Dunya TV

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• Faisalabad: Old enmity claims three lives
• Bad weather forces Lahore-bound flight to land in Multan
• Pakistan in trouble after Aussie declaration
• Australia declare on 624-8, lead Pakistan by 181 run
• Syria truce begins under deal backed by Russia, Turkey
• Obama hits Russia for election meddling
• Iraq forces launch new assault on IS in Mosul
• Nobel laureates urge UN to intervene in Myanmar's Rohingya crisis
• 50,000 Rohingya flee to Bangladesh from Myanmar: government
• Floods in DR Congo kill at least 50: provincial governor
• Bangladesh bowler reprimanded for swearing
• Azhar Ali OK after heavy blow to head
• Gillespie named Australia T20 assistant coach
• Real Madrid lose Vazquez, Kovacic to injury
• MQM-Pakistan set for Nishtar Park power show today

Faisalabad: Old enmity claims three lives Posted: FAISALABAD (Dunya News) – At least three people were shot dead and two other were wounded in the jurisdiction on Kharianwala police station near Faisalabad on Friday, Dunya News reported.According to details, 40-year-old Ahsan, 25-year-old Rafaqat and 45-year-old Jameel went to Chak No-RB to enquire about health of their friend Shafeeq. They were sitting outside a workshop when their rivals opened fire and killed them on the spot. Two other persons, Arshad and Bashir, were wounded in the firing and were shifted to the hospital. The attackers managed to escape from the scene after the incident.The deceased had killed Imtiaz alias Qari’s brother some two years ago. SP Jaranwala has termed the incident a case of old enmity.

Bad weather forces Lahore-bound flight to land in Multan Posted: MULTAN (Dunya News) – Thick fog and poor visibility in Lahore has forced a private airlines flight from Abu Dhabi to Lahore to land at the Multan International Airport, Dunya News reported on Friday.All the 148 passengers coming to Lahore from Abu Dhabi were off loaded at the Multan airport and shifted to the airport lounge.According to Multan airport management, the affected passengers will now leave for Lahore by buses for which the arrangements have been finalized.

Pakistan in trouble after Aussie declaration Posted: MELBOURNE (AFP) - Australia grabbed an early wicket to have Pakistan under pressure to save the second Test after a bold declaration on the final day in Melbourne on Friday.Skipper Steve Smith revived hopes of achieving a result in the rain-disrupted Test with a declaration shortly before lunch.He called a halt to a massive first innings at 624 for eight -- remaining unbeaten on 165 off 246 balls -- giving his fast bowlers the use of the new ball just before the interval.The tactic paid immediate dividends with Josh Hazlewood bowling Sami Aslam off a bottom edge for two in the second over of the innings.At lunch, Pakistan were six for one with first-innings double-centurion Azhar Ali on one and Babar Azam on three.The decision to declare the Australian first innings was accelerated by a big-hitting knock of 84 off 91 balls from fast bowler Mitchell Starc.Starc clubbed seven sixes, the most in an innings in a Melbourne Test, and was particularly severe on Yasir Shah, belting the leg-spinner for five sixes.He reached his eighth Test half-century and second fifty this season off 69 balls before he was given a reprieve on 51.Starc skied spinner Azhar Ali to long-off where Sohail Khan made a hash of the catch, fumbling the two-handed chance.He took to Azhar hoicking him for successive sixes to race to 70.Starc hit another towering six off Yasir before he was finally out caught by Asad Shafiq at backward square leg.His seven sixes surpassed the record in an innings in a Melbourne Test held by Andrew Symonds with six in his 72 against South Africa in 2005.Starc put on 154 runs for the seventh wicket with Smith off 172 balls and upon Nathan Lyons dismissal, caught and bowled by Yasir for 12, Smith declared the innings and raced from the ground.It was Smiths 17th Test century and fourth for the year and he will finish 2016 with 1,079 runs at 71.93.Australia lead the three-Test series 1-0 after beating Pakistan by 39 runs in the Gabba Test.

Australia declare on 624-8, lead Pakistan by 181 run Posted: MELBOURNE (AFP) - Skipper Steve Smith declared Australias first innings at 624 for eight to lead Pakistan by 181 runs on the final day of the second Melbourne Test on Friday.Smith was unbeaten on 165 with Mitchell Starc hitting 84 off 91 balls to set up the declaration.The declaration came 18 minutes before lunch to give the Australians a minimum of 70 overs to achieve a result in the rain-disrupted Test.Starc hammered seven sixes, the most in an innings of a Melbourne Test, and was particularly severe on Yasir Shah, clubbing the leg-spinner for five sixes.Shah finished with figures of three for 207 off 41 overs.

Syria truce begins under deal backed by Russia, Turkey Posted: DAMASCUS (AFP) - A nationwide ceasefire in Syria brokered by Russia and Turkey took effect at midnight (2200 GMT), in a potentially major breakthrough in the conflict of more than five years.The deal, which does not include designated terrorists like the Islamic State group, was announced hours earlier by Russian President Vladimir Putin and confirmed by the Syrian army and opposition.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there had been total calm since the start of the ceasefire in many provinces all over Syria adding that no violations were monitored in all regions.According to an AFP correspondent in Eastern Ghouta, the shelling and airstrikes stopped from more than one hour in the region after intensive shelling and raids on Thursday.AFP correspondents in Damascus and Idlib said there had been no sound of shelling, airstrikes or clashes since midnight.The agreement, hailed by Syrias government as a real opportunity to find a political solution to the war, comes a week after the regime recaptured second city Aleppo in a major blow to rebel forces.The deal was brokered by Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the conflict, but does not involve Washington, which has negotiated previous ceasefires with Moscow.Putin said Damascus and the main forces of the armed opposition had inked a truce and a document expressing a readiness to start peace talks.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the agreement as a historic opportunity to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 310,000 people and forced millions from their homes.Putin said he would also reduce Moscows military contingent in Syria that has been flying a bombing campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad since last year.The Kremlin strongman, however, said Russia would continue to fight terrorism in Syria and maintain its support for the regime.Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said seven opposition groups, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham, had signed the deal and those who failed to adhere would be considered terrorists.Erdogan indicated Turkey would press on with its four-month incursion into Syria against Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish militia.Syrias army said the deal did not include IS and the former Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, now rebranded the Fateh al-Sham Front.That could cause complications in areas like Idlib in northwestern Syria, where Fateh al-Sham is allied with rebel groups that have signed on to the deal.Syrias political opposition and rebels had confirmed their backing for the truce, saying it applied to all parts of the country.The agreement is for all of Syria and contains no exceptions or preconditions, said Osama Abou Zeid, a legal adviser to rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner.The agreement comes after Turkey and Russia brokered a deal to allow the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians and rebel fighters from Aleppo.Moscow and Ankara are now pushing for peace talks between Damascus and the rebels to start soon in Kazakhstans capital Astana.Now we need to do everything for these agreements to come into force, for them to work, so that the negotiating teams that have been or are being formed promptly and as soon as possible arrive in Astana, Putin said.UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura said he hoped the agreement would pave the way for productive talks in Kazakhstan, but also reiterated he wants negotiations mediated by his office to continue early next year.Russia and Turkey have both said the peace talks they will supervise are meant to supplement UN-backed peace efforts, rather than replace them entirely. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia, Turkey and Iran were arranging for the talks and pressing for other key international players to get involved.Lavrov said Moscow would invite Egypt and try to attract other regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Jordan.He added Moscow would seek to involve US President-elect Donald Trumps administration once he takes office in less than a month, but the process does not appear to involve outgoing President Barack Obamas administration.The US State Department called the ceasefire deal a positive development and said it hoped it would lead to fresh negotiations on Syrias political future.Abou Zeid confirmed the truce deal was intended to pave the way for new talks in Astana, with the High Negotiations Committee that has represented the opposition at previous negotiations expected to participate.Turkey has long backed Syrias opposition, and its relations with Russia soured last year after Ankara shot down a Russian warplane.But the two countries have worked closely of late on Syria, and Turkey was conspicuously quiet as Assads forces retook Aleppo.

Obama hits Russia for election meddling Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama on Thursday unleashed a barrage of retaliatory measures against Moscow for meddling in the US election, imposing sanctions on two intelligence agencies, expelling 35 agents and shuttering two Russian compounds inside the United States.Making good on a promise to punish Vladimir Putins government for allegedly trying to tilt the 2016 election in Donald Trumps favor, Obama unveiled a broad range of steps that will inflame tensions with both Moscow and the president-elect.US intelligence had concluded that a hack-and-release of Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton staff emails was ordered by the Kremlin and was designed to put the Republican real estate mogul in the Oval Office.I have ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian governments aggressive harassment of US officials and cyber operations aimed at the US election, Obama said in a statement.In response to the hacks -- dubbed Grizzly Steppe by US officials -- Obama announced sanctions against Russias military intelligence agency, known as GRU, and the FSB -- the rump what was once the KGB.Trump said while he believes the US should move on to bigger and better things, he would meet with intelligence leaders next week for a briefing on the situation.The 35 Russian intelligence operatives -- based at the Russian embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco -- have been declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country within 72 hours.US officials also moved to close two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland.The latter facility, a summer house a short drive from the US capital, was once featured in a Washington lifestyle magazine and was described as a stately house surrounded by lush gardens on the banks of the Chester River, with an impressive collection of German and Hungarian porcelains.The US government said it is now used for intelligence-related purposes.Obama warned of further covert actions.These actions are not the sum total of our response to Russias aggressive activities. We will continue to take a variety of actions at a time and place of our choosing, some of which will not be publicized, he said.These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests in violation of established international norms of behavior.Those warnings, officials said, included a personal message from Obama to Putin when the two leaders met briefly in Hangzhou, China last September.Moscow quickly rejected US accusations of cyber-interference as unfounded and vowed to retaliate.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the Obama administration of trying to definitively destroy US-Russia relations which have already reached a low.He said Moscow would react in an adequate manner based on the principles of reciprocity.Trump has questioned whether Russia really tipped the electoral scale, painting Obamas accusations as a thinly veiled effort by a Democratic president to delegitimize a Republican victory. After the sanctions were imposed, Trump called on the country to move on to bigger and better things but offered a conciliatory pledge to meet next week with US spy chiefs he has harshly criticized.Obama said pointedly stated on Thursday that all Americans should be alarmed by Russias actions. The timing of his actions leave Trump and Moscow in a difficult position.Any attempt by the mogul-turned-politico to reverse Obamas sanctions once he takes office on January 20 would be widely seen as condoning Russian interference. That proposition was made even more difficult by Obamas decision to also link the sanctions to harassment of US diplomats in Moscow, which Washington described as unprecedented in the post-Cold War era.These are executive actions, said a senior Obama administration official.So if a future president decided that he wanted to allow in a large tranche of Russian intelligence agents, presumably a future president could invite that action. We think it would be inadvisable.Trumps fellow Republicans are also limiting his room for maneuver, increasingly distancing themselves from his pro-Russian stance.House Speaker Paul Ryan issued a statement welcoming the sanctions as overdue. Russia does not share Americas interests. In fact, it has consistently sought to undermine them, he said.Senior lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle have called for a congressional probe into Russias actions. Obama said Congress would receive a report in the coming days about Russias cyber-meddling.Obamas actions will also force Putin to weigh harsh retaliatory steps and the chance it could endanger an expected cooling of tensions under Trump.Relations between Washington and Moscow are at their worst since the end of the Cold War, and Obama had previously imposed sanctions over Russias interventions in Syria and Ukraine.US officials played down the impact that sanctions against the GRU and the FSB could have on intelligence-sharing on issues like counterterrorism, saying the cooperation was already limited.Both agencies will face sanctions, along with four individual GRU officers including agency chief Igor Valentinovich Korobov and three other entities.In addition, the US Treasury slapped sanctions on two individuals, Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev and Aleksey Alekseyevich Belan, for involvement in malicious cyber-enabled activities.The sanctions freeze any assets they may have in the United States and blocks US companies from doing business with them.The US government is also declassifying technical information on Russian cyber activity to help companies defend against future attacks.The United States and friends and allies around the world must work together to oppose Russias efforts to undermine established international norms of behavior and interfere with democratic governance, Obama said.That reflects growing concerns that Russia could target upcoming elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Iraq forces launch new assault on IS in Mosul Posted: BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi forces advanced Thursday after declaring a new phase in their offensive on eastern Mosul, stepping up efforts to reclaim the Islamic State groups last major stronghold in the country.Elite forces have reconquered several parts of eastern Mosul since beginning the massive operation to recapture the northern city from the jihadists on October 17, but IS still occupies the citys west.Security chiefs said several neighbourhoods had been taken, with the bodies of IS fighters seen lying on the streets and drone footage showing others retreating.Retaking Mosul could effectively end the jihadist groups days as a land-holding force in Iraq and deal a death blow to the caliphate IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed in the city in June 2014.The second phase of liberating the left bank in Mosul was launched, and our forces began advancing toward Al-Quds neighbourhood, said Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a senior officer in Iraqs Counter-Terrorism Service. Our forces clashed with the enemy and there is resistance, he told AFP, adding forces on the northern and southern fronts were also advancing.Mosul, now the last Iraqi city in which IS still holds significant territory, is split by the Tigris River, with the east side referred to as the left bank and the west as the right.Iraqs federal police commander, Raed Shaker Jawdat, said the enemys line of defence has fallen back inside the city.The streets of the Al-Salam, Al-Intisar, Al-Wahda, Al-Falestin and Al-Quds neighbourhoods are strewn with the bodies of Daesh fighters, he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.Police had also entered deep into the district of Jadida al-Mufti.The commanding chief of the offensive, Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir Yarallah, late Thursday announced the liberation of the Al-Quds 1 district.The commander said police drones had spotted IS fighters retreating to the citys western side via a pedestrian bridge badly damaged in the fighting.Centcom, the US military command in the Middle East, said the US-led coalition fighting IS had disabled the last bridge crossing the Tigris river inside Mosul this week at the Iraqi governments request.It said meanwhile that an investigation had been opened after a US-led air raid on an IS van during the Mosul operations on Thursday struck what was later determined to be a hospital compound parking lot resulting in possible civilian casualties.A Mosul inhabitant who requested anonymity reported hearing many explosions and said residents were holed up indoors.The new push in the battle for Mosul comes after progress slowed to a crawl in the past few weeks.After two months of fighting, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi last week said the army had decided to review battle plans and pause to reduce losses.The fighting has been all the more devastating as it has been happening in a city amid civilians.IS has targeted the army with car bombs on at least 900 occasions in the streets of Mosul since October 17, according to Abadi.IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since regained much of the territory they lost to the jihadists.Abadi had pledged that Mosul would be recaptured by years end -- a goal that is now out of reach, as operations in western Mosul have yet to begin.The Iraqi prime minister also said this week that three months were needed to eliminate IS in the country.High-ranking officials believe the battle against IS could drag on, and the Sunni Muslim extremist group continues to carry out attacks in areas from which it had been dislodged by the government offensive.Last week, an IS triple car bombing on a market in Gogjali a few kilometres (miles) east of Mosul killed at least 23 people.The army had retaken Gogjali from the jihadists in early November after more than two years of IS occupation.

Nobel laureates urge UN to intervene in Myanmar's Rohingya crisis Posted: UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - More than a dozen Nobel laureates on Thursday urged the United Nations to end the human crisis of Myanmars Rohingya minority group, whose members have been fleeing to Bangladesh to escape a bloody military crackdown.In an open letter addressed to the UN Security Council, 23 Nobel laureates, politicians, philanthropists and activists said a human tragedy amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity is unfolding in Myanmar.They also criticized the countrys leader Aung San Suu Kyi -- herself a Nobel Peace Prize winner -- for what they called a lack of initiative to protect the Rohingyas.We are frustrated that she has not taken any initiative to ensure full and equal citizenship rights of the Rohingyas, the group wrote.In recent weeks, more than 27,000 people belonging to the persecuted Muslim minority -- a group loathed by many of Myanmars Buddhist majority -- have fled a Burmese military operation in Rakhine state launched in response to the attack of border posts by armed groups. Rohingya survivors say they suffered rape, murder and arson at the hands of soldiers -- accounts that have raised global alarm and galvanized protests around Southeast Asia.Bangladeshs government has been under pressure to open its border to the fleeing refugees, but it has reinforced its border posts and deployed coastguard ships to prevent fresh arrivals.The Rohingyas are among the worlds most persecuted minorities, who for decades have been subjected to a campaign of marginalization and dehumanization, said the authors -- among them peace prize winners Desmond Tutu, Shirin Ebadi and Jose Ramos-Horta.They asked the 15-member Security Council to add the crisis to its agenda as a matter of urgency, and to call upon the secretary-general to visit Myanmar in the coming weeks -- either current UN chief Ban Ki-moon, or his successor Antonio Guterres, who will take over the post next month.If we fail to take action, people may starve to death if they are not killed with bullets, and we may end up being the passive observers of crimes against humanity which will lead us once again to wring our hands belatedly and say never again all over again, the letter said.The Rohingya have languished under years of dire poverty and discrimination from a government that denies them citizenship. The UN and other rights groups have repeatedly called on Myanmar to grant them full rights.

50,000 Rohingya flee to Bangladesh from Myanmar: government Posted: DHAKA (AFP) - Some 50,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar, the foreign ministry in Dhaka said Thursday, seeking shelter from a bloody crackdown by the army.Bangladesh has stepped up patrols to try to stem the tide of refugees crossing the border since an eruption of unrest in Myanmars western state of Rakhine in early October.The foreign ministry summoned Myanmars ambassador to express deep concern at the continued influx of tens of thousands of members of the stateless ethnic minority into its territory.We mentioned that around 50,000 Myanmar citizens took shelter into Bangladesh since 09 October 2016, the ministry said in a statement.Rakhine borders Bangladesh and is home to the Rohingya -- a Muslim minority group loathed by many of Myanmars Buddhist majority.Dhaka also demanded early repatriation of all Burmese citizens who have been living in the Muslim-majority nation for years, including some 300,000 Rohingya -- most of them illegally.A spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told AFP that at least 43,000 Rohingya have taken shelter in Bangladesh since October.The vast majority of those who arrived took refuge in makeshift settlements, official refugee camps and villages in Bangladeshs resort district of Coxs Bazar.Many of those interviewed by AFP told horrific stories of gang-rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar security forces.Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse but has banned foreign journalists and independent investigators from accessing the area.Bangladeshs government has been under pressure to open its border to the fleeing refugees, in a crisis which has been described as a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.But it has reinforced its border posts and deployed coastguard ships to prevent fresh arrivals.In the past three months, its border guards have prevented hundreds of boats packed with thousands of Rohingya women and children from entering the country.

Floods in DR Congo kill at least 50: provincial governor Posted: KINSHASA (AFP) - Floods triggered by heavy rains and a river bursting its banks have killed at least 50 people and left thousands more homeless in southwestern Congo, a provincial governor said Thursday.Torrential rains caused the Kalamu river, which flows through the city of Boma into the River Congo, to overflow for two hours before the waters receded, washing some of the victims across the border into Angola.The waters left parts of the city, Democratic Republic of Congos sole Atlantic port, covered in up to a metre of mud and a search was under way to dig out more bodies that may be buried.The rains on the night of Monday to Tuesday in Boma have caused at least 50 deaths, Jacques Mbadu, governor of Kongo Central province told AFP.We buried 31 bodies on Wednesday and we expect to get about 20 more bodies back today that ended up across the border in Angola, Mbadu added.Mbadu said the waters hit a peak of two metres (six feet) above their usual level, destroying at least 500 homes and leaving several thousand people homeless.Boma, which lies near the mouth of the River Congo around 470 kilometres (300 miles) southwest of the capital Kinshasa, is home to between 150,000 and 200,000 people. This is a cyclical phenomenon which happens every 10 years. It last happened in January 2015 but with climate change its now happened again in December 2016, Mbadu said.Locals told AFP that two of the citys three districts were still covered in mud, up to a metre deep in some places, and described tragic scenes as the waters rushed dramatically into their houses.I lost my two children, carried off by the waters, which rose up to three metres like a tsunami. I could only watch them as they were washed away, Faustin Lutete, a government employee, said.Fisherman Jean-Marie Kola said he just had time to run far away, as our house was showing signs of fragility. It collapsed later.Shopkeeper Camille Inonga said he had lost everything in the flash floods.My shop is covered in mud. I cant get in there. This is a whole life gone up in smoke, he said. Provincial governor Mbadu said the authorities were encouraging those left homeless by the floods to seek shelter with relatives to avoid creating more problems, rather than putting them in reception centres.He said he had been working with a Dutch company to divert the waters of the Congo river, whose enormous flow puts pressure on the Kalamu, to try to prevent these floods happening again.Congolese towns and cities are typically built up in a haphazard fashion and government services to deal with natural disasters are practically non-existent.Floods in Kinshasa in December 2015 left more than 30 people dead and 20,000 families homeless, most of them in the capitals slums, where residents were left to battle with their bare hands through noxious mud, slime and fecal matter.Despite its vast mineral wealth, Congo is classed among the worlds poorest countries and two thirds of its 70 million inhabitants get by on less than $1.25 a day.

Bangladesh bowler reprimanded for swearing Posted: NELSON (AFP) - Bangladesh bowler Tanveer Haider has been officially reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for swearing at New Zealand batsman Neil Broom during the second one day cricket international in Nelson on Thursday. The incident happened on the last ball of the 19th over when Tanveer, after being hit for a four, used obscene language which was heard by the umpires.Tanveer, who was making his ODI debut, admitted swearing and there was no need for a formal hearing, the ICC said in a statement. Broom was on 15 at the time and went on to score 109 not out to anchor New Zealands innings of 251.New Zealand won the match by 67 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Tanveer was found to have breached Article 2.1.4 of the Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an International Match.In addition to the reprimand for his breach of Article 2.1.4, one demerit point has been added to Tanveers disciplinary record.Pursuant to Article 7.6 of the Code, if Tanveer reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they will be converted into suspension points and he will be banned. Two suspension points equate to a ban from one test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player.

Azhar Ali OK after heavy blow to head Posted: MELBOURNE (Agencies) - Pakistan double-century hero Azhar Ali, felled by a sickening blow to the head in the field on Thursday, has been cleared of concussion.Australian team doctor Peter Brukner put Azhar through a test after he was hit flush in the top of the helmet by a Matthew Wade pull shot as he fielded at short leg on day four at the MCG. The bowler at the time was leg-spinner Yasir Shah.Azhars teammates and the team physiotherapist rushed to him as he lay on the field. Play was temporarily stopped but Azhar was able to walk from the field with a broken helmet.Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood said Azhar had been cleared to return to play on Friday.He is fine, Mahmood said after play on Thursday.Concussion has become a growing issue in cricket, with Cricket Australia - like all governing bodies - strengthening its rules.Wades shot had ricocheted off Azhar to Babar Azam, who caught it on the full, but Wade was not out as crickets rules currently say a batsman cannot be dismissed if the ball has rebounded off a protective helmet. But that may change if a recommendation from the MCCs world cricket committee is endorsed, calling for catches and stumpings to be allowed if the ball has hit a helmet worn by a fielder.Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who is part of the MCC world cricket committee, said this month it was time to have greater consistency in terms of dismissals when a ball has hit protective equipment.Wicketkeepers wear pads on the outside of their legs, which is an optional form of protection. We felt that it was not really different from a close-in fielder wearing a helmet, he said.A lot of the associations are now making it compulsory for the close-in fielders to wear helmets. Just to keep in line with other protective equipment on other fielders on the ground, we felt that was the right way to go.It has also emerged Yasir and Azhar had undergone routine anti-doping tests on Wednesday by the International Cricket Council, with results to be released in a fortnight. Yasir was charged in December 2015 with an anti-doping rule violation after he tested positive for a prohibited substance. He was handed a three-month suspension by the ICC after he pleaded guilty to breaching the ICCs anti-doping code.

Gillespie named Australia T20 assistant coach Posted: SYDNEY (AFP) - Former Test fast bowler Jason Gillespie was Thursday appointed as Australia assistant coach for the three Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka in February.Cricket Australia said Gillespie will work with Justin Langer, who was confirmed as coach for the series earlier this month.They will step in for head coach Darren Lehmann and his assistant David Saker, who will be with the Test squad for the tour of India over the same period.Apart from his work with the Adelaide Strikers in the T20 Big Bash League, Gillespie spent five successful years as head coach of English county Yorkshire.Im just buzzing to get this role. It really is an exciting opportunity and Im humbled to be thought of by Cricket Australia in this regard, Gillespie said.With some players likely to be away in India it really will be a shop window for players from the BBL to showcase their skills and to show the selectors and the Australian public what they can do.Gillespie took 259 wickets in 71 Tests as well as 142 wickets in 97 ODIs.The T20s between Australia and Sri Lanka will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 17, Geelong on February 19 and the Adelaide Oval on February 22.

Real Madrid lose Vazquez, Kovacic to injury Posted: MADRID: (AFP) - Real Madrid will be without midfielders Lucas Vazquez and Mateo Kovacic when the team returns to action in 2017 after picking up injuries in their successful Club World Cup campaign.Vazquez suffered a right leg injury in the 4-2 final win over Kashima Antlers in Japan and will be sidelined for up to four weeks, according to Spanish sports daily As.He is likely to miss the Spanish Cup last-16 game against Sevilla on January 4 and 12 as well as three La Liga matches.Croatian midfielder Kovacic will miss the first leg of the cup clash with Sevilla with a leg ankle knock also picked up in the tournament in Japan.

MQM-Pakistan set for Nishtar Park power show today Posted: KARACHI (Dunya News) - Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-Pakistan) is all set to exhibit its power show today as the party is going to held its first congregational meeting at Nishtar Park Karachi, reported Dunya News.The environemnt at Nishtar Park was lively and jubilant a day before the meeting as the venue revealed an eby the onlookers.All the refreshments and amusements for the visitors could easily be seen at the venue with women, and children enjoying themselves at different stalls being set up for the purpose.Face painting and food stalls at different locations added to the elegance and beauty of the location.However, something really strange was observed when the songs played at the function were basically the song of MQM-London and that is why questions have been raised as if MQM’s founder story has ended or not.MQM-Pakistan leader Farooq Sattar revealed that today we will silent all those who used to talk a lot.

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