Monday 19 October 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV


Umpire Aleem Dar reaches Lahore from India

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Renowned Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar reached Lahore from India on early Tuesday morning after Shiv Sena activists threatened to prevent him from standing in the fifth one-day international between India and South Africa in Mumbai on Sunday (October 25).Aleem Dar was withdrawn from the India-South Africa series by the International Cricket Council after Hindu nationalists stormed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai and threatened to prevent the umpire from standing in the fifth ODI on Sunday.Aleem Dar, a member of elite panel of ICC umpires, had officiated in the first three ODIs and was scheduled to stand in the fourth and fifth ODIs in Chennai and Mumbai on 22 and 25 October, respectively.Under the present circumstances, it will be unreasonable to expect from Aleem that he will be able to perform his duties to the best of his abilities, an ICC spokesman said.Earlier, the much-awaited talks between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the proposed bilateral series have been rescheduled for today (Tuesday) in New Delhi after workers of Shiv Sena, a Hindu extremist group, stormed the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai to protest against PCB chief Shahryar Khan’s visit.Shortly before scheduled meeting of Pakistan Cricket Board chief Shahryar Khan and new BCCI President Shashank Manohar, some 50 members of the Shiv Sena Hindu militant outfit stormed the board’s headquarters at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.The extremists carried saffron flags symbolic of Hinduism and black flags to condemn resumption of Indo-Pak cricketing ties, shouting anti-Pakistan slogans.Shiv Sena fanatics were holding placard bearing slogan “Shaharyar Khan Go Back”and threatened that they would not allow cricket series between Pakistan and India.Also read: Pakistan-India talks rescheduled due to Shiv SenaPolice have detained around 20 protestors and tightened security at the site.The talks have not been called off. Mr Manohar and Mr Khan will speak to each other in New Delhi, IPL Chairman and senior Board functionary Rajiv Shukla told Press Trust of India.In no way, the dialogue will be stopped. BCCI has never compromised with national interests, he said.Condemning the attack on BCCI headquarters in Mumbai by Shiv Sena workers, ICC president Zaheer Abbas said politics should never be mixed with sports.Abbas, who is also a former Pakistan cricketer, said: It is not a new thing. It has been happening for long. But being the ICC president, I want cricket to spread all around the world.Politics and cricket are two different things. Pakistan is not asking India to play in Pakistan. Pakistan is asking for a bilateral series to be played at a neutral venue, he said.Meanwhile, Chief Executive of International Cricket Council (ICC) David Richardson regretted the attack on BCCI office by the Shiv Sena extremists.Addressing a news conference in Dubai, he said the cricket playing nations should promote mutual cooperation.Also read: ICC removes Aleem Dar due to Shiv Sena pressure

US congress calls for stronger ties with Pakistan, approves resolution

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WASHINGTON (Dunya News) – US congress on Monday approved a resolution Pakistan that had been moved in the US House of Representatives earlier calling for stronger ties and greater bilateral cooperation with Pakistan. The congress also lauded Pakistan’s efforts in the fight against terrorism. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jillani called the approval as a good omen for Pakistan while Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed called the resolution’s endorsement by the US congress as an indication of its confidence in the government of Pakistan. Ambassador Jillani also stated that a detailed talk will be held on all matters of interest with the US during Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to the country.Speaking on this occasion, Foreign Secretary Ahmed stated that no such policy of “do more” has been adopted regarding the nuclear assets of Pakistan. Ahmed also reiterated that Pakistan’s nuclear assets were for defense purposes only. The Foreign Secretary stated that they want to promote a lasting relation with the US.Both Ambassador Jillani and the Foreign Secretary highlighted that the government will make efforts to further strengthen the bilateral relations between Pakistan and the US. Both Pakistani Foreign officials stated that all matters of mutual interest will be discussed and talks will not be restricted to defense only. They also stated that the government will further clarify its stance with regards to India.

Rocket fire kills eight on Lebanon-Syria border: security sources

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Eight people were killed and many wounded on Monday when Lebanons army targeted militant positions along the eastern border with war-torn Syria, security sources told AFP. The Lebanese army targeted militants on the border with Syria, a security source said.A separate security source said a helicopter fired a missile at takfiri (extremist Sunni) positions in Wadi Hmeid, on the eastern outskirts of the border town of Arsal. He said eight people were killed and a large number of others wounded, but he could not say if the dead were militants or civilians. The Lebanese army has battled militants along the border with Syria for over a year in sometimes bloody clashes.The border area is also home to informal Syrian refugee camps largely beyond the reach of authorities or aid agencies.Lebanons National News Agency reported the incident as an explosion in the Syrian refugee camps that killed four people and injured others, but gave no further details.Security sources denied the camps were hit.Arsal, a largely Sunni town, was the site of fierce fighting in August 2014 between Lebanese security forces and jihadists from Al-Qaedas Syria affiliate and the Islamic State jihadist group.As they withdrew from Arsal, the militants took dozens of Lebanese security forces hostage and still hold them in the hilly terrain on the towns outskirts. Another security source told AFP that earlier on Monday a mortar shell crashed outside a Lebanese army border post on the outskirts of Arsal, without causing any casualties.

Five dead in Libyan shelling as IS claims two executions

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BENGHAZI (AFP) - Five people were killed by shelling in the Libyan city of Benghazi late Monday, a local hospital reported, as the Islamic State group claimed it had executed two men in the east of the war-torn country.The Al-Jalaa hospital in Benghazi announced on Facebook that four people were killed in the shelling and a fifth died in hospital, while three others were injured.Most of (the casualties are) children under the age of 10, it said.A military source in Benghazi confirmed the incident, which happened in the central area of Laithi, but refused to say who was behind the violence.Separately, Islamic State jihadists, in a video bearing the logo of Burqa, one of the states which the militants claim to control, said it had executed two men in eastern Libya.One was introduced as a South Sudanese Christian, and the other was a Libyan said to be fighting for the countrys internationally recognised government.Libya has had two administrations since August 2014, when a militia alliance that includes Islamists overran the capital Tripoli, forcing lawmakers to take refuge in Tobruk in the east.On Monday, a majority of Libyas internationally recognised parliament rejected a UN peace deal and a proposal for a national unity government, an MP and media reports said.

Russia says 49 targets hit in latest Syria strikes

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Russias military said Monday that its jets hit an Islamic State training camp and command post of Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front in Syria as they bombed 49 targets in the latest wave of strikes.Moscow says it has hit some 500 terrorist targets since launching a bombing campaign in Syria on September 30 in support of forces loyal to its long-standing ally President Bashar al-Assad, but so far the effect on the ground appears negligible.Russia insists it is targeting IS and other groups it deems terrorist but the United States and its allies say it is mainly hitting more moderate rebels battling Assad.Russias defence ministry said in a statement that over the past 24 hours its planes had taken out an Al-Nusra command point in Idlib province in the northwest.In the coastal Latakia province Russia said its bombing destroyed a major training camp of IS, while targets were also hit in the Aleppo, Hama and Damascus provinces.Joined by fighters from Lebanons Shiite Hezbollah group and Irans elite Quds force, Syrias army has in the last two weeks launched ground assaults in Aleppo in the north, Hama and Homs in the centre, Latakia and outside Damascus.The army has made small gains, seizing some villages in Aleppo, Homs and Hama. It has yet to regain control over any key sites or supply routes and a major advance launched in Aleppo on Saturday has apparently failed to make a major breakthrough.

Indian activists threaten to 'skin' Australian over tattoo

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BANGALORE (AFP) - Right-wing activists threatened to skin an Australian visitor who had a tattoo of a Hindu goddess on his leg, police said Monday, adding they were looking for the culprits.Matthew Gordon was at a restaurant in the southern city of Bangalore with his girlfriend on Saturday when around a dozen activists from the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party began harassing the couple.They said a tattoo of the fertility goddess Yellama on his shin offended their religious sentiments, and ordered him to remove it.Bangalore deputy police commissioner Sandeep Patil said Gordon told officers at the station that the men had threatened to skin his leg if he did not.I was relieved to see a policeman, but much to my shock he started to blame me, and said, This is India and we are insulting Hindus, Gordon later told The Hindu daily.He then took me to the station... we were forced to sit there for three hours. They let me go only after I gave an apology saying I will cover this tattoo.Tensions between Gordon and the activists only eased after the 21-year-old tourist wrote a letter of apology addressed to a local police inspector in which he agreed to cover up his tattoo while in India.However, police said Monday they had obtained CCTV footage of the incident and were taking it seriously.(We) will act against them (the activists) if they are guilty, Patil told reporters.Critics say right-wing Hindu extremists have been emboldened by the BJPs victory in a general election last year.In August a leading scholar who had spoken out against idol worship was murdered in Karnataka state -- where Bangalore is located -- after receiving death threats from Hindu hardliners.Gordon, a law student, told The Hindu he had a strong attachment to the faith after spending three years in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.He said he had another tattoo on his back of the Hindu elephant god Ganesh that took 35 hours to complete.These tattoos mean a lot to me. Im not sporting them because of their exoticism. I know the mythology and the values of the gods inked on me, the paper quoted him as saying.Australias High Commission (embassy) said it was concerned about the incident and was speaking to local authorities.

Migrants stream into Balkans, Germany braces for far-right rally

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LJUBLJANA (AFP) - Thousands of migrants kept streaming Monday into the Balkans, where tighter border controls caused bottlenecks, as the German government braced for an anniversary rally of the xenophobic PEGIDA movement, accusing it of spewing hate and poison.The unprecedented refugee wave into Europe has seen asylum seekers -- mostly fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan -- travelling via Turkey, Greece and through the western Balkans, hoping to seek safe haven in Germany and other EU states.A new surge entered Macedonia from Greece at the weekend, with 10,000 crossing in just 24 hours, police said.But tensions have built further along the migrant trail after Hungary shut its borders with razor wire, diverting the flow west to Slovenia, which in turn also limited arrivals.On Monday Slovenia refused to let in more than 1,000 migrants arriving from Croatia, saying a daily quota had been reached.The move stoked fears of a new human bottleneck, as a train carrying 1,800 people arrived overnight on the Croatian side of the border, but only 500 of the most vulnerable, mostly women and children, were allowed to cross, police said.Long lines also formed on the Serbia-Croatia border, where hundreds spent the night in rain and freezing temperatures.The goal for many of the migrants has been the EUs biggest economy, Germany, which expects to take in around one million refugees this year, and where Chancellor Angela Merkels open-door policy has sparked a dangerous backlash.Two days after a man with a neo-Nazi background stabbed a pro-refugee politician in the neck, badly wounding her, Germanys anti-refugee PEGIDA movement was planning a mass rally to mark its first anniversary.Police expect thousands to join the march of the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident in Dresden in the former communist East, as well as a large antifascist counter-protests, from 1600 GMT.The movement had all but vanished after pictures surfaced in January showing its co-founder Lutz Bachmann sporting a Hitler moustache, but it has made a comeback since September, when Merkel opened the doors to a surge of asylum seekers.Angry protesters have accused her of treason and last week carried a mock gallows with Merkels name on it.The chancellor on Monday again urged people to stay away from those with hate in their hearts, her spokesman said.Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said PEGIDAs organisers were hardcore right-wing extremists who call asylum seekers criminals, and politicians traitors.De Maiziere implored citizens, even if they are concerned about the record migrant influx, to stay away from those who inject this hate, this poison into our country.Anti-foreigner sentiment motivated a bloody attack in the western city of Cologne on Saturday when a man used a hunting knife to stab independent mayoral candidate Henriette Reker, 58, who is active in helping refugees.Reker, who was seriously wounded in the neck, went on to win Sundays election with an absolute majority. The attacker, a 44-year-old unemployed man, had a racist motivation and said he had been active in a neo-Nazi group in the 1990s, according to police.De Maiziere said the attack had left him speechless and also pointed to a tripling of attacks against asylum seekers and refugee homes from last year that had left more than 40 people injured.Justice Minister Heiko Maas charged that PEGIDA sows the hatred that breeds violence and warned that there are no excuses for those who follow gallows and Hitler beards.The migrant influx has boosted support for populist right-wing parties in other European countries, including Austria.A Swiss populist party known for its virulent campaigns against immigration, the EU and Islam won a record number of seats in parliamentary elections on Sunday.In Germany, Merkel has faced a dip in opinion polls and a rebellion in her own conservative ranks, especially in the southern state of Bavaria, the main gateway for migrants.While the Bavarian CSU party wants to establish transit zones along the Austrian border to hold and register asylum-seekers, a police union chief has called for a fence to secure the Alpine frontier.A group of 188 of the 310 lawmakers in Merkels conservative block has doubts about her open-border policy, and its chairman Christian von Stetten said considering border fortifications must not be taboo, according to Bild daily.Merkel, hoping for Turkeys help in slowing the migrant influx, held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul.The EU wants Turkey to tighten border security and house more refugees in return for billions in financial help, visa liberalisation for Turkish citizens and an acceleration of its stuttering drive for EU membership.But Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday said his country would not host migrants permanently to appease the European Union.We cannot accept an understanding like give us the money and they stay in Turkey, he said in a television interview. Turkey is not a concentration camp.

Golf: Jason Day takes over as world number one

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LONDON (AFP) - Jason Day has replaced Jordan Spieth as world number one in the latest golf rankings released on Monday.The Australian, who won his first major title at the PGA Championship in August, takes the top spot for the second time in his career.He previously moved ahead of Spieth on September 21, but lasted just a week as the American won the Tour Championship to regain top spot.Neither player was in action last week, which ensured that Day would edge ahead based on the rankings formula with 12.42 points average to 12.40 for Spieth. Former world number one Rory McIlroy remained in third place on 10.92 points with the new Big Three of golf well ahead of the rest of the pack led by Bubba Watson.Spieth won the Masters and US Open this year before finishing tied for fourth at the British Open and second behind Day at the PGA Championship.Day has won six tournaments during the year, including four victories in six starts draped around the PGA Championship. McIlroy started the year as number one in the world, but he lost that to Spieth after the US Open and then missed the defence of his British Open crown at St Andrews when he injured an ankle playing football.

Pistorius released from jail: official statement

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PRETORIA (AFP) - Oscar Pistorius was released from jail late Monday, South African officials said, and will serve his remaining sentence under house arrest after spending a year behind bars for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.The Paralympian star was allowed out of prison in the capital Pretoria a day early in an apparent attempt to avoid media coverage of his release.Oscar Pistorius was placed under correctional supervision tonight, correctional services department spokesman Manelisi Wolela said in a statement.The handling of the actual placement is an operational matter of the local management, and how they handle it is their prerogative that is carried out in the best interest of all parties concerned, the victims, the offender and the Department of Correctional Services.Pistorius was granted parole last week following several reviews that delayed his original release date after he had served one sixth of his five-year sentence for killing Steenkemp, a model and law graduate.Pistorius, 28, had been due to be released on Tuesday.It will be very good. He should have been released on August 21, his lawyer Brian Webber told AFP, hours before his release.According to local media, he will stay at his uncle Arnolds property in Pretoria, but the location has not been confirmed.He would normally be expected to report to the police periodically. There may be provision for drug tests and there will be random visits by correctional services, criminal lawyer Martin Hood told AFP.If he doesnt comply, he loses the privilege of correctional supervision and can go back to prison.Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide -- a charge equivalent to manslaughter -- after telling the court that he shot Steenkamp through a bathroom door because he mistook her for an intruder.He faces a further test at the Supreme Court on November 3 when prosecutors will appeal for a murder conviction and a tougher sentence that could see him jailed for at least 15 years.

Karachi: Two Al-Qaeda suspects, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi's leader arrested

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s leader Naeem Bukhari was arrested on Monday while two terrorists of the Al-Qaeda organization were arrested from West area during joint action conducted by Malir Police and Intelligence officials. Bukhari has been shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.Lashkar-e-Janhgvi’s head Atta-ur-Rehman alias Naeem Bukhari was implicated in the assassination of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Chaudhary Aslam. Bukhari is an expert in construction of bombs and has been described as the master mind behind the frequent attacks on the Rangers. Bukhari had been on the run from the authorities and had been regularly changing disguises and locations in an attempt to evade the law. The banned organization’s head has been listed as the 12th most wanted man in the “Red Book”, a compilation on the profiles of the most notorious criminals of Pakistan.

Arm mole count could indicate skin cancer risk: study

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LONDON (AFP) - Counting the number of moles on a persons right arm could indicate vulnerability to skin cancer, with 11 or more moles being a strong predictor of melanoma, research published Monday suggested.The study in the British Journal of Dermatology found that the number of moles on the right arm was the closest predictor of the number on the entire body.The greater the total number of moles on the body, the higher the risk from melanoma, or skin cancer.Scientists at Kings College London said the findings could help doctors more easily identify patients at risk, by using the arm as a proxy area.Researchers studied 3,594 female Caucasian twins, using data collected over an eight-year period, with each person undergoing a mole count on 17 body areas.The exercise was then repeated on a group of around 400 men and women with melanoma.Women with more than 11 moles on their right arm were more likely to have over 100 on their body in total, which was a strong predictor of melanoma, researchers said.A previous study conducted in Australia suggested that 10 moles on the arms represents an 11-fold increase in the risk of melanoma.Lead author Simone Ribero, of the department of twin research and genetic epidemiology at Kings College, said the findings could have a significant impact, allowing doctors to more accurately estimate the total number of moles in a patient extremely quickly via an easily accessible body part.This would mean that more patients at risk of melanoma can be identified and monitored, Ribero added.The appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing one are the most common signs of the disease.Claire Knight of Cancer Research UK said the study could be helpful but warned: Its important to know whats normal for your skin and to tell your doctor about any change in the size, shape, colour or feel of a mole or a normal patch of skin.Dont just look at your arms -- melanoma can develop anywhere on the body, and is most common on the trunk in men and the legs in women.

Oil slides as China data weighs

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices fell sharply Monday on renewed concerns about Chinas cooling economy after data showed the weakest growth in more than six years and falling industrial production.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for November delivery tumbled $1.37 to $45.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Brent North Sea crude for December delivery, the global benchmark, closed at $48.61 a barrel in London, down $1.85 from Fridays settlement.The futures contracts resumed last weeks steep downturn that slashed more than four percent off their prices amid concerns about the global crude-oil oversupply.China, the worlds second-biggest economy, said its gross domestic product rose at a 6.9 percent annual pace in the third quarter, marginally above market forecasts but still the weakest growth since the first quarter of 2009. GDP had expanded at a 7.0 percent rate in each of the two prior quarters.Beijing also reported that industrial production growth dropped to 5.7 percent year-on-year in September.The data are raising concerns about Chinese demand at a time when normally demand globally is weakening because were in the shoulder season, said Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group, referring to the period between the northern hemisphere summer and winter.Although Chinas retail sales turned out strong, industrial-related data remained weak. This would likely be weighing down on commodity usage in China, including oil, said Daniel Ang of Phillip Futures in Singapore in a market commentary.The market also was looking ahead to a meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC technical experts in Vienna on Wednesday, amid a push by some producers including Venezuela for action to raise prices.However, on Monday the chair of Libyas National Oil Corporation, Mustafa Sanalla, said the OPEC member can easily increase daily crude output to two million barrels a day from only 440,000 barrels currently, if the countrys security situation improves.UN envoy Bernardino Leon has put forward proposals for the power-sharing government, but both Libyas internationally recognized parliament and the Islamist-backed assembly have balked at the appointments.

Euro slips as traders anticipate dovish stance at ECB

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro slipped against the dollar and other currencies Monday amid some anticipation that the European Central Bank will signal a bias toward easier policy this week.The euro fell to $1.1322, and to 135.30 yen, still within its October trading range.The dollar meanwhile was flat against the yen at 119.50 and slightly lower against the pound at $1.5465.Investors are selling euros ahead of Thursdays European Central Bank meeting on the fear that (ECB President) Mario Draghi could say or do something that would be consistent with easier monetary policy, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.The month of September was tough for the eurozones largest economy with industrial production and factory orders falling, she said. Marco Valli, chief eurozone economist at UniCredit, said they expect no concrete change in policy but more dovish rhetoric after the meeting, mainly intended to stem the euros appreciating trend.

Legends excited at renewing cricket rivalry in Gulf

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DUBAI (AFP) - Former cricket greats Brian Lara of the West Indies, Australias Adam Gilchrist, Pakistans Wasim Akram and Indias Virendar Sehwag on Monday showed excitement at renewing their rivalry in a Twenty20 league next year.The Masters Champions League (MCL), the first of its kind in the United Arab Emirates, is aimed at giving retired players a chance to take the field again.Lara said he was excited at the prospect.I am thrilled and honoured to be taking part in what promises to be an exceptional display of competitive cricket. The UAE is a great location for a tournament, with a big fan base in the country, said Lara, who holds the records for the highest Test score of 400 not out and an unbeaten 501 in first class.Sehwag said the league would give the retired players a chance to renew their rivalries.Its so exciting. It will be great to renew the rivalries, said Sehwag, part of the Indian team which won the 2011 World Cup.Its good to have all of us playing this tournament. The facilities in the UAE have always been world class. I think its great for cricket to show what we can offer to develop the sport at the grassroots.Ashes-winning England captain Michael Vaughan, popular former South African captain Graeme Smith, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, recently retitred Sri Lankan duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, and former Pakistani all-rounder Azhar Mahmood are also among those who have signed up for the league.League chairman Zafar Shah hoped the league would give fans another chance to see the greats.The Masters Champions League is going to be every cricket lovers dream come true. Its a tournament, which will boast extraordinary players of impeccable class and history and give fans another chance to see the greats of the recent past, said Shah.The tournament will be formed of six teams in its first year, with a total of 90 players taking part. The matches will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

ICC exploring cricket inclusion in Olympics

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DUBAI (AFP) - Crickets governing body will explore the prospect of the games inclusion in the Summer Olympics during a meeting next month, International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive David Richardson said on Monday.Richardson said the meeting with the International Olympic Committee would be exploratory in nature.The plan is to meet them at this stage in mid-November, we are still trying to finalise a date but the invitation has come to meet, Richardson told media in a briefing.Multisport federations like the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics have expressed an interest in cricket being part of those Games.The Olympics is not as nearly advanced in their discussions with us in that regard (as the Commonwealth Games proposal to have cricket in the 2022 event in Durban, South Africa) and CG certainly are more open to, not necessarily to Twenty20 cricket or one of the established formats, but they want to discuss other things like double wicket or mixed teams.Cricket was included in 1900 Paris Olympics but it was badly affected by the lack of participation after Belgium and the Netherlands pulled out, leaving Great Britain and France to play.The idea of including Twenty20 cricket in Olympics was also resisted by India and England who did not want their matches affected in the time slots when the Games are held.The Commonwealth Games have included cricket only once, in 1998 in Malaysia. Richardson said the details were still to be worked out.Bear in mind its not just what cricket wants, cricket might want to be part of the Olympics but the Olympics might not want cricket, said Richardson.They might want cricket subject to various conditions that we are not able to perform - we just need to find out from them exactly what they are thinking, how they are thinking and take it from there.Richardson said the Paralympics could also be an option for the game. Can we have a sport which can be accepted in the Paralympics, said Richardson. Again it can be looked into it.

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