Friday 9 June 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Nadal sights French Open 10th title in Wawrinka duel

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PARIS (AFP) - Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal powered into a record 10th French Open final on Friday and will face 2015 winner Stan Wawrinka for the title after the Swiss outdueled Andy Murray in a five-set epic.Nadal demolished Austrian pretender and sixth seed Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 to return to the final at Roland Garros for the first time since the last of his nine titles in 2014.Wawrinka became the oldest finalist in Paris in 44 years with a thrilling 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 win over world number one Murray.Ive played a very good event, played well in all the matches and today was no exception, said Nadal, who has lost just 29 games in reaching Sundays championship match.I started a bit more nervous, but then I played well.Its true that Dominic played with more mistakes than usual today, but it was windy.Nadal is bidding to become the first man to win 10 titles at a single Grand Slam and leads the head-to-head with Wawrinka 15-3.I always say the same but its true. Nine or 10, its only 10 percent more. Its true 10 is a beautiful number, nine is my favourite, but if I win it will become 10.However, he will be mindful of another upset after the Swiss stunned an injury-hit Nadal three years ago to claim the Australian Open crown.I have been playing a great event. But Stan is playing unbelievable, said Nadal, who despite his imposing record has split the past six meetings with Wawrinka.It will be a super hard final and I will need to play at my very best.Nadal withstood a shaky start before reeling off four games in succession to subdue Thiem, who was looking to be just the second Austrian finalist at a Slam after 1995 French Open winner Thomas Muster.Thiem is the only player to defeat Nadal on clay this season, but the fourth seed barely gave his rival a sniff and conceded just nine points in a chastening final set.US Open champion Wawrinka, 32, triumphed in a pulsating four hour 34 minute battle of shotmaking and endurance and will target a fourth Slam title this weekend.For Murray, his wait to become Britains first mens champion in Paris since Fred Perry in 1935 goes on.Its incredible to be in another Roland Garros final, said Wawrinka, the oldest finalist since 33-year-old Niki Pilic was runner-up in 1973.His win avenged defeat to Murray at the same stage in 2016 and the Swiss suggested the Briton was nowhere near that form on Friday.Last year he was much more aggressive but last year he was stronger, said Wawrinka after reaching his fourth final at the majors.Today I think hes less confident. He played a bit less fast. He was a little more hesitant, and that gave me a bit more time to actually install my game.But Wawrinka is in no doubt as to the nature of the obstacle that stands in his way of a second Roland Garros triumph.I think to play Rafa on clay in French Open in a final is probably the biggest challenge you can have in tennis. Hes the best player ever on clay.Murray, the 2016 runner-up to Novak Djokovic, admitted that Wawrinka was the stronger player in the end.I tried to keep fighting, but he played well at the end, said Murray.I was a tiebreak from getting to the final in a tournament which I came into struggling.For Thiem, it was a disappointing end to a tournament which had seen him defeat Djokovic in the quarter-finals.I was not on top of my game and the result everybody saw, he said.Its nice to be in the semis again, but Im really disappointed because I just couldnt play the way I wanted to. I dont know why yet, so I have to find some reasons.

Lahore: Man kills wife in name of 'honour'

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – A man killed his wife in Shahdara Town area of Lahore on Friday on suspicion of having illicit relation with another man, Dunya News reported.According to details, Aslam of Shahdara Town came home and found his wife Naghma Bibi with her paramour Maratib. Aslam stabbed his wife to death and critically injured Maratib.Police have shifted the body of Naghma to mortuary for autopsy while injured Maratib was admitted to Mayo Hospital in critical condition. Police have also arrested Aslam.

Karachi: 25 accused during police operation

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Crackdown against criminal elements continues in Karachi as police arrested 25 accused during operation in different parts of the city on Friday, Dunya News reported.According to details, police carried out a combing operation in Shah Faisal Colony and arrested at least 22 suspects. SP Shah Faisal Colony, Hassan Sardar Khan, informed media that seven proclaimed offenders were among the arrested suspects. Police also recovered one SMG, 12 TT pistols, a hand grenade and two stolen motorcycles.Police also conducted an operation in Gulberg area on an intelligence report and apprehended two foreigners and also registered a case against them.On the other hand, three dacoits were killed in exchange of fire with police in Shah Latif area. Sources said that dacoits were busy in looting the residents when a police mobile van reached the spot. The dacoits opened fire at police but were killed when police returned the fire.

Thal: Woman killed as train hits rickshaw at railway crossing

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THAL (Dunya News) - Khushal Express hit a rickshaw at Wasoo railway crossing near Thal on Friday, killing a woman and wounding two other persons.According to details, all other passenger jumped out of rickshaw on seeing approaching train but the women failed to act quickly as train hit the rickshaw. Two men tried to save the woman but got injured.Police and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured to Civil Hospital Thal.

Lahore: Police detain several suspects during combing operation

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Police apprehended several suspects during combing operation in different parts of Lahore on Friday, Dunya News reported.According to details, combing operation was conducted in Cantt, Civil Lines, Saddar and Iqbal Town divisions and different localities of Chong, Sanda, Bund Road, Mall Road.Biometric devise was used for identification of residents in these area and several suspects were taken into custody who failed to produce any identity document.The arrested persons were later shifted to police station for further investigation.

FO investigating news of Chinese citizens killing

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - A Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman in his statement on Friday has stated that investigation is underway to verify the news of killing of two Chinese citizens who were abducted from Quetta on May 24.The spokesman further said that Pakistan Foreign Office is in contact with the Chinese government. The two Chinese citizens, a man and a woman, were kidnapped in Quetta by armed men pretending to be policemen.He said Pakistan is committed to fighting terrorism in all forms and added that cowardly terrorist acts cannot weaken our commitment.

Afghanistan 212-6 against West Indies in ODI

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GROS-ISLET (AFP) - Javed Ahmadi equalled his previous best but Afghanistan were restricted to 212 for six batting first against the West Indies in the first fixture of a three-match One-Day International series at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on Friday.Ahmadis 81 was the cornerstone of their effort on a pitch that offered some assistance to the faster bowlers. However the West Indies bowlers were disciplined without being consistently threatening against players who are generally limited in their strokeplay.Opening the batting with Noor Ali Zadran, Ahmadi lost his opening partner to Jason Holder when the batsman chased a wide delivery from the home captain in the sixth over of the innings. He then put on 55 with Rahmat Shah and featured in another useful stand with Samiullah Shenwari.Ahmadi never really dominated the bowling though, and when he eventually departed in the 37th over with the score at 131 for five, Afghanistan were desperately in need of acceleration.That much-needed urgency was finally injected into the innings with the arrival of Gulbadin Naib at the crease as he belted an unbeaten 41 off 28 deliveries, dominating an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 58 with Mohammad Nabi (27 not out).Holder was the main sufferer of the late assault, conceding 36 runs off his last three overs. In an attack dominated by faster bowlers, off-spinner Ashley Nurse emerged as the most successful of the West Indies bowlers, taking two for 34 off his ten-over allotment.Despite sweeping the visitors 3-0 in the T20 International series, the West Indies squad is an almost entirely different one with only batsmen Evin Lewis and Jason Mohammed in the final 11 from the squad that played in St Kitts.

Ton-up Shakib and Mahmudullah stun New Zealand

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CARDIFF (AFP) - Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah both made superb centuries as Bangladesh kept their hopes of a Champions Trophy semi-final alive with a stunning five-wicket victory over New Zealand at Cardiff on Friday.Bangladesh, chasing a modest 266 for victory, had collapsed to 12 for three when left-hander Shakib (114) came in.And they were not much better off when Mahmudullah (102 not out) walked out at 33 for four.But their fifth-wicket partnership of 224 -- Bangladeshs highest-ever one-day international stand, surpassing the 178 shared by Tamim amd Mushfiqur Rahim against Pakistan at Dhaka in 2015, turned the match on its head.Shakib fell just before the end but when Mosaddek Hossain, whod earlier justified his recall with three wickets, edged Adam Milne for a four, the Tigers had finished on 268 for five and won with 16 balls to spare.This was the latest upset in a week of surprises at the Champions Trophy, a tournament featuring the worlds top eight ODI sides, after Pakistans win over top-ranked South Africa and Sri Lankas defeat of title-holders India, while for Bangladesh it was another memorable triumph in Cardiff following their shock 2005 ODI win over Australia on this ground.We just said keep going, explained Shakib, the man-of-the-match, at the presentation ceremony.We didnt talk about the target, we just wanted to bat for 40 overs and see where we got to.Its very important, and a big thing for us. From here, we can only go forward.Mahmudullah added: We had to stay positive. Once the ball stopped swinging it became easier to bat on.But despite this latest success in the Welsh capital, Bangladesh still need already-qualified England to beat Australia at Edgbaston on Saturday or hope that the match ends -- as both Australias previous Group A fixtures have done -- in a no result if they are to reach the semi-finals.Defeat ended New Zealands hopes of reaching the last four and meant that for the first time in 25 International Cricket Council tournaments (World Cup, World Twenty20 and Champions Trophy), they had taken part without recording a single win.It was certainly an innings of two halves, beaten New Zealand captain Kane Williamson told BBC Radios Test Match Special.The first 20 overs we were simply outstanding. The way our bowlers applied themselves was brilliant.Hats off to Shakib and Mahmudullah, they batted simply superbly.Bangladeshs run chase suffered a dreadful start when Tamim Iqbal, fresh from scores of 128 and 95 against England and Australia respectively, was lbw for a second ball duck to Tim Southee.Southee then had Sabbir Rahman caught behind.And when Soumya Sarkar was lbw to Southee, Bangaladesh were 12 for three.Bangladesh lost another key batsmen cheaply when Mushfiqur (14) was bowled by Milne.They were now 33 for four in the 12th over but, importantly, still had plenty of overs left in which to chase down their target.Mahmudullah got the Bangladesh fans in a sparse crowd cheering when he pulled Jimmy Neesham for a six and a four off successive deliveries.In a desperate bid to break the stand, Williamson brought himself on to bowl his occasional off-spin but Mahmudullah hit him for six over long-on and Shakib drove him for a four.Nothing Williamson tried worked, with Shakib completing his century in style when he pulled Milne for six.When left-arm paceman Trent Boult bowled him to end a 115-ball innings also featuring 11 fours, Bangladesh were almost home at 257 for five.Mahmudullah followed Shakib to a century by launching Boult over square leg for his eighth four in 102 balls.Earlier, Bangladesh restricted New Zealand to 265 for eight after Williamson won the toss.Recalled bowlers Mosaddek (three for 13 in three overs) and Taskin Ahmed (two for 43 in eight) did the bulk of the damage.New Zealand were well set while Williamson (57) and Ross Taylor (63) shared a partnership of 83.But, as happened in their no-result washout with Australia and defeat by England, they stumbled once the experienced batsmen were out in quick succession.Williamson, who made 100 and 87 against England and Australia respectively, needlessly ran himself out when he set off for a non-existent single after Taylor turned Shakib behind square to Mosaddek.Taylor exited soon afterwards when caught at short fine leg after mistiming an extravagant ramp shot off Taskin and the innings never recovered.

Smith's focus on England despite Australia pay row

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BIRMINGHAM (AFP) - Australia captain Steve Smith insisted his side would remain on their game in a must-win Champions Trophy clash against England despite a bitter pay dispute with their own board.Cricket Australia (CA) has threatened not to pay contracted players beyond the June 30 expiry of their current financial deal if they do not accept a new offer.That has in turn led David Warner, Smiths vice-captain to argue that if the players dont have a contract then they wont be able to take part in the showpiece home Ashes Test series against England starting in November.And Thursday saw the opening batsman accuse CA of undermining the teams bid to win the Champions Trophy, a tournament featuring the worlds top eight one-day international sides, with their negotiating tactics.Australia need to beat England if they are to reach the semi-finals after suffering two no result washouts in their previous group games.England, by contrast are already through to the last four and Smith knows his side cannot afford to have their minds elsewhere if they are to end a run of 12 matches with no win at Edgbaston across all formats since 2001.Smith, asked about the impact of the pay dispute on his sides preparations, told reporters at Edgbaston on Friday: Were not worried about that at all. We know the ACA (Australian Cricketers Association) is handling that back home.For us, its about concentrating on this tournament -- and tomorrow (Saturday) is a big game for everyone in this group.World Cup champions Australia suffered a group stage defeat by England at Edgbaston in the 2013 Champions Trophy and Smith added: The Champions Trophy only comes around every four years, and its the second biggest tournament after the World Cup, so weve got to be focused on that.Smiths side contains several proven match-winners and the skipper said he expected his team to raise their game on Saturday.Obviously, its a must-win match for us ... essentially a quarter-final, said the star batsman.That usually does bring out the best of the Australia cricket team in big tournaments. So lets hope that is the case tomorrow.Australia beat England easily en route to winning the 2015 World Cup but an admiring Smith said: I think theyve come a long way.Were certainly going to have to be at our best if were going to beat them.Meanwhile England captain Eoin Morgan has labelled Saturdays match his personal equivalent of the Ashes.The former Ireland batsman does not expect to add to his tally of 16 Test caps, with the Middlesex left-handers international focus now firmly on white-ball cricket.Ive been in a position where I havent played in Ashes cricket said Morgan. If you never get to play in an Ashes game, this is the closest you will ever get to beating an Australia team.Although his side are already into the last four, Morgan sees Saturdays match as important staging post on the road to the 2019 World Cup in England.If were looking to win this tournament and go beyond and win the World Cup, we need to be beating the best sides in the world -- and Australia at the moment are one of them, he said.As for the Australia pay dispute, Morgan -- who like Warner has played in the lucrative Indian Premier League -- joked: Well have a whip round I dont think Dave will be short (of money).

Afghanistan to bat against West Indies

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GROS-ISLET (AFP) - Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai won the toss and chose to bat first against the West Indies in the first of a three-match One-Day International series in St Lucia on Friday.Despite sweeping the visitors 3-0 in the T20 International series, the West Indies squad is an almost entirely different one with only batsmen Evin Lewis and Jason Mohammed in the final 11 from the team that played in St Kitts.Captain Jason Holder has opted to go with four faster bowlers on what could be a helpful pitch, omitting leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and all-rounder Rovman Powell from the 13-man squad.Having disappointed in the T20s with their standard of play, Afghanistan are hopeful that the introduction of ODI specialists in top-order batsman Rahmat Shah and wicketkeeper-batsman Afsar Zazai will spark a change in their fortunes.Teams: West Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Evin Lewis, Kieran Powell, Shai Hope (wicketkeeper), Jason Mohammed, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Ashley Nurse, Miguel Cummins, Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel.Afghanistan: Asghar Stanikzai (captain), Javed Ahmadi, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Afsar Zazai (wicketkeeper), Samiullah Shenwari, Rashid Khan, Amir Hamza, Dawlat Zadran.Umpires: Joel Wilson (TRI), Chettithody Shamshuddin (IND).Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL).

Austria to ban burqas from October

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VIENNA (AFP) - New Austrian legislation came into force Friday that will ban the full-face Islamic veil in public places from October 1.The outlawing of the burqa or other clothing concealing the face follows similar moves in other countries in the European Union, starting with France in 2011.In Austria, people who break the new law could be fined up to 150 euros ($168), according to the legislation approved by parliament in May and signed into law by the president this week.Other measures include a clampdown on distributing extremist material, and immigrants being obliged to sign an integration contract.A 12-month integration programme will include courses in values and the German language. Failure to attend can result in cuts to social security payments.The legislation was hammered out by the centrist government amid strong support for the far-right and the arrival of 90,000 asylum-seekers since 2015.The grand coalition under Chancellor Christian Kern collapsed last month and early elections were called for October 15.The far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), whose candidate came close to winning the largely ceremonial presidency last year, is riding high in opinion polls ahead of the vote.

Bangladesh stun New Zealand in CT17 must-win

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CARDIFF (Web Desk/AFP) – Bangladesh have marked a surprise victory over New Zealand in ICC Champions Trophy 2017 encounter as they won by five wickets thanks to a brilliant 224-run partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah.Shakib Al Hasan remained the top-scorer with 114 of just 115 balls while he was accompanied with Mahmudullah who scored an unbeaten 102 of 108 balls including eight fours and two sixes. Shakib fell toTrent Boult but it was all too late then.Bengal Tigers had lost four quick wickets for just 33 runs of whichthree wickets were taken by the in-form Tim Southee.Adam Milne picked up just one wicket in the innings.Now Bangladesh must hope that tournament hosts England beat Australia in the final Group A match at Edgbaston on Saturday if they are to go through to the semi-finals.A win for Australia would see them join already-qualified England in the last four and knock out Bangladesh.But if Saturdays match, as has happened twice to Australia already this tournament, ends in a no result washout it will be Bangladesh who go into the semi-finals.Earlier, Ross Taylor (63) and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson added 83 for the third wicket before the Blackcaps suffered a middle-order collapse.Off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain justified his recall with three for 13 in three overs while placeman Taskin Ahmed, also brought back for this match, took two for 43 in eight overs.Brief scoresNew Zealand: 265-8, 50 overs (R Taylor 63 K Williamson 57; Mosaddek Hossain 3-13)Bangladesh 268-5, 47.2 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 114, Mahmudullah 102 no; T Southee 3-45)

Airbus says passenger plane market to double within 20 years

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TOULOUSE, France (AFP) - Airbus Friday said it expects the market for large passenger planes to more than double in the next 20 years driven by growth from Asian markets.Raising its previous forecasts for the next two decades, the European aircraft maker also said a slowdown in orders over the past several months did not signal a drop in the market.The trend is positive, said Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier.Airbus last week had warned it expects slow orders this year and perhaps next year, too, but said it was a normal part of the business cycle.The planemaker predicts the need for 35,000 new planes worth $5.3 trillion over the next two decades, an increase from last years estimates.Air travel is remarkably resilient to external shocks and doubles every 15 years, said its chief operating officer for customer relations, John Leahy.Asia Pacific continues to be an engine for growth, with domestic China to become the worlds largest market.The numbers released Friday, as the industry gears up for the Paris Air Show later this month, show a six percent increase from last years forecasts in terms of numbers of aircraft and a two percent increase in value.Airbus last year already raised its 20 year forecasts, which it publishes each year, as does its US rival Boeing.The number of aircraft worldwide that count over 100 seats should reach more than 40,000 while airline traffic will increase by 4.4 percent per year over the time period, according to the Airbus estimates released Friday.This means hundreds of thousands of new jobs, the planemaker said, estimating the need for 530,000 more pilots and 550,000 new maintenance engineers.The planemaker Friday cited more first time flyers and rising disposable income for air travel as other reasons for its forecast.Emerging markets in China and India as well as other parts of Asia and Latin America are growing nearly twice as fast as North America and Western Europe.Airbus is also hoping the expected demand will feed appetite for its superjumbo jet A380 model.

Murray vows to turn Paris trauma into Wimbledon glory

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PARIS (AFP) - Andy Murray admitted Saturday that he ran out of steam in his epic French Open semi-final defeat to Stan Wawrinka but vowed to transform the trauma into a third Wimbledon title.The 30-year-old world number one, bidding to reach a second successive final and go on to end Britains 82-year wait for a mens champion in Paris, suffered a 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 loss in a four hour 34 minute epic.But Murray insisted that there were plenty of positives to take into his Wimbledon title defence after arriving in France with a fever and in mediocre form.His Masters clay court swing saw him exit in the third round in Monte Carlo and Madrid and lose his opener in Rome.He has also endured a season punctuated by an elbow injury, shingles and flu.Im proud of the tournament I had. I did well considering. I was one tiebreak away from getting to the final when I came in really struggling, said Murray, the runner-up to Novak Djokovic 12 months ago.Maybe the lack of matches hurt me a little bit in the end today. It was a very high intensity match.I do feel like having an event like this can give me a boost, and hopefully have a strong grass court season.Murrays form in Paris had sent out mixed messages.He needed four sets to get past Andrey Kuznetsov and Martin Klizan in the first two rounds.Then, in what was expected to be a third-round ambush, he sailed past Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets and was similarly at ease against Karen Khachanov in the last 16.However, in the quarter-finals, he dropped the first set against Kei Nishikori before his greater stamina proved decisive.That stamina eventually deserted him against Wawrinka who he defeated in four sets in the semi-finals last year.The top seed was rock steady with 36 winners and the same number of unforced errors but Wawrinka, the oldest man to make the final in 44 years, employed his big swinging game to perfection.His bruising assault was reflected with 87 winners offsetting his 77 unforced errors in the tournaments longest match.Murray slipped 0-5 and triple break down in the final set, a harsh indicator of the sudden shift in the balance of power.I lost a little bit of speed on my serve which wasnt allowing me to dictate many points on my own serve, explained Murray as Wawrinka went into overdrive to record a 10th successive win on clay.He hit some great shots in the fifth, but I didnt keep the score close enough to sort of put him under pressure.Its a lot harder to pull off some of the shots that he was hitting at the end if the score was a bit closer and wasnt able to do that.

Qatar seeks allies as Gulf crisis grows

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DOHA (AFP) - Qatar sought Friday to enlist support from abroad after Saudi Arabia and its allies placed several Qataris and Doha-based organisations on a terror list in an escalating Gulf diplomatic crisis.Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani spoke to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and also met his counterpart in Germany and was due in Moscow Saturday for further talks.On Monday, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain led a string of countries that cut ties with Qatar over what they say is the emirates financing of extremist groups and its ties to Iran, Saudi Arabias regional arch-rival.On Friday, they released a joint statement listing as many as 18 individuals, including members of Qatars royal family and a former minister as involved in terrorist activities.Also named were Doha-based Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Qatari-funded charities.The statement said the list was an indication of the duality of Qatar policies.It said the list shows that Qatar announces fighting terrorism on one hand and finances and supports and hosts different terrorist organisations on the other hand.In all, 59 people and entities were listed.It was released hours after Sheikh Mohammed said Doha would not surrender and rejected interference in its foreign policy.The Qatari government said the joint statement regarding a terror finance watch list once again reinforces baseless allegations that hold no foundation in fact.Our position on countering terrorism is stronger than many of the signatories of the joint statement -- a fact that has been conveniently ignored by the authors.We lead the region in attacking the roots of terrorism, the Qatari statement said.The latest spat is unlikely to ease regional tensions in a spiralling political crisis which also threatens to involve the United States, Russia, Europe and other major players such as Turkey, a close ally of Qatar, and Iran.Turkeys parliament has approved deploying troops to a base in Qatar and Iran has offered to send food to Doha.Bahrains foreign minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, is expected in Turkey Saturday to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss the latest developments in the region, Turkish officials said.The moves taken against Doha on Monday included banning Qatar Airways from airspace and closing Qatars only land border with Saudi Arabia, moves Dohas foreign minister termed a blockade.On Friday, after surprise talks in Germany with his counterpart Sigmar Gabriel, Sheikh Mohammed tweeted: We both agree that the unjustified blockade on Qatar is unacceptable.At a news conference earlier, he called the actions by the Gulf states a clear breach of international law.And denouncing the blacklist, Sheikh Mohammed added: There is a continuous escalation from these countries... but our strategic options are still diplomacy and dialogue.Gabriel agreed, stressing that this is the hour of diplomacy.So far, European countries have largely stayed on the sidelines in the dispute.Sheikh Mohammed is expected in Moscow Saturday to meet Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and officials said Friday he also spoke with Tillerson by telephone.Blacklist boosts pressureThe blacklist is the latest allegation by Saudi Arabia and its allies against Qatar since the crisis erupted late last month.The Arab states have also ordered Qataris out within 14 days.Qatars national human rights committee said families had been split and hundreds of people affected.The feud has raised fears of wider instability in an already volatile region that is a crucial global energy supplier and home to several Western military bases.Kuwait -- which unlike most of its fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members has not cut ties with Qatar -- has led mediation efforts.US President Donald Trump, who had initially backed the measures against Doha in a tweet, called Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani Wednesday with an offer to help the parties resolve their differences.Qatar hosts the Al-Udeid military base, the largest US airbase in the Middle East that is central to the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.Questions have also been raised over whether Qatar should retain the right to host the 2022 football World Cup and over its economic ability to sustain the crisis.Qatar is the worlds largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, but industry experts say shipowners are seeking clarity on the UAEs ban on Qatari-linked vessels calling at its ports.Forged own policiesAnalysts say the crisis is partly an extension of a 2014 dispute, when Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain temporarily recalled their ambassadors over Qatari support for Egypts Muslim Brotherhood.Doha has for years forged its own alliances in the region, often diverging from GCC policies and taking in leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Palestinian Hamas and members of the Afghan Taliban.
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