PARIS (AFP) - President Francois Hollande will face tough questions on France's faltering economy and a deadly train derailment in an interview with top television channels on Sunday for the Bastille Day holiday.
With the country in mourning after Friday's rail accident near Paris claimed six lives, Hollande will be grilled by journalists from two leading TV channels after he attends the traditional military parade for France's main national holiday.
As the parade began, Hollande was driven up the Champs Elysees standing in the back of a camouflaged military jeep, saluted by troops lining the famed avenue.
With his popularity at rock-bottom after France fell into recession and unemployment hit record highs, Hollande will be looking in the interview to defend his first 14 months in office and to lay the groundwork for difficult reforms ahead.
He will also be keen to reassure the French after Friday's train derailment, which left dozens injured in addition to the six dead.
The SNCF state rail company said the accident at Bretigny-sur-Orge was the result of a faulty track and the transport minister complained of under-funding for outdated regional train lines.
Since taking power after his victory over right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy in May last year, Hollande's Socialist government has struggled to meet EU-mandated spending cuts while pushing its agenda of investing in economic growth.
Sources close to Hollande said he would use the half-hour interview in the Elysee Palace to seek to convince the French that he is "on the right track and fighting unemployment".
He will highlight a few promising signs that the French economy may be recovering, including a slowdown in the rise in joblessness, the sources said.
Hollande will also touch on tough reforms the government is planning for later this year, including changes to France's pension schemes that have already sparked calls from unions for general strikes.
The French leader will deliver a "pro-active message on returning to growth and a promising future", government spokeswoman Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said.
In a BVA poll released on Friday, respondents said they most wanted to hear from Hollande about unemployment and economic growth, with far less interest in subjects such as immigration, security or foreign affairs.
The Bastille Day military parade, down the Champs Elysees from the Arc de Triomphe, will meanwhile draw attention to one of the few Hollande decisions that has won widespread praise.
About 60 troops from Mali and a detachment from the UN peacekeeping force there will lead the march, joined by French troops who took part in the country's military intervention against Islamist rebels in the west African nation earlier this year.
France's surprise January intervention helped Mali's weak army drive out the Islamists, who had taken over the country's desert north. About 3,200 French troops remain in Mali, as it prepares for the first round of a presidential election on July 28.
In a nod to efforts to cut government spending, defence officials said this year's march will be slightly less grand than in previous years.
The defence ministry said this year's parade budget was reduced by 10-15 percent, with a third fewer vehicles than last year and 12 percent fewer aircraft.
Even with the cuts, about 4,800 servicemen and women will take part, along with 265 vehicles, 58 planes and 35 helicopters from the army, navy, air force and other military structures.
Among the aircraft overhead will be the new A400M military transport plane built by Airbus, which was unveiled by the European aerospace giant just last month.
Joining Hollande at the ceremony will be UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Mali's interim president Dioncounda Traore and Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, whose country became the 28th member of the European Union on July 1.
Sunday, 14 July 2013
Sensuality is a part of human emotion: Shruti Haasan
NEW DELHI (Web Desk) - Actress Shruti Haasan, who plays a prostitute in her upcoming release "D-Day", shot some bold scenes with Arjun Rampal for the film. She asserts that sensuality is a key element of her character, and says it hasn t been used just for titillation.
Directed by NIkhil Advani, "D-Day" is an espionage thriller slated to release July 19.
"I m playing a prostitute in the film and sensuality is a key element. We ve not done it for titillation or unnecessary scandalising. The character is like that," the 27-year-old actress said in an interview.
"If you do it in a wrong way, then the audience and actors both don t like it as the conviction is lost. It s very much integral to the character (in the film). As an actor, I feel we get to express all the emotions, and sensuality is a part of human emotion so its very important," she added.
The film also features Irrfan, Rishi Kapoor and Huma Qureshi in key roles.
Directed by NIkhil Advani, "D-Day" is an espionage thriller slated to release July 19.
"I m playing a prostitute in the film and sensuality is a key element. We ve not done it for titillation or unnecessary scandalising. The character is like that," the 27-year-old actress said in an interview.
"If you do it in a wrong way, then the audience and actors both don t like it as the conviction is lost. It s very much integral to the character (in the film). As an actor, I feel we get to express all the emotions, and sensuality is a part of human emotion so its very important," she added.
The film also features Irrfan, Rishi Kapoor and Huma Qureshi in key roles.
Italy senator under fire over black minister remarks
ROME, Latium (AFP) - A senator from Italy s anti-immigration Northern League on Sunday came under fire for saying Cecile Kyenge, the country s first black minister, resembles an orangutang.
Prime Minister Enrico Letta said the remark by Senator Roberto Calderoli on Saturday was "unacceptable". "I love animals... but when I see pictures of Kyenge, I cannot help thinking of similarities with an orangutang," he was quoted as saying at a party meeting in the northern city of Treviglio. The remark went viral in social media, sparking widespread denunciation.
Letta said in a communique Sunday: "The words reported today in the press attributed to Senator Calderoli regarding Cecile Kyenge are unacceptable and go beyond all limits."
Khalid Chaouki and Gianni Cuperlo, two lawmakers from the centre-left Democratic Party, demanded the resignation of Calderoni, who is deputy speaker of the Senate. "The remarks addressed to Minister Kyenge are not worthy of a man who represents our institutions," Cuperlo said.
Calderoli is famous for his provocative comments and actions. In 2006, he was forced to resign from the government of then prime minister Silvio Berlusconi after wearing a T-shirt printed with cartoons mocking the prophet Mohammed.
Since the Democratic Republic of Congo-born Kyenge took up her post as integration minister earlier this year she has faced numerous expressions of hostility from the Northern League, which is allied with Berlusconi s centre-right People of Freedom party but is now in opposition.
She has been the subject of verbal slurs and death threats posted on racist social media sites and even on her own Facebook page.
Prime Minister Enrico Letta said the remark by Senator Roberto Calderoli on Saturday was "unacceptable". "I love animals... but when I see pictures of Kyenge, I cannot help thinking of similarities with an orangutang," he was quoted as saying at a party meeting in the northern city of Treviglio. The remark went viral in social media, sparking widespread denunciation.
Letta said in a communique Sunday: "The words reported today in the press attributed to Senator Calderoli regarding Cecile Kyenge are unacceptable and go beyond all limits."
Khalid Chaouki and Gianni Cuperlo, two lawmakers from the centre-left Democratic Party, demanded the resignation of Calderoni, who is deputy speaker of the Senate. "The remarks addressed to Minister Kyenge are not worthy of a man who represents our institutions," Cuperlo said.
Calderoli is famous for his provocative comments and actions. In 2006, he was forced to resign from the government of then prime minister Silvio Berlusconi after wearing a T-shirt printed with cartoons mocking the prophet Mohammed.
Since the Democratic Republic of Congo-born Kyenge took up her post as integration minister earlier this year she has faced numerous expressions of hostility from the Northern League, which is allied with Berlusconi s centre-right People of Freedom party but is now in opposition.
She has been the subject of verbal slurs and death threats posted on racist social media sites and even on her own Facebook page.
Syrian troops advance against rebels in Damascus
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Heavy clashes between President Bashar Assad s forces and rebels broke out Sunday on the edge of the Syrian capital, where the government has been pushing its offensive to retake key districts that have been in opposition hands for months.
The Syrian military has seized the momentum in the nation s civil war over the past three months, wresting back territory lost to rebel forces and solidifying its hold on contested areas, particularly on the fringes of Damascus. Two of those embattled districts in the capital are Jobar and Qaboun, from which anti-Assad forces frequently launch mortar rounds on the heart of the capital.
A Syrian government official said forces loyal to Assad have recaptured 60 percent of Jobar, just south of Qaboun, and were trying to recover the remainder of the area. The remarks, made to reporters Sunday during a military escorted tour of Jobar organized by the Information Ministry, could not be independently verified.
But an Associated Press reporter on the tour saw massive destruction that pointed to heavy fighting in the neighborhood: entire factories that manufactured marble tiles had been razed to the ground, and reporters walked through the devastated area via holes knocked in walls amid warnings of opposition snipers in the area.
At least two bodies, apparently those of gunmen, were lying on the floor of a bunker described by the official as a "terrorist" hideout. He declined to be named, saying he was not allowed to make press statements.
Assad s government describes the rebels fighting to overthrow him as terrorists playing out a foreign conspiracy hatched by Israel, the United States and some of its Arab allies in the region, like Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
During the tour of Jobar, reporters were taken to a hideout the army said it seized a day earlier after killing 30 rebels and their leader inside. Reporters were shown RPG mortar rounds and explosive devices as well as an alleged chemical material with a strong odor.
Arabic graffiti on the walls read: "The al-Tawhid Brigade," and "the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant", names of militant groups fighting to topple Assad.
Sunday s tour came as Syria s main Western-backed opposition group claimed that 200 civilians were trapped in a mosque in Qaboun, near Jobar, as fighting raged outside between rebels and Assad s army. It warned that thousands of civilians in Qaboun could be "massacred" by Assad s army, as armored vehicles and elite forces move into the neighborhood.
The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said dozens of people were held captive Saturday by regime forces in the basement of the al-Omari Mosque, but were able to escape when clashes broke out between rebel and regime forces in the perimeter of the mosque, leading troops to retreat.
In Washington, U.S. officials said Israel targeted advanced anti-ship cruise missiles near Syria s principal port city in an airstrike earlier this month, according to a report by The New York Times. It cited the officials as saying the attack on July 5 near Latakia targeted a type of Russian-made missile called the Yakhont that Russia had sold to the Syrian government.
There was no immediate comment from Assad s government, whose key political ally and arms supplier is Russia. Israeli officials did not comment on the report.
The Syrian military has seized the momentum in the nation s civil war over the past three months, wresting back territory lost to rebel forces and solidifying its hold on contested areas, particularly on the fringes of Damascus. Two of those embattled districts in the capital are Jobar and Qaboun, from which anti-Assad forces frequently launch mortar rounds on the heart of the capital.
A Syrian government official said forces loyal to Assad have recaptured 60 percent of Jobar, just south of Qaboun, and were trying to recover the remainder of the area. The remarks, made to reporters Sunday during a military escorted tour of Jobar organized by the Information Ministry, could not be independently verified.
But an Associated Press reporter on the tour saw massive destruction that pointed to heavy fighting in the neighborhood: entire factories that manufactured marble tiles had been razed to the ground, and reporters walked through the devastated area via holes knocked in walls amid warnings of opposition snipers in the area.
At least two bodies, apparently those of gunmen, were lying on the floor of a bunker described by the official as a "terrorist" hideout. He declined to be named, saying he was not allowed to make press statements.
Assad s government describes the rebels fighting to overthrow him as terrorists playing out a foreign conspiracy hatched by Israel, the United States and some of its Arab allies in the region, like Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
During the tour of Jobar, reporters were taken to a hideout the army said it seized a day earlier after killing 30 rebels and their leader inside. Reporters were shown RPG mortar rounds and explosive devices as well as an alleged chemical material with a strong odor.
Arabic graffiti on the walls read: "The al-Tawhid Brigade," and "the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant", names of militant groups fighting to topple Assad.
Sunday s tour came as Syria s main Western-backed opposition group claimed that 200 civilians were trapped in a mosque in Qaboun, near Jobar, as fighting raged outside between rebels and Assad s army. It warned that thousands of civilians in Qaboun could be "massacred" by Assad s army, as armored vehicles and elite forces move into the neighborhood.
The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said dozens of people were held captive Saturday by regime forces in the basement of the al-Omari Mosque, but were able to escape when clashes broke out between rebel and regime forces in the perimeter of the mosque, leading troops to retreat.
In Washington, U.S. officials said Israel targeted advanced anti-ship cruise missiles near Syria s principal port city in an airstrike earlier this month, according to a report by The New York Times. It cited the officials as saying the attack on July 5 near Latakia targeted a type of Russian-made missile called the Yakhont that Russia had sold to the Syrian government.
There was no immediate comment from Assad s government, whose key political ally and arms supplier is Russia. Israeli officials did not comment on the report.
Israeli leader vows to keep weapons from Hezbollah
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel s prime minister insisted Sunday that he will not allow "dangerous weapons" to reach Lebanon s Hezbollah militants, following reports that Israel recently carried out an airstrike in northern Syria against a shipment of advanced missiles.
The airstrike in Latakia reportedly targeted Russian Yakhont anti-ship missiles, one of the types of advanced weapons that Israeli officials have previously said they would not allow to reach Syria. It would be the fourth known airstrike against Syria this year.
Asked about the reports on the CBS-TV show "Face the Nation," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to confirm or deny Israeli involvement in the latest airstrike.
"My policy is to prevent the transfer of dangerous weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon and other terror groups as well. And we stand by that policy," he said, according to a transcript of the interview provided by CBS.
Israel has been carefully watching the Syrian conflict since it erupted in March 2011. While it has been careful not to take sides in the civil war, Israel has repeatedly said it would take action to prevent what it calls "game changing" weapons, including chemical weapons and advanced guided missiles, from reaching Hezbollah or other hostile militant groups. Syria s President Bashar Assad is a key backer of Hezbollah.
In January, Israeli aircraft destroyed what was believed to be a shipment of advanced Russian anti-aircraft missiles in Syria that were bound for Lebanon.
In May, a pair of Israeli airstrikes near Damascus targeted advanced Iranian ground-to-ground missiles also thought to be headed for Hezbollah. Israel has never confirmed involvement in any of the airstrikes.
Following the May attack, Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed to retaliate if Israel struck his territory again. Assad has not commented on the latest alleged airstrike.
Yakhont missiles are powerful anti-ship weapons launched from the shore that are difficult to defend against.
They travel at twice the speed of sound close to the surface of the water, making it hard for radar to detect them. Israel sees them as threatening its military and commercial installations along the coast, including its offshore natural gas reserves.
The airstrike in Latakia reportedly targeted Russian Yakhont anti-ship missiles, one of the types of advanced weapons that Israeli officials have previously said they would not allow to reach Syria. It would be the fourth known airstrike against Syria this year.
Asked about the reports on the CBS-TV show "Face the Nation," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to confirm or deny Israeli involvement in the latest airstrike.
"My policy is to prevent the transfer of dangerous weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon and other terror groups as well. And we stand by that policy," he said, according to a transcript of the interview provided by CBS.
Israel has been carefully watching the Syrian conflict since it erupted in March 2011. While it has been careful not to take sides in the civil war, Israel has repeatedly said it would take action to prevent what it calls "game changing" weapons, including chemical weapons and advanced guided missiles, from reaching Hezbollah or other hostile militant groups. Syria s President Bashar Assad is a key backer of Hezbollah.
In January, Israeli aircraft destroyed what was believed to be a shipment of advanced Russian anti-aircraft missiles in Syria that were bound for Lebanon.
In May, a pair of Israeli airstrikes near Damascus targeted advanced Iranian ground-to-ground missiles also thought to be headed for Hezbollah. Israel has never confirmed involvement in any of the airstrikes.
Following the May attack, Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed to retaliate if Israel struck his territory again. Assad has not commented on the latest alleged airstrike.
Yakhont missiles are powerful anti-ship weapons launched from the shore that are difficult to defend against.
They travel at twice the speed of sound close to the surface of the water, making it hard for radar to detect them. Israel sees them as threatening its military and commercial installations along the coast, including its offshore natural gas reserves.
Ukrainian man smears Polish president with egg attack
KIEV (Reuters) - A Ukrainian man smeared Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski with a broken egg when he visited the site of a 1943 massacre of Poles in neighbouring Ukraine on Sunday, police said.
The attack followed a move by the Polish parliament last week to recognise the massacre by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during World War Two as "ethnic cleansing bearing the hallmarks of genocide".
The move upset Ukrainian nationalists who view the UPA as heroes and freedom fighters.
On Sunday, Komorowski visited the western Volyn region and attended mass at a Catholic church.
As he emerged from the church "a young man from the crowd tapped his shoulder with his hand in which he was holding a crushed egg", police said in a statement.
The 21-year-old man, a resident of Ukraine s southern Zaporizhia region, has been detained and faces hooliganism charges and up to three years in prison, they said.
It was unclear whether the man belonged to any of Ukraine s nationalist groups, the largest of which, "Svoboda" (Freedom) won dozens of seats in parliament last year, becoming a major political force.
"Svoboda" has criticised the Polish parliament s decision but said it would not seek to disrupt Komorowski s visit.
The territory of Volyn was long disputed by Poland and Ukraine. Historians believe tens of thousands of people died in the massacre during the wartime Nazi occupation.
Seventy years later, public opinion in Ukraine remains split on the insurgent movements which co-operated with the Nazis in hope of driving out the Soviet government and creating an independent Ukrainian state.
In the last days of his presidency in 2010, former Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko awarded wartime nationalist leader Stepan Bandera the title "Hero of Ukraine".
The award was annulled by a court under his successor, current President Viktor Yanukovich.
The attack followed a move by the Polish parliament last week to recognise the massacre by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during World War Two as "ethnic cleansing bearing the hallmarks of genocide".
The move upset Ukrainian nationalists who view the UPA as heroes and freedom fighters.
On Sunday, Komorowski visited the western Volyn region and attended mass at a Catholic church.
As he emerged from the church "a young man from the crowd tapped his shoulder with his hand in which he was holding a crushed egg", police said in a statement.
The 21-year-old man, a resident of Ukraine s southern Zaporizhia region, has been detained and faces hooliganism charges and up to three years in prison, they said.
It was unclear whether the man belonged to any of Ukraine s nationalist groups, the largest of which, "Svoboda" (Freedom) won dozens of seats in parliament last year, becoming a major political force.
"Svoboda" has criticised the Polish parliament s decision but said it would not seek to disrupt Komorowski s visit.
The territory of Volyn was long disputed by Poland and Ukraine. Historians believe tens of thousands of people died in the massacre during the wartime Nazi occupation.
Seventy years later, public opinion in Ukraine remains split on the insurgent movements which co-operated with the Nazis in hope of driving out the Soviet government and creating an independent Ukrainian state.
In the last days of his presidency in 2010, former Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko awarded wartime nationalist leader Stepan Bandera the title "Hero of Ukraine".
The award was annulled by a court under his successor, current President Viktor Yanukovich.
Magical Afridi earns Pakistan big win against WIndies
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) - All-rounder Shahid Afridi returned to international cricket with a blistering half century and a career-best 7-12 as Pakistan recorded a thumping 126-run victory over West Indies in the first one-day international on Sunday.
Afridi, recalled after missing last month s Champions Trophy due to poor form, scored 76 off 55 balls to pilot Pakistan to 224-9. Afridi then skittled West Indies out for 98 in 41 overs to record the second-best ever bowling figures in one-day internationals after Sri Lanka s Chamina Vaas 8-19 against Zimbabwe in 2001.
It was also West Indies lowest ever ODI total against Pakistan.
West Indies had Pakistan on the mat at 47-5 before Afridi and captain Misbah-ul-Haq (52) featured in a 120-run stand against some inconsistent bowling which saw the home team bowling 23 wide balls.
The second one-day international of the five-match will be played at the same venue Tuesday.
"It was the most difficult pitch on which I have ever played," Misbah said. "The ball was seaming and stopping, but it was Afridi s day, the way he batted and bowled."
West Indies never looked to threaten Pakistan s total from the onset once 7-foot-1-inch fast bowler Mohammad Irfan clean bowled Johnson Charles with a low full toss and had Darren Bravo caught behind down the legside.
Chris Gayle, who wanted to make his 250th ODI appearance a memorable one, was run out in a mix-up with Marlon Samuels for just one run as West Indies slumped to 7-3 in five overs.
Lendl Simmons and Samuels batted at a snail s pace before Afridi started the slide in the 23rd over.
Afridi had Simmons stumped and trapped captain Dwayne Bravo leg before wicket off the next delivery. He went on to claim the wickets of Kieron Pollard, Samuels and Kemar Roach in his opening spell of eight overs before he returned to finish off the innings by claiming the last two wickets of Sunil Narine and Holder.
"I just try to keep it simple, sometimes I get good turn off the pitch and if I don t get turn I try to bowl straight ones for leg before wicket decisions," Afridi said.
Afridi also reached 350 wickets in ODIs to become the third Pakistan to achieve the feat after Wasim Akram (502) and Waqar Younis (416).
Earlier, Afridi dominated Pakistan s record-breaking sixth wicket stand against West Indies of 120 runs off 113 balls with Misbah holding the innings together with a sedate 52 off 121 balls.
Afridi holed out in the deep in the 39th over which helped West Indies to hit back but its bowlers were guilty of giving away too many extras which swelled Pakistan s total.
Holder broke through early after Dwayne Bravo won the toss and put Pakistan in to bat at Providence Stadium hosting its first international match after two years.
Ahmed Shehzad (5) and Mohammad Hafeez (1) were clean bowled while attempting to leave Holder s incoming deliveries but Nasir Jamshed (6) was unlucky to be adjudged leg before wicket by umpire Joel Wilson as the television replays suggested the ball was missing the off stump.
Asad Shafiq was brilliantly caught behind by makeshift wicketkeeper Johnson Charles after West Indies opted to leave out regular keeper Dinesh Ramdin for at least first two games of the five-match series.
Pakistan stuttered at 23-4 and it could have been 24-5, but umpire Wilson again erred when he could not hear a clear edge off Umar Akmal s bat that would have earned Holder his fifth wicket.
However, West Indies did not have to wait long as Akmal got a leading edge off Roach and was caught by Dwayne Bravo at mid-on after struggling to score 19 runs.
Afridi then revived Pakistan s innings with Misbah, who gave the flamboyant all-rounder most of the strike.
The introduction of spinners Narine and Samuels eased the pressure on the batsmen as both spinners bowled a dozen wide balls among them and gave away 56 runs between them off six overs.
Afridi raised the 100-run stand with a flat six off Samuels over long on before he holed out off a slower delivery from Pollard.
Misbah raised his half century off 119 balls with only one boundary but added some valuable runs with Pakistan s tailenders to take the team s beyond the 200-run mark.
The Pakistan captain was caught behind in the 48th over when he got a thick edge off Bravo, who also conceded 14 runs in his last over with No. 10 Asad Ali hitting a big six over mid-wicket.
Afridi, recalled after missing last month s Champions Trophy due to poor form, scored 76 off 55 balls to pilot Pakistan to 224-9. Afridi then skittled West Indies out for 98 in 41 overs to record the second-best ever bowling figures in one-day internationals after Sri Lanka s Chamina Vaas 8-19 against Zimbabwe in 2001.
It was also West Indies lowest ever ODI total against Pakistan.
West Indies had Pakistan on the mat at 47-5 before Afridi and captain Misbah-ul-Haq (52) featured in a 120-run stand against some inconsistent bowling which saw the home team bowling 23 wide balls.
The second one-day international of the five-match will be played at the same venue Tuesday.
"It was the most difficult pitch on which I have ever played," Misbah said. "The ball was seaming and stopping, but it was Afridi s day, the way he batted and bowled."
West Indies never looked to threaten Pakistan s total from the onset once 7-foot-1-inch fast bowler Mohammad Irfan clean bowled Johnson Charles with a low full toss and had Darren Bravo caught behind down the legside.
Chris Gayle, who wanted to make his 250th ODI appearance a memorable one, was run out in a mix-up with Marlon Samuels for just one run as West Indies slumped to 7-3 in five overs.
Lendl Simmons and Samuels batted at a snail s pace before Afridi started the slide in the 23rd over.
Afridi had Simmons stumped and trapped captain Dwayne Bravo leg before wicket off the next delivery. He went on to claim the wickets of Kieron Pollard, Samuels and Kemar Roach in his opening spell of eight overs before he returned to finish off the innings by claiming the last two wickets of Sunil Narine and Holder.
"I just try to keep it simple, sometimes I get good turn off the pitch and if I don t get turn I try to bowl straight ones for leg before wicket decisions," Afridi said.
Afridi also reached 350 wickets in ODIs to become the third Pakistan to achieve the feat after Wasim Akram (502) and Waqar Younis (416).
Earlier, Afridi dominated Pakistan s record-breaking sixth wicket stand against West Indies of 120 runs off 113 balls with Misbah holding the innings together with a sedate 52 off 121 balls.
Afridi holed out in the deep in the 39th over which helped West Indies to hit back but its bowlers were guilty of giving away too many extras which swelled Pakistan s total.
Holder broke through early after Dwayne Bravo won the toss and put Pakistan in to bat at Providence Stadium hosting its first international match after two years.
Ahmed Shehzad (5) and Mohammad Hafeez (1) were clean bowled while attempting to leave Holder s incoming deliveries but Nasir Jamshed (6) was unlucky to be adjudged leg before wicket by umpire Joel Wilson as the television replays suggested the ball was missing the off stump.
Asad Shafiq was brilliantly caught behind by makeshift wicketkeeper Johnson Charles after West Indies opted to leave out regular keeper Dinesh Ramdin for at least first two games of the five-match series.
Pakistan stuttered at 23-4 and it could have been 24-5, but umpire Wilson again erred when he could not hear a clear edge off Umar Akmal s bat that would have earned Holder his fifth wicket.
However, West Indies did not have to wait long as Akmal got a leading edge off Roach and was caught by Dwayne Bravo at mid-on after struggling to score 19 runs.
Afridi then revived Pakistan s innings with Misbah, who gave the flamboyant all-rounder most of the strike.
The introduction of spinners Narine and Samuels eased the pressure on the batsmen as both spinners bowled a dozen wide balls among them and gave away 56 runs between them off six overs.
Afridi raised the 100-run stand with a flat six off Samuels over long on before he holed out off a slower delivery from Pollard.
Misbah raised his half century off 119 balls with only one boundary but added some valuable runs with Pakistan s tailenders to take the team s beyond the 200-run mark.
The Pakistan captain was caught behind in the 48th over when he got a thick edge off Bravo, who also conceded 14 runs in his last over with No. 10 Asad Ali hitting a big six over mid-wicket.
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