Saturday 11 March 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Rain washes out New Zealand-South Africa first Test

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DUNEDIN (AFP) – The first Test between New Zealand and South Africa in Dunedin was abandoned as a draw Sunday when rain washed out the final day’s play.The umpires waited until the end of the scheduled lunch break before announcing there was no prospect of play as the rain continued to fall.At stumps on day four, South Africa had been 224 for six in their second innings, a lead of 191 runs.The second Test starts in Wellington on Thursday.The last time New Zealand played South Africa in Dunedin, in 2012, New Zealand needed 264 to win with eight wickets in hand when rain washed out the final day.

China says industrial policy not aimed at foreign firms

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BEIJING, March (AFP) - China on Saturday tried to downplay concerns it is reducing market access for foreign enterprises, days after a report by an EU group accused Beijing of trying to skew its business playing field towards domestic firms.The paper, released Tuesday by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, slammed the governments Made in China 2025 plan -- launched two years ago to champion local high-tech manufacturing.While officials have repeatedly said they welcome foreign firms investment in China, the country has erected barriers in a wide variety of sectors from automotive to finance while simultaneously subsidising its own domestic companies.Even so, the EU chambers criticisms were a misreading of the governments intentions, Miao Wei, minister of industry and information technology, told reporters during a press conference on the sidelines of Chinas annual gathering of the countrys top politicians in Beijing.The original intention in formulating this policy was to prevent some companies from using loopholes in government policies to profit from government subsidies, he said, adding that domestic and foreign invested companies will all be treated equally.Miao also refuted the reports claims that China was putting intense pressure on foreign firms to hand over advanced technology in exchange for market access.The government does not yet have this kind of ability to compel state-owned enterprises, how can you say it will compel foreign firms to hand over technology? Miao said.Miaos comments were echoed in a commentary by the official Xinhua News Service, which took the chamber to task for its concerns, saying that foreign firms have long enjoyed super-national treatment, including privileges unimaginable to native businesses.Now the special treatment is being gradually repealed as the government lets the market ... decide, it said.China ranked 84th globally -- behind Saudi Arabia and Ukraine -- in the World Banks ease of doing business index for 2016, and second to last in an OECD report on the restrictiveness towards foreign investment.Since President Xi Jinping took over in 2012, the government has moved away from liberalisation on several fronts, strengthening state-owned enterprises, increasing capital controls and tightening restrictions on free exchange of information and ideas online.The EU is not alone in its concerns: in a report released in January by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, a record 80 percent of 462 US businesses who replied to a survey said they felt that foreign companies were less welcome than in the past.

Modi's party wins India's biggest state to strengthen grip on power

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NEW DELHI (AFP) - Narendra Modis party won a landslide victory in Indias most populous state on Saturday in a massive vote of confidence for the prime minister halfway into his first term.Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party won a surprise absolute majority in Uttar Pradesh in the north, which is home to 220 million people and seen as a key indicator of national politics.Party leader Amit Shah called the win a historic mandate for the BJP and said it would also form governments in Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.These results will set Indian politics in a new direction, he said at a press conference at the partys New Delhi headquarters ahead of a formal election commission announcement of the results due later Saturday.The faith that people have placed in the BJP and in Narendra Modi will pay off.The party won over 300 of the total 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, way above the figure it needs to form a government on its own.It also won a majority in Uttarakhand, but the election commission website showed the opposition Congress Party led in Goa and Manipur with just a handful of seats still to be counted.- Unchallenged dominance -==========================Shah said the result showed Modi, who personally led the campaign in the key battleground state of UP, was now the most popular leader since independence.The BJP had been expected to perform well in UP, but few experts had predicted the scale of the victory in elections viewed as a test of Modis popularity after a controversial ban on high-value banknotes.Experts said the results showed Modi had succeeded in tapping into popular anger over corruption with the move, which was aimed at tackling tax evasion but also led to widespread chaos in a country where most transactions are cash-based.People were more struck by the act itself than by its consequences, said Gilles Verniers, a UP expert at the Ashoka University.It was seen as a move that went beyond party and caste and affected everyone equally -- notably the rich.The results will also strengthen the BJPs hand in parliaments upper house, where the lack of a majority has hampered its reform agenda.In a tweet, Modi said he was overjoyed by the unprecedented support from all sections of society and congratulated party workers.Modis dominance has been largely unchallenged since he won the first overall majority in three decades in the 2014 general election on a pledge to wipe out corruption and kickstart the economy.He already looks well-placed for re-election in 2019 over the centre-left Congress Party, which the BJP ousted from power in 2014.Deputy congress leader Rahul Gandhi congratulated the BJP on their win in a tweet and said his party would fight on.With final results still awaited, Congress appeared to have taken just one state, Punjab, where it fended off a challenge from the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party.In UP the party ran in an alliance with the locally ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), but were trailing in a distant second.Low-caste leader Mayawati, whose Bahujan Samaj Party was in third place in UP, said the results were shocking and asked the election commission to investigate the possibility voting machines had been tampered with.- Rapid development -=======================Celebrations broke out at the BJPs headquarters in state capital Lucknow where euphoric supporters danced to drum beats and handed out sweets.Many local voters said having the BJP in power both nationally and in the state assembly would be beneficial to UP.The state should now witness rapid development. Corruption and nepotism in governance would also come down, housewife Viti Kumar told AFP.SP leader Akhilesh Yadav resigned as chief minister of the state and said he accepted the peoples verdict with humility. The BJP was expected to announce his successor on Sunday.The BJP fared poorly in the last UP state elections in 2012, winning only 47 out of 403 assembly seats, but it clinched 73 out of 80 parliamentary constituencies in 2014 with Modi standing in the holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges.Its win in Uttar Pradesh will have significant implications for the make-up of the Rajya Sabha -- the upper house of parliament.The Rajya Sabha is based on parties strength in the state assemblies, with the biggest states supplying the largest number of MPs.

Dutch polls campaign hits fever pitch amid row with Turkey

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EINDHOVEN: (AFP) - Dutch political leaders hit the campaign trail Saturday, criss-crossing the country to woo voters ahead of next weeks elections now overshadowed by a bitter row with Turkey.On the final weekend before Wednesdays elections, the leaders of six of the top political parties were converging on the southern city of Eindhoven for a key televised debate.Notable by his absence was far-right MP Geert Wilders, whose Freedom Party (PVV) is within a whisker of topping the polls even though he has largely eschewed traditional campaign events.The Dutch polls are being closely watched as a key litmus test of the rise of far-right and populist parties in Europe, with elections due in other countries later in the year.But just four days ahead of the vote, The Netherlands found itself embroiled in a bitter row with Turkey after the Turkish foreign minister was banned from attending a rally in Rotterdam to drum up support for Ankaras high-stakes referendum next month.Erdogan hit back angrily saying the decision to refuse to allow Minister Mevlut Cavusoglus plane to land showed that the Dutch were the vestiges of the Nazis, they are fascists.Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was attending the debate in Eindhoven, denounced Erdogans comments as crazy and way out line.Womens MarchThe peroxide-haired Wilders, who was campaigning on the streets of the southern town of Valkenberg, welcomed the decision and credited the heavy PVV pressure on the government.Dubbed the debate of the South, Saturdays televised event was to hear from party leaders how they would tackle issues such as crime, the economy, the greying population and drugs.But hundreds of kilometres away further north, thousands of people gathered to take part in a Womens March in Amsterdam to combat hatred and intolerance.Modelled on the marches which took place across the globe after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, participants donned pink and orange so-called pussy hats and demanded greater equality and inclusiveness in The Netherlands.Just before Saturdays debate, Jesse Klaver, the leader of the left-wing ecologists GroenLinks was going door-to-door on the streets of Eindhoven.The 30-year-old drew some 5,000 people to a US-style debate in central Amsterdam earlier this week, said to be the largest political gathering ever held in th country, and is seen as a potential kingmaker for the next coalition government.Ruttes Liberal VVD, the ruling partner in the outgoing coalition, is narrowly ahead and expected to win 24 seats on Wednesday, according to the latest polls.Wilders and his PVV and the long-established Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA)party are predicted to take 22 each.The polls also suggest that the left-wing ecologists GroenLinks could complete a stunning rise by winning 20 seats.

Sri Lanka's Herath targets 400 Test wickets

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GALLE (AFP) - Rangana Herath grabbed six wickets in the second innings to become Test crickets most successful left-arm spinner as Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by 259 runs in their first Test at Galle on Saturday.Herath finished with 6-59, his 23rd five or more wicket haul, which took his tally in Tests to 366 wickets, going past New Zealands Daniel Vettori, who has 362 wickets to his name.His exploits helped Sri Lanka dismiss Bangladesh for 197 runs in the second innings in less than two sessions on the fifth day after the visitors resumed play promisingly on 67-0.I would say kind of a big achievement, but I must thank every single person who has supported me - the support staff, my family - I want to say thank you to all of them, Herath said about his record.Everybody chipped in and I must congratulate everyone because it is a team effort, he said about the victory.Herath claimed four of the last five wickets that fell in the post-lunch session as Bangladesh were folded in 60.2 overs to hand Sri Lanka a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera claimed two wickets in the morning to trigger the collapse in Bangladesh innings before Herath took charge of Sri Lankas bowling unit.Bangladesh lost unbeaten-overnight batsman Soumya Sarkar in the second ball of the morning and failed to regroup as they lost wickets at regular intervals.Soumya got a leading edge off the first ball, which somehow missed a fielder. However, the next ball of medium pace Asela Gunaratne clipped the bails of his off stump to dismiss the left-hander with his overnight score of 53.Perera then struck in successive overs, trapping Mominul Haque leg-before for five before forcing a catch from Tamim Iqbal to Gunaratne at slip for 19.Herath delivered further blows when he removed Shakib Al Hasan for eight and handed Mahmudullah a second-ball duck in a space of three balls in one over.Shakib gloved a catch to Dimuth Karunaratne at leg slip while Mahmudullah was deceived by an arm ball, which hit his back foot, to be adjudged lbw.Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim and wicketkeeper-batsman Liton Das put 54 runs for the sixth wicket but Sri Lanka wrapped the innings quickly once left-arm spinner Lakshan Sandakan broke the stand.Mushfiqur fell to Sandakan for 34 runs before Herath removed Liton for 35 runs to expedite the win.Mushfiqur refused to blame the pitch for their defeat.I thought the wicket is still pretty good to bat, it does not look like a day five wicket, he said.It came down to how we batted on the final day and the first session was going to be crucial, but we unfortunately lost wickets.Sri Lankas Kusal Mendis was named man of the match for his heroic 194 runs in the first innings.I am extremely happy about the achievement and thank Rangana Herath and rest of the team for the support, he said.The second Test, Bangladeshs 100th, will be held in Colombo between March 15-19.

Punjab Peace and Cultural Festival inaugurated in Lahore

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Punjab Peace and Cultural Festival was inaugurated in Punjabi Complex on Saturday. It was launched by Provincial Minister Mian Mujtba Shujah ul Rehman and held in Punjabi Complex.The member of Punjab’s cabinet said during his address that after the successful venture of PSL 2017 final in Lahore, the world has recognized peace in Pakistan. “Terrorism is badly hurting our culture. Such festivals are necessary to restore the peace”, he said.PTI leader Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed also attended the occasion and said that it was our duty to transfer the culture from one generation to another, adding that terrorism and internet had affected our daily life.“Festivals and Punjabi language have came to a halt which is concerning. The language of Sufi saints preaches peace”, he added.The attendees enjoyed refreshing and colorful activities during the occasion.

Intruder arrested after breaching White House grounds: US media

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WASHINGTON: (AFP) - An intruder with a backpack was arrested after breaching the White House grounds while US President Donald Trump was there, US media said Saturday.After scaling a fence, the suspect was arrested by the US Secret Service after the late Friday incident in the nations capital, according to the Washington Post.The paper said authorities did not find dangerous materials inside the backpack following a screening. The grounds of the presidential complex were also deemed safe.Trump, who is spending the weekend in Washington, was in the White House at the time and was apprised of the situation, CNN said.

Neymar misses Barca trip to Deportivo

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BARCELONA: (AFP) - Barcelona will be without Neymar after his Champions League heroics against Paris Saint-Germain when the Spanish champions continue their quest for a third straight La Liga title at Deportivo la Coruna on Sunday.Neymar scored twice and set up Sergi Robertos remarkable 95th-minute winner as Barca completed the biggest Champions League comeback of all time from a 4-0 first leg deficit in a 6-1 win.However, the Brazilian missed training on Saturday due to a left abductor strain and hasnt been included in Luis Enriques 18-man squad.Neymar was pictured celebrating Barcas comeback along with three-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton into the early hours of Thursday morning.Luis Enrique, though, insisted he is confident his side wont suffer a hangover at Deportivo with the Spanish title race on a knife-edge.I have trust in the experience of my players to know that we have a lot at stake, said Luis Enrique on Saturday.Barca lead Real Madrid at the top of the table by a point, but Madrid have a game in hand.Wednesdays exploits have raised hopes Barca can claim a second treble in three seasons as they are heavy favourites for the Copa del Rey final against Alaves.However, Enrique, who will leave the club at the end of the season, tried to temper expectations.We are aware that everything is still to be decided, he added.There are eight teams left in the Champions League, three competing for La Liga and two in the Cup.That means we can win zero, one, two or three titles. Right now we can only concentrate on Deportivo.Midfielder Rafinha also misses out for Barca due to gastroenteritis.

Boateng's delight at Bayern return

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BERLIN: (AFP) - Germany defender Jerome Boateng was delighted to make his comeback on Saturday after shoulder surgery on a red-letter day for Bayern Munich, who went 10 points clear in the Bundesliga.Robert Lewandowki netted twice in a 3-0 win at home to Eintracht Frankfurt at the Allianz Arena to leave Bayern with 28 goals from their last six games.The 28-year-old Boateng, a 2014 World Cup winner with Germany, came off the bench for the final 25 minutes having been sidelined for 108 days following surgery last December.It was an unbelievable feeling to be on the pitch again today, said Boateng.Ive worked hard for it. I want to thank the team and my family.I am really happy and hope that I can play without injury until the end of the season.Boateng, who has made 67 appearances for Germany, made his first few minutes of football in 2017 count, touching the ball 30 times with 28 passes.I still need to find my rhythm, but I want to help the team.Boatengs return boosts the German giants, who are also well-placed to complete a treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup titles.Carlo Ancelottis Bayern are on course to claim a fifth straight German league title in the Italians first season in charge, having reached the Champions Leagues quarter-finals and the German Cups last four.

Edhi's son, grandson receive death threats

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – It was reported on Saturday that son and grandson of Abdul Sattar Edhi received death threats. These threats were received just after his son Faisal Edhi and grandson Saeed Edhi pleaded for justice over robbery at Kharadar’s Edhi Center.The charitable organization remains deprived of justice as well as their robbed assets. Surprisingly, they received death threats in front of police officers during after case hearing.PICTURE: Complain filed by Faisal EdhiThe popular humanitarian and philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi faced many awful experiences in his career. Edhi Center at Kharadar in Karachi was robbed and the alleged robber is now threatening his children to make them remain silent.The children of Edhi seek justice and remain in pursuit of extending their father’s exceptional humane efforts.VIDEO: Faisal Edhi breaks silence about death threats

Twin Damascus bombs kill 46 including many pilgrims

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DAMASCUS (AFP) - Twin bombs targeting Shiite pilgrims on Saturday killed 46 people in Damascus, most of them Iraqis, a monitoring group said, in one of the bloodiest attacks in the Syrian capital.There have been periodic bomb attacks in Damascus, but the stronghold of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad has been largely spared the destruction faced by other major cities in six years of civil war.A roadside bomb detonated as a bus passed and a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Bab al-Saghir area, which houses several Shiite mausoleums that draw pilgrims from around the world, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.There are also dozens of people wounded, some of them in a serious condition, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.State television said there were 40 dead and 120 wounded after terrorists detonated two bombs.It broadcast footage of several white buses with their windows shattered, some of them heavily charred.Shoes, glasses and wheelchairs laid scattered on the ground covered in blood.Syrian Interior Minister Mohammad Shaar said the attack targeted pilgrims of various Arab nationalities.The sole aim was to kill, he said.The Iraqi foreign ministry said around 40 of its nationals were among the dead and 120 among the wounded.A witness told an AFP photographer that the second bomb struck as passers-by gathered at the scene of the first attack, while state television said a booby-trapped motorcycle was defused nearby.There was no immediate claim of responsibility.Shiite shrines are a frequent target of attack for Sunni extremists of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group (IS), not only in Syria but also in neighbouring Iraq.The foreign ministry in Damascus condemned the cowardly terrorist attack which comes in response to victories of the Syrian Arab Army against jihadists.The Sayeda Zeinab mausoleum to the south of Damascus, Syrias most visited Shiite pilgrimage site, has been hit by several deadly bombings during the war.Twin suicide bombings in the high-security Kafr Sousa district of the capital in January killed 10 people, eight of them soldiers.- More peace talks planned -============================That attack was claimed by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front which said that it had targeted Russian military advisers working with the Syrian army.It was widely seen as an attempt to disrupt UN-brokered peace talks that took place the following month which to the anger of Fateh al-Sham were supported by its former Islamist rebel ally Ahrar al-Sham.UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has called a new round of talks for March 23.Fateh al-Sham has been repeatedly bombed in its northwestern stronghold this year, not only by the Syrian army and its Russian ally but also by a US-led coalition battling IS in both Syria and Iraq.The rift over the UN-brokered talks between the rebels and the government has also seen deadly clashes between jihadists and their former Islamist rebel allies.The two groups had together seized virtually all of the northwestern province of Idlib but are now vying for territorial control.In Baghdad, the foreign ministry blamed the Damascus attack on takfiri groups, referring to Sunni extremists.The bombings could provide the impetus for increased Iraqi strikes against IS in Syria, which Baghdad has already carried out near the border.Iraqi forces launched an operation to retake Mosul -- the last IS-held city in Iraq -- in October.They recaptured its eastern side and now have their sights set on its more densely populated west.The jihadists de facto capital in Syria, the northern city of Raqa, is under threat from advancing Turkish-backed Syrian rebels, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces as well as Syrian government troops supported by Russia.Three hundred families of foreign IS fighters have fled Raqa in 24 hours on boats across the Euphrates River to the south, the Observatory said Saturday.While bomb attacks are rare in Damascus, the capital has been the target of shelling by rebels who hold areas on the outskirts.The deadliest bombing around Damascus targeted the Shiite shrine of Sayeb Zeinab in February 2016, costing 134 lives, in an attack claimed by IS.

Ishaq Dar calls on President Mamnoon Hussain at Aiwan-e-Sadr

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Federal Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar called upon President Mamnoon Hussain at Aiwan-e-Sadr, reported Dunya News.Both the leaders discussed matters related to ongoing political situations during the meeting.The federal minister informed President Mamnoon Hussain about the progress in extension of military courts and also the consultation process with other political parties in this regard.While briefing the president about the economic situation of the country, Ishaq Dar let it be known that the government is focusing completely upon the economic stability of the country.

Sindh govt issues Rs 500 million to KMC, reveals CM

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah has on Saturday revealed that Karachi Mayor constantly talks about his due powers and that fact is that the Sindh government issues funds amounting Rs 500 million to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation on monthly basis.Sindh CM let it be known that he won’t allow the rights to commercialize the welfare plots and henceforth its selling. He expressed that the usurping nullahs and streams and later on transforming them into marriage halls later on won’t be tolerated at all.Murad Ali Shah revealed that the rights of hijacking the city won’t be transferred as well.He let it be known that we don’t want to defeat you in the upcoming elections; however you are going to lose them owing to your own actions.

Mobile phones of Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif handed to FIA

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) – Mobile phones of Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif have on Saturday been handed over to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), reported Dunya News.FIA will also obtain the data of the cricketers and the bookies in this PSL fixing scandal. The mobile phones of both the cricketers will be sent for forensic testing.FIA will also obtain bookies’ data. The agency has already presented its initial report to Ministry of Interior.

Marlon Samuels salutes Pakistan army chief

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WEB DESK: (Dunya News) – West Indies batsman, and Peshawar Zalmi star, Marlon Samuels has on Saturday thanked Pakistan’s chief of army staff for the security during Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Lahore earlier this month, reported Dunya News.In a video message on Twitter, Marlon Samuels said that it was a privilege and an honour for him to acknowledge the acknowledgement by army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. He said that he loved his time in Pakistan and also praised the security arrangements for the match.He said that it wasn’t just him going to Pakistan but a lot more than that. “It’s the significance behind a team, and the success of a team and the smiles on the faces of the people”, he said. He thanked the army for the way that they dealt with the things.Thanking PSL champs Peshawar Zalmi owner Javed Afridi, Samuels said that he couldn’t ask for a better host in Dubai and coming to Pakistan. “I spend a lot of time in Jamaica with Pakistanis. They’re all my friends. So I’m Pakistani in my heart. It didn’t take much for me to decide to come to Pakistan because I’m a bit of a soldier”, he said.He added that he had a lovely sleep in Pakistan and it was time for cricket to return to Pakistan. “And I will continue to promote this until I die. From the bottom of my heart, I say it to you: Pakistani I’m with you”, Samuels said.
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