Thursday 2 March 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Nadal, Djokovic advance in Acapulco

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ACAPULCO (Agencies) - Second-seeded Rafael Nadal remained perfect in matches at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel ATP event in Acapulco, Mexico, by easing past Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-1, 6-1 in a second-round match Wednesday.Nadal improved his record to 12-0 at this event, needing only 66 minutes to get past Lorenzi.Nadal broke Lorenzis serve five times and lost only five points on his serve, never facing a break point.Nadals opponent in the quarterfinals will be Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan, who eliminated Aussie Jordan Thompson 6-4, 3-6, 6-0. Nishioka defeated seventh-seeded Jack Sock in three sets in the first round.Top-seeded Novak Djokovic faced a strong challenge from Argentinas Juan Martin del Potro on Wednesday, but the Serb emerged with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.Next up for Djokovic is a quarterfinal matchup with sixth-seeded Nick Kyrgios of Australia, who defeated Donald Young of the United States 6-2, 6-4.I played really well today, Kyrgios said. Im really enjoying my time here.American Sam Querrey recorded the biggest upset of the day, eliminating fifth-seeded David Goffin of Belgium 6-2, 6-3 in 69 minutes. Querrey lost only four points on his first serve.Third-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia was pushed to three sets but won the critical points to beat 20-year-old Borna Coric of Croatia 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Cilic, who fired 12 aces, had only two break-point opportunities in the third set but converted both to improve his record against his countryman to 4-0.Cilics quarterfinal opponent will be American Steve Johnson, who eliminated Ernesto Escobedo 7-6 (5), 6-3.Fourth-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria scored a 7-5, 6-3 win over Frances Adrian Mannarino.

Syria army retakes ancient Palmyra from IS

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Syrian troops backed by Russian jets completed the recapture of the historic city of Palmyra from the Islamic State group Thursday, the Kremlin and the army said, in another blow to the jihadists.Bolstered by air strikes and ground troops from their ally Moscow, Syrian forces battled through the desert for weeks to reach Palmyra.The oasis city has traded hands several times during Syrias six-year civil war and become a symbol of ISs wanton destruction of priceless cultural heritage in areas under its control.Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu informed President Vladimir Putin of Palmyras recapture, a Kremlin spokesman told news agencies in Moscow.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said that the jihadists had totally withdrawn from the desert city but not before mining several areas. The Syrian army is still clearing neighbourhoods of mines and has not spread out into the whole city yet, said its director, Rami Abdel Rahman.An army statement carried on state news agency SANA said its forces had regained control over Palmyra and surrounding territory after a series of successful military operations.IS has suffered a string of setbacks since taking over swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014, and its two main strongholds of Mosul and Raqa both face assaults by forces backed by a US-led coalition.The jihadists first seized Palmyra in May 2015 and began to systematically destroy and loot the UNESCO world heritage sites monuments and temples.They were driven out in March 2016 but recaptured the city in December when the government was focused on seizing rebel-held east Aleppo.Before IS first entered the city, Palmyra boasted temples, colonnaded alleys and elaborately decorated tombs that were among the best preserved classical monuments in the Middle East.But many of the structures have been destroyed and much of the heritage looted for sale on the black market.Moscows support has been key in the Syrian armys Palmyra push, and its warplanes continued to bombard IS positions inside and near the city on Thursday, the Observatory reported.A decades-old ally of Damascus, Moscow launched an air campaign in September 2015 in support of President Bashar al-Assads forces.After losing ground in the early years of the war, Assads regime has regained significant territory -- including by pushing rebel forces out of second city Aleppo last year -- thanks in large part to Russian support.On another battle front against IS, fighters of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced they would cede several villages to the government as part of a deal brokered by Russia to avoid conflict with Turkey.Turkey launched a cross-border operation in late August that it said aimed to counter both IS and the SDF, which is dominated by Kurdish fighters that Ankara sees as terrorists. The surprise announcement by the SDF marks the first time that US-supported fighters offered to cede territory to Assads forces.It said the territory to be handed over lay between the towns of Manbij and Al-Bab, which Turkish-backed fighters captured last week from IS, to create a buffer zone between them. Ankara meanwhile renewed its threat to bomb Kurdish fighters unless they withdrew from Manbij, a former bastion of IS that is now under SDF control.The Turkey-backed rebels launched their advance on Manbij on Wednesday, initially seizing two villages but losing them to the SDF by Thursday. Six rebels and one SDF fighter were killed, the Observatory said. The profusion of forces operating in Syria has muddled the battlefield and on Wednesday a US general said Russian warplanes had bombed SDF fighters mistakenly believing they were IS.The Russian defence ministry denied carrying out the air strikes.Russia on Thursday accused Syrias main opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), of sabotaging sputtering UN-led Syrian peace talks in Geneva and questioned their ability to reach a deal. The results of the first days of the intra-Syrian dialogues, as before, raise questions over the ability of the Syrian opposition representatives to reach a deal, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Moscow had earlier called for terrorism to be added to the agenda of the talks, which have so far focused on three topics: governance, the constitution, and elections. But the HNC late Wednesday refused, having previously accused Assads regime of wanting to turn the focus to terrorism as a distraction from political questions.The Geneva talks, the fourth round of UN-sponsored negotiations in the war, are expected to end by the weekend, though no formal timeframe has been set.

Syria, Russia blast opposition at faltering peace talks

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GENEVA (AFP) - Syria on Thursday accused the main opposition of taking UN-backed peace talks hostage over its refusal to include terrorism on the agenda, warning it would be reponsible if the sputtering negotiations fail.Russia, a key ally of Damascus, also attacked the opposition led by the High Negotiations Committee, which said it was pinning its faltering hopes on the new US administration of President Donald Trump.Progress in the Geneva round must not be held hostage by the Riyadh platform, lead Syrian negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari told reporters, referring to the Saudi-backed HNC.Speaking after confirming that Syrian forces had liberated the historic city of Palmyra from the Islamic State group, he said the opposition will be responsible for any failure of the Geneva talks.The HNC said Wednesday that terrorism could not be added to the faltering talks, launched by UN envoy Staffan de Mistura last Thursday and which are expected to stumble to an end by this weekend despite few signs of progress.The opposition has charged that Damascus fixates on the role of jihadists in the conflict to distract from discussions on political transition and organising elections in the war-ravaged country. We will not deal with it, and if (de Mistura) adds it in any time we will not deal with it or discuss it, HNC delegation chief Yehya Kodmani told reporters on Wednesday. Jaafari said that answer did not come as a surprise, in part because a lot of the members of the HNC are considered terrorists, a charge he has levelled in previous rounds. The issue has overshadowed the Geneva talks, in particular after a suicide assault in Syrias third-largest city of Homs last weekend which killed dozens of people.Earlier Thursday in Moscow a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman accused the Syrian opposition of sabotaging the Geneva talks.The results of the first days of the intra-Syrian dialogues, as before, raise questions over the ability of the Syrian opposition representatives to reach a deal, said spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. She added that the HNCs refusal to cooperate on an equal footing with two Russian-backed groups meant that it was de facto sabotaging the full dialogue with both the Syrian government delegation and with other opposition groups.Speaking late Wednesday in Geneva, the HNC said it is counting on the new US Trump administration to play a positive role after catastrophic policy mistakes under his predecessor Barack Obama.We are here to... send a message to the new American administration which is trying... to fight terrorism, that we are the side working for peace and security in Syria, said HNC delegation chief Nasr al-Hariri.The Syrian people are paying the price because of the Obama administrations catastrophic mistakes, he told a small group of journalists.

Egypt appeals court acquits Mubarak over protester killings

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CAIRO (AFP) - Egypts top appeals court on Thursday acquitted Hosni Mubarak of involvement in the killing of protesters during a 2011 revolt, ending the final trial for the strongman who ruled for 30 years.Mubarak had been sentenced to life in 2012 but an appeals court ordered a retrial, which dismissed the charges two years later. Thursdays ruling by the Court of Cassation is final.The trial was Mubaraks last, after prosecutors levelled various charges against him following his February 2011 resignation.He was accused of inciting the deaths of protesters during the 18-day revolt, in which about 850 people were killed as police clashed with demonstrators.Mubarak, 88, has spent most of his time in a military hospital since his arrest in 2011.In January 2016, the appeals court upheld a three-year prison sentence for Mubarak and his two sons on corruption charges.But the sentence took into account time served. Both his sons, Alaa and Gamal, were freed.Six years after his overthrow, most of the charges brought against his regime members have been dismissed while the country still recovers from the aftermath of the uprising.The revolt had ushered in years of instability that drove away tourists and investors, decimating the economy.Mubaraks Islamist successor, Mohamed Morsi, served for only a year before the military ousted and detained him in 2013, launching a deadly crackdown on his supporters.Morsi and hundreds of Islamists have been sentenced in mass trials, although many of them are appealing the verdicts.A former air force chief and vice president, Mubarak became president after jihadists who had infiltrated the army shot dead president Anwar Sadat during a military parade in 1981, also wounding Mubarak.He remained defiant throughout his trial.I did nothing wrong at all, he told a private broadcaster after receiving the life sentence in 2012 over the deaths of protesters.When I heard the first verdict I laughed. I said: Ha.Apparently referring to economic growth, he said: The last 10 years showed more results than the 20 years before, including telephones and so on, and then they turned against us.Critics say that the abuses they fought under Mubarak have returned with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former army chief who toppled Morsi.Morsis overthrow sparked a jihadist insurgency that has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers.It has also led Sisi to argue that while he supports human rights, the dangers facing the country also require a firm hand.

12 Qaeda suspects dead in drone strikes: Yemen officials

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ADEN (AFP) - Five separate US drone strikes killed at least 12 suspected Al-Qaeda members in Yemen on Thursday, security officials said, barely a month after a controversial American commando raid against the jihadists.A dawn strike targeted the home of a known Al-Qaeda member in Yashbum valley in the southern province of Shabwa province, a provincial security official told AFP. Four suspected militants standing outside the house were killed, he said.A second strike on Al-Qayfa in Baida province, further north, killed three suspected Al-Qaeda members, a local official and a tribal chief said.Another strike targeted the jihadists in the Sawmaa district of the province, the local official said. And a fourth targeted an Al-Qaeda position east of Shaqra in the southern province of Abyan, a security source said.There was no immediate word of casualties in the Sawmaa and Shaqra strikes.In the afternoon, another drone strike hit a vehicle in Wadea district of Abyan province, killing five more Qaeda suspects, a security official said.Al-Qaeda briefly overran Shaqra early last month just days after the January 29 US raid on one of their compounds in Baida province in which a Navy SEAL was among the dead.As many as 16 civilians -- eight women and eight children -- were also killed, a provincial official said, drawing condemnation of the raid from human rights groups.The Pentagon has acknowledged non-combatants including children were killed in what was the first such operation of Donald Trumps presidency.Washington gives only occasional reports on its drone strikes but it is the only country known to operate the unmanned aircraft in Yemen.Jihadists have exploited a power vacuum created by two years of war between Yemens government and rebels who control the capital to consolidate their presence, particularly in the south and east.UN aid chief Stephen OBrien wound up a visit to Yemen with a call for an end to the conflict in order to ease the impoverished countrys humanitarian crisis.The best humanitarian solution is for there to be peace, he told reporters at Sanaa airport.OBrien expressed anger at being prevented on Tuesday from visiting the flashpoint southwestern city of Taez.I was outraged that humanitarian efforts to reach people in need were once again thwarted by parties to the conflict, especially at a time when millions of Yemenis are severely food insecure and face the risk of famine, he said.OBrien was denied passage at the final checkpoint as he headed from the rebel-controlled north to Taez, where pro-government forces are holed up.In fighting on Thursday, 12 Shiite Huthi rebels and six soldiers were killed in clashes near Mokha, a western coastal town captured last month by loyalists, medics and military sources said.The rebels wrestled back control over Jabal al-Nar, 10 kilometres (six miles) to the east of Mokha, a military official said.More than 7,500 people have been killed and 40,000 others wounded since March 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of the government, according to the UN.

Deadly blast rips through Ukraine coal mine

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KIEV (AFP) - Eight miners died Thursday when a methane gas explosion tore through a pit in western Ukraine, in the latest mine disaster in the ex-Soviet state.Rescuers said they had managed to save an additional 20 miners who were trapped underground when the blast hit the mine in the western Lviv region near the border with Poland.Ukraines emergency ministry and prosecutors said eight miners died. The ministry said six others were hurt.Officials said Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and Energy Minister Igor Nasalyk immediately left for the site after hearing the news.Ukraine has frequent mine accidents that claim dozens of lives at a time.But this is the first major explosion reported this year.Ukraine relies heavily on coal for electricity and heat despite efforts by Western donors to weaken the east European countrys dependency on the polluting fuel.Many of the mines are in a dilapidated condition and deemed too dangerous to operate.The regions governor Oleg Synyutka said the mine was preparing to raise its output at the time of the blast.Ukraine is currently experiencing a rail strike by pro-Kiev army members and their sympathisers who have halted the coal trade with the heavily industrial east.Most of Ukraines coal is produced in the eastern region that has been the site of a 34-month separatist conflict that has claimed at least 10,000 lives.This means that Ukraine is now trying to boost the operations of other pits under its control -- including the one in Lviv.Because we have stopped receiving coal from the east of Ukraine, we were preparing to increase the production output of the Lvovugol mines, Synyutka said in televised remarks.Whether this explosion is linked to that work or not is now being checked.Officials said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was being briefed on the situation and had declared a day of national mourning over the disaster.The head of Ukraines Independent Trade Unions of Coal Miners Mykhaylo Volynets said the pit had not been modernised for years.It operated using outdated equipment and lacked the necessary safety means, he said.Ukraine has other natural resources such as oil and gas.But those are preserved deep underground or offshore in the Sea of Azov -- a region claimed by Russia when it annexed Ukraines Crimea peninsula in March 2014.The war meanwhile has scared off foreign investors from betting big money on Ukrainian energy projects.

Multan: Abducted child recovered, three kidnappers arrested

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MULTAN (Dunya News) – According to details, three-year-old Fahim was playing outside his house in Mateela Town area of Multan when three persons kidnapped him and tried to take him to Karachi.The heirs of the child informed police who conducted a raid on a bus near Sadiqabad and rescued the child from kidnappers. Police have also arrested three kidnappers.Police sources said that the accused were taking the child to Karachi to hand over him to a man for just Rs 30,000. Police have also registered a case and started investigation.

PM Nawaz to visit North Waziristan today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will visit North Waziristan today (Friday) to lay foundation stone of Kurram Tangi Dam, Dunya News reported. Kurram Tangi Dam would have a water storage capacity of 1.2 million acre-feet (MAF) in addition to generating 83.4 megawatts (MW) of electricity.Sources said that Kurram Tangi Dam would be completed in two phases. The first phase of the project will be completed in about three years.

Two army men martyred, four terrorists killed in FR Bannu operation

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RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) – Two army personnel were martyred and four terrorists were killed in exchange of fire in Frontier Region (FR) Bannu on Thursday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.According to details, the security forces carried out an operation in Jani Khel area of FR Bannu on intelligence report during which terrorists present in the area opened fire at army personnel. The security forces retaliated and shot dead four terrorists. Two army officials also embraced martyrdom during the gunfight, including Lieutenant Khawar and Naik Shehzad.

Tennis: Murray survives seven match points in Dubai epic

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DUBAI (AFP) - Andy Murray saved seven match points to reach the semi-finals of the Dubai Championships with a marathon 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (20/18), 6-1 win over Germanys Philipp Kohlschreiber on Thursday.The top seed managed to avoid joining second seed Stan Wawrinka and seven-time winner Roger Federer on the sidelines after the Swiss pair crashed out in earlier rounds.But world number one Murray needed to scrap and struggle for almost three hours against 33-year-old Kohlschreiber, with the pair duelling in a 31-minute second-set tiebreaker which determined the final direction of the epic quarter-final.It was very rewarding to come through a match like that and obviously Im very pleased to get through it, Murray said.I would have been very disappointed if Id lost the second set, but also, I didnt feel like I was playing badly.I played a poor tiebreak in the first set, but apart from that, I felt I was playing pretty well and he was playing really good stuff.The Scot held off Kohlschreibers match points, but still needed eight set points to take the contest into a decisive final set. The result ended Kohlschreibers quest for a 400th match win.Thursdays dramatic second set equalled five other 20-18 tiebreaks recorded since tiebreak scores were first kept in 1991. Such was the drama that Murray and Kohlschreiber forgot to change ends at 15/15, instead changing at 16/16.Ive never played a tiebreak that long ever. Not in juniors, nothing even close to that, Ill probably never play another one like that again, Murray said. Ive have been playing on the tour for 11, 12 years now, and nothings been close to that.Murray will next meet either French seventh seed Lucas Pouille or Russian qualifier Evgeny Donskoy, who sensationally eliminated Federer in the second round.Murray has never won the Dubai title, but came close in 2012 when he was runner-up to Federer.In the bottom half of the draw, fourth seed Gael Monfils fired 10 aces but still crashed out 6-3, 7-5 to Fernando Verdasco.The French showman was unable to make a major impression in a match which was paused for almost half an hour in the closing stages due to light rain. Spains Verdasco will play his second semi-final of the season on Friday, facing Dutchman Robin Haase, a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Bosnian Damir Dzumhur.Monfils lost for the first time in four meetings against Verdasco, with the unseeded Spaniard taking charge from the start.Verdasco spent 35 minutes in winning the opening set and set about consolidating in the second.The 33-year-old, ranked 35th, broke for 3-2 with Monfils saving three break points in the seventh game to stay in touch.But Verdasco then produced a love game for 5-3 just before rain stopped play. The Spaniard finally prevailed after 81 minutes.I played almost a perfect match, Verdasco said. Im very happy, it was a really complete match in all the ways that you can imagine.

Tennis: Cilic into Acapulco semis without lifting racquet

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ACAPULCO (AFP) - Third-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic reached the semi-finals of the ATP Mexico Open without hitting a ball Thursday as American Steve Johnson withdrew.World number eight Cilic next faces either second-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal, the world number six, or Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka, ranked 86th.Johnson pulled out of his scheduled quarter-final on the hardcourt at Acapulco with a right ankle injury he said he sustained in his victory over Ernesto Escobedo on Wednesday.In the days other quarter-finals, top-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic took on Australian sixth seed Nick Kyrgios while fourth seed and defending champion Dominic Thiem of Austria faced big-serving American Sam Querrey.

Football: Sevilla maintain chase of Barca, Real Madrid

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MADRID (AFP) - Sevilla moved to within two points of La Liga leaders Barcelona as Vicente Iborras first-half winner earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.In a battle between the two principal candidates to take over at Barca next season after Luis Enrique announced his decision to step down at the end of the season, Jorge Sampaoli edged out Ernesto Valverde in a nervy 90 minutes at the Sanchez Pizjuan.Sevilla remain third, just a point behind Real Madrid, who also have a game in hand on their title rivals.It was a very stressful game, said Sampaoli.It was important to have won in a game where we didnt play our nearly at our best. The hosts started brightly as Stefan Jovetic headed just over before Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz made a fine double save to deny Jovetic and Joaquin Correa.Sevilla were awarded a penalty on 14 minutes when Luciano Vietto was upended by Borja Etxeita.And despite Iraizozs best efforts once more as he saved Jovetics spot-kick, Iborra forced home the rebound for the only goal.Athletic twice came close to an equaliser either side of half-time as Raul Garcia headed against the woodwork before stinging the palms of Sergio Rico.However, Sevilla held on to remain firmly in the title hunt.

Golf: Mickelson among leaders, McIlroy one back in Mexico

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MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Five-time major-winner Phil Mickelson was enjoying the challenge of the high-altitude Chapultepec Golf Club Thursday as he seized a share of the first-round lead in the WGC-Mexico Championship.The 46-year-old American, seeking his first victory since the 2013 Open Championship, posted six birdies with two bogeys, capping his four-under 68 with a 16-foot birdie putt at 18.He was among half a dozen players tied for the lead in the elite event, being played in Mexico City for the first time after the loss of a title sponsor saw it moved from Trump National Doral in Miami.This is an incredible challenge for all of us, Mickelson said of the high altitude course. all the guys out here are so competent, so great at distance control that you are always seeing them pin-high, and its a real challenge to do that here because of how far the ball goes.Thats been the most fun challenge, added Mickelson, who was tied with compatriots Jimmy Walker and Ryan Moore, Spains Jon Rahm and Englands Ross Fisher and Lee Westwood.Westwood was six-under through 16 holes, but finished with back-to-back bogeys to fall into the group.They were one in front of another big bunch on three-under par 68 that included Northern Irelands Rory McIlroy.McIlroy, sidelined for seven weeks by a rib stress fracture, said he felt no ill effects during a round that included two birdies, one bogey and a 28-foot eagle putt at the par-five sixth -- his 14th hole of the day.The rib is fine, McIlroy said, although he added that he was coping with the effects of apparent food poisoning that had kept him awake much of the night.I dont really want to tell you what Im feeling right now, McIlroy said. Im definitely a bit weak. I havent eaten anything since breakfast, so Im a little weak.Nevertheless, McIlroy was in positon to chase for a victory that could see him return to number one on the world -- should current number one Dustin Johnson finish in a tie for fourth or worse.McIlroy and Johnson are grouped together, along with Japans Hideki Matsuyama, for the first and second rounds.Johnson, who moved to number one with his victory at Riviera Country Club two weeks ago, endured a frustrating day en route to a one-under par 70. He had six birdies, but missed seven putts within 10 feet and took a double bogey six at the par-four first hole -- his 10th -- when he hit his tee shot out of bounds.Obviously I didnt score very well at all, Johnson said. But I played really well. I thought I hit the ball well, hit a lot of great iron shots, had a lot of good looks. I missed so many putts -- six of those seven were inside five feet.

Formula One: Raikkonen makes splash as Hamilton sits tight

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BARCELONA (AFP) - Ferraris Kimi Raikkonen posted the fastest time on a track artificially soaked to test wet conditions as Lewis Hamiltons first week of testing fizzled to a premature end on Thursday.Raikkonens best time of 1min 20.872 came late in the day in Barcelona as the track dried out after trucks dumped water on the surface overnight and again during the lunch break.The Finn was also fastest on Tuesday and is hopeful Ferraris pre-season pace will continue come race time later this month -- unlike in 2016 when they failed to win a Grand Prix.Ive got the feeling that we learned some lessons from last year and at the moment we cant complain, said Raikkonen.Three-time world champion Hamilton didnt even get out of the Mercedes garage as an electrical fault with his car prevented him from running as scheduled during the morning.Shame not to drive but its been a great few days. The guys have done an awesome job. Cant wait to be back in the car next week, Hamilton tweeted.New Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas did manage to run in the afternoon, but was way down the timesheets in eighth fastest for his 68 laps.However, Bottass time of 1min 19.705sec on Wednesday remained the fastest for the opening week of testing.Unfortunately the day was a little bit shorter than we were hoping for, but overall it has been a very good four days for us, said the Finn, who has stepped in after world champion Nico Rosberg abruptly retired from the sport.As a team we really made the most out of this week. Weve done a lot of mileage and I learned a lot.In a recurring theme over the first few days of pre-season testing, Red Bull were the best of the rest behind Ferrari and Mercedes as Dutch wonder kid Max Verstappen was second fastest.I think Mercedes might still have an advantage on us in terms of power at the beginning of the season but well be catching up, warned Verstappen.British driver Jolyon Palmer was third quickest for Renault.The beleaguered McLaren team had a more positive day in terms of mileage as Belgian rookie Stoffel Vandoorne completed 67 laps, but F1s fallen giants remain well off the pace.Williams also called an early end to their first test after damage suffered to the FW40 in rookie Lance Strolls crash on Wednesday.A second chassis will be prepared at track this afternoon, as originally planned, with the team aiming to be back on track for the second test next week, Williams said in a statement.The second and final four-day test before the season-opening Grand Prix in Australia on March 26 also takes place in Barcelona, from March 7 to 10.

World Cup spot key as West Indies face England

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ST. JOHNS (AFP) - West Indies face England in a three-match one-day series starting Friday under pressure to reverse a run of poor form that could see them facing the indignity of having to qualify for the World Cup in 2019.The top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings at the end of September 2017 automatically advance to the event in England. The West Indies -- struggling in ninth spot, three points behind Pakistan and a further two adrift of Bangladesh -- have only this series, a return duel in England in September and, critically, three matches against Pakistan in the Caribbean in April to make the cut.England have no such concerns as hosts of both the World Cup and the next Champions Trophy in June, for which the West Indies failed to qualify. Englands brand of ultra-aggressive limited-over cricket since the disappointment of the 2105 World Cup, where they failed to get past the group stage, makes them favourites to extend their domination of the home team.Newly installed West Indies coach Stuart Law said making the 2019 World Cup was crucial.The main aim is to qualify for the next World Cup so these one-day games are extremely important to us, said the Australian. So thats our main focus really at this stage. I know we have Pakistan coming for T20s, Tests and one-dayers as well but the one-day series probably will take paramount importance.West Indies last victory in a head-to-head series was in 2007 in England under the leadership of Chris Gayle, one of several prominent players now ruled ineligible for regional representative duty due to commitments to lucrative T20 franchise tournaments around the world.Both teams are coming off series losses, the West Indies failing to advance to the final of a three-nation tournament in Zimbabwe last November that also involved Sri Lanka, and England falling to India in January after being thrashed in the preceding Test series at the end of 2016.The wickets will be a little bit more challenging here than in India, said England skipper Eoin Morgan.The wickets there were batter-friendly, a lot more so than we thought they were going to be.Notwithstanding the favourites tag, the English will also be wary of the conditions as well as the opposition following contrasting victories in two warm-up matches against what was effectively a West Indies second-string outfit in St Kitts.While most of the frontline batsmen were able to get decent scores in a commanding performance on Saturday, they laboured on the same pitch at Warner Park two days later, eking out a two-wicket win after the middle-order stuttered against the spinners.With the surface at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound expected to be of a similar nature, West Indies are likely to play both frontline slow bowlers, Devendra Bishoo and Ashley Nurse.England, who have summoned Tom Curran from the Lions tour of Sri Lanka to replace fast-medium bowler Jake Ball, are likely to counter with Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid seeking to exploit a dry, wearing pitch.West Indies crickets ongoing disputes involving premier players continues as batsman Dwayne Bravo, who publicly disparaged West Indies Cricket Board president Dave Cameron via Twitter last November and was subsequently withdrawn from the tour of Zimbabwe, is not being considered for selection until he submits a formal apology.The first two matches of the series will take place at North Sound, Antigua on Friday and Sunday before switching to Barbados on March 9.
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