Wednesday 16 December 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Remembering APS: Nation expresses solidarity with martyrs

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LAHORE (Dunya New) – Events, candle vigils, rallies, speeches and shows; Pakistani nation on Wednesday proved that it had indeed not forgotten the fallen martyrs of Army Public School (APS). The whole nation expressed its solidarity with the schoolchildren, teachers and soldiers who were cowardly martyred by terrorists exactly one year ago.The performances by the little ones signifying unity, solidarity, courage and resolve were just too much for some adults as tears welled up in the eyes of parents remembering the innocent souls who lost their lives.IslamabadChildren of Islamabad’s Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Inter College paid their respects to the departed martyrs in their own unique way. Candles were lit all over the city signifying the fact that the light of education will destory the darkness of ignorance.Various organizations, citizens and journalists gathered outside National Press Club to commemorate the nation’s huge loss.In D-Chowk, teachers of Federal educational institutes also lit candles and prayed for the martyrs while lawyers and traders also held a candle vigil in F-10 centre.A prayer ceremony was held by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in front of Zardari House. Prayers were held and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto sang the National Anthem alongside the children.Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also held a ceremony to honour APS victims in the Secretariat.LahoreAn event was held in Garrison College Cantt, Lahore to commemorate the budding flowers of APS who were so mercilessly massacred. Core Commander Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali also participated in the ceremony.MultanStudents of various schools in Multan along with Core Commander Multan Lieutenant General Ashfaq Nadeem paid tribute to the APS martyrs by laying wreaths and flowers on “Yadgar-e-Shuhada”.FaisalabadIn Faisalabad a candle vigil was held in front of the Commissioner Office and the area was declared as “Yadgar-e-Shuhada”.KarachiA tribute commemorating the APS martyrs was held in North Karachi Degree College. A walk in remembrance of the innocent souls lost in Peshawar attack was held by Karachi University.HyderabadPrisoners and administration of Hyderabad’s Central Jail also paid tribute to the martyrs by recitation of the Holy Quran.SukkurA long queue of angelic children holding candles paid their respects to the APS martyrs in front of Sukkur Press Club.QuettaQuetta’s Garrison Academy also expressed its solidarity with martyrs and their parents by lighting candles in memory of the fallen.Azad KashmirSimilar candle vigils and events expressing solidarity with APS were seen throughout Azad Kashmir including Muzzaffarabad.PeshawarPrime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif announced to observe December 16 as ‘Qaumi Azm-e-Taleem Day’ every year in honour of the Army Public School martyrs.The Prime Minister addressed a gathering today at the Army Public School, Peshawar held to mark the first anniversary of the attack. He said that blood of the martyred children united the nation.The PM declared December 16 a Day of National Resolve to promote Education (Qaumi Azm-e-Taleem).Enemies of education are the enemies of humanity. The PM vowed to eliminate elements that aim to push the country in darkness by crippling education process.LondonOverseas Pakistanis also expressed their unity with the nation.London’s Pakistani High Commission held a ceremony in honour of the APS martyrs. Pakistani High Commissioner Syed Ibn Abbas presented APS student Harris Nawaz with a medal for his bravery. Harris was martyred during the deadly Peshawar attack and the medal of bravery was collected by injured brother Ahmed Nawaz.APS injured student Ibrahim also participated in the ceremony on a wheelchair. Pakistani community attended the event in huge numbers.Candles were also lit to pay tribute to the dearly departed souls.

New Zealand to stick with seamers for second Sri Lanka Test

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HAMILTON (AFP) - New Zealand will keep their winning combination for the second Test against Sri Lanka, batsman Kane Williamson said Thursday after an inspection of the pitch showed another green-top wicket. With conditions ripe for seam and swing bowling, the possibility of bringing in an extra spinner was ruled out with New Zealand maintaining a four-pronged pace attack when the Test starts in Hamilton on Friday.Were playing the same (line-up) as the last match, with the look of the surface we will go in with that extra seamer, Williamson said, indicating New Zealand would likely bowl first if they win the toss. Its green, Dunedin was green, and we just feel it might be more suited to seam bowling.Its more important to look at the conditions, horses for courses as they say, and go in with the team best suited. New Zealand won the first Test in Dunedin by 122 runs despite losing the toss and being forced to bat first. Their cause was helped by the inexperienced Sri Lankan attack being unable to capitalise on the conditions, but Williamson does not expect New Zealand to get off so lightly this time. Im sure they would have got a lot out of that surface and they had quite a new-look side over here as opposed to when we last played them here, so Im sure they would have learned a lot and it should be a good game, he said.

Football: Late Cavani strike puts Paris in League Cup quarters

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PARIS (AFP) - Edinson Cavani came off the bench to score a late winner as holders Paris Saint-Germain beat Saint Etienne 1-0 in the League Cup on Wednesday.Earlier in the evening Bordeaux beat Monaco 3-0 while Lyon won their last ever game at the Stade Gerland, 2-1 over second-tier Tours.Paris coach Laurent Blanc rotated his side, who drew a home tie with Lyon in the quarter-finals, and Italian goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu was acclaimed by the crowd as he made only his second start of the season after being displaced by newly arrived German stopper Kevin Trapp.PSGs record goal-scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic almost added to his collection of spectacular strikes when hitting the woodwork with a scissor-kick in the opening period. The Swede looked disgruntled when he made way for Angel di Maria after an hour, but it was a decisive switch.Di Maria teamed up with fellow sub Cavani to grab the winner after a fine pass and finish in the 86th minute of a tight game as Paris went all out for a goal to avoid extra-time and penalties.And Cavanis left-foot volley was as beautiful as Di Marias defence splitting lob that found the Uruguayan running full-pelt into the area before curling a deft shot past Jessy Moulin in the Saint Etienne goal.Three-time winners Bordeaux also booked their place in the quarter-finals brushing aside Monaco with relative ease.Teenage striker Adam Ounas struck a superb 16th-minute opener for the hosts before Uruguayan forward Diego Rolan curled home a second goal just before the hour.Bordeaux captain Henri Saivet headed in a third two minutes from time to seal just a second win for Willy Sagnols men in their last eight matches.Two goals from Claudio Beauvue ensured Lyon ran out winners ahead of their move to a new 59,000-capacity stadium in January.South-coast giants Marseille beat Ligue 2s Bourg en Bresse 3-2 away to secure their place in the last eight, while other Ligue 1 outfits Lorient, Lille, Guingamp and Toulouse all went through on Tuesday.

Pele leads calls for change at top of Brazilian football

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Pele and Zico have signed an open letter calling for change at the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), starting with the departure of its president, who is facing corruption charges in the United States.Hours later Marco Polo Del Nero went before the Senate on Wednesday to defend himself against the accusations, saying: I am unjustly accused, but that is not surprising. I defend myself with absolute certainty of my innocence.I have nothing to hide.The 74-year-old Brazilian football chief asked to be placed on leave at the beginning of this month to dedicate himself to preparing his defence in the US case and a separate FIFA ethics inquiry.The US corruption investigation -- part of a broader probe into multimillion-dollar corruption over decades at world governing body FIFA -- also targeted Del Neros predecessors at the head of the CBF, Jose Maria Marin (2012-2015) and Ricardo Teixeira (1989-2012).Marin pleaded not guilty in a US court Wednesday -- conspiracy, fraud and money laundering are among the 12 charges the 83-year-old faces.We demand the definitive resignation of Marco Polo Del Nero and his directors followed by free and democratic elections, read a statement following an initiative by Bom Senso FC (Common Sense FC), a collective of current and former players led by 1994 World Cup winner Rai.Among the 130 signatories of the letter were the recently retired goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, the coach Tite and the prominent singer-songwriter Chico Buarque.The letter also called for the elections to be held without the current electoral threshold, a mechanism which prevents the emergence of independent positions in the system because it demands candidates obtain eight signatures from federations and five from clubs.The letter also called for the Brazilian authorities to open their own investigation into the corruption allegations.

Syria settlement should not hinge on Assad's fate: Ban

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Ending the crisis in Syria should not hinge on deciding the fate of President Bashar al-Assad, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday.Ahead of a new round of international talks on Syria in New York on Friday, Ban said disagreements on Assads future should not stand in the way of advancing prospects for peace.It is unacceptable that the whole Syrian crisis and the solution to the crisis has to be dependent on the fate of one man, Ban told a news conference.That is unacceptable, he repeated.Foreign ministers from 17 countries including key players Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States are meeting in New York on Friday for a third round of talks on ending Syrias nearly five-year war.At the last round, the so-called International Syria Support Group (ISSG) agreed to UN-led peace talks and a ceasefire in January, and to put in motion a political transition within six months, leading to elections and a new constitution in 18 months.Preparations for the talks and ceasefire are moving forward, but US Ambassador Samantha Power said the gaps are very real over what role, if any, Assad will play in the new transitional government.We remain absolutely convinced that for as long as President Assad is in power, it is going to be extremely challenging to turn the countrys attention and the various armed groups attention to fighting terrorism and to fighting ISIL, Power said.The United States and its allies in the Gulf and in Europe are pushing for a transition that provides for Assads exit from power at some point, but Russia and Iran oppose that stance.Ban indicated that countries involved in the international talks were showing flexibility, but stressed that there was no urgency to resolve the dispute.Some countries are expressing some nuanced positions. There may be some role or need for President Assad to stay for just limited months, but that will have to be decided later on, he said.More than 250,000 people have died since Syrias conflict erupted in March 2011, and some 12 million more have fled their homes.

Turkey kills 8 Kurdish rebels in new curfew operations: army

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DIYARBAKIR (AFP) - Turkish security forces killed eight Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants as the army launched major operations backed by curfews against the rebels in the troubled southeast, the military said Wednesday.In the latest escalation of a five-month campaign against the outlawed PKK, the security forces pursued rebels in the southeastern towns of Silvan and Cizre supported by helicopters and tanks.The authorities also imposed blanket and open-ended curfews in the two towns, the latest in a succession of such measures across the southeast that have angered activists. Eight militants were neutralised after they opened fire on soldiers during the operations in Cizre and Silvan on Tuesday, the army said in a statement, using its customary euphemism for killing rebels.Pro-Kurdish media claimed a 11-year-old boy had also been killed in the army operation in Cizre. These reports could not be independently verified.The Turkish government has been waging a relentless offensive aimed at crippling the rebel PKK, which has staged a string of attacks against security forces in Turkey since a two-year-old ceasefire fell apart in late July. Violence flared amid growing anger over the imposition of curfews that last for days in towns in southeastern Turkey as the security forces battle Kurdish militants who have set up barricades and dug trenches in urban centres. On Tuesday, three Turkish police officers were killed in a roadside bomb attack on their vehicle blamed on Kurdish rebels in Diyarbakir. The attack came after two Kurds were shot dead on Monday in violent clashes that erupted over a curfew in the Sur district of southeastern Diyarbakir province that has been in place almost uninterrupted since December 2. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday said the operations would continue until all the militants have been wiped out from these areas, vowing to go after them neighbourhood by neighbourhood, house by house, street by street. We will turn... every piece of our homeland into an area of peace, stability and freedom, he said.

Israeli troops kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank raid

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QALANDIYA (AFP) - Clashes broke out Wednesday after Israeli soldiers raided a refugee camp near Ramallah in the West Bank and shot dead two Palestinians who tried to ram their cars into troops.The Israeli military said three soldiers were wounded, including one seriously, but said it was investigating whether their injuries were due to stray fire from other troops.Four Palestinians were wounded in addition to the two who were killed at the Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied territory near a checkpoint at the entrance to Jerusalem, the Palestinian health ministry said.During an operation to make arrests of wanted Palestinians and to seize arms in Qalandiya refugee camp, two attempted car-ramming attacks were made against security forces in two different parts of the camp, the Israeli army said in a statement. The Palestinian health ministry named the dead men as Ahmad Jahajha, 21, and Hekmat Hamdan, whose age was not disclosed.Witnesses said clashes erupted during the raid and lasted for several hours.Two cars were later seen with a large number of bullet holes in them in the camp. Wednesdays raid came amid almost daily knife, gun and car-ramming attacks by Palestinians and clashes with Israeli soldiers since October 1.The violence has killed 119 on the Palestinian side, 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.Many of the Palestinians killed have been attackers, while others have been shot dead by Israeli security forces during clashes.Young Palestinians have grown frustrated with Israels occupation and the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, in addition to their own fractured leadership.In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian security and medical officials said that cross-border Israeli tank fire wounded three people, one seriously, after what the Israeli military said was an apparent roadside bomb attempt against an army border patrol.The Palestinians did not identify their casualties.Eyewitnesses said the Israeli fire also hit a border observation post of the Islamist militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza.An Israeli army statement said that no troops were wounded and shells were fired in response.I can confirm that artillery fire was used, a spokeswoman told AFP. Earlier Wednesday, a Palestinian was wounded by Israeli gunfire at the border fence, Palestinian medical officials said.On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern over an unacceptable wave of Palestinians attacking Israelis, but also criticised excessive use of force in response to the attacks.We continue to be gravely concerned at the unrelenting violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Israel, Cecile Pouilly, spokeswoman for the UN human rights office, told reporters.We call on both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to act decisively to de-escalate the situation.Pouilly warned that although international attention appeared to be waning, the level of killings, injuries and arrests has continued, with an average of one person dying every day.On Wednesday afternoon, envoys of the international diplomatic quartet met senior Israeli officials in Jerusalem, the foreign ministry said in a statement.There was a long, serious and businesslike discussion on ways to bring the violence to a halt and bring back security, the Hebrew-language statement said.Both sides acknowledged that continuing the peace process is the real guarantee for achieving peace with security.The quartet groups the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union in an effort to broker an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Israel announced last month that it was suspending until further notice diplomatic contacts with EU institutions over the blocs decision to label goods imported from Jewish settlements.But the European Union pledged to continue working for Middle East peace in the quartet.

At least 12 die in Guinea gold mine accident

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CONAKRY (AFP) - At least 12 illegal miners, mainly women, were killed in a landslide in a disused goldmine in northeastern Guinea, witnesses and a local official said on Wednesday.Moussa Magassouba told AFP he had come out of the shaft, in the Siguiri gold region, to smoke a cigarette when he heard a loud noise that sounded like a thunderous roar before the hole closed in on our friends who were trapped inside.Namissata Foinke, the wife of one of the victims, told AFP that the accident occurred when the miners were about to leave the site.Her husband was among 12 people killed, she said.Aliou Guisse, a local official, put the death toll at 13 and said the victims were mostly women.Several wounded miners were ferried to hospitals and clinics near the mine in Boure Nafadji, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the regional capital, also called Siguiri.Thousands of subsistence miners dig for gold in hazardous conditions in the regions small shafts, close to Guineas border with Mali.We and the police have always chased the illegals but each time they return to the site, Guisse said. Boure Nafadji resident Oulare Mamadi, who saw the drama unfold, said the victims were people from nearby villages taking advantage of the fact that mine had been abandoned by locals who deemed it unsafe. Guinea sits atop huge deposits of gold, bauxite and diamond but the majority of its people live in poverty and unregulated mining by individuals is commonplace.

Teen punches Spanish PM in face, breaks his glasses

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MADRID (AFP) - Spains Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy suffered a scare Wednesday when a 17-year-old youth punched him in the face during a campaign appearance in his northwestern fiefdom of Galicia, breaking his glasses.A source in his ruling conservative Popular Party, who refused to be named, said the 60-year-old conservative Spanish leader was walking through the city of Pontevedra on the latest stop of his push for re-election in Sunday polls when the incident happened.The source said the teen approached and hit him, knocking off and breaking his glasses, adding Rajoy was fine and had continued his walk through the city.A police source, who also refused to be named, said the alleged aggressor was a 17-year-old and had been detained.A video of the incident shows the youth, wearing a black jacket and sporting a crew cut, punching the prime minister hard on the left side of his face before being wrestled to the ground.A photo posted after the incident picture Rajoy without his glasses, red marks on the left of his face and neck.The incident comes at an eventful time for the electoral campaign, marked by a debate of rare ferocity on Monday, which saw the usually calm Rajoy slam his main rival Pedro Sanchez of the opposition Socialists as a miserable wretch when he questioned his integrity.Sanchez wanted to know why the premier had not resigned over corruption allegations that have swirled since he took office in 2011.

Federal govt rejects conditional resolution for Rangers issue

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Federal government Wednesday has rejected Sindh Assembly’s conditional resolution pertaining to the Rangers issue. Two options including the formation of 2 committees to properly solve the issue are being considered. A policy statement on powers of Karachi Rangers and Sindh Assembly’s resolution from Minister for Interior Chaudhary Nisar is expected to be issued today.According to sources, the Federal government refused the conditional extension of exclusive powers of Rangers.The Federal government has said that economic crimes cannot be avoided under any condition. The Federation has also stated that money laundering and ‘Hawala’ were part of terrorist financing.The government further added that the exclusive powers to Rangers for Karachi operation were given according to the Pakistan Protection Ordinance.The government’s option to form a committee for investigating economic crimes is being considered. The committee will include economic experts, Rangers, Karachi police, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Representatives of the Interior Ministry. The committee will be formed after taking Sindh Assembly into confidence.Another option to form a committee which includes Chief Minister (CM) Sindh Qaim Ali Shah and Core Commander Karachi is also being considered. However, CM Sindh will not have vetoing power in the committee.

NAB approves corruption reference against former Chairman Pakistan Steel

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Executive Board approved the filing of a corruption reference against former Chairman Pakistan Steel Moin Aftab Sheikh for embezzlement of Rs. 370 million. A decision was also made to initiate investigations against Sindh’s former Ministers, Members of Parliament Assembly (MPAs) and numerous other politicians and bureaucrats.Meanwhile, Former Federal Minister and Chairman of provincial Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Asim Hussain will be presented in accountability court once again today (Thursday).The investigation will include corruption worth millions of rupees by Sindh’s former Minister Ali Mardan Shah and former President of National Bank Ali Raza for pinching Rs. 1.90 million from the national treasury.Investigation will also be initiated against former Member of Sindh Assembly Ghulam Qadir Palejo, former General Manager (GM) Karachi Port Rauf Akhtar Farooqi, former member of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Shahid Jatoi, former Vice Chancellor Education University Lahore Fayyaz-ul-Hassan and officers of Capital Development Authority (CDA).On the other hand, former Secretary Labor Balochistan Naseer Baloch’s plea bargain was approved while investigation against former Provincial Minister Ghazala Gola was terminated.

Two gang war accused among six arrested in Karachi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, police conducted operations in different parts of Karachi on Wednesday and arrested six criminals, including two gang war accused.Parady police conducted an operation and arrested two gang war accused in injured condition after an encounter.In Bilal Colony dacoits opened fire an injured a citizen. The incident sparked anger among the residents who then nabbed a dacoit and tortured him to death while two of his accomplices managed to escape from the scene.Police have also arrested four dacoits during two different operations in defence area. According to SSP South, Farooq Ahmad, four pistols were also recovered from the arrested dacoits.

Oil slides as US crude stockpiles surge

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices in New York slid to a new multi-year low Wednesday after US data showed a big increase in petroleum stockpiles and higher levels of key petroleum products.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for January delivery fell $1.83 to $35.52 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, its lowest closing price since February 2009.In London, Brent crude for January delivery lost $1.26 at $37.19 a barrel. A weekly petroleum inventory report from the US Department of Energy showed that crude supplies rose by 4.8 million barrels in the week ending December 11.The report also showed higher levels of gasoline and distillate fuel supplies, as well as a rise in oil stored at Cushing, Oklahoma, a widely watched trading hub.In terms of the crude move today it was really a very bearish report, said Matt Smith, analyst at ClipperData. There was nothing to provide any sort of buying interest.Oil prices have fallen from more than $100 a barrel in July 2014 due to high output from the US and key Middle Eastern oil producers.Oil also has stayed under pressure from decisions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries against enacting output cuts despite falling prices.As expected, the US Federal Reserve announced Wednesday its first interest rate increase since 2006, raising its near-zero benchmark federal funds rate by a quarter point to 0.25-0.50 percent.The Feds move has been seen as modestly bearish for oil because it will bolster the US greenback, making dollar-denominated oil more expensive in international markets.Fed Chair Janet Yellen said in a news conference she has been surprised by the further downward movement in oil prices.However, Yellen projected oil prices would stabilize. Market expectations are for stabilization, and then some gradual upward movement, she said. But we are not looking for them to revert back to higher levels that they were at, merely to stabilize.

Dollar ticks higher after landmark Fed rate hike

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar rose slightly against the euro and the yen Wednesday after the US Federal Reserves historic move to raise interest rates for the first time in nine years.The modest quarter percentage point hike had been widely expected to come at the Feds December monetary policy meeting, given moderate growth in the US economy.The dollar rose to $1.0911 per euro around 2200 GMT from $1.0930 at the same time Tuesday. The greenback was up 0.5 percent at 122.26 yen.The Fed raised its benchmark federal funds rate from the zero bound, where it was pegged since December 2008, to 0.25-0.50 percent, kicking off a likely series of rate increases which the central bank pledged would be gradual and dependent on incoming economic data.Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management noted the most important monetary policy event of the year proved to be a dud for market volatility.This muted reaction to a historic change in monetary policy is exactly what the Federal Reserve likes to see and despite all of their critics, we see this as a credit to their proper management of market expectations.But some expect the dollar could now head lower after the event.With the Fed so far offering few surprises, the dollar is at risk of losing ground, having been bought in anticipation of todays action which now leaves it susceptible to being sold on the news, said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business Solutions.

SLanka says 'conspiracy' in Perera NZ doping charge

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COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lankas sports minister defended Wednesday wicketkeeper Kusal Perera who was suspended from the ongoing New Zealand tour after failing a drugs test, hinting at a conspiracy against the cricketer.Dayasiri Jayasekera told parliament that authorities will send a B sample for testing after the International Cricket Council announced last week that Perera tested positive for a banned steroid during a random check.We are doing all we can to defend him, the minister said. We are wondering if this allegation is a conspiracy to keep him out of next years T20 World Cup.Defending champions Sri Lanka are contenders to retake the title when the World T20 takes place from March to April in India next year. Jayasekera said Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena had spoken to Perera who was abruptly pulled from the series in New Zealand involving two Tests, five ODI games and two T20 matches.Perera is Sri Lankas second international player to fail a doping test. Left-hander Upul Tharanga was suspended for three months after testing positive during the 2011 World Cup.Tharanga blamed a herbal remedy that he had taken for a long-standing shoulder injury for failing the doping test.
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