Dunya TV

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• Tokyo stocks open higher ahead of Trump address
• Iraqi civilians flee fighting, privation in west Mosul
• Eleven Afghan police killed in 'insider attack'
• Football: Everton boss Koeman open to Rooney return
• At least 160 killed in clashes on Myanmar-China border: army
• Zidane hopes Jese fulfils potential, but doesn't haunt Real
• Putin says new Syria sanctions would hamper peace talks
• Trump to promise tough immigration laws, 'historic' tax reform
• Football: Guardiola rules out Hart return
• Football: Real Sociedad fail to leapfrog Atletico Madrid
• Barack, Michelle Obama sign bumper book deal
• Dollar firms on Fed rate hike talk, eyes on Trump
• South Africa bat in fourth New Zealand ODI
• Firing incident claims one life in Karachi
• Karachi: Gang war accused nabbed during Rangers raid

Tokyo stocks open higher ahead of Trump address Posted: TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo stocks opened higher Wednesday on the back of a weaker yen while investors waited for US President Donald Trumps speech to a joint session of Congress.The dollar rose to 113.15 yen from 112.75 yen in New York on Tuesday afternoon, lifting exporters as a cheaper yen increases their profitability.The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 0.41 percent, or 78.20 points, to 19,197.19 in early trade, while the Topix index of all first-section shares was up 0.38 percent, or 5.77 points, at 1,541.09.While the weaker yen supported the market, eyes were on Trumps address, which is set to begin at around 0200 GMT.Trump has said he will boost military spending, while cutting back on social spending programmes.The market is also looking for details on a tax-cut plan, which Trump has described as phenomenal and the promise of which has propelled US stocks to record highs since the presidential election.Markets will be closely watching the speech to to see whether legs are starting to develop on his visionary statements of increased infrastructure spending and tax, Tapas Strickland, an economist at National Australia Bank, wrote in a commentary.Overnight moves suggest markets have already judged that Trump will be again long on vision, but short on detail.London, Frankfurt and Paris finished with small gains on Tuesday, while US stocks retreated, with the Dow at last declining after notching 12 straight record closes.In Tokyo trading, Toyota rose 1.55 percent to 6,464 yen while Sony gained 1.49 percent to 3,530 yen.SoftBank increased 1.88 percent to 8,520 yen after announcing a fresh $1.7 billion investment in US satellite telecom firms OneWeb and Intelsat, which plan to merge.The investment will give SoftBank, which in December announced it was injecting $1 billion in OneWeb, a 39.9 percent voting stake in the combined company plus additional non-voting shares.

Iraqi civilians flee fighting, privation in west Mosul Posted: SOUTH OF MOSUL (AFP) - Hundreds of civilians fled through the desert Tuesday to escape fighting and privation in Mosul, joining thousands of others who left their homes amid dire conditions in the citys west.Iraqi forces launched a major push on February 19 to recapture the west of Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group, retaking the airport and then advancing north.Security forces reached the southernmost of Mosuls five damaged or destroyed bridges across the Tigris River on Monday, a step that could allow troops to extend a floating bridge between the citys east and west sides.But even if Iraqi forces link the recaptured east bank with the west, tough fighting still lies ahead, and civilians will be caught in the middle.So far today (Tuesday), we have around 300 displaced people -- men and women and children, Brigadier General Salman Hashem of the Counter-Terrorism Service told AFP.There are more coming. Theyre stopped at a checkpoint when they arrive and separated. The men are searched and then checked against a database, Hashem said.Twenty-three men were pulled aside for additional investigation after their names were flagged in the database, he said.Those fleeing the city have faced dire conditions.Theyre coming to us after days without food, Hashem said.While the men are taken to be checked, the women and children sit on sheets on the dusty ground, and security forces bring them water, food and condensed milk.Eighteen-year-old Baidaa, wearing a ragged black scarf and holding her young daughter, said she and her family had fled early on Tuesday.We left at five oclock this morning. We started running and then we walked the rest of the way. We had to run because we were afraid of fire from (IS), Baidaa said.They trapped us and they didnt want us to leave, she said of the jihadists.Her two children did not understand whats happening, they just followed us. They were so afraid of the firing from the fighting.According to the ministry of displacement and migration, at least 16,000 people have been displaced since the battle for west Mosul began -- a small fraction of the areas total population.There is serious concern for the 750,000 trapped in the densely populated western sector, with conditions worsening daily, according to reports and testimonies from those who have managed to escape, Hala Jaber of the International Organization for Migration said in a statement.Those still in Mosul have to face ISs strict rule along with a lack of basic goods and the danger from the fighting.Women had to cover up, you couldnt walk in the street without a guardian. The rules were very harsh and food was very expensive -- we could only afford to eat rice and bread, Baidaa said.Fawzia Mohammed, a mother of 16 who also fled on Tuesday, said she and her family were trapped in their homes with little to eat.The last days were terrible. We were trapped inside by the fighting, we had no food, she said.The women were forced (by IS) to cover their faces, or stay at home. But that was okay -- the worst was the violence, lashings, executions, cutting people, Mohammed said.One man who arrived with his wife and elderly mother asked Iraqi forces for medicine, but there was none on hand.My mother is old, she has diabetes, we dont have any medicine for her, he said.IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by air strikes and other support from a US-led coalition have since regained much of the territory they lost.Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake Mosul on October 17, recapturing the east bank about three months later and then setting their sights on its smaller but more densely populated west side.

Eleven Afghan police killed in 'insider attack' Posted: KANDAHAR (AFP) - An Afghan policeman linked to the Taliban shot dead 11 of his colleagues at a checkpoint in the southern province of Helmand, officials said Tuesday, in the latest so-called insider attack.The incident occurred late Monday while the policemen were sleeping in their barracks in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, as the Taliban escalate a deadly winter campaign of violence.Bloodied corpses of the policemen were strewn around the checkpoint, many of them shot from close range, witnesses said, in a setback for Afghan forces before what is expected to be another fierce spring fighting season.A policeman affiliated to the Taliban shot 11 of his colleagues, killing all of them, a provincial official told AFP, declining to be named.He then fled the area, taking all the ammunition and firearms with him, he said, adding that police had launched a search for the Taliban infiltrator.The Boost government hospital in Lashkar Gah had received the bodies of the 11 policemen, a health official told AFP.Taliban insurgents, who control vast swathes of the opium-ravaged province, claimed responsibility for the killings.So-called insider attacks -- when Afghan soldiers and police turn their guns on their colleagues or on international troops -- have been a major problem during the more than 15-year-long war. Such attacks have sapped morale and caused deep mistrust within security ranks.In a similar incident last September, two Afghan soldiers with suspected Taliban links killed at least 12 of their comrades as they slept in the volatile northern province of Kunduz. Afghan security forces are battling a resurgent Taliban amid record casualties and mass desertions.For years Helmand was the centrepiece of the Western military intervention in Afghanistan, only for it to slip deeper into a quagmire of instability.The Taliban effectively control or contest 10 of the 14 districts in Helmand, the deadliest province for British and US troops over the past decade and blighted by a huge opium harvest that helps fund the insurgency.Lashkar Gah -- one of the last government-held enclaves in Helmand -- also risks falling to the Talibans repeated ferocious assaults. The intensified fighting in the province last year forced thousands to flee to the city from outlying districts.Repeated bids to launch peace negotiations with the Taliban have failed and an intense new fighting season is expected to kick off in the spring.The Pentagon this year said it will deploy some 300 US Marines this spring to Helmand.NATO officially ended its combat mission in December 2014, but US forces were granted greater powers last June to strike at the insurgents as Washington vowed a more aggressive campaign.The US Marines will assist a NATO-led mission to train Afghan forces, in the latest sign that foreign forces are increasingly being drawn back into the worsening conflict.

Football: Everton boss Koeman open to Rooney return Posted: LONDON (AFP) - Everton manager Ronald Koeman paved the way Tuesday for Wayne Rooneys return to the club of his youth by saying he would make the side stronger.Last week Rooney said he was staying with Manchester United following persistent speculation he could make a lucrative move to the Chinese Super League.But doubts still surround the long-term club future of the 31-year-old Rooney, the England national sides record goal-scorer, and Koeman appears ready to try to bring him back to Liverpool-based Everton.I believe that Wayne Rooney is still playing at a high level, Koeman told Sky Sports.I think he made a good choice to stay at Manchester United and in the Premier League because he has still two or three years in front of him to play on a high level, the former Dutch international added.What will happen at the end of the season? I dont know but in my opinion he is one of the players who can make Everton more stronger.Its all about what the player likes, what Manchester United needs to do, and we are not involved in that project.But every player that we at Everton think can make the team stronger is welcome to Everton.- Class apart -=================Steve Walsh, Evertons director of football, endorsed Koemans comments, adding: Wayne Rooney is one of the greatest players that has ever played the game in England and for us not to be interested would be wrong.He started his career here and if the opportunity arose that he could come back and it sat well with everyone it is something we would consider.He is a class apart, he sees things, and all the things that have been said about Wayne are true. He comes into that category of being one of Englands greatest ever players, so why wouldnt we be interested?But lets not get ahead of ourselves. Wayne is contracted to Manchester United and made a decision to continue to play for them.Lets wait and see what happens in the future.Rooney, born in Liverpool, joined Everton as a nine-year-old and made his senior debut aged 16 on the opening day of the 2002/03 season against Tottenham Hotspur.Six weeks later, Rooney became Evertons youngest scorer with two goals against Wrexham in the League Cup.Rooney catapulted to national attention when he scored his first Premier League goal -- a last-minute winner against Arsenal -- five days before his 17th birthday.The 18-year-old Rooney left Everton to join United in a 27 million ($34 million/32 million euros) move in 2004.He has since won five Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy with United and become the clubs record goal-scorer.Speculation about his Old Trafford future has intensified since Rooney ceased to be a first-team regular under manager Jose Mourinho. That was heightened when he was left on the bench for Sundays League Cup final win against Southampton at Wembley.

At least 160 killed in clashes on Myanmar-China border: army Posted: NAYPYIDAW (AFP) - At least 160 people have died in three months of clashes between the military and ethnic armed groups in Myanmars Shan state, a senior army official said Tuesday, amid efforts to revive flagging peace talks.More than 20,000 people have been displaced since fighting between the army and several armed ethnic groups erupted near the border with China in late November.The unrest has rippled across the northern state of Shan and into neighbouring Kachin, hampering a push by Aung San Suu Kyis government to end the countrys decades-long borderland conflicts.Military offensives that had been rumbling since mid-2016 intensified after several armed groups, together known as the Northern Alliance, launched a major attack in northern Shan. The army responded with heavy artillery and air strikes.Experts say the fighting in the frontier areas is at its most intense since the 1980s.That has prompted the UN to warn of a humanitarian crisis building in conflict areas, particularly in Kachin where some 100,000 people have been displaced since 2011.Giving the armys first comprehensive toll from the clashes, the chief of the general staff said 74 soldiers, 15 police, 13 government militia fighters and 13 civilians have been killed.We have 45 dead bodies of enemies and arrested four, General Mya Tun Oo told reporters in the capital, Naypyidaw, speculating hundreds more rebels may have died in the violence. The toll comes as Myanmars government prepares for a second round of peace talks, currently slated for March. The negotiations have repeatedly been pushed back because of political deadlock with armed groups. Suu Kyi wants to broaden a ceasefire signed with some of Myanmars myriad ethnic insurgent groups in 2015 and known as the NCA.The most recent negotiations were delayed after the powerful China-backed United Wa State Army (UWSA) militia held its own summit with non-signatories to the deal.After that meeting attendees signed a statement rejecting the NCA.Instead they called for an immediate halt to military offensives in ethnic areas and for the UN and China to be involved in the new talks.They have also backed the UWSAs calls for Myanmars major ethnic groups to be granted more control over their territories and resources. The NCA is not fair, a spokesman for the powerful Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which attended the talks, told AFP. The armys vision is not what the ethnic groups want. The KIA is among several groups which are set to hold talks with Suu Kyi this week in the capital to try to break the deadlock.IHS Jane security analyst Tony Davis said the recent fighting has lent credibility to the UWSA, also known as the Wa, in peace negotiations.The Wa-backed Northern Alliance... has effectively dismissed the governments NCA-centred peace process, which despite Western advice and lavish funding has never gained any real traction, he said.

Zidane hopes Jese fulfils potential, but doesn't haunt Real Posted: MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane hopes Jese Rodriguez rediscovers the form that once made him the star of Madrids academy, but only after his return to the Santiago Bernabeu with Las Palmas on Wednesday.Jese left Madrid for French champions Paris Saint-Germain on a five-year deal in August for a reported 25 million euros ($26.8 million).However, he scored just twice in 14 appearances and quickly fell down the pecking order for PSGs Spanish coach Unai Emery before joining home town club Las Palmas on loan in January.I like him a lot as a player and a person, and I hope that from Thursday it goes well for him at Las Palmas, Zidane said on Tuesday.When the Canary Islanders pushed the boat out to bring the 24-year-old forward back to La Liga at the end of January, qualifying for Europe was the aim.Instead, Las Palmas have lost all four games to Granada, Sevilla, Malaga and Real Sociedad since signing Jese to slip to 12th and cap his miserable season for far.A move away from Real was supposed to relaunch his career after the devastating effect of a cruciate knee ligament injury that cut short his breakthrough season in 2013/14 when Zidane was Madrids assistant coach to Carlo Ancelotti.At the time Jese was one of the brightest young talents in world football with goals against Barcelona, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal that campaign putting him on the verge of a call-up to Spains 2014 World Cup squad.Despite going onto to make 94 appearances in all for Madrid, his career at the Bernabeu never recovered as he lived in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale and was also ultimately usurped by the likes of Lucas Vazquez for first team opportunities.He is a high quality Spanish player who has always shown enormous potential, added Zidane.It didnt go as he would have wanted at PSG, maybe he did not have all the minutes to show what he could do.I wish him is all the best from Thursday, and hope that he regains his form because he is a great player.Substitutes Isco and Alvaro Morata made a huge impact as Real came from 2-0 down to beat Villarreal 3-2 on Sunday and could be rewarded with a start on Wednesday as Zidane promised to rotate his squad once more.Gareth Bale started the Real fightback by scoring on his first start for three months and the Welshman has been included in Zidanes 19-man squad despite suffering a knock late on at the Ceramic Stadium.

Putin says new Syria sanctions would hamper peace talks Posted: BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said Moscow opposed any new sanctions against the Syrian leadership as they would undermine peace efforts to end the countrys protracted war.Russia and the United States are headed for a clash at the UN Security Council as Moscow prepares to veto a draft resolution that would impose sanctions on its ally Damascus.In terms of sanctions against the Syrian leadership, I think that now they are completely inappropriate, Putin said at a press conference in Kyrgyzstan.This would not help the negotiation process but would only interfere or undermine confidence, Putin said, adding that Russia will not support any new sanctions in relation to Syria.The UN Security Council will vote Tuesday on the text drafted by the United States, Britain and France that would punish 11 Syrians and 10 entities linked to chemical attacks in 2014 and 2015.Russia has vowed to use its veto to block the measure, which would be the seventh time that Moscow has resorted to its veto power to shield the regime of Bashar al-Assad.A fresh round of UN-led peace talks aimed at ending the Syrian conflict are currently struggling to get off the ground in Geneva.Putin -- whose military intervention in Syria helped turn the tables in favour of Assad -- lamented that the negotiations in Switzerland are not going as smoothly as hoped.Russias delegation looks set to meet the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), the main opposition group, in Geneva on Wednesday, with the Assad opponents urging Moscow to step up pressure on Damascus.

Trump to promise tough immigration laws, 'historic' tax reform Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Donald Trump will use a maiden prime-time speech to Congress to flesh out his policy agenda Tuesday, promising tougher immigration enforcement and historic tax reform.By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions of dollars and make our communities safer for everyone, he is expected to say, according to excerpts released by the White House.Our economic team is developing historic tax reform that will reduce the tax rate on our companies so they can compete and thrive anywhere, he will also say.At the same time, we will provide massive tax relief for the middle class.He will also call on Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare -- referring to his predecessors landmark healthcare reform, which expanded coverage by to around 20 million people.Trump is expected to advocate reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs, and at the same time provide better healthcare.The speech is an opportunity for Trump to frame the big bold choices of his administration.Some 44 percent of Americans think Trump is doing a good job, according to the RealClearPolitics poll average, a historic low for modern presidents after a month in office.Trump is also likely to use the pomp and tradition-filled occasion to reconnect with blue collar voters, who made his presidency possible.

Football: Guardiola rules out Hart return Posted: MANCHESTER (AFP) - Pep Guardiola has indicated that England goalkeeper Joe Harts Manchester City career is over, regardless of how well he performs at Torino.Hart has impressed in Serie A since his arrival on a seasons loan in August, having been frozen out by Guardiola.The City manager decided on his arrival at the club last July that Hart was not suited to a possession-based style of football.Claudio Bravo was brought in from Barcelona as Harts replacement, but the Chile international has been unconvincing, losing his place to Willy Caballero, the veteran back-up goalkeeper, in recent weeks.Yet asked if there was any chance of Hart coming back, Guardiola shook his head and said: Im so happy with Willy and Claudio.Guardiola has made clear that he would be content to go forward with Bravo and Caballero as his two goalkeepers next season.It would mean sorting out a new contract for the Argentine, 35, whose current agreement runs out in June.There are five, six players out of contract but they know the situation. Of course there is a risk, maybe they can sign a contract for another club and we have to accept that. But we are going to decide in the last months of the season, Guardiola said.On the possibility of signing another goalkeeper this summer, Guardiola added: I will decide about that at the end of the season. I trust a lot in both and well decide - not just about the goalkeepers, the midfielders, wingers, strikers, full-backs. We are going to decide at the end of the season.Asked if he might go into next season with just Bravo and Caballero as his senior goalkeepers, Guardiola replied: Yes.Guardiola agreed a three-year contract before taking over at City in July, and has the support of Sheikh Mansour, the clubs owner, to continue beyond that.The manager received that message when he met the owner during Citys recent warm weather training break in Abu Dhabi.- Significant challenge -=========================Citys manager has begun the process of trying to remodel the club as one who can challenge to win the Champions League on a regular basis, while also bringing through the finest young talent via their academy.However, he has acknowledged that adjusting to English football has been a significant challenge, as he faces the possibility of ending a season without a trophy for the first time in his managerial career.Winning the Premier League this season looks unlikely, with City in third place, 11 points behind leaders Chelsea, although there is still the possibility of success in cup competitions.Guardiolas meeting with Citys billionaire owner was their first; the manager came away with the belief that he has a clear mandate to pursue long-term success.He said: He knows and I know that it all depends on the results. He would like that I stay here for a long, long, long, long time. But of course it depends on the results.If not, they would say: What happened? What can we do? What do we need to improve? Thats the process. To finish the process, they are going to help us.Guardiola won 21 trophies in seven years as a manager before arriving at City, but is aware that winning the Premier League was not enough to save his predecessors Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini from the sack when they failed to build on that success.We didnt speak about targets. They will be happy if we win. I know we have to win but Ive handled that in the past and I will in the present, he said.We spoke about private lives, families, the club. What my impression is after six months, half-a-year here.

Football: Real Sociedad fail to leapfrog Atletico Madrid Posted: MADRID (AFP) - Real Sociedad missed the chance to leapfrog Atletico Madrid into fourth in La Liga as Pedro Leons 93rd-minute equaliser snatched a 2-2 draw for Eibar in a controversial Basque derby on Tuesday.Juanmis header opened the scoring for Sociedad, but he was booked for showing a t-shirt honouring Pablo Raez.Raez, who like Juanmi is from Malaga, recently died at the age of just 20 from leukaemia and was famous for his fundraising campaigns via social media.Gonzalo Escalante headed Eibar level before half time before referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco took centre stage early in the second half.Firstly he harshly sent off Eibars Florian Lejeune for two bookable offences.And Juanmis first booking came back to haunt him as he was also dismissed shortly after for a second yellow card.Eibar coach Jose Luis Mendilibar was also sent to the stands after Carlos Vela converted a soft penalty to put Sociedad back in front.However, Eibar maintained their own push for European qualification when Leons low drive squeezed under Geronimo Rulli with the last kick of the game to move them level with sixth-placed Villarreal on 39 points.Sociedad are tied with Atletico on 45 points but Diego Simeones men have a game in hand, away to Deportivo la Coruna on Thursday.

Barack, Michelle Obama sign bumper book deal Posted: NEW YORK (AFP) - Barack and Michelle Obama have signed a deal to publish their memoirs with New York-based Penguin Random House, in a coveted contract reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars.Americas first African American president is already the author of two memoirs and a childrens book. He has frequently declared himself to have a writers sensibility and has said he does not want to write a conventional blow-by-blow account of his time in the White House.Michelle Obamas memoir is likely to be just as eagerly anticipated.A descendant of slaves, she became the first African American first lady and garnered high approval ratings -- to the point where she was arguably one of the countrys most respected and popular women.Penguin Random House said in a statement it has acquired world publication rights for two books, to be written by president and Mrs Obama respectively.The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but bidding for the high-profile double book deal topped $60 million, a record sum for US presidential memoirs, according to the Financial Times.Until now, the record for a US presidential memoir was $15 million paid for Bill Clintons My Life, released in 2004. George W. Bush received $10 million for Decision Points in 2010.Hillary Clinton reportedly received a $14 million advance for Hard Choices, her account of her time as secretary of state under Obama.The Obama deal was negotiated by Washington super-lawyer Robert Barnett, who represented both the Clintons and Bush.As part of the agreement, the company will donate one million books in the Obama familys name to First Book, a charity, Penguin said.We are very much looking forward to working together with President and Mrs Obama to make each of their books global publishing events of unprecedented scope and significance, said Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle.The Obamas took a long vacation after Donald Trump was sworn in as president on January 20, and the former president has stuck by a pledge to keep a low public profile unless events threatening what he called Americas core values warranted that he speak out.He did just that in January, just days after Trump enacted his ban on travelers from seven mostly Muslim countries, and on all refugees. Obama expressed support for protests that sprang up nationwide against the now-suspended Trump travel ban.Whereas US presidents tend to leave town after leaving the White House, the Obamas are settling into a rented mansion in Washingtons posh Kalorama district until their younger daughter Sasha finishes high school. Their eldest daughter Malia will be attending Harvard in the fall.Another new neighbor in Kalorama is Trumps daughter Ivanka, who has rented a house along with her husband Jared Kushner and their three children, near the Obamas.

Dollar firms on Fed rate hike talk, eyes on Trump Posted: HONG KONG (AFP) - The dollar firmed in Asia on Wednesday after two top Federal Reserve officials suggested US interest rates could rise as soon as this month, while traders await a key speech by Donald Trump to Congress.The greenbacks rally provided fresh impetus for Tokyo stocks, but regional equity markets were subdued despite forecast-beating readings on Chinese factory activity and Australian growth.Early focus is on Washington, where President Trump is due to address both houses of Congress, with investors hoping he will provide details of his economic plans.World markets have surged since his November election win on expectations his plans for infrastructure spending and tax cuts will fire the worlds top economy. However, his lack of clarity has led to some uncertainty, while there are also concerns that his first few weeks in office have been enveloped with controversy that has caused division in the country.Some believe its a chance to reset, some hope for inclusiveness, but traders just hope for an expansion and clarification of the plans and timing around the administrations tax and infrastructure plan, said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at CFD and FX provider AxiTrader.In early exchanges the Nikkei in Tokyo was up 0.9 percent as the dollar strengthened against the yen, helping exporters. Investors shifted into the US unit after New York Fed President William Dudley said there was a strong case for borrowing costs to rise, while his San Francisco counterpart John Williams expects such a move to get serious consideration when the bank meets this month. The comments come as Fed boss Janet Yellen prepares to speak Friday.However, other markets were reticent to move before Trumps speech, with Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei and Wellington all flat.There was little early reaction to Chinese figures showing manufacturing activity grew more than expected last month. The improvement in the purchasing managers index follows a series of upbeat readings from Beijing that suggest the worlds number two economy may have turned a corner after years of slowing growth.Sydney was down 0.1 percent as traders brushed off news Australian growth hit 1.1 percent in the October-December quarter, averting a technical recession of two straight quarters of contraction, thanks to a pick-up in exports and household spending.

South Africa bat in fourth New Zealand ODI Posted: HAMILTON (AFP) - South Africa won the toss and elected to bat in the fourth one-day international against New Zealand in Hamilton on Wednesday.The Proteas lead the five-match series 2-1 and can wrap it up with a win at Seddon Park, where they claimed a tight four-wicket victory in the first one-dayer.The pitch in that fixture was a raging turner and South African captain AB de Villiers said while he did not expect the same movement this time, it should prove spin-friendly late in the day-nighter.I think itll play best in the afternoon then maybe get a bit slow in the evening and turn a bit, he said.South Africa made only one change from the last match, with Chris Morris coming in for an injured Andile Phehlukwayo.New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said he would also have opted to bat first but the Black Caps hoped to exploit any early movement by playing two specialist spinners.He said Jeetan Patel would join fellow tweaker Mitchell Santner, replacing paceman Lockie Ferguson. The Black Caps also strengthened their batting line-up, welcoming back opener Martin Guptill from injury and calling up wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi to replace Tom Latham.New Zealand are looking to extend a run of eight home ODI series unbeaten.After losing the opening fixture, they bounced back for a six-run win in game two but were thrashed by 159 runs in the third.Teams:New Zealand: Dean Brownlie, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (capt), Ross Taylor, Luke Ronchi, James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Jeetan Patel, Trent Boult.South Africa: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (capt), JP Duminy, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir.Umpires: Paul Reiffel (AUS), Wayne Knights (NZL). Third umpire: Joel Wilson (WIS).Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND).

Firing incident claims one life in Karachi Posted: KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, dacoits opened fire during a robbery attempt in Jamshaid Quarters area of Karachi on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding two others.Police sources said that the deceased has been identified as 17-year-old Nadeem while Rashid and Waqar sustained injuries. Sources further said that the firing incident occurred at a petrol pump at the Jahangir Road.Police have shifted the injured to a nearby hospital. Police have also registered a case and started investigation.

Karachi: Gang war accused nabbed during Rangers raid Posted: KARACHI (Dunya News) – Rangers conducted a raid in Agra Taj Colony of Lyari on Tuesday and arrested an operative of Kachi Rabita Committee group of Lyari gang war, Dunya News reported.The arrested gang war accused was identified as Ramzan alias Patel. According to Rangers spokesman, one 7mm rifle, two 222 rifles, two pistals, one 22-bore rifle, five fake passports, foreign currency and 1320 bullets were recovered from his house.Rangers sources said that the ammunition was stored in the house to be used in acts of terrorism in the city.

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