Son sends Spurs into top four, more pain for Chelsea

By: Inter News on March 31, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

LONDON: Son Heung-min’s late winner fired Tottenham Hotspur into the Premier League’s top four with a 2-1 win over Luton Town as Chelsea twice blew a lead against 10-man Burnley in a 2-2 draw on Saturday.

An action-packed afternoon also saw Newcastle United come from 3-1 down to stun West Ham United 4-3 and Fulham hit back for a 3-3 draw at bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United.

Spurs have now come from behind to win in four of their last five home games and needed another second-half turnaround to keep their challenge for a return to the Champions League next season on track.

Tahith Chong’s strike after just three minutes gave Luton a shock lead, but the Hatters ended the day in the relegation zone as their winless run extended to 10 games.

An Ange Postecoglou half-time substitution again made an impact for Tottenham as Brennan Johnson’s cross was turned into his own net by Issa Kabore just six minutes after the Welsh international’s introduction.

Son had missed a number of chances earlier in the game but finally got some fortune when his deflected effort trickled past Thomas Kaminski for his 15th goal of the season.

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino was met with another backlash at Stamford Bridge after his side failed to make the most of an extra man for the entire second half against second-bottom Burnley.

The Blues appeared on course to cruise to victory after Lorenz Assignon was harshly sent-off for pulling down Mykhailo Mudryk inside the area.

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany was also shown a red card for taking his protests too far.

Cole Palmer coolly chipped in the resulting penalty, but the 10 men levelled two minutes into the second half thanks to Josh Cullen’s super finish from outside the box.

Raheem Sterling had been booed off in Chelsea’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Leicester a fortnight ago but thought he had set up the winner in style with a flick that Palmer stroked into the far corner.

Chelsea, though, failed to hold out again as Dara O’Shea headed in a corner nine minutes from time to leave Pochettino’s men still in the bottom half of the table.

Newcastle closed to within one point of West Ham in seventh after a remarkable fightback at St. James’ Park.

Goals from Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen wiped out the advantage given to Newcastle by Aleksander Isak’s early penalty.

However, a second Isak spot-kick 13 minutes from time sparked the turnaround before substitute Harvey Barnes struck twice to send Eddie Howe scurrying down the touchline in celebration.

Newly-capped England international Anthony Gordon had been involved in three of the four Newcastle goals but was then sent-off in stoppage time for kicking the ball away.

“A lot of emotions in that game, we were swinging all over the place,” said Howe. “The last 10 minutes was amazing to be part of.”

Everton’s winless run stretched to 12 Premier League games after a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth to leave the Toffees still perilously placed just three points above the relegation zone.

Nottingham Forest edged out of the bottom three on goal difference in their first match since receiving a four-point deduction as Chris Wood salvaged a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace.

Sheffield were denied just their fourth win of the season by Fulham’s late fightback at Bramall Lane.

Ben Brereton Diaz struck twice as the Blades led 3-1 with four minutes of the 90 left only for Bobby DeCordova-Reid and Rodrigo Muniz to snatch a point for the visitors.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2024

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/LecMGIp

Kiplimo and Chebet win back-to-back world cross country titles

By: Inter News on March 31, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

BELGRADE: Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo and Beatrice Chebet of Kenya successfully defended their world cross country titles in Belgrade on Saturday.

It’s just the fifth time in history that both the senior men’s and women’s champions have retained their titles at the championships — the first since Ethiopian duo Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba did in (2005/06).

Kiplimo, 23, made it three successive world crowns for Uganda — Joshua Cheptegei winning the 2019 edition — timing 28 minutes 09 seconds over the 10,000m trip.

Kiplimo joins legends Bekele and Paul Tergat in defending the title, although he has still to go some way to equal their achievements of winning five in a row.

“It actually feels more exciting to successfully defend my title than to win the first one,” said Kiplimo. “But it was also tougher. I came here expecting I could win again, but the field was really strong. The course was fine, a little challenging with the obstacles. It was a little tough running in the heat, but that wasn’t a major issue.”

Kiplimo said the title was a perfect boost for his morale after missing the outdoor World Athletics Championships last year due to a hamstring injury.

“I was hungry for medals after missing Budapest last year,” said Kiplimo, who is the world half marathon record holder. “I was in good shape, but then the injury happened and I had to get treatment, but I am back now. My goal this year is to do what Joshua Cheptegei did and win an Olympic gold. My main focus is the 10,000m, but I’m not sure yet if I want to double.”

The 5,000m and 10,000m Commonwealth titleholder finished three seconds clear of Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia, who also took silver last year in Bathurst, Australia.

Kenya’s Benson Kiplangat took bronze, two seconds adrift of Aregawi — Cheptegei finished a disappointing sixth, 15 seconds off his compatriot’s winning time.

Chebet had earlier become the first female runner since Ethiopian great Dibaba (2005/06) to successfully defend her title leading home a Kenyan medals clean sweep.

The 24-year-old was only fourth in the Kenyan trials for the championships but she came home three seconds clear of Lilian Rengeruk.

Margaret Kipkemboi took bronze, a second adrift of Rengeruk and two other Kenyans filled fourth and fifth spots.

Chebet’s victory was the ninth successive win for Kenya in the women’s race.

“We won the team title, that showed very strong teamwork,” said Chebet. “After trials we trained together, we eat the same food. We were a team and being together helped us achieve the best result here.

“It is not easy to come to a world championship and defend your title, there is a lot of pressure. My target was to be on the podium. I felt I was stronger with about 500m to go.”

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2024

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/09x3yLo

Mentally challenged minor girl raped at DHQ hospital in Layyah

By: Inter News on March 30, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

MUZAFFARGARH: Two nine-year-old girls were raped in separate incidents at the District Headquarters Hospital Layyah and Kot Addu.

A mentally challenged minor girl was raped at the DHQ Hospital, Layyah, on Thursday evening.

The nine-year-old girl belonged to Chak 515-TDA of Kot Addu who was visiting the hospital with her family.

A CCTV footage showed the victim child being taken away by the suspect, identified as a 15-year-old resident of the General Bus Stand.

According to a police spokesperson, the suspect was a sweets vendor and he lured the girl by giving her toffees. He raped the victim within the boundary wall of the hospital.

After the incident, City police arrested the suspect with the help of modern technology and CCTV footage.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had taken notice of the incident and ordered the inspector general of police (IGP) and the South Punjab additional IG to take immediate action and submit a report to her.

On her instructions, Layyah District Police Officer Asadul Rehman formed a special team to trace the suspect and arrest him. The suspect was arrested within hours of the incident.

The Layyah City Police Station registered a case.

In the other incident, another nine-year-old girl was raped in the limits of the Kot Addu Police Station.

The girl child was going to a shop to buy food items where the suspect raped her.

The City SHO registered a case and ordered the Gender Crime in-charge Saeeda Khaliq to arrest the suspect.

A team, led by Ms Khaliq, arrested the facilitator of the suspect who revealed the identity of the main suspect.

The police are conducting raids to arrest the main suspect.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2024

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/47aFZ0J

10 workers trapped in Duki coal mine rescued

By: Inter News on March 30, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

QUETTA: Ten coal miners were rescued on Friday after being trapped for 16 hours in a coal mine filled up with rainwater in the Duki area of Harnai.

Officials said miners were digging at a depth of 2,000 feet when rainfall flooded the mine, leaving them trapped.

Subsequently, a PDMA team of rescuers along with other miners laun­ched an operation to and after night-long efforts they succeeded to rescue all the 10 miners.

Meanwhile, the inquiry committee assigned to probe the methane gas explosion in a Harnai coal mine in which 12 miners were killed, held mine ow­ner and contractor resp­onsible for the incident.

In its initial report, the committee recommended filing of a criminal case against them for their negligence. It also called

Probe committee recommends FIR against mine owner, contractor for Harnai tragedy

On March 19, an explosion of methane gas resulted in the death of 12 miners who were stuck deep inside the mine owned by a local coal company in the Zardalo area of Harnai.

According to the report submitted to the mines secretary, mining had resumed five to six months ago after a prolonged closure of the mine. For the mine’s examination and gas detection, the company hired a manager and overseer. However, both individuals were not present in the mine at the time of the incident.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2024

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/4JqepRF

SIFC infringing on provincial autonomy by taking up education matters: Raza Rabbani

By: Inter News on March 29, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani on Friday said the Special Investment Facilitation Council was “infringing on provincial autonomy” by taking up education-related matters.

The statement comes a day after the SIFC convened a meeting to review a new education policy and deliberate on an “education emergency” proposal.

The SIFC was established in June last year under an “economic revival plan” devised by civilian and military leaders to capitalise on “untapped potential in key sectors” and attract foreign direct investment (FDI).

The then-cabinet had approved a number of initiatives, including proposed legislation for amendments to the Investment Board Ordi­nan­ce to em­power the SIFC to facilitate FDI.

In November, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had raised questions on the SIFC’s creation, advising Pakistan against creating a group of preferred investors or distortions in the country and to ensure transparency and accountability in its business deals.

Last week, newly appointed Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui called for imposing an “education emergency” to address the issue of an alarming number of out-of-school children (OOSC) across the country. He had said that a national conference would be organised in collaboration with the SIFC.

On Thursday, the SIFC expressed concerns over the alarming number of OOSC in the country and called for urgent steps to formulate a comprehensive framework and strategy to address the challenge.

The meeting also discussed the proposed new education policy. Currently, the education policy from 2009, which is considered outdated, is in place. On the direction of SIFC, the education ministry has been working to prepare a new education policy.

Today, Rabbani condemned the SIFC taking up the question of OOSC and the education policy.

In a statement, he noted that the council had been created through a notification that did not “allow it to take up education or matters ancillary thereto”.

“Education is a devolved subject from the Government of India Act, 1935 but usurped by the federal government,” the former senator said. “The 18th Amendment, with the deletion of the Concurrent List, from the Fourth Schedule [of] Constitution, 1973, removed any doubts, if any existed,” he added.

“The SIFC is infringing on provincial autonomy,” the PPP leader said, asserting that if any coordination was required on the matter of OOSC, then the appropriate “constitutional forum” was the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

“The federal government can only take up the education policy to the extent of the federal territory and not the provinces,” Rabbani emphasised. “If any coordination in policy is required, the CCI is the constitutional forum and not the SIFC,” he reiterated.

The senior politician further stated, “The federal government must realise that Pakistan is a participatory federation under the Constitution and not a one (single) unit.”

New education policy

Education experts, who are involved in the drafting of the new education policy, had told Dawn that the new policy would focus on education participation, out-of-school children, dropouts, excellence, quality and relevance, and technology deficit.

They also said that new policy should also cover efficient education financing, national standards and strengthening of federal and provincial coordination, skills gaps and employability, and higher education. Sources said that the SIFC in a previous meeting suggested some valuable priority areas to be covered in the new policy.

This includes enrolling out-of-school kids, mainstreaming technical education, a focus on creativity and concept-based learning, uniform education, retaining dropout and out-of-school children into technical streams, inclusive education with special needs and requirements of gifted children, auditing of performance of teachers and schools, and introducing national curriculum into seminaries.

As per the officials, the new national document will focus on power learning and skills through technology, prepare youth for national and international markets, connect schooling and skilling, equip students with a “futuristic mindset” to tackle the problems of the future (climate change, food scarcity), and exams reforms.

The new policy will also focus on school structure, teachers’ career paths, certification, accountability, language, curriculum, assessment, and disaster risk reduction etc.

The National Education Policy 2009 is outdated and also has some anomalies, among them being the budget, which was set at 7pc of the GDP, whereas the country spends less than 2pc of the GDP on education.

During the tenure of the PML-N government from 2013-18, efforts were made to frame a new policy and its draft had also been prepared in 2016, under which nine new chapters were to be added. However, the government could not introduce the policy.

Later, when the PTI came to power, it also announced that a new policy would be introduced but it too failed to do so. However, it managed to introduce an education framework in 2018, which suggested feedback from the public before finalising the education policy 2021, which could not be introduced.

In August 2022, then-education minister Rana Tanveer Hussain told the National Assembly that the National Education Policy 2009 was still intact and work on developing a new policy had been initiated.

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/hs0tpWK

‘A unique place’: foreigners visit post-war Afghanistan

By: Inter News on March 29, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

His soldier son toured Afghanistan with insurgents in his crosshairs, but American traveller Oscar Wells has a different objective — sightseeing promoted by the interim Taliban government’s fledgling tourism sector.

“It is a unique place, it touches my heart,” the 65-year-old Indiana farmer told AFP, praising “its magnificent mountains” with “people living in the old way”.

Marvelling at the 15th century Blue Mosque in northern Mazar-i-Sharif, Wells is among a small but rising number of travellers coming to Afghanistan since the war’s end.

Decades of conflict made tourism extremely rare, and while most violence has now abated, visitors are confronted with extreme poverty, dilapidated cultural sites and scant hospitality infrastructure.

They holiday under the austere control of Taliban authorities, without consular support after most embassies were evacuated following the fall of the Western-backed government in 2021.

They must register with officials on arrival in each province, comply with a strict dress code and submit to searches at checkpoints manned by men armed with Kalashnikovs.

Attacks by the militant Islamic State also still pose a potential threat within the country.

“The first thing your loved ones say is: ‘You’re crazy to go there!’” said French tourist Didier Goudant, a 57-year-old lawyer, of a country that Western governments warn against visiting.

Security concerns worried Nayuree Chainton, the 45-year-old Thai owner of a travel agency in Bangkok, who recently took a six-day trip with a group to test the waters.

“I feel safe despite the checkpoints in the cities,” she said during a visit to a shrine in the capital Kabul.

‘Sharing a good image’

The number of foreign tourists visiting Afghanistan rose 120 per cent year-on-year in 2023, reaching nearly 5,200, according to official figures.

The Taliban government has yet to be officially recognised by any country — in part because of its heavy restrictions on women — but it has welcomed foreign tourism.

“Afghanistan’s enemies don’t present the country in a good light,” said Information and Culture Minister Khairullah Khairkhwa.

“But if these people come and see what it’s really like… they will definitely share a good image of it,” he said.

But Wells and Goudant — on a trip with firm Untamed Borders, which also offers tours of Syria and Somalia — describe their visit as a way to connect with Afghanistan’s people.

Tourists “like us are curious and want to be in contact with the population, to try to help them a little” said Goudant, on his second trip, which included skiing in central Bamiyan province.

He said part of his visits is making donations to local groups, something he describes as “small-scale humanitarian work” in a country that has seen foreign aid drastically shrink since the Taliban takeover.

For Wells, there is a “sense of guilt for the departure” of US troops.

“I really felt we had a horrible exit, it created such a vacuum and disaster,” he said. “It’s good to help these people and keep relations.”

‘Bittersweet’

Untamed Borders brought around 100 tourists to Afghanistan last year, with a nine-day package starting in neighbouring Pakistan costing $2,850.

The end of the fighting means tourists “can do more things”, said founder James Willcox. “But on the other hand it is disruptive,” he added, noting a female tour guide with the company fled to Italy after the Taliban return.

While the Taliban government has shut girls and women out of education and much of public life, foreign women are granted greater freedoms.

For solo traveller Stefanie Meier, a 53-year-old American who spent a month travelling from Kabul to Kandahar via Bamiyan and Herat in the west, it was a “bittersweet experience”.

“I have been able to meet people I never thought I would meet, who told me about their life,” she said, adding that she didn’t face any issues as a woman on her own.

She experienced “disbelief that people have to live like this”, she added. “The poverty, there are no jobs, women not being able to go to school, no future for them”.

With little by way of official information, tourists band together on social media and messaging apps to trade tips.

While two airlines serve Afghanistan’s major cities, backpackers prefer buses and don’t shy away from the 20-hour journey from Kabul to Herat.

An active WhatsApp group named Afghanistan Travel Experience brings together over 600 people from places as far-flung as Mexico, India and Italy, who are already in the country or on their way out.

They pepper the group with questions, such as one from user Alberto asking if it is “haram” (forbidden) to travel with a dog, or if it’s a problem to have visible tattoos. Another named Soo, asked: “Is there a co-working space in Mazar “?

---

Header image: In this picture taken on March 25, Thai tourists pose for a group picture during their visit to the Kart-e-Sakhi Shrine in Kabul. — AFP

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/aBJjpwS

Pakistan, Afghanistan make progress on trade, transit in Kabul talks

By: Inter News on March 29, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

Pakistan and Afghanistan reached certain agreements during trade talks in Kabul, including beginning negotiations on a revised transit trade agreement and implementing a temporary admission document (TAD) for trade vehicle drivers, officials said on Friday.

Talks were held amid tensions following Pakistan’s March 18 airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Patika and Khost provinces in “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations”, which Afghan authorities said killed eight people.

The Foreign Office had confirmed the strikes, saying they were aimed at the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, which was responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, including one on security forces in North Waziristan that martyred seven soldiers.

On Thursday, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a weekly press briefing that Commerce Secretary Mohammad Khurrum Agha visited Afghanistan from March 24-27 to discuss bilateral trade and transit with his Afghan counterpart Nooruddin Azizi.

The two sides discussed a bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement, implementing a TAD for trade vehicle drivers, multimodal air transit and issues related to transit trade.

“We are encouraged by the progress made on these issues and remain committed to promoting trade and people-to-people ties with Afghanistan,” the FO had said.

Pakistan embassy officials in Kabul said today that progress was achieved on multiple issues — including a bilateral preferential trade agreement, air transit, the operation of border crossings 24/7 for trade purposes, addressing the issues in transit trade through Afghanistan and Afghan Transit Trade that passes through Pakistan.

Afghan charge d’affaires Sardar Shakib Ahmad rushed to Kabul to brief officials about his meetings in Islamabad. He met acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and briefed him regarding recent developments in the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, deputy foreign ministry spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takkal said.

Pakistan’s head of mission in Kabul Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani said the visit of the commerce ministry delegation was part of Pakistan’s efforts to build strong ties with Afghanistan in transit, trade and all other mutually beneficial areas.

“I am happy to report that this was a successful visit and both sides have agreed to work together for mutual benefit in a number of areas,” Nizamani said in a video statement.

He said Pakistan and Afghanistan will facilitate transit and bilateral trade and take all possible measures to create an environment conducive to continuous and productive trade and economic relations between the two countries.

Secretary Commerce Mohammad Khurram Agha led the Pakistani delegation in the two-day talks with Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce Azizi.

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said both sides agreed to discuss the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) and decided that a revised agreement should be finalised within two months.

The revised 2010 APTTA expired before the Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021. Both sides had failed to agree on a new draft during the tenure of former President Ashraf Ghani.

Mujahid said it was also agreed that Pakistan would facilitate the transfer of goods from international containers to regional containers (cross-stuffing) in the ports of Karachi in the next six months.

An agreement was also reached regarding preferential trade, where both sides will give tariff preferences to 10 items of export goods, eight of which are agricultural and two industrial.

Furthermore, an agreement was reached on providing temporary free licenses for truck traffic over a one-year trial period, which will be implemented from May 2024 onwards.

Both sides also reached a consensus on the transfer of goods through both countries’ airports in the form of multi-modal air transit, which will start in the next two months.

As part of Pakistan’s recent measures regarding Afghanistan’s transit goods, it was agreed that within a week, the mandatory bank guarantee should be removed and insurance should be used as before. Necessary measures will be taken to remove other obstacles in consultation with the parties.

Both sides also agreed to abandon barter and establish and develop banking relationships. The export of coal from Afghanistan to Pakistan was discussed and the Pakistani side expressed its readiness to buy it at the international price.

Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesman for the Afghan commerce ministry, said: “We will take up the issue of a ban on several transit items. Pakistan has banned the import of certain items under the transit agreement.”

Pak-Afghan traders welcome agreements

Pakistani and Afghan business leaders welcomed the agreements and said it would help normalise transit and trade relations.

Khan Jan Alokozai, co-chairman of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), noted that both countries reached certain useful agreements after a long time.

“There was a determination by both sides to bring transit and bilateral relations to normal. A review of the APTTA is an achievement. All problems have not been resolved but the agreements have paved the way for solutions to problems,” Alkozai told Dawn.com.

Highlighting that agreements were signed but sometimes were not implemented. “We will see if they are implemented, but I can say we are moving in the right direction.”

Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, coordinator of PAJCCI for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was confident that the agreements would bring back nearly 70 per cent of transit trade to Pakistani ports, which had been shifted from Karachi ports to Iranian ports.

“Ending the condition of 100pc bank guarantee for Afghan importers, reviewing the negative list and imposing a 10pc duty on Afghan imports are key decisions to end hurdles in trade relations,” Peshawar-based Sarhadi told Dawn.com.

He also welcomed an end to the conditions of visas and passports for Afghan drivers and cleaners.

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/MiW4VOu