DUBAI (AFP) - South Africa reached 460-4 at close on the second day of the second and final Test in Dubai on Thursday.
Opener Graeme Smith was unbeaten on 227 for his 27th Test hundred and AB de Villiers on 157 not out at stumps as South Africa extended their lead to 361 runs with six wickets intact.
The pair has so far added 326 for an unbroken fifth wicket stand -- an all time South African record for this wicket in Tests.
Pakistan were bowled out for 99 in their first innings.
Pakistan lead the two-match series 1-0 after winning last week s first Test by seven wickets in Abu Dhabi.
Scoreboard at close on the second day of the second and final Test between Pakistan and South Africa at Dubai cricket stadium on Thursday:
Pakistan 1st innings 99 (Zulfiqar Babar 25; Imran Tahir 5-32, D. Steyn 3-38)
South Africa Ist innings
A. Petersen lbw b Babar 26
G. Smith not out 227
D. Elgar c Ali b Ajmal 23
J. Kallis lbw b Ajmal 7
D. Steyn b Irfan 7
AB de Villiers not out 157
Extras: (b4, lb7, w2) 13
Total: (for four wkts; 134 overs) 460
Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Petersen), 2-91 (Elgar), 3-119 (Kallis), 4-134 (Steyn)
Bowling: Irfan 27-4-84-1 (w1), Khan 27-2-99-0 (w1), Ajmal 43.4-5-132-2, Babar 31.2-2-112-1, Ali 5-0-22-0
Toss: Pakistan
Umpires: Rod Tucker (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG)
Tv umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS)
Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Israel downplays differences with US over Iran
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel s international affairs minister on Thursday said there were "small differences" with the United States over the Iranian nuclear issue, a week after direct talks between Tehran and world powers.
"We generally see eye to eye with the Americans on the final objective, which is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but there are sometimes small differences over the way to do that," Yuval Steinitz, who is also intelligence minister, told Israeli public radio.
Steinitz, who is on a visit to the US for discussions on Iran, did not elaborate, but added that sanctions against Tehran must not be relaxed until there is "an agreement guaranteeing 100 percent that Iran will never be able to have a nuclear weapon".
Israel has repeatedly warned against the so-called charm offensive of Iran s new President Hassan Rouhani, which led to direct talks between Tehran and the P5+1 countries -- United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany -- in Geneva on October 15 and 16. Another round of talks is slated for next month.
The Jewish state, the Islamic republic s arch-foe, has insisted there be no relief for Iran from crippling economic sanctions which it says brought it to the table in the first place.
Israel, the Middle East s sole if undeclared nuclear-armed power, wants Iran to meet four conditions before the sanctions are eased: halting all uranium enrichment; removing all enriched uranium from its territory; closing its underground nuclear facility in Qom; and halting construction of a plutonium reactor.
Western countries, along with Israel, suspect Iran s nuclear activities are aimed at military objectives, a claim Tehran vehemently denies.
Steinitz said Israel does not oppose Iran s right to civilian nuclear energy, but insisted it must not be able to enrich its own uranium, which is required for nuclear fuel but can also be used to develop a warhead.
Israel s President Shimon Peres, meanwhile, linked the Iran nuclear issue to the wider topic of regime change in the Middle East.
"All of us are concerned about the enrichment of uranium but there is a wider picture," he told a conference organised by right-leaning newspaper the Jerusalem Post.
"Dictatorships only seem strong but they are the weakest, an Iranian Spring is possible; don t underestimate the power and ability of the people," Peres said.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, speaking at the same event, said that Arab countries could join an "axis" with Israel to counter the Iranian threat, but only if peace talks with Palestinians made headway.
"The fact that the conflict with the Palestinians has not been settled is preventing Arab countries threatened by Iran from overtly collaborating with Israel.
"Progress in negotiations will weaken Iran and allow for an axis comprising Arab countries and Israel against Iran," Livni said.
Ahead of talks in Rome with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said "words are no substitute for actions" on the Iran nuclear issue, adding that it was too early to talk about easing sanctions on the country.
At the same time he hailed the recent signs of openness in Iran following Rouhani s election and said the country should now respect the same rules as other nuclear powers.
"We generally see eye to eye with the Americans on the final objective, which is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but there are sometimes small differences over the way to do that," Yuval Steinitz, who is also intelligence minister, told Israeli public radio.
Steinitz, who is on a visit to the US for discussions on Iran, did not elaborate, but added that sanctions against Tehran must not be relaxed until there is "an agreement guaranteeing 100 percent that Iran will never be able to have a nuclear weapon".
Israel has repeatedly warned against the so-called charm offensive of Iran s new President Hassan Rouhani, which led to direct talks between Tehran and the P5+1 countries -- United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany -- in Geneva on October 15 and 16. Another round of talks is slated for next month.
The Jewish state, the Islamic republic s arch-foe, has insisted there be no relief for Iran from crippling economic sanctions which it says brought it to the table in the first place.
Israel, the Middle East s sole if undeclared nuclear-armed power, wants Iran to meet four conditions before the sanctions are eased: halting all uranium enrichment; removing all enriched uranium from its territory; closing its underground nuclear facility in Qom; and halting construction of a plutonium reactor.
Western countries, along with Israel, suspect Iran s nuclear activities are aimed at military objectives, a claim Tehran vehemently denies.
Steinitz said Israel does not oppose Iran s right to civilian nuclear energy, but insisted it must not be able to enrich its own uranium, which is required for nuclear fuel but can also be used to develop a warhead.
Israel s President Shimon Peres, meanwhile, linked the Iran nuclear issue to the wider topic of regime change in the Middle East.
"All of us are concerned about the enrichment of uranium but there is a wider picture," he told a conference organised by right-leaning newspaper the Jerusalem Post.
"Dictatorships only seem strong but they are the weakest, an Iranian Spring is possible; don t underestimate the power and ability of the people," Peres said.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, speaking at the same event, said that Arab countries could join an "axis" with Israel to counter the Iranian threat, but only if peace talks with Palestinians made headway.
"The fact that the conflict with the Palestinians has not been settled is preventing Arab countries threatened by Iran from overtly collaborating with Israel.
"Progress in negotiations will weaken Iran and allow for an axis comprising Arab countries and Israel against Iran," Livni said.
Ahead of talks in Rome with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said "words are no substitute for actions" on the Iran nuclear issue, adding that it was too early to talk about easing sanctions on the country.
At the same time he hailed the recent signs of openness in Iran following Rouhani s election and said the country should now respect the same rules as other nuclear powers.
Russia angrily dismisses US spying accusations
MOSCOW (AP) Russia on Thursday angrily dismissed espionage accusations against a Russian cultural exchange official in Washington, saying the U.S. claims were unfounded.
The FBI is looking into whether Yury Zaytsev, the head of a Russian government-run cultural exchange program, tried to recruit young Americans as intelligence assets, a U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe was still underway.
The magazine Mother Jones first reported the story.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was "bewildered" by the reports and said the "fabrications they contained had nothing to do with the reality."
It demanded the U.S. government "unequivocally and publicly disavow the ill-intended attempts to cast a shadow on the activities of the Russian Center for Science and Culture."
An FBI spokesman, Jason Pack, declined to comment.
Zaytsev dismissed the accusations as an attempt to hurt ties between Moscow and Washington.
"It s a shame that echoes of the Cold War are heard in Russian-American relations from time to time," Russia s Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying.
Evgeniy Khorishko, spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington, also denied the suspicions, telling Itar-Tass that "such horror stories smack of Cold War times."
Mother Jones said the organization run by Zaytsev has footed the bill for about 130 Americans to visit Russia. His center offers language lessons and cultural programs. The magazine said Zaytsev or his associates had built files on participants, including one who had been an adviser to a U.S. state governor.
The magazine said FBI agents have been interviewing Americans who participated in the program.
Zaytsev s case comes amid friction in U.S.-Russian ties, which have been strained over differences on Syria, Moscow s decision to give refuge to former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden and the Kremlin s crackdown on the opposition and rights activists.
A flurry of spy cases has added to the tension. In May, Russian security services arrested a U.S. diplomat who they say was caught red-handed while trying to court a spy. He left the country a few days later.
In 2010, the FBI busted a ring of sleeper agents for Russia that it had been following for years in the United States. All 10, including the now well-known Anna Chapman, pleaded guilty and were returned in a swap.
The FBI is looking into whether Yury Zaytsev, the head of a Russian government-run cultural exchange program, tried to recruit young Americans as intelligence assets, a U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe was still underway.
The magazine Mother Jones first reported the story.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was "bewildered" by the reports and said the "fabrications they contained had nothing to do with the reality."
It demanded the U.S. government "unequivocally and publicly disavow the ill-intended attempts to cast a shadow on the activities of the Russian Center for Science and Culture."
An FBI spokesman, Jason Pack, declined to comment.
Zaytsev dismissed the accusations as an attempt to hurt ties between Moscow and Washington.
"It s a shame that echoes of the Cold War are heard in Russian-American relations from time to time," Russia s Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying.
Evgeniy Khorishko, spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington, also denied the suspicions, telling Itar-Tass that "such horror stories smack of Cold War times."
Mother Jones said the organization run by Zaytsev has footed the bill for about 130 Americans to visit Russia. His center offers language lessons and cultural programs. The magazine said Zaytsev or his associates had built files on participants, including one who had been an adviser to a U.S. state governor.
The magazine said FBI agents have been interviewing Americans who participated in the program.
Zaytsev s case comes amid friction in U.S.-Russian ties, which have been strained over differences on Syria, Moscow s decision to give refuge to former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden and the Kremlin s crackdown on the opposition and rights activists.
A flurry of spy cases has added to the tension. In May, Russian security services arrested a U.S. diplomat who they say was caught red-handed while trying to court a spy. He left the country a few days later.
In 2010, the FBI busted a ring of sleeper agents for Russia that it had been following for years in the United States. All 10, including the now well-known Anna Chapman, pleaded guilty and were returned in a swap.
Terrorist attack convoy of Arab prince
QUETTA: Unidentified terrorists carried out attack on the convoy of an Arab prince on a hunting trip in Turbat district of Balochistan province on Tuesday while a Levies official was killed in the attack.
The incident took place in Buleda area of Turbat where an Arab prince and his convoy were on a hunting trip while Levies forces were providing the security, officials said.
Officials did not mentioned nationality of Arab prince, however local media said the prince belongs to a Gulf state.
Earlier in Feburuary this year, Qatar based Arab Prince was also attack in Pattok area of Kech district of Balochistan.
According to reports, one vehicle kept fire in the terrorists’ attack while Levies forces and the prince convoy’s weapons were also stolen by the assailants.
However, the prince along with his envoy and security officials escaped from the location.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s resource-rich and largest province by area, suffers from an upsurge in sectarian violence and attacks by separatist militants, who target civilians and security forces alike.
The incident took place in Buleda area of Turbat where an Arab prince and his convoy were on a hunting trip while Levies forces were providing the security, officials said.
Officials did not mentioned nationality of Arab prince, however local media said the prince belongs to a Gulf state.
Earlier in Feburuary this year, Qatar based Arab Prince was also attack in Pattok area of Kech district of Balochistan.
According to reports, one vehicle kept fire in the terrorists’ attack while Levies forces and the prince convoy’s weapons were also stolen by the assailants.
However, the prince along with his envoy and security officials escaped from the location.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s resource-rich and largest province by area, suffers from an upsurge in sectarian violence and attacks by separatist militants, who target civilians and security forces alike.
Iran terms UN report on rights violations unfair
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran on Thursday angrily rejected as "unfair" and politically-motivated a UN report which said the Islamic republic s human rights record showed no sign of improvement.
The report "describes the human rights situation in Iran in a completely unfair light and with political motivations," foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said in a statement carried by the state broadcaster.
Iran will not allow "such prejudiced reports to become the judging standard of its human rights situation," she said.
In a report on Wednesday, special human rights monitor for Iran Ahmed Shaheed condemned the high number of executions in the country this year as well as tough restrictions on freedom of speech, especially online.
"The human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to warrant serious concern, with no sign of improvement in the areas previously raised by the general assembly or the various human rights monitoring mechanisms," Shaheed said in the report.
Tehran has so far refused to let Shaheed visit the country since being appointed in 2011, and has responded to only a handful of official requests for information.
Shaheed thus has relied on contacting campaigners and victims inside Iran, as well as exiles and human rights groups, to write his reports on the country.
His report came almost three months after President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate, took office in Iran with a declared mandate to improve social and cultural freedoms at home.
Iran last month released dozens of political prisoners, including prominent rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.
But many more remain behind bars or under house arrest, including figures rounded up in the aftermath of massive street protests sparked by a disputed presidential election in 2009.
Afkham also said Iran did not recognise the rapporteur.
"Iran considers the appointment of a special human rights rapporteur an insult to the great Iranian nation, and thus does not recognise it," she said.
Afkham criticised Shaheed for what she called "sources from terrorist and violent groups," saying they deprived the report of "legitimacy and legality."
The report "describes the human rights situation in Iran in a completely unfair light and with political motivations," foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said in a statement carried by the state broadcaster.
Iran will not allow "such prejudiced reports to become the judging standard of its human rights situation," she said.
In a report on Wednesday, special human rights monitor for Iran Ahmed Shaheed condemned the high number of executions in the country this year as well as tough restrictions on freedom of speech, especially online.
"The human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to warrant serious concern, with no sign of improvement in the areas previously raised by the general assembly or the various human rights monitoring mechanisms," Shaheed said in the report.
Tehran has so far refused to let Shaheed visit the country since being appointed in 2011, and has responded to only a handful of official requests for information.
Shaheed thus has relied on contacting campaigners and victims inside Iran, as well as exiles and human rights groups, to write his reports on the country.
His report came almost three months after President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate, took office in Iran with a declared mandate to improve social and cultural freedoms at home.
Iran last month released dozens of political prisoners, including prominent rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.
But many more remain behind bars or under house arrest, including figures rounded up in the aftermath of massive street protests sparked by a disputed presidential election in 2009.
Afkham also said Iran did not recognise the rapporteur.
"Iran considers the appointment of a special human rights rapporteur an insult to the great Iranian nation, and thus does not recognise it," she said.
Afkham criticised Shaheed for what she called "sources from terrorist and violent groups," saying they deprived the report of "legitimacy and legality."
PPP demand replacement of Punjab opposition leader
Lahore: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has demanded that Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly, should be replaced.
Talking to party members at Lahore Press Club today (Thursday), former opposition leader Raja Riaz said that his party favours strong opposition.
PPP wants to see mutual cooperation between the opposition parties, he said.
Raja Riaz said Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed is not addressing the public issues, adding that PTI should introduce a new opposition leader who can openly talk over prevailing issues including terrorism, inflation and unemployment.
Talking to party members at Lahore Press Club today (Thursday), former opposition leader Raja Riaz said that his party favours strong opposition.
PPP wants to see mutual cooperation between the opposition parties, he said.
Raja Riaz said Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed is not addressing the public issues, adding that PTI should introduce a new opposition leader who can openly talk over prevailing issues including terrorism, inflation and unemployment.
There will be no shift in drone policy: US
WASHINGTON: Talking to media persons Thursday, an US official said Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif raised the issues of drone attacks but US would not change its policy on drones.
He said Nawaz also raised the issues of Aafia Siddique’s release but US officials told him that they could not discuss the issue any further.
The US official told the media persons that Pakistan has been provided solid evidence against Hafiz Saeed and it should honour the sanctions imposed against Jamat-ud-Dawa.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated Islamabad s demand for putting an end to US drone strikes inside his country s territory, but the White House defended their use in counter-terror efforts.
Sharif said he wants to see US-Pakistan relations improve "but the issue of drones has become a major irritant in our bilateral relationship".
A report by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch released on Tuesday said that US drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen may constitute human rights violations and "appear to be war crimes."
However, The United States hit back the same day at the charges, arguing that criticism from rights groups does not reflect events on the ground.
He said Nawaz also raised the issues of Aafia Siddique’s release but US officials told him that they could not discuss the issue any further.
The US official told the media persons that Pakistan has been provided solid evidence against Hafiz Saeed and it should honour the sanctions imposed against Jamat-ud-Dawa.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated Islamabad s demand for putting an end to US drone strikes inside his country s territory, but the White House defended their use in counter-terror efforts.
Sharif said he wants to see US-Pakistan relations improve "but the issue of drones has become a major irritant in our bilateral relationship".
A report by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch released on Tuesday said that US drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen may constitute human rights violations and "appear to be war crimes."
However, The United States hit back the same day at the charges, arguing that criticism from rights groups does not reflect events on the ground.
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