Sunday 21 February 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Australia all out for 505, New Zealand 43-1 at tea

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CHRISTCHURCH (AFP) - Martin Guptill fell without scoring as New Zealand set out after Australias 135-run first-innings lead after bowling the tourists out for 505 on day three of the second Test on Monday.Home bowler Neil Wagner claimed his first six-wicket haul as Australias tail folded, losing their last five wickets for 41 after lunch at Christchurchs Hagley Oval.At tea New Zealand, chasing a series-levelling win in the second and final Test, were 43-1 in their second innings with Guptill out for a duck, nicking a James Pattinson delivery on off-stump to wicketkeeper Peter Nevill. However, early demons appeared to have long gone from the wicket and Tom Latham was not out 33 with Kane Williamson on 10. Wagner, who removed Joe Burns (170) and Steve Smith (138) late on Sunday, completed his sweep of the Australian dangermen when he had Adam Voges caught for 60 in the second over after lunch. The innings ended soon after but Australia had already batted themselves into a commanding position at the midway stage of the Test.Voges, who had crushed New Zealand with his 239 in the first Test, looked set for another special score as he chalked up his fourth 50 to go with five centuries from 20 Test innings. But his timing deserted him trying to pull a short Wagner delivery to the boundary. He was unable to get over the ball which flew off the top of the bat and was claimed by a leaping Latham at square leg. It was 36-year-old Voges lowest score in five innings and while it brought his average down, it still stands at a remarkable 94.78.With the West Australian out of the way and Nathan Lyon already dismissed by Williamson before lunch, New Zealand increased the pressure.Wagner persisted with his short-pitched deliveries and continued to be rewarded when Mitchell Marsh joined the stream of Australians pulling the ball into the hands of fielders. Marsh made 18 before he was caught by Henry Nicholls at mid-wicket.Corey Anderson tempted Pattinson on the off-side and had the Australian quick caught by Trent Boult at point for one. Wagner came back to finish off Nevill and Josh Hazlewood, both for 13, to return figures of six for 106 off 32.1 overs. His previous best was five for 64 against Bangladesh in Dhaka three years ago.After Australia won the first Test by an innings and 52 runs, they only need to draw the second to win the series and reclaim the number one world ranking.

Tennis: Djokovic refreshed and ready to go in Dubai

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DUBAI (AFP) - Confident Novak Djokovic on Sunday was counting down to his start at the Dubai Tennis Championships confident of maintaining the devastating form which has left him as the dominating force in tennis for the past year.The world number one will begin at the Aviation Club in the first round against Spains Tommy Robredo, and the 28-year-old Serbs mental and physical level could not be at a much higher pitch.After beating Andy Murray for a sixth Australian Open trophy three weeks ago, the family man put down his racquet for two weeks, spending time with his wife and young son.Its important to balance well to recharge and gain freshness and continue playing on high level, said Djokovic. Ive done it this way for the past five or six years, taking a pause after the Australian Open and returning for Dubai.I had time to regroup for the next three or four months coming up on hardcourt and clay when there is very little free time.Ive played a lot of tennis from the start of pre-season training through the Australian Open final. I needed to cool off a little bit and do something else.Being a father and husband is also a lot of work, but it is also a lot of pleasure.The winner of 11 titles in 2015 - his only major disappointment was losing the French Open final to Dubai second seed Stan Wawrinka - is not surprised by his continuing high level on court.I expect a lot from myself, I also put in a lot of dedication to get the results that Im getting. I want to win every match I play, I feel I can beat any player on any surface.With the results Im having, I have to be optimistic. I try not to be over-confident, I have respect for the other players, I realise that Im not the only one who wants to be the best in the world.Wawrinka, who last played Dubai in 2008 and has not won a match in two appearances, is determined to try and remedy that as he faces a first-round test against difficult Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky.The reigning French Open champion arrived in the emirate late Saturday from Marseille and already has a practise session in the hot conditions in hand.The 30-year-old Swiss is on his own this week, with coach Magnus Norman looking on from afar in Sweden.Wawrinka said he made a Dubai return just to shake up his playing calendar a bit.Its been many years since Ive played here, said the two-time Grand Slam champion. I wanted to change things. A few years ago I went to South America to play on clay.Mentally its important to see some new events. After so long away, it seems like a new tournament, That gives good energy.

Tennis: Kyrgios downs Cilic in Marseille to win first ATP title

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MARSEILLE (AFP) - Nick Kyrgios won his first ATP World Tour title on Sunday as he upset fourth seed Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) in the final of the Marseille Open.The 20-year-old Australian reached the final by defeating two top 10 players in Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet and he proved too good for 2014 US Open champion Cilic.Kyrgios did not lose a set all week and did not drop serve in any of his matches.I played my first final last year and was looking for my first title, said Kyrgios, who lost his only other final appearance in Estoril last year.But I didnt really expect to win this title this week after having a couple of weeks off. But from the first round I started playing really well and just gained confidence as I kept winning matches. Kyrgios is the first player under the age of 21 to beat top 10 opponents in consecutive matches since Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 US Open.The win will also boost his world ranking which was at 41st at the start of the week.I think I served really, really well again, added Kyrgios. I was serving really well all week. I didnt get broken once. That was the main thing that was good. And I was able to put pressure on my opponents serves a lot when I was going through my service games really quickly.Kyrgios was playing just his second tournament of 2016.Having reached the third round of the Australian Open in January, where he lost to Berdych, he was forced to withdraw from Rotterdam last week due to an elbow injury.The 27-year-old Cilic fell to a 14-10 finals record. It is the second time he has missed out in the Marseille final, having also finished runner-up in 2011 to Robin Soderling.I felt I was getting much closer in that second set, said Cilic. Every game was becoming a little more intense. I felt also that he was becoming a bit more frustrated, which was good for me. I had a chance at the end of the second set to get the break, but he managed to play well.I think he played really, really well today. He served amazing. It was difficult also from the back of the court. I think he was returning well, making a lot of returns in the first set. I didnt adjust well enough on the balls that were coming back.He added: Nick was playing high-level tennis in the end, but I wasnt playing too bad either and thats something good I can take from the match.

Tennis: Nadal vows 'hard work' after new defeat

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Rafael Nadal has vowed he will put in more hard work in a bid to get his game back to the level where he can win more tournaments.The 29-year-old Spaniard endured another frustrating defeat late Saturday when he lost a marathon semi-final in the ATP Rio de Janeiro Open to 45th-ranked Pablo Cuevas 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.It was just the second time since 2005 that Nadal has lost to a player ranked outside the world top 30 on clayThat loss came just a week after he lost in the semi-final of the Argentina Open in three sets to Austrias Dominic Thiem, also on clay. Nadal had travelled to South America following his first round loss at the Australian Open in a bid to reverse, on his favourite claycourt surface, the form loss that has seen his world ranking slump.But the latest defeat will cast more doubts on his ability of once again winning the French Open title in early June, having lost to Novak Djokovic in last years quarter-finals.I lost an opportunity, thats it, said Nadal of his loss to Uruguayan Cuevas.I fought until the end. I have to accept it and keep working to try to change the dynamic. Thats whats happening today and I have to work hard to change it.I didnt win a title, so it wasnt a positive two tournaments. I had my chances in both. I lost in the semi-finals of both tournaments and just have to look forward to Indian Wells.That tournament, the first of the years Masters Series events, gets underway in California on March 20 followed by the Miami Masters.Both tournaments are on outdoor hardcourts and Nadal will be hard pushed to match world number one Djokovic, who has already won the Australian Open in dominating fashion.

Football: Five-goal Chelsea punish Pellegrini's selection gamble

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LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea punished Manuel Pellegrinis controversial decision to field a remarkably inexperienced team as Eden Hazard inspired a 5-1 demolition of Manchester City in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday.With City due to make the long flight to the Ukraine on Monday ahead of their Champions League last 16 first leg tie at Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday, Pellegrini had pleaded with the FA not to bow to demands from television networks to move the Chelsea game from its original Saturday date.But Pellegrinis request was ignored and, concerned that injury-hit City were in danger of being stretched to breaking point, the Chilean boss prioritised European success and next weekends League Cup final against Liverpool, admitting that he didnt consider the Stamford Bridge showdown a real game.Pellegrini had warned fans they wouldnt get value for money because he would rest stars like Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure and he was true to his word as he fielded an unrecognisable starting line-up featuring six teenagers, five of whom were making their full debuts.In contrast, Guus Hiddink, with the luxury of having played in the Champions League already this week, named his strongest available side and it was men against boys as they swept into the quarter-finals thanks to a pair of assists and a goal from Hazard.Diego Costa put Chelsea ahead and, although David Faupala equalised for the visitors, second half goals from Willian, Gary Cahill, Hazard and Bertrand Traore handed City a third successive defeat.Pellegrini will face accusations of disrespecting the FA Cup, but he wont care about that if City can take a step towards the Champions League quarter-finals and win the League Cup this week.French forward Faupala was one of Citys debutants and the 18-year-old showed no signs of being overawed when he left two defenders trailing in his wake before testing Blues goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.After a slow start, Chelsea threatened when Pedros clipped shot bounced to safety off the far post.City were competing well but Hiddinks side broke the deadlock in the 35th minute.Cesc Fabregas was the instigator with a deft flick that picked out Hazards run and the Belgian hooked a fine cross into the six yard box, where Costa dived forward to head past Willy Caballero for his 13th goal of the season.But Citys youngsters showed a composure that belied their lack of experience as they hit back two minutes later.Spanish midfielder Manu Garcia clipped a pass through for Kelechi Iheanacho, who got to the byline before crossing low for Faupala to poke home from close-range.Citys youthful enthusiasm overflowed as they celebrated in front of Chelseas supporters, some of whom responded by throwing coins in an ugly echo of the incident that saw West Broms Chris Brunt pelted by his own fans 24 hours earlier.Hiddink had won all six of his FA Cup ties in his two spells as Chelseas caretaker, a run that included leading the club to the trophy in 2009.And Chelsea were back on course to extend that run in the 48th minute when Brazil winger Willian launched an incisive raid, picking out Hazard before racing past Citys statuesque defence to meet the Belgians return pass with an angled finish into the far corner.Just five minutes later, Chelsea booked their quarter-final place as City were let down by their few senior players.Fernando only half cleared to the edge of the area, where Cahills drive was straight at Caballero but still squirmed under the goalkeeper and into the net.Hazard capped one of his few impressive performances this season when he curled a free-kick past Caballero in the 66th minute.Caballero saved Oscars 74th minute penalty after Martin Demichelis barged into Traore, but Traore completed the rout in the 89th minute when his back header looped in at the far post.

Football: Kelly the hero as Palace knock Spurs out of FA Cup

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LONDON (AFP) - A rare goal by Martin Kelly earned Crystal Palace a 1-0 win away to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.The South Londoners are now hoping to reach their first FA Cup final since 1990, when they were beaten by Manchester United in a replay.Kellys goal -- his first since netting for Liverpool at Chelsea in November 2011 -- also ended Tottenhams hopes of a league and domestic cup double.Maurico Pochettinos side are currently second in the Premier League but whatever happens now they will not be emulating Spurs celebrated Double-winning squad of 1961.Palace manager Alan Pardew will be hoping it can be third time lucky for him in the FA Cup as he played for Palace in the 1990 final and was the West Ham manager when they lost to Liverpool in the 2006 showpiece match.The White Hart Lane return of former Tottenham man Emmanuel Adebayor turned out to be disappointing.The Togo striker, having sauntered out behind his Palace team-mates, was booed by many home fans before kick-off and throughout the game but did not look like scoring.North London side Tottenham almost scored in the third minute when Dele Allis header at the back post from a corner was blocked on the line by Yohan Cabaye and Josh Onomah nodded the rebound over.Palace felt they should have had a penalty when Jordan Mutchs volley hit Nabil Bentaleb on an arm but referee Craig Pawson disagreed.Kyle Walker and then Adebayor were hurt as tackles began to fly in from both sides. Both men recovered with Walker then sending a header over Michel Vorm, his own goalkeeper, who was just able to claw it away before it crossed the line.The free-kick count continued to mount, with Palace conceding most of them.The visitors almost took the lead when Scott Dann took down a high ball and played Joe Ledley in but Vorm dived bravely at the Welshmans feet to save.Spurs reply was another near miss from Alli, who saw his low shot hit the far post, rebound across the goal on to the other upright and be cleared before a team-mate could pounce.Onomah flashed a snapshot across goal but Spurs continued to look vulnerable at the other end. A chance finally came Adebayors way but Eric Dier was across swiftly to block.Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey had to make a diving save to keep out Harry Kanes long-range free-kick and the visitors took the lead in stoppage-time through Kelly.Wilfried Zaha teed up the defender on the right of the box and his drive was too powerful for Vorm at his near post.Spurs replaced Mousa Dembele with Christian Eriksen at the break and it wasnt long before Hennessey had to dive to deny Kane once more.It then needed Kellys intervention on the line to stop Onomah converting Kanes flick across goal.Alli, having barged Cabaye into advertising hoardings to send tempers flaring again, fired just wide from 25 yards as Spurs pressed for an equaliser. Eriksen was next to have a go but Hennessey saved.Cabaye was booked for tripping Danny Rose before Palace sent on fit-again winger Yannick Bolasie in place of Adebayor, who had only occasionally been in the game.Connor Wickham went on a dangerous run that saw his shot blocked as Palace pressed for a clinching second goal.Wickham did convert Bolasies cross with four minutes remaining but the goal was ruled out for offside.Kane saw a header blocked by a scrum of Palace bodies in front of their goal seconds before referee Pawson blew for time.

Football: Advantage Barca as Real Madrid, Atletico held

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MADRID (AFP) - Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty as Real Madrids hopes of catching La Liga leaders Barcelona were all but ended with a 1-1 draw at Malaga on Sunday.Madrid remain nine points behind Barca with 13 games to go after Raul Albentosa cancelled out Ronaldos opener.Atletico Madrid also failed to gain significant ground on Barca as they were held 0-0 at home by Villarreal to move eight points behind in second.However, Gary Nevilles upturn in fortunes as Valencia boss continued with a third win in a week, 2-1 at Granada.Zinedine Zidanes men were left to rue Ronaldos miss from the spot to make it 2-0 before the break when Carlos Kameni dived to his left to parry the three-time World Player of the Years effort.It is obviously going to be difficult because we have dropped two points, but we wont give up, said Zidane.There are 39 points still to play for. You think the league is lost, but the players and myself dont believe that.Madrid were without the injured Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, while James Rodriguez was left on the bench by Zidane.The visitors were lucky to go in front as Ronaldo headed home Toni Krooss free-kick despite clearly standing in an offside position.There was no doubt about the penalty award two minutes later, though, when Ronaldo was brought down by Weligton.Yet, despite being normally lethal from the spot, the Portuguese was denied by a fine low save by Kameni.Malaga missed a great chance to level before the break as Jesus Navas parried Duje Cops shot into the air and Sergio Ramos got back to clear the looping ball off the line.And Navas then made an incredible stop just after the restart when Nacho turned Juanpis cross towards his own goal.Yet, the Madrid stopper was finally beaten when Malagas two centre-backs combined for the equaliser as Weligtons low cross was coolly slotted home at the back post by Albentosa.Chances were far harder to come by at the Vicente Calderon as the two best defences in the league stood firm.Atleticos top scorer Antoine Griezmann headed Juanfrans inch-perfect cross just wide before Angel Correas audacious chipped effort forced Villarreal goalkeeper Alphonse Areola into his only serious save after half-time.And Villarreal could have snatched all three points on the break when Cedric Bakambu blazed over with just Jan Oblak to beat.Elsewhere, Nevilles Valencia again rode their luck, but recorded back-to-back league wins for just the second time this season as Granada passed up a wave of second-half opportunities.With confidence high from their 6-0 thrashing of Rapid Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday, Valencia started the stronger and only great saves from Andres Fernandez prevented Paco Alcacer and Andres Gomez from giving Valencia a half-time lead.Dani Parejo eventually opened the scoring 10 minutes after the break when he swept home Alcacers knockdown.However, Granada should have levelled in the final half hour as David Barral hit the bar and Youssef El-Arabi fired off target from close range.Santi Mina sealed the points for Valencia on the counter-attack before Edgar Mendes pulled a goal back in stoppage time.I think at the moment we need to win all our games to keep the momentum going, said Neville.The dressing room changed significantly in the last week in terms of mood as when you win there is a stronger belief.Sevilla remain eight points off Villarreal in the battle for the final Champions League place as they blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Rayo Vallecano.Real Sociedads surge up the table continued as Jonathass brilliant strike handed them a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Basque derby to move into the top half.

Golf: Japan's Nomura beats Ko to win Australian Open

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ADELAIDE (AFP) - Japans Haru Nomura fired a closing seven-under par 65 to deny defending champion and world number one Lydia Ko and win the LPGA-sanctioned Australian Open at The Grange in Adelaide on Sunday.Nomura, 23, holed eight birdies in the final round having started the day in a three-way share of the lead at nine-under.The Japanese player closed the door on Kos chances with a monster 15-metre birdie putt at the 17th when she was three shots ahead of the New Zealand ace.It allowed Nomura the luxury of her only bogey at the par-four 18th when she found the front-right sand trap and failed to get up and down.It was the 67th-ranked Nomuras first LPGA win after five seasons on the tour in America without drawing much attention.There was no pressure, Nomura said. Golf is the fight of my own.Its not against someone else, even though someone else plays well. If I hit my goals, then I win.Nomura clinched victory with a run of three consecutive birdies at the 15th, 16th and 17th holes that the top-ranked Ko could not match.Ko finished alone in second place at 13-under par after finishing with a five-under par 67.I played really well but Haru just played even better, Ko said.By the roars I could hear, it seems like she was holing a lot of putts. When another player does that, its really out of my hands.Australias five-time Australian Open winner Karrie Webb was third at nine-under, having joined the lead early in the round with three birdies before faltering.Nomura had just 26 putts. The putter... Wow... Unbelievable, she said.Nomura is the first Japanese winner of the tournament since 1974, when Chako Higuchi won at the Victoria course.American Danielle Kang and South Korean Jenny Shin had shared the overnight lead with Nomura but fell away on the final day. Kangs closing 73 saw her finish in a tie for fourth on eight-under 280, while Shin was joint ninth a stroke further back after a 74.

Snooker: O'Sullivan bounces back to beat Robertson in Welsh Open final

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LONDON (AFP) - Ronnie OSullivan won seven frames in a row to recover from a 5-2 deficit against Australias Neil Robertson and win the Welsh Open final 9-5 in Cardiff on Sunday.Five-times world champion OSullivan, who courted controversy earlier in the tournament by refusing to complete a 147 break because he felt the cash prize for a maximum was too low, sealed a fourth Welsh Open title with a superb total clearance of 141.Afterwards the 40-year-old said he intended to mark his victory by taking time out from snooker until the World Championships in Sheffield, northern England, in April.I feel shattered -- I need a month of just relaxing to recharge the batteries and try to give Sheffield a good push because thats the one everyone wants, OSullivan said.My cue will just be chilling out for a few months, the Englishman added.OSullivan, who won the invitational Masters event in London last month, was full of praise for Robertson and said the Australian left-hander, world champion in 2010, remained the man to beat.Neil has been the best player all season -- his games really improved so much. He played probably at 75 or 80 percent today and hes definitely the best player in the world at the moment.Im just pleased to have been able to compete with him. Neil had his chances but Im just glad I managed to keep hanging in there.Meanwhile Robertson cited the ninth frame as the turning point of Sundays match.Once he got his tail up and the momentum it was hard to wrestle it back from him, said the 34-year-old Robertson, the 2007 Welsh Open champion.Everyone knows he is a terrific front runner and he pulled away and finished the match off in style.I made mistakes and that is what happens when you are put under pressure. The few frame spell when he went from 5-3 to 6-5 up, I had opportunities but that is where he got away and played terrific stuff.

Uber driver arrested over deadly US shooting rampage

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CHICAGO (AFP) - A man arrested early Sunday on suspicion of shooting dead six people in the northern US state of Michigan was an Uber driver who may have been picking up fares just before the killing spree began.Uber confirmed that the suspect, 45-year-old Jason Brian Dalton, was a driver for the ride-sharing company, adding he had passed a background check and had no criminal record.We have reached out to the police to help with their investigation in any way that we can, Ubers chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, said in a statement.Dalton was apprehended at 12:40 am Sunday (0540 GMT). He is believed to be the gunman who opened fire at three different locations in the city of Kalamazoo, killing six people and seriously wounding two others, police said.A woman was seriously wounded outside an apartment complex, two people were killed at a car dealership, and four more were shot to death and a teenage girl seriously wounded at a chain restaurant.Kalamazoo County prosecutor Jeff Getting said Dalton, who surrendered without incident during a traffic stop, will face murder charges in court on Monday.There is no reason to believe more than one person was involved in the crime, Getting added.Local resident Matt Mellen said he was Daltons passenger just a couple of hours before the rampage began, and was taken on a hair-raising ride.We were driving through medians, driving through the lawn, speeding along and when we came to a stop, I jumped out the car and ran away, Mellen told WWMT, a CBS affiliate.He wouldnt stop. He just kind of kept looking at me like -- Dont you want to get to your friends house and Im like, I want to get there alive.Mellen said he jumped out of the car at 4:30 pm, and called 911, the phone number for emergencies. He told his fiancee what had happened and she posted Daltons picture on Facebook as a warning to others.Were looking into his connection to Uber and whether or not he was picking up fares in between the shootings, Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley said, according to CNN.Your worst nightmareThe shootings began at 6:00 pm.What it looks like is we have somebody driving around, finding people and shooting them dead in their tracks, Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas told local media.This is your worst nightmare, when you have somebody just driving around randomly killing people, he added.The gunmans first victim was a woman who was with her three children outside an apartment complex when she was shot, he said.She was seriously wounded but is expected to survive.The gunman next struck at 10:00 pm, killing an 18-year-old boy and an adult male at a car dealership, according to Getting.The last and deadliest shooting came 10 to 15 minutes later at the Cracker Barrel restaurant where four more people were killed, he said.Video at the car dealership and the restaurant helped police identify the shooters car, Getting said.Dalton was arrested about two hours later when a sheriffs deputy saw his car leaving a local bar in downtown Kalamazoo.He followed the car. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety was able to mobilize people as a backup. They pulled the car over without incident. They were able to make an arrest of the suspect without any significant incident, Getting said.Police seized a semi-automatic handgun and additional evidence from the car, the prosecutor added.Dalton was pretty even-tempered during his arrest, Getting said.Kalamazoo is located some 190 kilometers (160 miles) west of the industrial city of Detroit and has a population of 76,000, according to census figures.The killings there were the latest in a long line of mass shootings in the United States that include the December 2 massacre in San Bernardino, California that left 14 people dead, and the December 14, 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre in which 20 children and six adults were shot dead.Gun violence claims the lives of about 30,000 Americans every year and mass shootings -- rare in most countries -- have been on the rise in the United States.According to the tracking website gunviolencearchive.org, there were 330 mass shootings in the United States in 2015, up from 281 in 2014. They affected nearly every part of the country, reaching into both big cities and small towns.

Tourists flee Fiji after cyclone disaster

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SUVA (AFP) - International tourists began fleeing cyclone-devastated Fiji on Monday amid fears the death toll from the most powerful storm to ever hit the Pacific island nation is set to rise steeply.The official body count from severe tropical cyclone Winston stands at six but the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reported at least 10 were dead, with fears for another seven fishermen missing at sea.The super-storm lashed the popular tourist destination overnight Saturday, packing gusts of 325 kilometres (202 miles) per hour.It was the first maximum category five cyclone to hit Fiji and left a trail of destruction, flattening scores of homes and crippling infrastructure.Oxfams Pacific regional director Raijeli Nicole said some of the remote communities that bore the brunt of the storm had still not been heard from and officials feared the worst.The Fijians are desperately trying to repair severed lines of communication, but they hold grave fears that the news waiting for them will be dire, she said.Given the intensity of the storm and the images we have seen so far, there are strong concerns that the death toll wont stop climbing today and that hundreds of people will have seen their homes and livelihoods completely destroyed.International tourists caught up in the disaster began to leave as flights resumed at Nadi airport after a two-day suspension.Air New Zealand confirmed one of its aircraft departed at 9.30am (2130 Sunday GMT) and other carriers including Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Fiji Airways were also expected to begin operations again.Fijis economy relies on tourism and the island chain is a major destination for Australians and New Zealanders.Melbourne man Jeremy Bree told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he heard trees being ripped from the ground as he sat out the storm in a hotel at Denaru on the main island Viti Levu.It was pretty amazing just looking out and seeing the wind gusts just absolutely buffeting the trees, he said.The noise around was something Ive never heard before, it was a real harrowing whine that came through.Full impact still unknownThe airports opening allowed aid efforts to ramp up, with Australia announcing a Aus$5.0 million (US$3.6 million) package including basics such as food and drinking water.Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Canberra had also offered the use of a P-3 Orion aircraft and MRH-90 helicopters to reach outlying islands.The full impact of this disaster is still not known. We stand ready to provide further assistance to support Fijis relief and recovery effort, she said.The island nation has declared a month-long state of natural disaster after the storm that Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama described as an assault on Fiji.All schools, many of which are being used as evacuation centres, were ordered closed for one week and military leave has been cancelled so troops can help with the clean-up.The acting head of the Red Crosss Pacific office Ahmad Sami said an accurate assessment of the storms impact would take time.We anticipate that humanitarian needs will be very high, he told AFP.This is the first time that Fiji has experienced a cyclone of this magnitude in their history, a category five, so were still trying to find out the figures.He said priorities were restoring power and repairing damaged homes, as well as maintaining drinking water supplies in more than 700 evacuation centres.

Voges builds big Australia lead over N. Zealand

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CHRISTCHURCH (AFP) - Adam Voges was building a huge lead for Australia at lunch on day three of the second Test in Christchurch on Monday as New Zealand struggled to take wickets. Former wicketkeeper-turned-batsman Brendon McCullum became right-arm medium pace bowler McCullum as the recognised New Zealand attack failed to break through on a flat track.The in-form Voges, in a rich vein of form after a double century in the first Test, was 51 not out at the interval, pushing his remarkable Test batting average in excess of 100 again.Mitchell Marsh was on right as Australia reached 455 for 5, leading New Zealand by 85 having added 92 in the morning session.Nightwatchman Nathan Lyon improved his overnight four runs to 33 before becoming the only wicket to fall in the session caught by McCullum at first slip off the bowling of part-time spinner Kane Williamson. McCullum used seven bowlers in an otherwise fruitless search for wickets with batsmen Martin Guptill, Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls plus wicketkeeper BJ Watling the only New Zealanders not to turn their arms over.Resuming on day three at 363 for 4 Australia quickly overtook New Zealands 370 when Voges cut a short delivery from Tim Southee for four, one of five boundaries in his measured innings so far. The West Australian now has four fifties and five centuries from 20 Test innings.New Zealand thought they had trapped Voges lbw when on 38 off the bowling of Trent Boult. Their excited appeals were rejected by the on-field umpire and when they sought a review it confirmed the ball was missing off stump.McCullum, bowling for only the eighth time in his 101-Test career, sent down four overs for three runs without adding to his one wicket -- Pakistans Sarfraz Ahmed for 112 in a drawn Test 15 months ago.

Clarke in talks with Sixers over Big Bash spot

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SYDNEY (AFP) - The Sydney Sixers Monday said they have spoken to Michael Clarke about his comeback plans as the former Australia skipper weighs up a tilt at Australias Twenty20 Big Bash League.Clarke, who returned to Sydney club cricket over the weekend with Western Suburbs, has been linked with the Sixers about reigniting a T20 career in next seasons domestic competition.Sixers general manager Dominic Remond confirmed preliminary discussions had been held with the batsman, who retired in August after the disastrous Ashes series in England.We caught up with Michael a few weeks ago to chat about his interest in the Sixers and what he was looking to do moving forward, Remond told AFP.Clarke said before his comeback club match that he missed the game, and wanted to have a crack at making his mark in T20s.We only have a few positions available on our roster and we are just working through our review process from last season, added Remond.With the World T20 and IPL coming up, no decisions on roster spots are likely to be made in the near future as we decide on what is going to work best for our club for BBL06 and beyond.Its a long off season so we will wait and see how things pan out in the coming months.Clarke, 34, scored what he described as a rusty 48 in his comeback match for Western Suburbs on Saturday and followed up with a quick-fire 30 off 17 balls in the second innings on Sunday.He has maintained that he was taking a wait-and-see approach to resuming his career elsewhere, but has also made it clear that his focus from now on would be on the T20 format.That has been given more weight by the emergence of the approach to the Sixers.While Clarke played in 115 Tests and 245 one-day internationals, he only took part in 34 T20 internationals during his first-class career, giving it a low priority compared to Tests and ODIs.

China's Huawei unveils first PC aimed at businesses

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BARCELONA (AFP) - Chinese electronics giant Huawei on Sunday unveiled its first personal computer, a convertible tablet aimed at the premium business market that will compete with Apples iPad Pro and the Microsoft Surface.The thin MateBook has a 12-inch pixel display, weighs just 640 grammes (1.4 pounds) without the keyboard although it looks heavier, and has a battery life of ten hours under standard use.Business people need a long lasting battery, said Richard Yu, Huaweis consumer devices chief, as he unveiled the new device in Barcelona on the eve of the start of the Mobile World Congress, the top annual trade show for wireless devices.The tablet fastens to its keyboard case using magnets and it features a fingerprint reader.The entry-level model with 128 GB storage starts at 799 euros ($890) in Europe with the top model coming in at 1,799 euros.Yu said last month that Huawei hoped to overtake US rival Apple and Koreas Samsung to become the worlds leading maker of smartphones in three or four years.It is seeking to shed its budget supplier image to target higher-margin premium models.The firm became the first Chinese handset vendor to sell more than 100 million smartphones in a year in 2015, as it defied a market slowdown thanks to strong sales domestically and in Western Europe.Huawei, founded by former Chinese army engineer Ren Zhengfei, boosted its global smartphone market share to 7.7 percent in the third quarter behind Samsung and Apple, according to research firm Gartner.It launched its first Android device in 2009 to complement its main business of making networking equipment.

Karachi: Two killed, three injured in road accident

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, a speeding car turned turtle near Chungi No 10 at the Super Highway on late Sunday night, killing two children and injuring three other persons, Dunya News reported.The rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured to a nearby hospital. The rescue teams said that the victims are members of the same family.
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