Friday 10 February 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

First lunar eclipse of 2017 witnessed in Pakistan, other countries

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - The first lunar eclipse of 2017 was witnessed in Pakistan and many other countries in the wee hours of Saturday, reported Dunya News.It was a partial lunar eclipse which started at 3:34 am in Pakistan and it reached its peak at 5:44 am. It ended at 7:53 am as it lasted for over 4 hours.The eclipse was witnessed in countries of Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. The next lunar eclipse would be witnessed on 31 August.The first solar eclipse of the year would be witnessed on 26 February but it would not occur in Pakistan.

Wenger may quit, says Gunners great Wright

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London (AFP) – Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes Arsene Wenger will quit the Premier League club at the end of the season.Wenger is out of contract in the summer and the Gunners boss has yet to agree a new deal amid growing anger among Arsenal fans at the team’s failure to mount a strong title challenge.Arsenal are trailing 12 points behind leaders Chelsea following a damaging 3-1 defeat at their London rivals last weekend.It is 13 years since Wenger last led Arsenal to the English title and some supporters believe it is time for him to go.Wright, who played under Wenger from 1996 to 1998, had dinner with the 67-year-old on Thursday and revealed the end could be in sight after 21 years with the north Londoners.“I was with the boss last night, and if I’m going to be totally honest, I get the impression that that’s it,” Wright told BBC Radio 5 live on Friday.“I was with him for a few hours. He didn’t say to me, ‘I’m leaving at the end of the season’, but I get the impression, looking at him, that that’s it.“He actually mentioned when we were talking that he’s coming to the end. I’ve never heard him say that.”Wenger has won three Premier League titles and six FA Cup since arriving at Arsenal in 1996.But Arsenal sit fourth in the Premier League table and host Hull on Saturday looking to avoid a third successive defeat.Wenger took a swipe at Arsenal’s disgruntled fans this week when he suggested they should follow the example set by supporters of north London rivals Tottenham, who remained loyal after their failed title bid last season.– Winded –It remains to be seen if Wright’s claim that Wenger may be in the final months of his reign proves accurate, but, asked about the changes he has seen in the Frenchman, the former England star said: “On different things we were talking about, (he looked) full of life, you can see he’s switched on – just a wonderful, articulate man, a lovely guy.“You just feel, you know when someone… he looks winded. He looks like someone’s just whopped him in the stomach. He’s lost all his wind.“I feel someone’s going to ask me, ‘Do you think he’ll go at the end of the season?’. I would say, ‘Just judging now… I think he will’.”Wright, Arsenal’s record goalscorer until he was surpassed by Thierry Henry, believes the players have let Wenger down in recent campaigns.“When he came into our dressing room in ’96 it was refreshing to have that kind of management style – he wasn’t shouting, he wasn’t screaming,” Wright said.“We were a dressing room that was self-motivating, with a manager that we’d realised treated you like adults in the work you’re trying to do.“I believe that dressing room could deal with a manager with that passive management style. The teams he’s built, they’ve taken his kindness for weakness.”

Jose Mourinho convinced Ibrahimovic will stay at Man Utd

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Manchester (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho expects Zlatan Ibrahimovic to remain at Old Trafford next season despite speculation linking the Swedish striker with one last big-money transfer, he said on Friday.Ibrahimovic, 35, has been a revelation in his first season in England, scoring 20 goals, and is expected to trigger the option of extending his contract by a year.Napoli and clubs in China and the United States have been linked with the former Paris Saint-Germain striker in recent days, but Mourinho is confident he will remain in United red next season.“I’m totally convinced he is going to stay,” Mourinho told reporters at United’s training base west of Manchester.“He came with the intention to stay two years, but in the minds of everyone the first year is going better than every expectation.“He knows we are going to try again to improve next season and try to share with him in a fantastic way probably the last year of his career at the highest level, so I’m convinced that he’s staying.“He’s adapted to the club, to the situation. I don’t see any problem with his family. I gave him the possibility of a day off to go to Sweden. He doesn’t want (it). So I’m totally convinced he is going to stay.”The United manager also joked about executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward’s use of the word “churn” during a conference call with investors to discuss the club’s latest financial results on Thursday.Woodward said he was expecting to see less “churn” — turnover of first-team players — in the close season and Mourinho was in complete agreement with the approach outlined by his superior.“First of all, yesterday I had to ask a friend about ‘churn’ because I had no idea. It’s a new word for my vocabulary,” Mourinho smiled.“You have to learn every time you can and I thank Ed for that word because I didn’t have an idea.“He’s completely right. Of course we speak about it. Of course we speak about what next and we know that we have a squad that like every squad needs changes.“But we know also that our squad has potential, our squad has good players, many of them in the best age.”– ‘Stable’ –He added: “We prefer to bring two, three or four players, players that feel an idea, a football we try to play, that can improve our squad.“We are not interested in signing six or seven or selling six or seven. We are not going to play this game.“We are stable, so we think our market in the summer will be soft, will be natural. Some players to leave, some players to come, but in a very natural way, so I think the word Ed used was a good one.”While rivals such as Manchester City are expected to make significant moves in the next transfer window, Mourinho says he intends to keep his squad largely as it is.“You work with the players and you know the players better. You only know the players really when you work with them,” he said.“Sometimes you get disappointed because you expect more and even in relation to this everything is balanced. I’m not negatively surprised with anyone.“I didn’t have an incredible impact with some player, so everything is balanced and I think our summer will be quite small.”United will be without centre-back Phil Jones for Saturday’s home game against Watford due to a foot injury.But captain Wayne Rooney is back after missing last weekend’s 3-0 win at champions Leicester City due to illness and defender Marcos Rojo is also available despite picking up a knock in that game.

Conte cant put a price on Chelsea star Eden Hazard

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London (AFP) – Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte could not be persuaded to put a price on star man Eden Hazard on Friday.The Belgian winger scored a magnificent solo goal in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Arsenal last weekend, taking his tally for the campaign to 10 goals and leaving his side nine points clear atop the Premier League.His previous manager, Jose Mourinho, valued Hazard at “£100 million ($124.8 million, 117.3 million euros) per leg”, but Conte shied away from offering a valuation.“I’m not very good to put a price on a player,” the Italian told a press conference at Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, southwest of London.“I think Eden, for sure, is a great player. A top player. He’s in a level very high. But I don’t see the problem, because we don’t want to sell him. He hasn’t a price now.”Hazard, 26, was substituted towards the end of the game against Arsenal and Conte revealed he had taken him off to give the Stamford Bridge faithful a chance to show their appreciation.“I wanted to give him a great applause of our fans,” Conte said.“I think he deserved this for the game that he played, not only with the ball, but above all without the ball.“When I make a substitution there is always a reason. Sometimes I try to preserve some players. Sometimes there is a technical choice.”Having drawn 1-1 at Liverpool prior to the victory over Arsenal, Chelsea have won 16 of their last 18 league games, also dropping points in a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on January 4.Conte takes his side to Burnley on Sunday and while the Clarets sit 12th in the table, he is fully aware that their home record is bettered by only Chelsea and Tottenham.– ‘Six teams’ in race –“When you arrive after two really tough games against Liverpool and Arsenal it’s important to keep continuity and to try to win this game. It won’t be easy, this,” Conte said.“The stats show Burnley are a really strong team at home. Burnley took 28 points at home and only one point away. They won the last five games (at home). We must pay great attention.”With Tottenham playing at Liverpool on Saturday, Mauricio Pochettino’s men have an opportunity to trim Chelsea’s lead to six points, but Conte believes his players would not be perturbed.“If we play before or the other teams play before us, the pressure is always the same,” he said.“If the opponent wins the game and reduces the gap, if the opponent doesn’t win the game and you have the possibility to take more points, I think we have the right experience to live this situation.“If we think that we have (a lead of) nine points and we are very close to winning the title, it’s a great mistake.“There are 14 games to play. They are five teams, with Chelsea six teams, that can fight until the end to win the title. It’s important now, don’t (make a) great mistake in this race.”Chelsea have no new injury concerns, but Conte hailed centre-back David Luiz as a “warrior” for playing through the pain of a knee injury inflicted by Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero in December.Cesc Fabregas and Willian will hope to come into the starting XI at Turf Moor, having both come off the bench against Arsenal.Conte professed ignorance when asked about reports Mourinho’s Manchester United made an approach for Willian last year.“I don’t know about this,” he said. “It’s news for me and not important. For me now the most important thing is the present.”

Pep Guardiola keeps Manchester City goalkeepers guessing

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Manchester (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola defended Claudio Bravo on Friday, calling him a “top, top goalkeeper”, but refused to say if he will restore the Chilean to his starting XI.Willy Caballero, the club’s second-choice goalkeeper, has played in City’s last three matches, with Bravo losing his place after going through a difficult spell.Bravo, bought from Barcelona for £15.4 million ($19.2 million, 18.1 million euros) last August to replace Joe Hart, has not saved any of the last six shots on target he has faced.It means he has not made a stop of any description for City since their 2-1 win over Burnley on January 2.Guardiola picked Caballero for wins over Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Swansea City, but says he has yet to make up his mind whether to restore Bravo to the team at Bournemouth on Monday.“I don’t know. I will decide the day of the game,” he told reporters at City’s training centre.The City manager signed Bravo because he felt the Chilean was better at playing out from the back than England international Hart, who was dropped at the start of the season and then sent out on loan to Torino.Guardiola’s side have conceded 29 league goals this season, 12 more than leaders Chelsea and 11 more than second-place Tottenham Hotspur.However, he believes Bravo’s style is well-suited to the way he wants City to play.“My opinion of Claudio remains the same,” Guardiola said. “He is a top player, a top goalkeeper.“Football here is different. There are more crosses, more special things to deal with, but of course he is a top, top goalkeeper. The decision I take is based on what I see. That is why I am here.”– ‘It’s what I want’ –City, third in the table going into the weekend, have been top scorers in the Premier League for each of the last three seasons and could yet win that honour again this time round.They have 49 goals to their credit, three fewer than joint top-scorers Liverpool and Arsenal, and two short of leaders Chelsea’s total.But Guardiola said catching the tallies of those clubs did not concern him.“I am not concerned too much about that,” he said. “We are not at the beginning of the season. We are in the last months of the season, so I don’t think we are going to achieve (it).”City slipped out of the Premier League’s top four after a wobbly spell in December and January, during which they lost four out of nine matches in the competition.Guardiola acknowledged during that run that he might have made mistakes by tinkering too much with the team’s tactical set-up.A run of three successive wins suggests that difficult spell is over, even though City left it late to beat Swansea 2-1 last Sunday.“When I see the first half against Swansea, it is what I want,” said the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach.“We monopolised the ball. We arrived near their goal six, seven, eight times, although we did not create too many chances because it is so difficult.“I think we are more stable, we control more. Every game is completely different. But Bournemouth is a tough, tough game.”

Rested Real Madrid wait on Gareth Bale return

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Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane hopes to have Gareth Bale back before the second leg of his side’s Champions League last 16 clash with Napoli.The postponement of Madrid’s visit to Celta Vigo last weekend due to storm damage caused to Celta’s Balaidos stadium has allowed Zidane to recover a fully-fit squad bar Bale, who is still working his way back from ankle ligament damage.The Welshman hasn’t featured since late November and whilst Wednesday’s first leg against the Italians is likely to come too early, Zidane is confident of having Bale back well before the return in Naples on March 7.“The return isn’t till March 7 so hopefully he is with us before then,” Zidane said on Friday.“He is back on the field and the only step he has left is to train with the rest of the team.“He is working very hard and I can see the desire he has.”The suspended Toni Kroos is Madrid’s only other absentee for Saturday’s visit to rock bottom Osasuna.Marcelo, Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal are among those to return from injuryHowever, Madrid have only won one of their past six league meetings away at Osasuna and Zidane is not expecting an easy ride despite the fact the Navarrans are yet to win at home in La Liga this season.“We have had time to work, physically we are good and ready to play,” added Zidane.“It is a very difficult place to go and we know that it is top against bottom, which I don’t like at all.“It has always been difficult for us at El Sadar and that isn’t going to change.”

Karachi: 5 accused nabbed in police operation

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Crackdown against criminal elements in Karachi under the National Action Plan (NAP) continues as five accused were taken into custody during police operation in different parts of the city on Friday, Dunya News reported.According to details, three accused were arrested by police after an encounter in Korangi area. The accused were identified as Taimur, Ashfaq and Riaz. Police sources said that arms and stolen goods were recovered from the arrested accused. Further investigation is going on.Separately, Investigation Police carried out an operation in Sir Syed Town area and nabbed two accused. According to SSP Investigation Police Centrl, the accused were identified as Sunny alias Diwana and Faizan and wanted by police in three cases.

One killed, 13 missing as boat capsizes near Larkana

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LARKANA (Dunya News) – One person was killed while 16 were rescued when a boat carrying at least 30 devotees, including women and children, capsized in River Indus in Dokri area near Larkana on Friday, Dunya News reported. At least 13 people were still missing.The devotees, mostly from Naushahro Feroze and Khairpur, were returning after attending the Urs ceremony at the mausoleum of Pir Majban Shah.Rescue teams rushed to the spot and recovered one dead body from the river while 13 still missing. At least 16 people were rescued.The rescue operation was stopped due to darkness and will restart in the morning. A rescue team of Pakistan Navy from Sukkur also arrived to participate in the search operation.

Sialkot: Five injured in fire at petrol shop

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SIALKOT (Dunya News) – According to details, fire broke out at a petrol shop at the Shahabpura Road in Sialkot on Friday. The fire spread to two neighbouring shops and also engulfed two car which were parked at the road.At least five people received burn injuries in the incident. Three of the injured were shifted to Lahore while the other two were admitted at the Civil Hospital.Two Rescue 1122 vehicles reached the spot and brought the fire under control.

Lahore: One killed, two injured as car falls into canal

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – According to police sources, a speeding car fell into canal near Harbanspura Police Station on Friday due to which one person was killed and two other were wounded.The rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the injured to hospital. The hospital sources said that both the injured persons are in stable condition.

Spot-fixing allegations: Muhammad Irfan also out of PSL

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DUBAI (Dunya News) - Pakistan and Islamabad Uniteds fast bowler Muhammad Irfan has also been suspended from Pakistan Super League (PSL) due to spot fixing allegations, reported Dunya News.The tallest bowler in the history of the game joined Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif in the list of players who would be sent back home.Like Sharjeel and Khalid, Irfans mobile was also confiscated by anti-corruption unit and would be checked for the inquiry. He would leave Dubai for Pakistan at 7 am local time.Notification issued by the cricket authority states that an investigation is ongoing into an international syndicate which is believed to be attempting to corrupt Pakistan’s league.Chairman of PSL, Najam Sethi said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics of the case, however this investigation is a clear demonstration of our determination to drive corruption out of our sport. We will not tolerate any form of corrupt activity and as this investigation proceeds we will not hesitate to take further decisive action as appropriate.”“The investigation of the PCB Anti-Corruption Unit backed by the ICC ACU has been effective in dealing with this case to date and we will continue to work in the closest collaboration as the investigation proceeds. We are all absolutely committed to relentlessly pursuing anyone who would seek to damage the integrity of our sport,” he added.Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, Mian Shaharyar M. Khan said: “I must remind all players of their responsibilities in the fight against corruption. They must understand that if they even think they may have been the subject of a suspicious approach, it is their obligation under the PCB Anti-Corruption Code to report it to an appropriate anti-corruption official as a matter of urgency.”“Under no circumstances will the PCB condone actions of a few individuals to bring disrepute to the game of cricket or taint the image of Pakistan,” PCB chief said.The cricket authority has cleared it in its notification that neither the board nor International Cricket Council would further comment on the investigation that is underway.

Trump says US committed to Japan security

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Friday praised the alliance between the United States and Japan as a cornerstone of regional peace and stability, edging away from campaign pledges to force Tokyo to pay more for the US security umbrella.Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began two days of talks with a hug as Abe entered the White House and more handshakes and smiles in the Oval Office. They departed later for Palm Beach, Florida, for a weekend stay at Trumps Mar-a-Lago retreat with their wives.At a joint news conference with Abe, Trump avoided repeating harsh campaign rhetoric that accused Japan of taking advantage of US security aid and stealing American jobs.It was a welcome affirmation for Japan in the face of challenges such as China’s maritime expansion and North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.We are committed to the security of Japan and all areas under its administrative control and to further strengthening our very crucial alliance, Trump said. The bond between our two nations and the friendship between our two peoples runs very, very deep. This administration is committed to bringing those ties even closer, he added.A joint US-Japanese statement said the US commitment to defend Japan through nuclear and conventional military capabilities is unwavering.The statement amounted to a victory for Abe, who came to Washington wanting to develop a sense of trust and friendship with the new US president and send a message that the decades-old alliance is unshakeable.Japan got continued US backing for its dispute with Beijing over islands in the East China Sea that China also claims. The statement said the two leaders affirmed that Article 5 of the US-Japan security treaty covered the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.Abe invited Trump for a visit to Japan this year and Trump accepted. US Vice President Mike Pence will make an early stop in Tokyo.But uncertainty remained in another area, that of trade, after Trump abruptly pulled the United States out of the planned Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.Abe said he was fully aware of Trumps decision to withdraw from the multilateral trade accord. But he said Japan and the United States had agreed on a new framework for economic dialogue.I am quite optimistic that ... good results will be seen from the dialogue, he said, adding that Japan was looking for a fair, common set of rules for trade in the region.Trump, who spoke by phone on Thursday night with Chinese President Xi Jinping, also said he considered dealing with North Koreas nuclear programme a very very high priority but gave no hint as to how his approach would differ from that of his predecessor, Barack Obama.He predicted a level playing field on trade with China soon.The Mar-a-Lago visit will be Trumps first use of his Florida getaway for diplomatic purposes. It will also be the most time Trump will have spent with a foreign leader since taking power last month and his second face-to-face meeting with a key ally after talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May two weeks ago.Trump hosted Abe at Trump Tower last year in his first talks with a foreign leader after his surprise win in the November presidential election.Abe played down his chances in scoring better than Trump in golf.My scores in golf are not up to the level of Donaldat all, but my policy is never up, never in, always aiming for the cup, he said.Japan has had lingering concerns about what Trumps self-styled America First strategy means for US foreign policy in Asia as well as what his decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact means for bilateral economic ties.Abe pledged Japan would help create US jobs, hoping to persuade Trump to turn down the heat on economic matters and stand by the alliance.To avoid questions about whether Japan is paying Trump for Abe to stay at the beachfront Mar-a-Lago retreat, the White House declared that the entire visit there, including golf, is the official gift for Abe from Trump.

Hundreds of thousands rally in Iran against Trump

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THERAN (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied on Friday to swear allegiance to their clerical leaders and reject US President Donald Trumps warning that he had put the Islamic Republic on notice, state TV reported.On the anniversary of Irans 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the US-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, marchers including hundreds of military personnel and policemen streamed towards Tehrans Azadi (Freedom) Square for the main event.They carried Death to America banners and effigies of Trump while a military police band played traditional Iranian revolutionary songs.State TV showed footage of people stepping on Trumps picture in a central Tehran street. Marchers carried the Iranian flag and banners saying: Thanks Mr Trump for showing the real face of America.America and Trump cannot do a damn thing. We are ready to sacrifice our lives for our leader, a young man told state TV, in a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Last week, Trump put Iran on notice after a Jan. 29 Iranian missile test and imposed fresh sanctions on individuals and entities. Iran said it will not halt its missile program.Leading religious and political figures, including President Hassan Rouhani, had urged Iranians to join the rally on Friday to show their unbreakable ties with the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Republic.Tehran and Washington cut diplomatic ties shortly after the revolution, when hardline students stormed the US embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.Among Iranian officials attending the ceremony was Qasem Soleimani, who heads Irans Quds Force and is in charge of foreign operations of the elite Revolutionary Guards Corps.Iran said it had smashed an underground cell linked to Islamic State in recent days that it said wanted to sabotage and carry out devilish acts at the rallies.Some inexperienced figures in the region and America are threatening Iran ... They should know the language of threats has never worked with Iran, Rouhani told the crowd at Azadi Square. We are not seeking tension but we are united before bullying and any threat.The rallies bristled with anti-US and anti-Israeli sentiment. Some protesters carried pictures of Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and British Prime Minister Theresa May with the caption Death to the Devil Triangle.This turnout of people is a strong response to false remarks by the new leaders of America, Rouhani told state TV, which said millions had turned out at rallies across Iran.Many Iranians on social media such as Twitter and Facebook used the hashtag LoveBeyondFlags to urge an end to burning of US flags, a regular feature of these anniversary events.They also thanked Americans for opposing Trumps executive order banning travelers from seven mainly Muslim countries - including Iran - from entry to the United States. The travel ban is being challenged in US courts.Some marchers in the crowds carried banners that read: Thanks to American people for supporting Muslims.Both US-based social media sites are blocked by the government in Iran but many Iranians get around the restrictions to use them. Iranian officials, including Khamenei, have Twitter and Facebook accounts despite the ban.Trump has criticized a nuclear deal reached between Iran, the United States and other major powers in 2015 aimed at curbing the countrys nuclear work. Most of the sanctions imposed on Iran were lifted last year under the deal.Rouhani defended the deal, which his hardline rivals oppose as a concession to pressure from Washington. He said it protected the Islamic Republic’s rights to nuclear power, ending Irans political isolation and crippling economic sanctions.

Yemen's wheat stocks will run out at end of March: UN

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GENEVA: Yemens estimated supplies of wheat will run out at the end of March, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday in a report.It suggests Yemen, an impoverished country crippled by war and on the brink of a major famine, is facing an even more urgent wheat crisis than previously thought. On Jan. 27, the top UN aid official in the country told Reuters that Yemen had roughly three months supply.Yemen is facing the largest food security emergency in the world. Without immediate action, the situation is likely to worsen in 2017, the FAO report said.After almost two years of war between a Saudi-led Arab coalition and the Iran-allied Houthi movement, more than 80 percent of Yemenis are in debt and over half of all households are buying food on credit, with 7.3 million people classed by the UN as severely food insecure.That means they do not know where their next meal is coming from, said UN humanitarian chief Stephen OBrien, who launched an appeal this week for US$2.1 billion (£1.7 billion) for food and other life-saving aid.Yemens biggest traders have stopped new wheat imports due to a shutdown in trade finance and the absence of import guarantees from the central bank, Reuters reported in December.Given that the country is dependent on imports for more than 90 percent of its wheat supplies, this would hasten the decline of food availability in local markets and drastically increase food insecurity in Yemen, the FAO said.The Saudi-led coalition imposes strict conditions on the ports that it controls, and the main port of Hodeidah is badly damaged. The UN, which is hoping to bring in four new mobile cranes to ease congestion at the port, said on Friday that air strikes on Hodeidah had intensified.To complicate matters, Yemens chaotic security situation means that desert locusts are breeding in several areas on the Red Sea Coast and Gulf of Aden, which could further damage the countrys already struggling agriculture sector.Locust experts say it has been impossible to carry out proper monitoring and control of the locust situation within Yemen.The FAO report said almost 1.5 million households engaged in agriculture lacked access to critical inputs such as seeds, fertiliser, fuel for irrigation or animal feed.

Trump speaks with Afghan leader Ashraf Ghani

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump and his Afghan counterpart discussed security in a phone call, officials said, hours after the top US commander in Afghanistan said thousands more troops were needed to break a stalemate with the Taliban.Trump and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also spoke about opportunities to strengthen ties, counterterrorism cooperation and economic development, the White House said in a statement.It said Trump also emphasized the continuing importance of the US-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership and his support for Ghanis government, which is faced with an emboldened Taliban-led insurgency that is still gaining ground after more than 15 years of war.The Afghan Embassy in Washington said Trump and Ghani had spoken on Dec. 3, but Thursdays call was their first since Trumps inauguration on Jan. 20.Hours before the call, General John Nicholson, the commander of US and international troops in Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington he did not have enough troops to adequately advise Afghan forces on the ground.Nicholson said he had enough US troops to carry out counterterrorism operations against the Taliban, al Qaeda and other insurgents but also acknowledged gains made by the Taliban over the past year.We have a shortfall of a few thousand, Nicholson said.Trump has so far offered little clarity about whether he might approve more forces for Afghanistan.About 8,400 US troops remain in Afghanistan, well down from their peak of about 100,000 in 2011.Nicholson said extra forces need not all come from the United States and could also be drawn from other allies.The focus of the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan has narrowed considerably to training Afghan forces and conducting counterterrorism missions since a significant drawdown began under Democratic former US President Barack Obama.Obama was often criticized by Republicans in Congress for focusing too much on driving down US troop numbers in an attempt to force Afghan soldiers to become more self-sufficient.Nicholson said US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis would speak with allies soon and suggested Mattis might also visit Afghanistan, which might help him prepare his own recommendations for Republican Trump.He also spoke of security in Afghanistan in terms of the often-difficult US relationship with Pakistan, long seen as a haven for insurgents from the Taliban, the Haqqani network and other militant Islamist groups.Our complex relationship with Pakistan is best assessed through a holistic review, Nicholson said. Addressing US concerns about Pakistan was at the top of his list of priorities with the Trump administration, he said.The Afghan Embassy in Washington said Trump and Ghani had also discussed regional security issues, as well as the joint fight against terrorism and countries that sponsor it.It also said Trump said he planned to meet Ghani soon.
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