook Zerihoun told the council.Israeli security forces deployed massively in Jerusalem after two weeks of violence that have left 39 Palestinians dead and hundreds more wounded in clashes with Israeli forces. Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded.The violence began on October 1, when a suspected cell of the Islamist movement Hamas murdered a Jewish settler couple in the West Bank in front of their children.Those killings followed repeated clashes at east Jerusalems Al-Aqsa mosque compound in September between Israeli forces and Palestinian youths.Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour this week said the situation was very explosive on the ground and that the Security Council must find ways of providing protection to the Palestinians.The situation warrants providing protection for our people in the occupied territory starting in the Old City of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque, he told reporters.Mansour said the Arab countries were weighing a possible draft resolution that demands a withdrawal of Israeli security forces from flashpoint areas and calls for the deployment of the protection force at Al-Aqsa.The Al-Aqsa compound is the third-holiest site in Islam and the most sacred for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.Muslims fear Israel will seek to change rules governing the site, which allow Jews to visit but not pray to avoid provoking tensions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said repeatedly he is committed to the status quo.No draft resolution was presented to council members on Friday but French Ambassador Francois Delattre said he will circulate a draft statement appealing for calm.

Suspected Qaeda gunmen kill three Yemen pro-govt fighters

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ADEN (AFP) - Suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen killed three Yemeni soldiers Friday in an ambush in the southeastern Hadramawt province, a military official said.The troops were travelling in a military vehicle on a desert road linking Hadramawt to neighbouring Shabwa province when they were intercepted and fired upon, the official said.Three soldiers died on the spot and three others were wounded, the source told AFP.Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has seized large parts of Hadramawt, where it has imposed a strict version of Islamic law.The insurgent group has been in complete control of Hadramawts provincial capital Mukalla since April.Meanwhile, in the western port city of Hodeida, Iran-backed rebels foiled an attempt by a group of Al-Qaeda suspects to blow up intelligence headquarters, a local security official said.Two vehicles approached the building and one of them fired rocket-propelled grenades at it, killing a Shiite Huthi rebel and wounding five others, the source said.The rebels stopped another bomb-laden vehicle driven by a suicide attacker before it entered the building, the official said, adding that the explosives were defused and the bomber arrested.Another security official said three vehicles were involved in the attack, which prompted an hour-long clash that left casualties on both sides.The official, speaking of unknown gunmen, said they were attempting to free prisoners held at the building.Al-Qaeda, also known in Yemen as Ansar al-Sharia, claimed responsibility for the attack and alleged that it had left dozens of casualties among the rebels ranks.It also claimed in a statement posted online that the bomb-laden vehicle had entered the building where it exploded.The group said it later retreated after achieving all goals of the operation, without specifying those goals.The Huthi rebels reported on their news website sabanews.net that they had foiled the operation and dismantled the explosives, in addition to killing the bomb-laden car driver and arresting his companion.The Huthis, allied with forces loyal to ex-strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, seized Sanaa in September 2014 before taking over several other provinces and towns, including Hodeida. Saudi Arabia organised an Arab coalition in March that has been supporting fighters loyal to the Gulf-backed government, who have pushed the rebels back from five southern provinces.But AQAP militants, already active in the south and southeast, have exploited the unrest.On Wednesday, they occupied the government offices in Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, an official there said. The United States considers AQAP to be the most dangerous affiliate of the Al-Qaeda jihadist network.

Peshawar: Police launches grand search operation, takes 84 into custody

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PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – Police on Friday night launched a grand search operation for terrorists and trouble makers in the central and outer areas of Yakatoot, Peshawar. 84 suspected individuals were taken into custody during the operation. The raids were conducted to assure peace and stability during the coming Ashura Muharram-ul-Haram.According to the details, police searched almost 250 homes and the alleged suspects caught during the raid were shifted to the Yakatoot police station. Police recovered a Kalashnikov and 4 pistols during the operation. Statements recorded by all arrested individuals are being investigated. Soldiers of Pak Army also participated in the operation along with the police.The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had earlier this month conducted similar raids, arresting 45 individuals including a key militant commander of a banded organization as claimed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) authorities.Also read: Peshawar police conducts operations ahead of Muharram-ul-HaramEarlier this month, the KP law enforcement agencies declared Peshawar, Hangu, Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan as sensitive areas during the Muharram-ul-Haram duration. The statement was announced during a meeting attended by Provincial police Chief Nasir Khan Durrani, regional police officers, district police officers, AIG of Special Branch, DIG of Counter-Terrorism Department and Peshawar police chief to discuss security arrangements in the province.Police stated that 429 processions will be taken out in KP province while 940 Majalis will be held. Police sighted 129 areas as ‘troublesome’. Police also stated that Peshawar contains 66 imambargahs and 121 processions are expected to be taken out in the provincial capital. Durrani stated that the processions will have live electronic monitoring and security zones will be setup in processions and Majalis along with frisking of attendants, deployment of officers on hilltops and rooftops, security checks of residential areas through which processions might pass and proper lighting in venues of Majalis.Security has been stepped up in all corners of the country as the holy period of Muharram-ul-Haram approaches, with search operations and raids being conducted in numerous cities to ensure that the days pass without any ugly incident.Security was also beefed up in Punjab as police, Intelligence Department, hospitals and civil and defense emergency services were put on high alert. Officials of law enforcement agencies have been deputed at mosques, important buildings, roads and numerous areas of the cities. Security checks of cars and major arenas have also been started. The law enforcement agencies will be provided with metal detectors and sensitive areas like airports, railway stations, shopping centers and hotels have been put under strict observation.Also read:Peshawar police thwarts Muharram terrorism plotThe Ashura Muharram-ul-Haram is a sacred time period for all Muslims especially for the Shia community. The country has long suffered brutal acts of sectarian terrorism such as suicide blasts and violent confrontations during the revered period with thousands losing their lives which have sparked stringent security actions to be put in place to avoid any untoward event.

Oil claws back losses as US rig count falls

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices recovered a bit from a rough week Friday as data showed a fresh decline in US oil exploration, suggesting lower output that could ease the global oversupply.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in November rose 88 cents to $47.26 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Brent North Sea crude for December delivery, the global benchmark, closed at $50.46 a barrel in London, a gain of 73 cents from Thursdays close.Both contracts had fallen for the first four days of the week, and, for the full week, WTI lost 4.8 percent and Brent was down 4.2 percent.The global petroleum markets are holding at least moderate gains on end-of-week book squaring that has helped reverse at least some of the prior losses, said Tim Evans of Citi Futures.Sentiment has proven to be resilient, with at least some portion of the market arguing that a bottom has been established, with the ongoing physical surplus already discounted into the price. In a bullish sign for the market, the Baker Hughes weekly US oil rig count reported Friday fell by 10, or 1.7 percent, this week, marking the seventh consecutive week of declines.That reinforced the outlook for lower US crude-oil production. On Thursday the Department of Energy reported US output fell by 76,000 barrels to 9.17 million barrels per day.There was continuing market chatter about Russia eying production cuts.Bloomberg News reported Thursday that Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Russia was prepared to discuss price ranges and output cuts when it meets with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in Vienna next Wednesday.But Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch said there was only a very slight chance that the meeting would yield any concrete results.

Dollar firms again amid murky US rate outlook

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar firmed for a second straight day Friday as the outlook for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike this year remained murky.The dollar was in better spirits Friday as better news on the US economy the previous day suggested there was still a chance the Federal Reserve could boost interest rates in the months ahead, said Joe Manimbo of Western Union Business Solutions.The euro slipped to $1.1353 around 2100 GMT from $1.1376 at the same time Thursday.Manimbo said that essentially no one expects the Fed to lift rates at its October 27-28 policy meeting. And market odds have receded for a hike at the December meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee.The dollar has time on its side with lots of data for the Fed to peruse before it renders its final decision of the year in mid-December, he said.Meanwhile, the euro continued to suffer from comments from a European Central Bank policymaker ahead of the ECB policy meeting next Thursday.ECB board member Ewald Nowotny said Thursday that eurozone inflation was clearly undershooting the central banks target, stirring speculation that the ECB might announce an increase in its quantitative-easing stimulus program for the 19-nation eurozone.Official data Friday confirmed that eurozone inflation fell to a negative 0.1 percent in September.The ECB is not expected to increase stimulus next week because recent comments from European policymakers show no urgency to add QE, but many major banks believe they will have no choice but to increase stimulus in the coming months, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.

Root believes Cook's knock set an example

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ABU DHABI (AFP) - Fast-rising batsman Joe Root showered praise on Alastair Cook, saying the England captains monumental double century against Pakistan has set an example for the rest of the series.Cook played the third longest innings of Test cricket in scoring 263, batting for four minutes short of 14 hours on the fourth day of the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Friday.That lifted England to 569-8, 46 ahead of Pakistans first innings score of 523-8 declared.Root said Cooks knock typifies his concentration and will.It was a hell of an effort, said Root of Cooks innings behind Pakistans Hanif Mohmmad (970 minutes) and South African Gary Kirsten (878 minutes). Two days in that heat showed huge amounts of skill, concentration and fitness. We spoke a lot about batting long periods of time out here and how important it will be if we are to give ourselves a chance of winning.Our captain has led from the front and set the example for the rest of the series. It gives us a glimmer of hope tomorrow that we can get some sort of result.Cook added 141 for the fourth wicket with Root, who made an attractive 85, and another 91 for the sixth with Ben Stokes, who scored 57.Cook was finally out, caught sweeping off spinner Shoaib Malik at deep square-leg, a dismissal Root said would have left the England captain disappointed after missing an elusive triple hundred. Im sure he would have, I havent had the chance to speak to him, the fact is hes out and we are in a position...that we have a chance to win this game. We can put Pakistan under pressure and hopefully force the result, said Root.Root praised Pakistans bowling, led by paceman Wahab Riaz, who took 3-116.I think theyve all bowled exceptionally well, at no point did we feel we could take the game away from them even when weve built big partnerships. They have controlled the economy rates very well and it was hard to score freely, said Root.Root believed Englands fight puts them in good stead for the three-match series with the second Test in Dubai (October 22-26) and third in Sharjah (November 1-5). There has been a lot of talk about our preparation, said Root of the training after winning the Ashes back home in August. Its not been a massive amount but the quality of it was right up there and it set us up nicely. We spoke before about what we wanted to do and have done it throughout this game.

West Indies on brink as Herath dazzles

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GALLE (AFP) - A dazzling display of spin bowling by Rangana Herath left West Indies struggling to avoid an innings defeat Friday in the first Test against Sri Lanka, and still needing another 166 to force their hosts to bat again.After taking six for 68 in the West Indies first innings, Herath then claimed the wicket of opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who fell for 34 as play drew to a close, for the second time in the match.Made to follow on after putting up 251 the first time round, West Indies face a mammoth task to save the match at the Galle International Stadium with two days still left to play.The 37-year-old Herath dominated the third days proceedings as he helped to bundle out the West Indies for 251 in their first innings, 33 runs short of the follow-on mark.Heraths 23rd five-wicket haul came in his 64th Test and it was his second successive five-wicket haul at Galle.He is now just 15 short of becoming the third Sri Lankan to take 300 Test wickets.The wicket has become more bowler-friendly today after it favoured the batsmen on the first two days, Herath told reporters after play.I hope to take more wickets... in this series to reach closer to the 300 wickets mark, he added.None of the West Indies players looked comfortable against Herath throughout the day.Heraths dismissal of Braithwaite was the second wicket to fall in the tourists second innings, following that of Shai Hope.The 21-year-old Hope made only six before he became the debutant Milinda Siriwardanas first victim in Test cricket, dragging the ball onto his stumps as he tried a back-foot pull.Darren Bravo was unbeaten on 20 at stumps, batting alongside the nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo who has made six.Bravo and Jerome Taylor were the only batsman to offer significant resistance in the West Indies first innings.Bravo, who batted confidently to make the highest score of 50 before being dismissed to a sharp catch by Dinesh Chandimal off Herath just before lunch, said it was important for them to remain positive.We have to try and erase the lead and that will take a lot of effort, Bravo said. Its very important for me to stay positive, being one of the main batters in the team.He (Herath) is very consistent. He doesnt give you that amount of bad balls. He is very, very consistent and that is why he probably is one of the best spinners in the world.Wickets fell steadily throughout the day and the highest partnership of the first innings was a mere 46.With the likes of Chris Gayle absent, the West Indies had been relying on experienced campaigner Marlon Samuels to provide some steel but he was bowled by Herath for just 11 in the first innings.The tourists score could have been even more dismal if it had not been for a late flourish from their lower order. The last four wickets contributed 86 runs, with Taylor leading the way with an entertaining innings of 31 which included four boundaries and a six.Sri Lankas cause was aided by some outstanding fielding, with Dinesh Chandimals stunning catch to dismiss Bravo in full flight one of the key moments.Sri Lanka compiled a formidable first innings total of 484 on the first two days, thanks mainly to big centuries from Chandimal (151) and Dimuth Karunaratne (186).West Indies have a dismal record in Sri Lanka and have yet to win a Test on the island in nine previous attempts since 1993.

Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 8 wickets in first ODI

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BULAWAYO (Agencies) - Zimbabwe opened their five-match one-day international series against Afghanistan with a crushing eight-wicket victory in Bulawayo.The tourists were dismissed for just 122 after winning the toss as Wellington Masakadza and Luke Jongwe returned impressive figures of 4-21 and 3-16 respectively.Najibullah Zadran and Dawlat Zadran were joint top scorer with 25 in an innings where the highest partnership, 27 runs, came for the ninth wicket.Zimbabwe wasted little time in knocking off the runs, completing victory in the 24th over, with Chamu Chibhabha leading the way with 58 off 69 balls.Richmond Mutumbami contributed 30 to an opening stand of 53 with Chibhabha before Craig Ervine and Tinotenda Mutombodzi, with 20 and 18 respectively, led their side home.
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