Giles quits as England selector

LONDON: Ashley Giles has resigned as an England selector after being passed over for the role of national team coach, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced Friday.

Former England spinner Giles had been England´s one-day coach since 2012, having joined the selection panel four years earlier. But after Andy Flower stood down as head coach following the team´s 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia, England officials decided they wanted just one man in charge of the side across all three major international formats -- Tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20s.

And last week Giles´ hopes of succeeding Flower were ended when the ECB announced they had recalled former Lancashire boss Peter Moores for a second stint as England coach.

Unsurprisingly in the circumstances Giles, who guided Warwickshire to the County Championship in 2012, felt he could no longer continue as an England selector. He has now been replaced on the four-man panel by Nottinghamshire coach Mick Newell, also a candidate for the England head coach position before he too lost out to Moores.

"Ashley Giles has informed ECB today (Friday) that he intends to step down from the panel and I would like to thank him for all his hard work and dedication to the England cause over the past six years both as a selector, and more recently as our limited overs coach," ECB national selector James Whitaker said in a statement.

Newell, who will continue with his Nottinghamshire day job, joins a panel that also includes, Whitaker, Moores and another county coach in Middlesex´s former England seamer Angus Fraser.

"We welcome Mick to the panel and his passion, cricketing knowledge and in-depth understanding of our county game will be invaluable as we seek to identify potential international talent and develop outstanding England teams across all three formats of the game," ex-England batsman Whitaker added.

Meanwhile Newell, who has served as a coach on second-string England Lions and Under-19s tours, and has twice been a County Championship winning coach with Nottinghamshire, said: "It´s a tremendous privilege and a great honour to be invited to join the England selection panel and I am really looking forward to working more closely with James, Peter and Angus.

"I would also like to thank Nottinghamshire CCC for their support in allowing me to take on this role and play a part in shaping the future direction of the England team. "England´s next match is a one-day international away to Scotland in Aberdeen on May 9. (AFP

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KARACHI: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s ceasefire of 40 days which it announced to initiate peace talks with the government has expired.

The militant outfit denounced terrorist attacks which took place during the ceasefire period.

The TTP had declared ceasefire after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced to hold talks with the militant organization in a bid to establish peace in the country.

However, during the ceasefire, only one formal meeting was held between the Taliban and the government committee.

The TTP had announced ten-day extension after the expiry of one-month ceasefire. They, however, said that the government had not responded positively over their ceasefire.

US ambassador to India quits after rift

WASHINGTON: The US ambassador to India resigned Monday in the wake of a bitter rift between the usually friendly countries following a diplomat's arrest in New York.

The announcement by Nancy Powell, a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in South Asia, comes days before India heads into elections in which the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi -- formerly a US pariah -- is forecast by polls to become prime minister.

Powell, in a brief statement, did not elaborate on her reasons but said that her decision was "planned for some time" and that she will retire by the end of May in the eastern US state of Delaware. She is in her late 60s.

Powell, who has been ambassador for less than two years, submitted her resignation to President Barack Obama and announced her decision at a meeting of staff in New Delhi, said the statement issued by the embassy.

She is leaving after the worst crisis between the United States and India since they started building a warmer relationship in the 1990s. India voiced outrage in December when one of its diplomats, Devyani Khobragade, was arrested and strip-searched in New York on charges of underpaying her servant.

US diplomats expressed regret over the diplomat's treatment but appeared to have been blind-sided by the decision taken by prosecutors. Khobragade returned to India under a deal, but prosecutors went ahead in March with a second indictment.

In February, Powell took the lead in US policy by meeting with Modi, the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat and candidate for prime minister of the right-leaning Bharatiya Janata Party.

The United States had earlier refused Modi a visa on human rights grounds over anti-Muslim riots in 2002 in which more than 1,000 people were killed. Critics accused Modi of turning a blind eye or worse to the violence, although investigations cleared him of personal blame.

Despite the controversy in Washington over Modi, most policymakers agreed that the United States needed to reach out to him due to the likelihood he will become prime minister.

Powell, who holds the prestigious title of career ambassador, served as a US diplomat for 37 years and was previously the top US envoy in Ghana, Nepal, Pakistan and Uganda.