Monday 23 January 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Vintage Venus powers into Aussie Open semi-finals

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MELBOURNE (AFP) - A vintage Venus Williams powered past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and into her third Australian Open semi-final Tuesday, becoming the oldest woman to make a Grand Slam last four in 23 years.The 36-year-old overcame the Russian 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) and will play either fellow American Coco Vandeweghe or French Open champion Garbine Muguruza for a place in the final.Her achievement makes her the oldest woman to reach a Grand Slam semi since a 37-year-old Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1994.It is a remarkable feat for Williams, who made her professional debut in 1994 and is enjoying a late-career renaissance following a battle with a rare autoimmune disorder.She made the same round at Wimbledon last year but had not got this far at Melbourne Park since 2003, when she beat Justine Henin only to lose to sister Serena in the final.Henin is long retired but Serena is still going strong and plays her quarter-final, against Johanna Konta, on Wednesday, with an all-Williams title match still on the cards.Venus Williams also made the last four at Melbourne in 2001, losing to then world number one Martina Hingis, another veteran who is playing in doubles at this years Australian Open.Im so excited, she never let up. We have always had these quality matches. Im not happy just with this but so happy I can go further, she said.To be here is like, Oh my GodThe seven-time Grand Slam champion is yet to drop a set. She has benefited from a favourable draw, playing two qualifiers and Chinas fifth ranked player Duan Yingying.But Pavlyuchenkova, seeded 24, was a different matter, having beaten Elina Svitolina, seeded 11, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, the eighth seed, on her way to the quarter-finals.Competing at Grand Slams for a decade without managing to step beyond the last eight, the Russian had been confident she could take the next step.Two netted forehands gave her a break point on Williams opening serve as the match got underway, but she couldnt convert and it went with serve.But 13th seed Williams gave her another chance in game three and this time she grabbed it with an untouchable crosscourt backhand.Pavlyuchenkova, with her right shoulder strapped, failed to make the most of her edge and a double fault allowed Williams to haul herself level again.It was short-lived as Williams struggled to find the mark on first serve and Pavlyuchenkova jumped on the second, with a netted forehand from the veteran again giving a break away.Neither player was serving well but Williams began to assert herself, pushing Pavlyuchenkova around the court to create opportunities. She broke back for 4-4 with a volley after a high lunging forehand from the Russian.Williams was starting to get in the zone, hitting some amazing winners, including an unstoppable backhand down the line to secure the set by breaking again to love.The American held serve in the opening game of the second set to immediately put the pressure on and kept hammering away in an 11-minute second game, which Pavyluchenkova finally won after eight deuces.A wild backhand in the next game handed momentum to the Russian, who broke for a 2-1 lead, but after a seesawing Williams broke straight back.Another break each and it was 6-6 and into a tiebreak where Williams used her big-match experience to prevail, with Pavlyuchenkova succumbing on a double fault.

Syria rebels vow to keep fighting if talks fail

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ASTANA (AFP) - Syrian rebels vowed Monday to keep fighting if peace negotiations with the government of President Bashar al-Assad fail, as talks between the two sides in Kazakhstan got off to a rocky start.The meeting in Astana, backed by key players Russia, Turkey and Iran, had been billed as the first time armed rebel groups would negotiate directly with the Assad regime since the conflict erupted in 2011.But the rebels backed out of the first round of direct talks because of the regimes continued bombardment and attacks on a flashpoint area near Damascus.However, they took part in indirect talks with the government and held a three-way meeting with Russia, Turkey and the United Nations. If the negotiations succeed, then we are with the negotiations, rebel spokesman Osama Abu Zeid told AFP. If they dont succeed, unfortunately well have no choice but to continue fighting.The rebels announcement came as Russias defence ministry said its warplanes had bombed the Islamic State group in the area around Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, where regime forces have been fighting the jihadists.A member of the rebel delegation told AFP that the group would agree to seeing Russia as a guarantor of the truce but not Iran, another Assad backer. The negotiations in the Kazakh capital come amid a rapprochement between regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, who together brokered the current truce in December after months of US disengagement in the conflict. Several rounds of failed talks in Geneva saw political opposition figures take the lead in negotiating with the regime. But in Astana, the 14-member opposition delegation is composed solely of rebels leading the armed uprising, with members of the political opposition serving as advisors. The initiative has been widely welcomed, but the two sides arrived in Astana with apparently divergent ideas on their aim. Chief rebel negotiator Mohammad Alloush said in his opening statement that the opposition was focused on bolstering the nationwide truce, while Assad has insisted rebels lay down their arms in exchange for an amnesty deal. We came here to reinforce the ceasefire as the first phase of this process, Alloush said in comments broadcast online. We will not proceed to the next phases until this actually happens on the ground.Damascus has also called for a comprehensive political solution to a conflict that has killed more than 310,000 and displaced more than half of Syrias population.The head of the regime delegation, Syrias UN ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari, said in his opening comments carried by the countrys SANA state news agency that he hoped the talks will reinforce the cessation of hostilities.He added the government was keen to separate the rebels from the Islamic State group and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.Delegation spokesman Abu Zeid said the rebels were concerned with more than just a ceasefire.The issue is putting monitoring, investigation and accountability mechanisms in place, he told AFP. We want these mechanisms so that this doesnt play out over and over. Southern Front spokesman Issam al-Rayyes, whose faction is represented in the rebel delegation, dismissed the possibility of a political solution to the conflict without the truce being observed.Theres no way to implement a political solution or go for a transitional period without implementing a ceasefire, he told reporters. This is the reason we are here.Previous pushes for a long-term ceasefire have faltered, with both sides trading accusations over violations.Syrian state media said the regime had met the Iranian delegation as well as UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura before Mondays talks, to discuss their positions.In his opening statement, de Mistura said it encouraged the talks organisers to create a mechanism to implement the consolidation and de-confliction ceasefire measures, and to see what else can be done to build confidence.This is not a replacement for the Geneva process, rebel negotiator Fares Buyush told AFP, referring to the UN-hosted political negotiations set to resume in the Swiss city next month.Although Russia and Turkey back opposing sides, they have worked hand-in-hand in recent weeks to try to secure an end to the brutal war and forged a partnership likely to be tested in Astana.US President Donald Trumps administration was invited to participate in the talks but did not send a delegation.Washington is instead represented by its ambassador to Kazakhstan, while France and Britain are represented at ambassador level.Experts say a breakthrough could see some of the armed opposition join next months talks in Geneva.

Yemeni loyalists seize Red Sea port of Mokha

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MOKHA (AFP) - Yemeni government forces captured on Monday the port of Mokha as they pushed to oust Huthi rebels from the Red Sea coastline, an AFP journalist said.Government forces were combing the port, a journalist accompanying the troops said, almost three weeks after the loyalists launched an offensive against the Shiite insurgents and their allies on Yemens southwestern coast.An official statement said government forces recaptured the whole city, but a military commander in the field told AFP that loyalists were still fighting the rebels on the southern outskirts of Mokha.Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi launched a vast offensive on January 7 to retake the Dhubab district overlooking the Bab al-Mandab strait, a key maritime route connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.Warplanes and Apache attack helicopters from a Saudi-led Arab coalition have been pounding the rebels in support of pro-Hadi forces, military sources said.The rebels media arm claimed however that insurgent fighters repelled loyalist troops as they advanced on the village of Jadid, some 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) south of Mokha.More than 150 fighters from both sides have been killed in the battle for the coastline since the government offensive was launched on January 7. Huthis have controlled Mokha since they overran the capital Sanaa in September 2014 and advanced on other regions aided by troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.The coalition mounted a military campaign against the rebels in March 2015 as insurgents closed in on Hadi in his refuge in the southern city of Aden and forced him to seek exile in Riyadh.Loyalists have since drove rebels out of five southern provinces, including Aden. But despite its massively superior firepower, the rebels and their allies still control Sanaa and much of the central and northern highlands, as well most of the 450-kilometre (280-mile) Red Sea coast.United Nations peace envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed visited Sanaa on Sunday for talks and to push a peace plan that would restore a ceasefire and lead to a political transition in the country.The plan would lead to a political transition under which Hadis powers would be significantly reduced.Seven ceasefires brokered by the United Nations have failed and UN-backed peace talks have repeatedly broken down.The World Health Organization says that more than 7,400 people have been killed since the coalition intervention began.A UN spokesman has said the civilian death toll alone could top 10,000.

IS expel residents to defend river bank in Mosul

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MOSUL (AFP) - The Islamic State group expelled civilians from their homes along the Tigris on Mosuls west bank, apparently bracing for a cross-river attack on their bastion by Iraqi forces, residents said Monday.The group forced us to leave our homes... without allowing us to take our belongings, a resident of Al-Maidan, a neighbourhood on the citys jihadist-held west bank, told AFP.It deployed gun positions and posted snipers on roofs and at windows, the resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal by the IS gunmen ruling his neighbourhood.We were forced to leave the area because it will become a battlefield and so we moved in with relatives in other parts of the city, he said.Iraqi forces have all but completed their reconquest of Mosuls east bank and commanders are turning their sights to the western side of the city, which is expected to see bitter street battles.The Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight against IS said on Monday that federal forces moved into Rashidiyah, an area on the northern edge and east bank of Mosul still held by IS. Sufian al-Mashhadani, a civil society activist from Mosul, confirmed that the jihadist organisation had deployed fighters in buildings along the west banks river front. Daesh prevented the inhabitants and owners of those homes and shops from taking their belongings and their food, claiming those were now the property of the mujahideen (holy warriors), he said.All the bridges above the Tigris in central Mosul have been either bombed by IS or dropped in air strikes by the US-led coalition.Mosul residents who lived on the eastern side but owned property or businesses on the west bank have seen their homes and shops seized by IS in recent days, said Abdulkarim al-Obeidi, another civil activist.He said others have been expelled on the grounds that they did not have valid permits and licences.Daesh has been distributing those confiscated shops and homes to its fighters on the west bank, especially since their financial resources started decreasing sharply, Obeidi said.Iraqi forces launched the offensive to retake Mosul, the jihadists last major urban hub in Iraq, on October 17.IS fighters on the citys west bank are almost completely surrounded and will be largely unable to resupply but the narrow streets of the old city will make for a lethal terrain when federal forces move in.Baghdads top fighting units have taken casualties in more than three months of what is Iraqs largest military operation in years.Some of them will redeploy to areas south, north and west of the city, while others could attempt to throw bridges across the Tigris to attack from recently retaken areas on the east bank.The Iraqi forces have over the course of their battle against Daesh (IS) in this country developed the capability to do bridging, including bridging while under fire, Colonel John Dorrian, spokesman for the US-led coalition supporting the war on IS, said.US combat engineers have trained ISF engineer units on combat bridging, which the ISF successfully deployed in Ramadi and Qayyarah, said Patrick Martin, Iraq analyst with the Institute for the Study of War.He was referring respectively to the capital of the western province of Anbar that Iraqi forces retook a year ago, and to a town south of Mosul.According to the coalition, IS has lost around two thirds of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and the recapture of Mosul by federal forces would effectively end its days as a land-holding force in the country.The battle to retake Mosuls west bank is expected to be long and difficult however and several observers argue that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis latest timetable that gave his forces three months at the new year to rid the country of IS was optimistic.

Child torture case: Delay in investigation of Karachi police

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - The higher ranked police officers were furious as Karachi police could not find the culprits of child torture case, reported Dunya News.Karachi police arrested seven suspects and took their DNA samples but there was a delay in DNA results. According to police sources, the DNA of girl and sample of her dress would also be taken.On the other hand girl is out of danger now. The result of DNA test would come in 7 to 10 days.

Karachi: 2 kidnappers shot dead, abducted youth recovered

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) and Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) teams conducted a raid at a hideout of kidnappers near Northern Bypass area of Karachi on Monday during which the kidnappers opened fire at the law enforcement agencies personnel an in retaliation two accused were killed.An abducted youth named Faisal was recovered during the raid. The 17-year-old Faisal was abducted on January 5 and his kidnappers were demanding Rs 50 million his release. The bodies of dead kidnappers were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Karachi: Accused nabbed after police encounter

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Police have arrested an accused in injured condition after an encounter in Shah Latif Town area of Karachi on Monday, Dunya News reported.Police sources said that the arrested accused along with his accomplice was busy in looting the residents in Shah Latif Town. His accomplice managed to escape from the scene.Police have also recovered arms and stolen goods from the arrested accused. Further investigation is going on.

Multan metro bus project to be inaugurated today

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MULTAN (Dunya News) - The Multan metro bus project would be inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif today (Tuesday) reported Dunya News.Along with Punjab CM, ambassadors of 30 different countries would also attend the event. All the arrangements were done whereas the road was decorated. The administration was busy yesterday in cleaning the city.In first phase of the project, almost 100,000 people would travel in 35 buses everyday. There are 21 different stations of the bus whereas people could travel 18.5 kilometre.

Bhola confesses to setting Baldia factory ablaze before JIT

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – A joint investigation team (JIT) formed to investigate Reman Bhola, the main suspect in Baldia factory fire case, has completed its report, Dunya News reported.Reman Bhola has confessed to setting Karachi’s Baldia factory ablaze by usinf chemical material before the JIT. The fire at the factory had claimed lives of 257 people. Bhola also confessed to target killing of 14 other people.Bhola also revealed to run an extortion network in Baldia Town and Korangi. The JIT report will be sent to higher authorities for approval.

Lahore: Blaze gutted cardboard factory

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – According to details, fire broke out in a cardboard factory near Khokar Town Stop at Bund Road, Lahore on Monday which spread very quickly to other parts of the factory.Police and rescue teams reached the spot and brought the fire under control after a hectic effort of one houre.The rescue sources said that no one died or wounded in the blaze. However, goods worth million of rupees were destroyed by the fire.

Karachi: 4 injured as car climbs on footpath

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - According to details, a speeding government vehicle climbed on a footpath after it driver lost control of staring in Gulistan-e-Johar Block-17 area of Karachi on Monday, injuring at least four people including the driver of the car.Police sources said that the car belongs to Director, Balochistan University Manzoor and his son was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.Four other vehicles, including a police mobile, were also damaged in the accident. At least four people were arrested by Rangers authorities in connection with the accident. The police sources further informed that the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital.

Golf: Woods hopes to shake off rust with busy calendar

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Tiger Woods said Monday he is confident that his battered 41-year-old body can withstand the rigours of playing in four golf tournaments over the next five weeks.The 14-time major winner, who returned to golf in December at the Hero World Challenge following a 15-month injury layoff, has committed to a hectic schedule which will see him open his 2017 season at this weeks Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.I have played one time in the last 18 months, American Woods said during a news conference Monday at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. I just need to get in some tournament golf. I am looking forward to it. After the Farmers at the Torrey Pines course, Woods will fly off to United Arab Emirates for the Dubai Desert Classic from February 2-5, followed by the Genesis Open at Riviera on February 16-19. He then travels home to Florida to take part in the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens (February 23-26).The Farmers Open will be Woods first full field tournament since undergoing back surgery in 2015. Asked if he is physically up to the task with all the injuries he has endured the past several years, Woods said: That is a concern but I am looking forward to it. I feel I am strong enough to handle the workload. I sat out long enough. I have been on the sidelines so long.Woods admitted Monday that he once doubted whether he would ever return to golf.There was a time when I didnt know if I could ever swing a golf club again and play with my kids, he said.The former world number one Woods may be far from his top form, but he says he still has his sights set on competing in the majors and his first order of business is the Masters in April. I am hoping to get everything right so I can play, he said. I am thinking about it (Masters) now.Woods has won the PGA Tours Torrey Pines tournament seven times in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013.It was the first PGA tournament I went to, Woods said. So I got exposed to pro golf there.Woods last won a major title at the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines by beating Rocco Mediate in an epic 19-hole playoff despite playing with a gimpy left knee that later required surgery.His last PGA title was at the 2013 WGC event in Akron, Ohio.When he tees it up at historic Riviera in just over three weeks it will be his first appearance in the event in 11 years.I have always loved playing this course. I just never played it well, Woods said. I played here as a junior, an amateur and a professional. It is special place.Last month, Tiger Woods played golf with then-President-elect Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club in Florida.Woods described Trump as a big hitter and said the 70-year-old was able to walk the entire 18 holes with him.For a person who is 70 he hits it hard, said Woods. He keeps himself in pretty good shape. We walked all 18 holes and had a great time.Asked if Trump could shoot a score of under 80 at the Riviera course, Woods paused, smiled and said, Not today. It is too wet out there.In addition to finding his form, Woods will be facing in 2017 a new crop of rising young stars such as top ranked Aussie Jason Day, Japanese ace Hideki Matsuyama, four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, eight-time PGA Tour winner Jordan Spieth and the hottest player on the Tour Justin Thomas, who has won three tournaments so far this season.Woods says he hasnt lost the fire and passion for the game that made him one of the best of all-time. I am very excited about getting the season started. I miss playing and competing, said Woods, whose 14 major titles is second to only Jack Nicklaus record of 18.

Trump torpedoes Pacific trade pact

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Donald Trump yanked the United States out of a major Pacific trade deal Monday, making good on an election campaign promise and delivering a hammer blow to Asian allies.Trump said he had terminated the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- a trade deal binding the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Vietnam and seven other allies against growing Chinese economic clout.Together, TPP members represent 40 percent of the world economy.After signing an executive order, Trump said he would be going back to those countries one-on-one to find terms more favorable to the United States.We are going to have trade but we are going to have one-on-one, he said.And if somebody misbehaves, we are going to send a letter of termination -- 30 days and theyll either straighten it out or we are gone.It remains far from clear whether countries that have spent years negotiating the TPP would be willing to enter new talks.Trump came to office promising to gut existing trade pacts and reclaim manufacturing jobs lost overseas.Trump has also vowed to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada. Economists warn those jobs are never coming back and point to automation, not trade, as the main reason.But Trump has sought to tap populist anger and argued for much more transactional trade deals, regardless of the impact on international norms and standards.According to a Petersen Institute analysis, the United States stood to be the biggest beneficiary from TPP, with an annual increase in exports of $357 billion.The Institute also projected that the pact would be broadly neutral for employment levels.President Barack Obamas administration had also touted the deal as a strategic counterweight to China.Trumps Republican ally John McCain described the new presidents decision as a serious mistake that will have lasting consequences for Americas economy and our strategic position in the Asia-Pacific region.It will create an opening for China to rewrite the economic rules of the road at the expense of American workers. And it will send a troubling signal of American disengagement in the Asia-Pacific region at a time we can least afford it.Later Monday, Trump will meet with lawmakers from both houses of Congress as well as the speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan.Tax reform is likely to be high on the agenda.What were doing is we are going to be cutting taxes massively for both the middle class and for companies, Trump said Monday. To pay for those cuts, Trump has promised a border tax, which is likely to come in the form of increased tariffs on exports.That move is likely to face a challenge at the World Trade Organization and from big-box retailers.Trump also vowed Monday to cut regulation massively by up to 75 percent. It remains unclear how this would be done or quantified.Trump signed two other executive orders Monday -- freezing the hiring of federal workers and hitting foreign NGOs that help with abortion.The Republican leader is looking to shift attention firmly back onto his policy agenda after a first few days that put his incoming administration on the back foot.Since he was sworn in on Friday, Trumps White House has been pilloried for lying to the public about inaugural crowds and over a campaign-style speech by the president before a memorial to fallen CIA officers.On Saturday, several million Americans poured onto the streets for women-led demonstrations against Trump, the scale of which were unseen in a generation, in a potent rebuke to the president.Trump has upbraided top aides over unfavorable media coverage on everything from crowd sizes to suggestions he has ruled out releasing his taxes. He is the first presidential candidate in recent memory not to do so.

New Zealand want run-out review after odd dismissal

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CHRISTCHURCH (AFP) - New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has called for a review of run-out rules following the bizarre dismissal of Neil Wagner in the second Test against Bangladesh. Wagner grounded his bat before the ball hit the wickets but was given out because he had no part of his body nor bat on the ground when the bails came off. In the fraction of a second it took for the bails to be dislodged he was mid-stride with both feet in the air and had lifted the bat off the ground. It seems a little bit unfair, Hesson said Tuesday, although the decision did not impact on the outcome of the game as New Zealand went on to win by nine wickets. The New Zealand argument was that if the bat touching the ground behind the line completes a single if the batsmen turn for another run, then it should also complete the single if it is the end of the scoring movement. When your bat bounces over the line, once youve made your ground, thats not really what the run-outs all about, Hesson said. I personally think it (the rule) needs a bit of tinkering. The second Test win in Christchurch completed a tour sweep of Bangladesh with New Zealand claiming both Tests as well as the three one-day internationals and three Twenty20s.Hesson said the 8-0 triumph had given his bowlers in particular confidence going into next weeks one-day series Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series against Australia. Dismissing Bangladesh for 173 in their second innings was probably our best performance with the ball in 12 months, he said. Hesson was also not concerned that Australia were resting two of their biggest draw cards, vice-captain David Warner and Usman Khawaja, for the three-match series. I think theyve got plenty of good players though, he said, recalling that Australia beat New Zealand 3-0 in an ODI series just last month.

Kenya appoint controversial Odumbe as batting coach

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NAIROBI (AFP) - Kenya have appointed former captain Maurice Odumbe -- who was banned for five years -- as their batting coach ahead of the crucial ICC World Cup league qualifier against Nepal.Odumbe, who captained the team from 1996 to 2001 and played a key role in Kenyas three successive World Cup appearances, was suspended from cricket in 2004 after he allegedly received money from bookmakers.The 46 year old is now set to formally join his former teammates, head coach Thomas Odoyo and deputy Lameck Onyango, to prepare for the two-match World Cricket League series against Nepal in Kirtipur on March 11 and 13.Maurice Odumbe is joining us as a batting consultant to bring a fresh approach for the Nepal series. Batting is one area that the team needs to focus on more, especially after the Kenyan batsmen faltered in the last match against Hong Kong, Cricket Kenya chairman Jackie Janmohammed told AFP.Kenya are fifth in the ICC World Cricket League and will need to win at least two of their three remaining matches to have a realistic hope of progressing to the next round of qualifiers for the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England.
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