Wednesday 7 December 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Iraqi forces battle jihadists deep inside Mosul

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BARTALLA (AFP) - Iraqi forces battled jihadists deep inside Mosul Wednesday, edging closer to the River Tigris that divides the city and looking for a breakthrough in the seven-week-old offensive.The fighting to retake the Islamic State (IS) groups last major stronghold in Iraq has prompted a steady trickle of people to leave their homes, many taking refuge in camps where nighttime temperatures have dipped below freezing.The 9th Armoured Division reached Al-Salam hospital in a push on Tuesday, the farthest the army has penetrated into east Mosul since the start of a broad offensive launched on October 17.But it quickly found itself surrounded by jihadists and needed support from the elite Counter-Terrorism Service to pull back, commanders said.Our forces dealt with the situation at Al-Salam hospital in southeastern Mosul, Maan Saadi, a CTS commander, told AFP.Our mission was to offer support to the 9th Division forces surrounded in the hospital, our units accomplished this mission and opened a passage, he said.Saadi said the army was now occupying a position nearly one kilometre (less than a mile) from the hospital, which a 9th Division commander said had been used by IS as a command centre.The five-storey building towers above the neighbourhood and the jihadists had been using the upper floors and roof as sniper positions for some time, Mosul residents said.The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency said the jihadists had carried out five suicide car bomb attacks in the area during the past 24 hours.It said the army was holed up in the hospital compound and had suffered heavy losses. Iraqi officers did not provide any casualty toll for the latest fighting.CTS has spearheaded the drive into Mosul in the past month, retaking several neighbourhoods in the east of the city.The army also punched into Mosul in November but its progress has been slower and Iraqi forces barely control half of the eastern side of the city.Saadi also said his forces had retaken two neighbourhoods in eastern Mosul and were aiming to flush out jihadists from two more in the coming days.We are now in Al-Taamim which is three kilometres (two miles) from the river, including an open area of about one kilometre where there are no buildings, he said.Officers and analysts had expected the eastern side of Mosul to offer less resistance but the going has been tough and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis promise to retake Mosul by years end has looked increasingly in question.Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary forces have retaken significant ground in recent weeks on a western front targeting the town of Tal Afar, which lies on the road linking Mosul to Syria.Forces on the southern and northern fronts made quick early gains when Iraq launched its largest military operation in years but progress has been slow in recent days.One of the main factors hampering Iraqi forces in Mosul is the continued presence of hundreds of thousands of civilians, who either want to stay in their homes or are prevented from leaving by IS.The United Nations on Wednesday put the overall number of people displaced by the offensive at more than 82,000.That is still less than half the figure the UN expected before the operation was launched.It its latest situation report, the UN spoke of spiralling civilian casualties as Iraqi forces went house to house in east Mosul, attempting to battle jihadists and protect civilians at the same time.Partners are rushing to bring trauma care closer to the front lines to give injured civilians the best chance of survival, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.It said work was also under way to repair water and electricity infrastructure in east Mosul, where it described the current water shortage as critical.Hundreds of thousands of people in Mosul have gone days without potable water and have had to boil water from boreholes to survive.The conditions for those massing in the camps on the citys outskirts were hardly better, with the onset of winter bringing freezing temperatures at night.

Assad confident as rebels lose more ground in Aleppo

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DAMASCUS (AFP) - President Bashar al-Assad said a victory for his army in Aleppo would be a huge step towards ending the countrys five-year civil war, as rebels in Syrias second city lost more ground.In an interview with Syrian daily Al-Watan, published Thursday, Assad said defeating the beleaguered rebels in Aleppo would not put an end to Syrias conflict.Its true that Aleppo will be a win for us, but lets be realistic -- it wont mean the end of the war in Syria, Assad said.But it will be a huge step towards this end.In a blistering three-week offensive, Syrian government forces have seized about 80 percent of east Aleppo, a stronghold for rebel groups since 2012.Increasingly cornered in a pocket of territory in the citys southeast, opposition factions on Wednesday called for an immediate five-day humanitarian ceasefire.When asked about the possibility of a truce in Aleppo, Assad said, its practically non-existent, of course.The Americans in particular are insisting on demanding a truce, because their terrorist agents are now in a difficult situation, Assad told Al-Watan.US Secretary of State John Kerry held fresh talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Germany Wednesday but no breakthrough emerged on efforts to halt the fighting in the devastated city.According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights 19 civilians were killed in the regime bombardment of east Aleppo on Wednesday.Save the Children Syria Director Sonia Khush said tens of thousands of children in Aleppo have become sitting targets.It defies belief that after nearly six years of suffering through this war, the international community is still willing to stand by as civilians are bombed with seeming impunity, she added.Assad said a rebel loss in Aleppo will mean the transformation of the course of the war across Syria and would leave opposition factions and their backers with no cards left to play. Aleppo was once known as the beating heart of culture and commerce in Syria, but the outbreak of violence there four years ago left it divided between rebels in the east and government forces in the west.In his wide-ranging interview, Assad pledged to fight rebels even beyond Aleppo, because the war in Syria will not end until after the complete elimination of terrorism.Terrorists are present elsewhere -- even if we finish with Aleppo, we will continue our war against them, he said. Assad touted local agreements between his government and rebel groups as the best way to resolve Syrias complex conflict.Such deals have seen opposition fighters quit a string of towns around Damascus in recent months, often in exchange for an end to regime bombardment. It is the only available solution, in parallel with striking the terrorists. Its success has been proven over the past two to three years, and is now speeding up, Assad told Al-Watan.He said these agreements had protected Syrian civilians and infrastructure and allowed former rebels to return to the bosom of the state. What more could we want? Syrias conflict erupted in March 2011 with widespread demonstrations but has since turned into a brutal multi-front war drawing in world powers.Many Western countries cut ties with Damascus in 2011 and have imposed crippling economic sanctions, but Assad said he remained open to better relations with them.We really do want ties with every country in the world, including the West, despite our previous knowledge of their hypocrisy.

Kerry resumes talks with Lavrov on Aleppo truce

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HAMBURG (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry held fresh talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Germany Wednesday on efforts to halt fighting and withdraw rebels from the devastated Syrian city of Aleppo.Kerry, who is on a farewell tour in Europe, and Lavrov were in the northern city of Hamburg for a gathering of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that opens Thursday. Kerry will continue on to Paris to take part in a separate meeting organised by his French, German and Qatari counterparts Saturday on Syria, the State Department said.The announcement came as the United States, Britain and France led a joint call for an immediate ceasefire to allow aid to reach Aleppo, in an appeal backed by Canada, Germany and Italy.In Hamburg, Lavrov said as he walked into a hotel to meet Kerry, in a brief comment to journalists, that I agreed and confirm the support of the American proposal of December 2.The Russian side had earlier said Kerrys proposal made in Rome last Friday involves a complete rebel withdrawal from eastern Aleppo, but then accused Washington of backtracking and cancelling talks due to be held in Geneva this week.Kerry denied any change of plans and Washington itself accused Moscow of stalling after Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution on Monday calling for a seven-day ceasefire.Kerry, taking part in his last NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, said he would work for a relaunch of peace talks between the Syrian regime and the opposition with the help of President Bashar al-Assads ally Russia.Russia says Assad is ready to come to the table... and I am in favour of putting that to the test, Kerry said in Brussels.Kerry has had repeated meetings on Syria with Lavrov as the situation in Aleppo has deteriorated.Moscow launched an air war in support of Assads forces last year, while Washington has supported rebel forces battling the regime.Kerry, asked by a journalist in Hamburg what it would take to bring peace to Aleppo, said only: common sense.

Football: Dortmund strike late, beat Madrid to top spot

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MADRID (AFP) - Marco Reuss dramatic equaliser two minutes from time ensured Borussia Dortmund beat holders Real Madrid to top spot in Champions League Group F with a pulsating 2-2 draw on Wednesday.With both sides already qualified, a double from Karim Benzema looked to have Real well set to leapfrog Dortmund and secure a home tie in the second leg of their last-16 tie.However, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reduced the arrears before turning provider for substitute Reus to slide home the leveller.Borussia Dortmund games are great, but they are very nerve-racking, said Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel.We made too many wrong decisions, but ultimately it was a great finish to the game for us.A point does at least ensure Madrid match a club record 34 games unbeaten in all competitions, while Los Blancos are now also ensured of avoiding the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain in Mondays draw.We gave the game away by missing chances to score the third goal, said Real coach Zinedine Zidane.We tried everything we could to get first place, but in the end we couldnt achieve it.Madrid can now face Leicester City, Monaco, Arsenal, Juventus or Napoli in the next round.And Zidane has no doubt over who he wants to avoid.Juventus, for two reasons, said the former Juve midfielder.Zidane kept his promise to go for victory despite the possibility of an easier draw by remaining in second with Casemiro and James Rodriguez coming into the side in only two changes from Saturdays Clasico.Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller was busy early on as he parried a Benzema drive before denying Rodriguez twice in quick succession.Benzema wasnt to be denied on 28 minutes when he bundled home Dani Carvajals low cross at the back post.Real only went in ahead at the break, though, thanks to a mixture of good goalkeeping from Keylor Navas and wayward finishing from the visitors.American wonder kid Christian Pulisic wasted a great chance when his weak effort was placed too close to Navas before the Costa Rica international produced a brilliant stop to turn Andre Schuerrles free-kick behind.Another dangerous break moments later saw Gonzalo Castro burst through on goal, but he tried to square for Aubameyang and overhit his pass.Dortmund were even more profligate at the start of the second period as Ousmane Dembele and Castro fluffed their lines from point-blank range.Benzema should have got his second of the night when Weidenfeller produced a brilliant save to parry the Frenchmans volley.However, Benzema only had seconds to stew on that miss as moments later he bulleted home a header from Rodriguezs inch-perfect cross.Just when Madrid looked in control, Dortmund finally took one of their chances when captain Marcel Schmelzers run wasnt tracked and his low cross was gratefully tapped home by Aubameyang for his 19th goal in as many games this season.Cristiano Ronaldos week had been dominated by unwanted headlines off the field surrounding allegations he stored millions of euros from image rights in tax havens.And there wasnt much for the Portuguese to shout about as he was held scoreless for a fourth straight Champions League game by more Weidenfeller heroics to turn a rising drive headed for the top corner behind.Ronaldo then seemed in disbelief as he struck the base of the post with just Weidenfeller to beat.And that miss proved costly as Aubameyang stormed past Sergio Ramos and produced the perfect cross for Reus to slide home the equaliser.Auba was world-class with his pass and I was happy to get on the end of it -- the goal was 99 percent him and one from me, said Reus.

Football: Higuain, Rugani strike as Juve secure top spot

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TURIN (AFP) - Gonzalo Higuain hit a slick, second-half goal and Daniele Rugani added a late second as dominant Juventus laboured to a 2-0 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb that secured top spot in Group H on Wednesday.With qualification for the last 16 already secure, Juventus welcomed the Croats looking for a repeat of their 4-0 romp in Zagreb in a bid to beat Sevilla to first place.The Italian champions had fans on their toes throughout a one-sided encounter in chilly Turin as they completed their mission, but largely flattered to deceive before Higuain broke the deadlock with a clinical strike seven minutes after the restart. It gave Juve a spur, and when Rugani was left alone at a corner he rose above the Dinamo defence to beat Dominik Livakovic down low.Coach Massimiliano Allegri claimed Juve could have scored more, but explained: It was important to win this game but when you get a team playing with so many men behind the ball its hard to find space.Once Higuain scored, it became a lot easier for us.In Seville, we secured our qualification and tonight weve wrapped up top spot.Juves fourth win in the campaign left the Italians, beaten finalists in 2015, on 14 points, three ahead of Sevilla after their scoreless draw in Lyon.Zagreb coach Ivaylo Petev said: Hats-off to Juventus, theyre a very strong side. We conceded two goals but we have a very young side that doesnt have a lot of experience at this level. But Im happy with my players.Juventus have been ravaged by injury, the loss of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini leaving the hosts shorn of their feared BBC defence.Days before the city derby against Torino on Sunday, Allegri added extra spice when he decided to rest goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon for Norbert Neto.Juventus were flying from kick-off, Mario Mandzukic setting up Miralem Pjanic with a deft flick from a long ball in midfield.The Bosnian found Higuain to his right but despite forcing Livakovic down low, the Argentines drive was blocked.It was an early warning, but Juve were wasteful throughout the remainder of the first half that saw Neto threatened only once, when the Brazilian reacting well to a snap header from close range.The pace of Juan Cuadrado and creativity of Pjanic proved all too much for Ivaylo Petevs side, and they had to dig deep in defence to keep Juve at bay.Dinamo full-back Leonardo Sigali twice came to the rescue, to thwart Mandzukic then Higuain, and Livakovic was forced down low to collect Pjanics downward header.Minutes later, the keeper had full-back Gordon Schildenfeld to thank for clearing a loose ball yards from goal as Higuain hovered.A Pjanic free kick from 35 yards forced Livakovic to parry down low and Higuain was out of position when Livakovic spilled Mandzukics angled drive.Juve resumed in positive fashion, Higuain sweeping the ball past Livakovic in clinical fashion after Mario Leminas fancy footwork left the Dinamo defence in tatters seven minutes after the restart.But again, Juventus got stagefright when it came to adding to their tally.Several promising counter-attacks broke down one after the other, Cuadrado at fault more than once for failing to release the final ball while Higuain and Pjanic found themselves in space.Pjanic fired in a great cross for Mandzukic but before he could tap home Livakovic came bravely out to smother.Redemption came in the 73rd minute when Rugani rose to send a bullet header past Livakovic down low.Juve striker Paulo Dybala made his return from a six-week injury lay-off when he replaced Dybala for the last 10 minutes.But despite three shots towards goal, the Argentine was to be denied a fairytale return to action.

Football: Sevilla withstand Lyon assault to reach last 16

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LYON (AFP) - Sevilla are through to the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in seven years after soaking up the pressure to draw 0-0 away to Lyon on Wednesday.Lyon -- who lost 1-0 in Seville in September and trailed the Spaniards by three points -- needed to win by two clear goals to go through at Sevillas expense from Group H.But they could not find a way through, with Corentin Tolisso and Mathieu Valbuena both hitting the woodwork in the first half at Parc OL.A big enough defeat would have seen Sevilla drop down into the Europa League, a competition they have won in each of the last three seasons, but instead it is Lyon who must settle for that consolation.Sevilla go through in second place behind Juventus, who beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 in Turin, and make it four Spanish clubs in the knockout stage with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid already having qualified.Lyon were hoping to join Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco and make it three French representatives in the last 16 for the first time, and had been boosted by the presence of goalkeeper Anthony Lopes in their starting line-up.The Portuguese international was taken to hospital after firecrackers were thrown onto the pitch during Lyons Ligue 1 game at Metz at the weekend, which was subsequently abandoned.Lopes reportedly didnt sleep for two nights after the Metz game and suffered headaches as well as a feeling of pressure inside his ears, but he was passed fit to play.He was beaten by Vitolo in the 19th minute but there was relief for the hosts as the Spain wingers effort came back off the far post.Lopes could also have conceded a penalty when he brought down Vitolo inside the box but Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson waved away Sevillas appeals.Otherwise Lyon dominated the first half on a misty night, setting the tone when a first-time effort by Valbuena had to be turned over by an alert Sergio Rico inside three minutes.The French club had a huge appeal for a penalty of their own midway through the first period as Valbuena went down under a Mariano challenge that began right on the edge of the box but again the referee gave nothing.Tolisso headed against the bar from a Rafael cross and Valbuena struck the crossbar with a fine first-time shot after a good run by Tolisso as Sevilla withstood the pressure.Lyon had more than 20 attempts on goal and the majority of the possession but they lacked the subtlety to break down the opposition defence and clear chances were at a premium in the second half.Mouctar Diakhaby headed wide from a Nabil Fekir corner and Sevilla held on to ensure a first appearance in the last 16 since 2009/10.

Karachi: Five accused arrested in police operation

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Crackdown against criminal elements under National Action Plan (NAP) continues in Karachi as five more accused were taken into custody during police operation in different parts of the city on Wednesday, Dunya News reported.According to details, police conducted an operation in Rizvia area and arrested an activist of a political party. The arrested person was shifted to some undisclosed location for further investigation.Police also conducted an operation in Baldia Madina Colony and arrested three accused involved in street crimes. Arms were also recovered from arrested accused. Another accused was arrested from Qayyumabad area.On the other hand, some unidentified persons opened fire and shot dead a man on Tariq Road.

Sheikhupura: 4 terrorists killed in encounter with CTD

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SHEIKHUPURA (Dunya News) – According to details, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) conducted a raid on Wednesday on intelligence reports that eight terrorists of a banned organization are present near Sheikhupura. The terrorists present in the area opened fire at the raiding party which was retaliated by the CTD personnel as a result four terrorists were killed.The other four terrorists managed to escape from the scene. The bodies of the dead terrorists have been shifted to hospital while the hunt of their accomplices is ongoing.The CTD personnel have also recovered three kilogram of explosive material from the possession of the dead terrorists.

Weather to remain cold and dry across country

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Meteorological Department of Pakistan has predicted mainly cold and dry weather in most parts of the country during the next 24 hours. According to Met Office, foggy conditions are likely to prevail over plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh during the morning and night hours.The Met Office has predicted rain and snowfall on mountain areas in Northern Areas on Saturday and Sunday.Weather in most parts of the country remained cold and dry in the past 24 hours. Skardu remained the coldest city in the country with -06°C temperature.

Black box of PK-661 recovered from crash site

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The black box of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight PK-661 that crashed near Havelian on Wednesday has been recovered, Dunya News reported.PIA flight PK-661 took off from Chitral at 3:40pm on Wednesday and crashed near Havelian at 4:16pm, killing all 48 persons on board including five of crew members.Rescuers said that all bodies of the victims have been recovered from the site of crash and shifted the Islamabad where DNA tests will be carried out for the identification of the victims. The PIA chairman Azam Saigol while addressing a press in Islamabad ruled out any human error in the plane crash and added that plane was technically sound, and was checked in October. He informed that the captain had flown more than 12,000 hours and the aircraft was nine years old.Our focus now is to retrieve all the dead bodies, he added, vowing a full investigation.Secretary Civil Aviation Authority Irfan Elahi has revealed that the flight position at the time of crash was 33 nautical miles of Islamabad, the same position when the plane lost its communication with radar.He expressed this while talking to Dunya News as he let it be known that the investigation team will analyze the data recorder after which it will be evident as to what was the causation of the plane crash.On the other hand, Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has formed a five-member committee to probe the plane crash. The committee will submit its report within three days.PIA has also constituted an investigation board, headed by Air Commodore Munir Butt to probe the tragic plane crash.Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) team has reached the site of the crash and started collection of the evidences. The CAA has also established a help desk at the Karachi Airport.

PK-661 crash: Dunya News obtains details

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Dunya News has obtained the details of last communication between Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight PK-661 and the control tower. The PIA flight PK-661 took off from Chitral at 3:40pm on Wednesday and crashed near Havelian at 4:16pm, killing all 48 persons on board the ill-fated aircraft including five of crew members.Here are the details:3:40pm: PIA flight PK-661 took off from Chitral Airport.4:09pm: Flight PK-661 was in contact with control tower in Chirat.4:12pm: The ill-fated aircraft established a contact with main control tower.4:14pm: Pilot of the PK-661 contacted the main control tower for the first and last emergency call. Pilot informed control tower in his Mayday call about the failure of one of the two engines of the plane.4:15pm: Pilot informed the control tower that the plane descended to a height of 7,500 feet.4:16pm: PIA flight PK-661 vanished from the radar.

US extends condolences to families of PK-661 crash victims

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WASHINGTON (Dunya News) - US State Department Deputy Spokesperson, Mark Toner, while briefing the newsmen in Washington on Wednesday extended condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight PK-661 crash.Mark Toner further said that United States is also ready for assistance in rescue operation and investigation of the deadly plane crash.Answering another question, Mark Toner informed that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Foreign Affairs, Tariq Fatemi met with US under secretary of state Tony Blinken on December 5 and discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues, including regional stability and counterterrorism cooperation.Responding to another question, Toner said that US will continue to encourage Pakistan and Afghanistan to cooperate in their counterterrorism operations and efforts because that is only going to contribute to regional stability.

MCC committee recommends football-style sending-offs

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MUMBAI (AFP) - Umpires would be allowed to send off players for serious disciplinary breaches as part of a set of recommendations made by the World Cricket committee of MCC, the guardians of the game.The committee said action would be taken if a cricketer threatened an umpire, physically assaulted another player or committed any other act of violence on the field of play.The recommendations were made during a two-day meeting of the committee in Mumbai, which hosts the fourth Test between India and England from Thursday.The proposals must be approved by the main MCC committee before being implemented at all levels of the game from October next year.The World Cricket committee has no power itself but makes recommendations to the main committee of MCC -- the owners of Londons Lords Cricket Ground and an organisation that still retains worldwide responsibility for the sports Laws or rules.The World Cricket committee believes that the game must now include a mechanism to deal with the worst disciplinary offences during the match, and not subsequent to it as is presently the case, the MCC said in a statement on its website.The committee has also recommended specific bat size limitations to be put in place for both the edges and depth of a bat.Bat edges will have a maximum allowance of 40mm and bat depths must not exceed 67mm.While there are limitations on bat length, none currently exist on the thickness of edges and overall depth.The World Cricket committee believes that the balance of the game has tilted too far in the batsmans favour, and that the time has come to limit the sizes of bat edges and depths, it said.The committee also reaffirmed its support to a World Test Championship being introduced to stimulate interest... in what is the ultimate form of the game.

Jennings to debut for 're-energised' England

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MUMBAI (AFP) - Batsman Keaton Jennings will make his Test debut against India on Thursday, becoming the latest South Africa-born cricketer to pull on an England jersey, captain Alastair Cook announced. Yeah he is going to play. Hes going to open the batting. It will be a very special day for him tomorrow, Cook said in Mumbai Wednesday before the start of the fourth Test.Jennings, who was born in Johannesburg and captained the Proteas under-19s, was a late call-up for Englands two remaining must-win matches after opener Haseeb Hameed injured his hand during the third Test.Cook said he was impressed by what he had seen of Jennings since the tall left-hander joined up with the squad in Dubai a few days ago.Id never met him properly. He seems a really good guy. Hes got a great head on his shoulders and mentally I think hes a very strong player so I wish him all the best, said Cook.Jennings, whose mother is English, moved to England in 2011 after leaving school, committing himself to four years there so he could become eligible to play for the national side.The left-hander, whose father Ray played for South Africa during the apartheid era, decided to switch allegiance to further his international career in a similar move to Kevin Pietersen in the early 2000s.Other recent England players to be born in South Africa include Cooks predecessor as captain Andrew Strauss and the former wicketkeeper Matt Prior.Players who were born abroad are eligible to play for England after spending four years playing English county cricket, a policy that has attracted controversy in some quarters.Cook said 19-year-old Hameeds injury was disappointing considering his impressive displays during the tour but urged Jennings, who plays domestic cricket for Durham, to grab his opportunity with both hands. If Keats (Jennings) comes in and does well again then its only adding to our top order players, which would be good, the skipper told reporters.England trail 2-0 in the five-match series after a thumping eight-wicket loss in Mohali at the end of November. Anything less than a victory in Mumbai would see India seal the Test series.Cook said it was 50/50 whether fast bowler Stuart Broad would recover from a strained tendon in time. With nothing to lose, his side intended to bat more aggressively, he said.The captain, who recently became a father for a second time, also believes England will have reaped the benefits of their few days rest and relaxation in Dubai coming into the match.Certainly the guys do feel re-energised. When you have five days off like that on a long tour, mentally and physically I think its done the players a world of good, he said. For me personally it was great to see my family. After those three games in three weeks it was a good time to get out and not really worry about cricket and worry about changing nappies.

New Zealand paceman Wagner joins Essex

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LONDON (AFP) - Highly-rated New Zealand international bowler Neil Wagner signed for English county side Essex on Wednesday.The 30-year-old South Africa-born paceman will play the first half of the County Championship season and One-Day Cup before being replaced by Pakistans Mohammad Amir.Wagner, who has played 27 Tests for the Black Caps and taken five wickets in an innings on four occasions, already has experience of playing English county cricket having played for Lancashire last season.He took 32 Championship wickets, including 6-66 on his debut against Nottinghamshire.I really enjoyed my time in England with Lancashire last season, but I am excited about linking up with Essex and building on the teams success in 2016, said Wagner, who has 108 Test scalps to his name.I want to bring my experience to the team and help us win games. I hope to help the squad get off to a good start in both competitions.Essex coach Chris Silverwood, whose side gained promotion to the First Division last term, said Wagner would bolster the lower-order batting as well.Neil will bring vast experience at the highest level to the Club, as well as a skill set that will be valuable in the opening months of the season, said Silverwood.He performed excellently for Lancashire last year and is also useful with the bat lower down the order. Hopefully he can help us hit the ground running in 2017.Wagner is also the joint world record holder for taking five wickets in a six ball first-class over which he achieved in 2011.
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