Tuesday 22 August 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Four electrocuted as heavy rain lashes Karachi

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya News) - At least four people were electrocuted in different parts of Karachi due to heavy rainfall that lashed the city on Tuesday, Dunya News reported.According to details, two people were electrocuted when electricity cables fell on the road submerged under rain water in Korangi-4 area. Rescue sources said that the deceased were identified as Shaukat and Umair.Two other persons were electrocuted in Orangi Town and Baldia areas.

Lahore: One killed, four injured as truck hits two rickshaws

Posted:

LAHORE (Dunya News) – A speeding truck collided with two rickshaws in Shadbagh area of Lahore on Tuesday night, killing a person and wounding four other, Dunya News reported.According to details, a speeding truck hit two rickshaws in Ganddi Bambian area of Shadbagh after its brakes failed, killing a rickshaw driver Usman on the spot and injuring four passengers.Police and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the injured to hospital. The truck driver managed to escape from the scene after the accident while police arrested the conductor of the truck.

No safe havens for terrorists in Pakistan: Aizaz Chaudhry

Posted:

WASHINGTON (Dunya News) - Pakistan ambassador to the United States Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry while reacting to US President Donald Trump criticism of Pakistan during his speech on Tuesday said that there are no safe havens for terrorists in Pakistan.He said that Pakistan rendered enormous sacrifices and contributions in fight against terrorism and added that it is regrettable that our efforts were not recognized.Aizaz Chaudhry said Pakistan was in favour of a peaceful Afghanistan and ready for playing a role for it because without Pakistan peace could not be restored there.Earlier Pakistan Foreign Ministry issued a statement asserting its commitment to fighting terrorism. No country in the world has suffered more than Pakistan from the scourge of terrorism, often perpetrated from outside our borders. It is, therefore disappointing that the US policy statement ignores the enormous sacrifices rendered by the Pakistani nation in this effort, it said.

Trump tough talk unlikely to move Pakistan

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - In military terms, Donald Trumps long-awaited new Afghanistan strategy looks very much like the old one. But, on the diplomatic front, he took a risk in confronting unruly, nuclear-armed Pakistan.Washington has long been frustrated by Pakistans provision of cross-border safe havens to some of the Taliban factions and armed Islamist groups fighting against US troops and their Afghan allies.Trumps predecessor Barack Obama risked triggering a breakdown in the long US alliance with Islamabad when, without forewarning, he sent commandos into Pakistan in 2011 to kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.But, rhetorically at least, Trumps much anticipated national address on Monday, in which he laid out a new strategy to win the United States longest war, marked a dramatic increase in pressure on Pakistan.We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting, Trump said.That will have to change and that will change immediately.Following up on Trumps speech on Tuesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that Pakistan could lose its status as a major US ally and see its US military aid halted.While Washington may hope that this motivates Islamabad to crack down on the groups that launch attacks into Afghanistan and Indian-administered Kashmir, it does not come without risk.Pakistan holds the Muslim worlds only known nuclear arsenal and its government is a sometimes shaky balancing act between elected civilians and a powerful military that maintains ties with the militants.Harsh US measures could provoke Pakistan and, if the government feels its Cold War-vintage pact with America is under threat, it could turn towards China -- the great rival of both India and America.And, much more than the implied threat to cut military aid to Pakistan, Trumps request that India play a greater role in stabilizing Afghanistan will rattle New Delhis most bitter and long-standing foe.But, US experts agree, Pakistan is unlikely to step up its support for the Haqqani extremist group and the Afghan Taliban if that would mean the collapse of the Kabul government and driving out US troops.Instead, despite some of his more vainglorious rhetoric, Trumps revamped strategy could lay the basis for dealing with Afghanistan as a long-term chronic problem rather than an imminent threat.James Jeffrey, a fellow of the Washington Institute and former senior national security adviser to the George W. Bush White House, said: Theres really no way to pressure Pakistan.Pakistan has made the decision that keeping Kabul out of Indias orbit is more important that clamping down on cross-border militancy, and cutting aid would only be counterproductive, he argues.Beyond Afghanistan, the United States has an interest in preventing Pakistan from going to war with India or collapsing and allowing its government or nuclear weapons to fall into the hands of extremists.And, while the US footprint is smaller now that it was at the height of the occupation, its forces still need access to Pakistani supply lines and airspace.Theres really very little we can do, Jeffrey said. To cut all aid or, even more dramatically, to start striking the Haqqani network and all that ... doesnt guarantee that theyll do what we say.But Pakistan also has no interest in driving the United States out, and Jeffrey saw Mondays speech as confirmation that Trump has come around to the idea of a strategy of long-term containment.Other than the unfortunate reference to winning there -- thats something that nobody can promise because no one can achieve it -- I think that this is basically sensible strategy, he said.Sadanand Dhume, an Indian commentator and resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, argued that Washington has many tools at its disposal to turn up the pressure on the Pakistanis -- from cutting military aid, to stripping them of allied status or declaring them a state sponsor of terror.But the biggest stick may be the outreach to India.The US have always encouraged Indian involvement in Afghanistan, but it was careful not to step on Pakistani toes, he said.What were seeing now, is the US feeling it no longer needs to be that careful about Pakistani sensitivity, he said, admitting that, after 16 years of war, it is hard not to be skeptical about Trumps chances of success.Seth Jones, a former senior Pentagon official and now director of RAND Corporations International Security and Defense Policy Center, sees room for a more stable future with a better balance of power.Pakistan certainly doesnt want Afghanistan to collapse and nor do they want an Afghan government that is strongly and closely tied to New Delhi, he said.I think what theyd like is a relatively stable Afghanistan, and one whose government -- and some of the tribal and sub-tribal actors near the border -- have at least decent relations with Islamabad.And key to all of this, all experts agree, is that the US military remain in Afghanistan for the long haul.

China defends Pakistan after Trump criticism

Posted:

BEIJING (Reuters) - China defended its ally Pakistan on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump said the United States could no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for militants and warned it had much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists.Trump on Monday committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan, signaling he would dispatch more troops to Americas longest war and vowing a fight to win.Trump insisted that others - the Afghan government, Pakistan, India and NATO allies - step up their own commitment to resolving the 16-year conflict, but he saved his sharpest words for Pakistan.Senior US officials warned security assistance for Pakistan could be reduced unless the nuclear-armed nation cooperated more in preventing militants from using safe havens on its soil.Critics say Pakistan sees militants such as the Taliban as useful tools to limit the influence of old rival India. Pakistan denies allowing militants refuge on its territory, saying it takes action against all groups.Asked about Trumps speech, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Pakistan was on the front line in the struggle against terrorism and had made great sacrifices and important contributions in the fight.We believe that the international community should fully recognize Pakistans anti-terrorism, she told a daily news briefing.We are happy to see Pakistan and the United States carry out anti-terror cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, and work together for security and stability in the region and world.China and Pakistan consider each other all-weather friends and have close diplomatic, economic and security ties.China has its own security concerns in the region, in particular any links between militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan and Islamist groups China blames for violence in its far western region of Xinjiang.We hope the relevant US policies can help promote the security, stability and development of Afghanistan and the region, Hua said.

US warns angry Pakistan on Afghan militant support

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States warned an angry Pakistan on Tuesday that it could lose its status as a privileged military ally if it continues giving safe haven to Afghan militant groups.One day after President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy to force the Taliban to negotiate a political settlement with the Kabul government, his top diplomat upped the heat on Islamabad.Trump had warned that Pakistans support for the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani extremist network would have consequences, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has now spelled these out.We have some leverage, Tillerson told reporters, as he fleshed out Trumps speech, in terms of aid, their status as a non-NATO alliance partner -- all of that can be put on the table.As one of 16 Non-NATO Major Allies, Pakistan benefits from billions of dollars in aid and has access to some advanced US military technology banned from other countries.This year, the United States has already withheld $350 million in military funding over concerns Pakistan is not doing enough to fight terror, but the alliance itself was not in question.Tillerson said Washington wants to work with Pakistan as it expands its own support for Kabul in the battle against the Taliban, but warned it to close militant safe havens.Some of Pakistans critics in Washington have urged Trump to go further, by authorizing US strikes against militants inside Pakistan or declaring Pakistan a state sponsor of terror.Officials have not yet brandished the designation threat, which could lead to severe sanctions and legal threats to Pakistani officials, but Tillerson did not rule out strikes.The United States has hit targets within Pakistan before, most famously when Trumps predecessor Barack Obama ordered US special forces to kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.The president has been clear that we are going to attack terrorists wherever they live, Tillerson said.We have put people on notice that if youre providing safe haven to terrorists, be warned -- we are going to engage those providing safe haven and ask them to change what they are doing.And Tillerson added that, aside from the Afghans, Pakistan has more to gain than any other nation from an end to the fighting.Both Tillerson and Trump also called on Pakistans long-standing rival and fellow nuclear power India to become more involved in Afghanistan, an idea that is anathema to Islamabad.All this drew a hurt response from Pakistan, which has been a US ally since the Cold War, despite tensions over its rogue nuclear program and clashes with emerging great power India.Seeking to rebut Trumps disappointing allegation that it had harbored agents of chaos, Pakistans foreign ministry re-stated its commitment to fighting terrorism.No country in the world has suffered more than Pakistan from the scourge of terrorism, often perpetrated from outside our borders, it said in a statement.It is, therefore disappointing that the US policy statement ignores the enormous sacrifices rendered by the Pakistani nation in this effort, it continued.During the 1980s, Pakistan worked with the United States and Saudi Arabia to support Islamist rebels against what was the then pro-Soviet Afghan regime in Kabul.But after the rise to power of the Pakistani-backed Taliban and the Al-Qaeda attacks on US cities of September 11, 2001, the US has pressured Islamabad to cut its links with the militants.Pakistan has conducted campaigns against the Pakistani branch of the Taliban -- which threatens its own stability -- and turned a blind eye to a US drone campaign against Al-Qaeda leaders.But it fears the rise of an Indian-backed government in Kabul, and maintains support for some Taliban and other factions to keep its influence across the long, lawless border.As a matter of policy, Pakistan does not allow use of its territory against any country, the foreign ministry said.Instead of relying on the false narrative of safe havens, the US needs to work with Pakistan to eradicate terrorism.Beyond the stand-off with Pakistan, Trumps new strategy also authorizes US generals to deploy more American troops to support Afghan government forces in what is now a 16-year-old conflict.

Pakistan rejects 'disappointing' Trump criticism over alleged terror support

Posted:

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan on Wednesday said blistering criticism by US President Donald Trump was disappointing and denied accusations that it supported terrorist groups.In a firm rebuttal to Trumps claims that Pakistan had harboured agents of chaos, the countrys Foreign Ministry issued a statement asserting its commitment to fighting terrorism.No country in the world has suffered more than Pakistan from the scourge of terrorism, often perpetrated from outside our borders. It is, therefore disappointing that the US policy statement ignores the enormous sacrifices rendered by the Pakistani nation in this effort, it said.Trump dramatically increased the pressure on Pakistan during a much anticipated national address on Monday in which he laid out a new strategy on the United States involvement in Afghanistan.We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting, Trump said.That will have to change and that will change immediately.Relations between Pakistan and the US have fluctuated widely over the decades with Washington frequently accusing Islamabad of fueling the Taliban insurgency and destabilising Afghanistan.Pakistan routinely dismisses US criticism of its efforts, saying the country has never received credit for the tens of thousands of lives lost and billions spent battling insurgents.In its latest statement, which came after an hours-long cabinet meeting, Islamabad insisted it was fully participating in global counter-terror efforts.As a matter of policy, Pakistan does not allow use of its territory against any country. Instead of relying on the false narrative of safe havens, the US needs to work with Pakistan to eradicate terrorism, it said.

Afridi's quick-fire ton seals Hampshire's place at T20 Blast finals

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - Pakistans Shahid Afridi blasted 101 in only 43 balls to inspire Hampshires 101-run victory at Derbyshire in the Twenty20 Blast quarter-finals on Tuesday.All-rounder Afridi hit seven sixes and 10 fours to power Hampshire to 249 for eight, their highest T20 score.Skipper James Vince made 55 from 36 balls as Hampshire passed their previous best of 225 for two against Middlesex in 2006 and, faced with an improbable target of 250, the Falcons crumbled to 148 all out with Liam Dawson and Kyle Abbott each taking three wickets.Hampshire promoted Afridi to opener against the county he played for in 2003 and he swept and drove four boundaries from Wayne Madsens first over before Calvin Dickinson took two fours from Hardus Viljoen.Afridis previous high score in the competition this season was 18 but he pulled Ben Cotton for six before driving him over the top of the three-storey media centre.He reached his fifty off only 20 balls with a top-edged six but after driving Imran Tahir for another huge six, he was dropped on 65 at long-on by Madsen.It proved expensive as Afridi dispatched Matt Critchley and Tahir for two more sixes on his way to a blistering hundred before he top-edged another big pull and was caught at long-leg.

Graeme Smith to coach Benoni Zalmi

Posted:

JOHANNESBURG (Agencies) - Twenty20 Global League franchise Benoni Zalmi has appointed former South Africa captain Graeme Smith as its head coach. Zalmi team owner Javed Afridi made the announcement on Tuesday.His appointment as coach of the Benoni Zalmi, one of eight teams in the nationwide tournament, was confirmed Tuesday by the owners of a franchise based in eastern Johannesburg.It will be the first senior-level coaching post for the 36-year-old since he retired from international cricket three years ago.Geoffrey Toyana, the successful coach of all-formats South African franchise the Highveld Lions, will assist Smith.Nicknamed Biff, Johannesburg-born Smith played 117 Tests, 197 one-day internationals and 33 T20 matches for South Africa.Smith and Toyana will be in Cape Town this weekend for a player draft, choosing from more than 400 local and foreign cricketers.

England legend Boycott apologises for 'unacceptable' remark

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - Controversial England batting legend Geoff Boycott made a grovelling apology on Tuesday for remarking he needed to black up his face to get a knighthood at an event last week.The 76-year-old astonished his audience with his comment during a question and answer session in one of the intervals at last weeks first Test with the West Indies.Boycott, who played a pivotal role in organising the 1982 England rebel tour of South Africa when sporting links had been cut with the rest of the world because of the apartheid regime, said knighthoods had been bestowed on West Indian cricketers like confetti.Mines been turned down twice. Id better black me face, Boycott is reported to have said according to a guest at the event cited by The Daily Mirror.The guest at the event -- which cost 300 pound ($385, 327 euros) to attend -- said the remark though intended as a joke was crass and went down like a lead balloon.However, Boycott -- who has overcome throat cancer in 2002 to become a popular and outspoken pundit on BBC Radios globally renowned Test Match Special -- took to Twitter on Tuesday to unreservedly apologise.Speaking at an informal gathering I was asked a question and I realise my answer was unacceptable, he tweeted.I meant no offence but what I said was clearly wrong and I apologise unreservedly.I have loved West Indian cricket my whole life and have the utmost respect for its players.The BBC would not comment on whether he would continue to play a part in the ongoing West Indies three match Test series although they did issue a statement welcoming his apology.He has rightly apologised unreservedly for these clearly unacceptable comments, a BBC spokesperson said.West Indies greats like Viv Richards, Garfield Sobers and Curtly Ambrose have been knighted whilst the last England cricketer to be knighted was Ian Botham -- no stranger to controversy himself -- in 2007.Boycott has always contended the reason he has not been knighted is because of his conviction in France -- firstly in 1996 and confirmed on appeal in 1998 -- for assaulting former girlfriend Margaret Moore.A durable but unspectacular opening batsman, Boycott played 108 Tests, scoring 8114 runs with 22 centuries at an average of 47.72.

India's Joshi to help Bangladesh spinners for Aussie Tests

Posted:

DHAKA (AFP) - Bangladeshs cricket board announced Tuesday that former Indian bowler Sunil Joshi has been appointed appointed the squads spin consultant after Australian Stuart MacGill turned down the coaching gig.Joshi, a left-arm spinner, will join the squad as a bowling coach ahead of their first Test against Australia starting this Sunday in Dhaka, Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Jalal Yunus told AFP.The board had hoped to reel in MacGill for insight into Australias bowling attack, ahead of their first tour of Bangladesh in more than a decade.But officials said MacGill, a former right-arm leg spin bowler who took 208 wickets in 44 Tests for Australia, declined the offer for personal reasons.The spin bowling job had been vacant since Ruwan Kalpage, a former Sri Lankan player, left last year.Joshi will stay for two months and also join Bangladesh for their tour of South Africa, Yunus added.He was approached in February during Bangladeshs tour of India, their first there since gaining Test status in 2000.Joshi won man of the match in Bangladeshs inaugural Test match against India in 2000, when he scored 92 runs and took eight wickets in the best batting and bowling figures in his 15-Test career.Joshi, who also played 69 one-day internationals, has an impressive first-class record having taken 615 wickets from 160 games.Bangladesh have not played a Test against Australia since Ricky Pontings team visited the country in 2006.Australia will play two Tests against Bangladesh, the first starting Sunday and the second on September 4.

No player is bigger than the game: Sethi

Posted:

LAHORE (Dunya news) – Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi has hinted on taking a stern action against Test cricketer Umar Akmal. He was talking to Zainab Abbas during the popular Dunya news show Cricket Dewangi.Last week, Umar Akmal had lashed out at Mickey Arthur, the head coach of Pakistan cricket team, for allegedly hurling abuses at him. Sethi said that Umar Akmal had violated his contract and a breach in code of conduct would not be tolerated.However, he was particularly lenient in expressing his views about the central figure of the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, Salman Butt. He said that the test opener had shown remorse and should be allowed to represent the country again.The newly appointed PCB chairman announced that PCB was to take relevant decisions regarding women cricket affairs. Moreover, Sethi was hopeful that he would put an end to nepotism in Pakistan cricket circuit which will bring talented players forward. He was also hopeful about bringing back international cricket to Pakistan.

Federal cabinet condemns Trump's remarks, US policy review

Posted:

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chaired a meeting of federal cabinet in which the members condemned US policy review for South Asia and Afghanistan while expressing disapproval on President Donald Trump’s statements about Pakistan.The members of federal cabinet discussed the new Afghan policy and went through its details. Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif briefed the ministers, special assistants and advisors about the US policy review before himself being briefed by the US Ambassador David Hale in meeting earlier today.Sources told that Islamabad has decided to protest against the US. Cabinet said the statement issued by Donald Trump is disappointing, adding that the US hasn’t acknowledged the sacrifices made by Pakistan.It has been decided to hold National Security Committee meeting over the newly made security policy on Afghanistan by US, sources within cabinet said. Military leadership will also be consulted in this regard.Khawaja Asif announced to visit the US in coming days while stressing that Pakistan offered immense sacrifices in enduring fight against terrorism. Asif told the US ambassador that Islamabad desires peace and stability in Afghanistan. It should also be noted thatChina defended its ally Pakistan after U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States could no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for militants and warned it had much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists.

12 dead as rain bereaves Karachi again

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya news) – The recent spell of torrential rains in Karachi has wreaked havoc on life in the city. Rainwater flooded different parts of the city including the important thoroughfares, reported Dunya News.In different parts of the city drains overflowed and a playing ground in Malir Model Colony was left in a dreadful condition.Karachiites say that although rain had broken the recent dry spell, incompetence of the administration had increased their problems.Last night’s heavy downpour left 10 dead and seven injured in incidents ranging from roofs caving in to electrocution. A child was killed after a signboard fell over him at Mawaishi Mandi on Super Highway.

Australia's Agar ready to break Test drought

Posted:

DHAKA (AFP) - Australian all-rounder Ashton Agar said Tuesday he was ready to return to Test cricket after a four-year hiatus if selected for the opening match of the tour against Bangladesh this weekend.Agar impressed Australian selectors with his form this season, and has received a strong endorsement from coach Darren Lehmann ahead of the Test in Dhaka starting Sunday.Obviously it depends on what the wicket looks like but Im ready to go if I get the nod, Agar told reporters in Dhaka.Ive been preparing really well and Ive done everything I can now. I feel like everything is in really good order.Agar made a sensational debut to Test cricket in 2013, scored 98 runs in his maiden innings batting at number 11 against England in Nottingham.But since then the 23-year-old has made only one further Test appearance, and has been hungry for a return to the long format of the game.It was not until his impressive form in the Sheffield Shield this season -- claiming 16 wickets and 115 runs in four innings for Western Australia -- that he caught the eye of selectors once again.He was picked for Australias two-Test tour of Bangladesh ahead of left-arm spinner Steve OKeefe, whose 12-wicket haul against India earlier this year helped Australia claim the first Test of that series.But Agar was not letting the pressure of his selection, or years in the wilderness, get the better of him.For me now Ive got to not put too much pressure on myself and try and enjoy the game, he said.Its just four years of experience, four years of extra bowling, a lot of balls bowled in that time and naturally you just get better, he said of his break from Test cricket.Australia have not toured Bangladesh since 2006 and this series has been long in the making.The second Test will be held in Chittagong from September 4-8.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)