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Sri Lanka urged people on Saturday to catch and cook invasive fish species, including the giant snakehead and piranhas, that threaten fragile freshwater ecosystems and are now banned.The Fisheries Ministry launched a nationwide campaign by hosting a fishing competition at a reservoir in central Kurunegala district, where more than 1,000 anglers were instructed to reel in only the introduced predators.Ministry secretary Kolitha Kamal Jinadasa said the import, sale and transportation of live redline giant snakehead, knife fish, alligator gar and piranha was banned from Saturday.People who already keep the scarily named breeds in their homes or in private aquariums will also be given three months to register them with authorities.”It is not easy to catch them with a net, because they are very aggressive and their teeth are very sharp,” Jinadasa told hundreds of anglers during the competition targeting snakeheads at Deduru Oya reservoir.”In one day, we can remove a large number of fish from the natural environment, and then we can control their population,” he said. Jinadasa labelled the day a success, although only 22 snakeheads of between two and four kilograms (4.5 to nine pounds) were weighed in the best angler competition.Recreational fisherman N. A. V. Sandaruwan, 37, won the top prize of 20,000 rupees ($66) and a rod and reel.”I nearly had another big snakehead, but it managed to get away,” he said.Officials also encouraged competitors to take their catch home and cook them, although it is not usually a species consumed by locals.Two anglers from India, Dinesh Kumar and Raj Thilak, joined the competition but neither was able to bag a snakehead.”Some days you get one, some days you don’t, but that’s fishing,” Kumar told AFP.Jinadasa hoped there might even be a tourism spinoff in the campaign to rid Sri Lankan waters of the invasive species.He said snakeheads, which can grow to more than a metre (3.3 feet), were multiplying rapidly in the Deduru Oya reservoir, threatening smaller native species.

India’s leading IT trade body said on Saturday it was concerned by a new annual $100,000 fee that US President Donald Trump ordered for H-1B skilled worker visas, an addition that could have major repercussions for the tech industry where such permits are widespread.The foreign ministry in New Delhi also said the new measure, which will likely face legal challenges, would cause “disruption” for the families of H-1B visa holders.Such visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialised skills — such as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers — to work in the United States, initially for three years but extendable to six.The United States awards 85,000 H-1B visas per year on a lottery system, with India accounting for around three-quarters of the recipients.India’s top IT industry body Nasscom said the new measure would hit “business continuity” and was also concerned by the short timeline, with the new fee coming into effect on Sunday.”A one-day deadline creates considerable uncertainty for businesses, professionals, and students across the world,” Nasscom said in a statement.”Policy changes of this scale are best introduced with adequate transition periods, allowing organisations and individuals to plan effectively and minimise disruption,” it said.Trump announced the change in Washington on Friday, along with the introduction of a $1 million “gold card” residency programme he had previewed months earlier.”The main thing is, we’re going to have great people coming in, and they’re going to be paying,” Trump told reporters as he signed the orders in the Oval Office.India’s foreign ministry said the mobility of skilled talent had contributed to “technology development, innovation, economic growth, competitiveness and wealth creation” in both countries and that it would assess the changes.It said in a statement the new measure would likely have “humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families”, which it hoped would be addressed by US authorities.- Not enough homegrown talent -Large technology firms rely on Indian workers who either relocate to the United States or come and go between the two countries.US bank JPMorgan confirmed that a memo had been sent to its employees with H-1B visas advising them to remain in the United States and avoid international travel until further guidance was issued.Tech entrepreneurs — including Trump’s former ally Elon Musk — have warned against targeting H-1B visas, saying that the United States does not have enough homegrown talent to fill important tech sector job vacancies.However, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who joined Trump in the Oval Office, said: “All the big companies are on board.”Trump has had the H-1B program in his sights since his first term in office, but faced court challenges to his earlier approach, which targeted the types of jobs that qualify.The current iteration has become the latest move in the major immigration crackdown of his second term.The number of H-1B visa applications has risen sharply in recent years, with a peak in approvals in 2022 under Democratic president Joe Biden.In contrast, the peak in rejections was recorded in 2018, during Trump’s first term in the White House.The United States approved approximately 400,000 H-1B visas in 2024, two-thirds of which were renewals.Trump also signed an order on Friday creating a new expedited pathway to US residency for people who pay $1 million, or for corporate sponsors to pay $2 million.”I think it’s going to be tremendously successful,” he said.South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday officials would “comprehensively assess the impact of these measures on the advancement of (South Korean) companies and professional talents into the US market and engage in necessary communication with the US”.Hundreds of South Koreans were detained during a US immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery factory site in the state of Georgia this month.

An elderly British couple released by the Taliban authorities after almost eight months in detention in Afghanistan arrived back in the UK on Saturday.Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, arrived on a flight from the Qatari capital Doha, where they had stayed  for medical checks following their release on Friday.Qatar played a key role in helping to free the couple after mounting fears about their health.Barbie Reynolds smiled broadly as the couple walked out of the arrivals area at London’s Heathrow airport, but did not stop to talk to reporters. They were accompanied by their daughter, Sarah Entwhistle, and British special representative to Afghanistan Richard Lindsay.The family has spoken of their “immense joy” on hearing that the Reynolds were released, and there were emotional scenes when they arrived in Doha on a flight from Kabul to be met by Entwhistle.”This experience has reminded us of the power of diplomacy, empathy and international cooperation,” their four children said in a joint statement on Friday.”While the road to recovery will be long as our parents regain their health and spend time with their family, today is a day of tremendous joy and relief.”The couple were arrested in February as they were returning to their home in Bamiyan province, central Afghanistan.They were first held in a maximum security facility, “then in underground cells, without daylight, before being transferred” to the intelligence services in Kabul, UN experts have said.The couple married in Kabul in 1970 and have spent almost two decades living in Afghanistan, running educational programmes for women and children. They also became Afghan citizens.When the Taliban returned to power in 2021, they remained in Afghanistan against the advice of the British embassy.- ‘Afghan citizens’ -The Taliban authorities have not explained why the pair were detained.Speaking at Kabul airport on Friday before they left, Barbie Reynolds said the couple had been treated well and were “looking forward to seeing our children”.”We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens,” she added.Their son, Jonathan, echoed to the BBC that his parents were hoping to return to the country they love.”They have not just a heart for the people of Afghanistan, but they have strategy as well, and the work they’ve been doing has been very fruitful and has a massively positive impact,” he said.In July, independent UN human rights experts called on the Taliban government to free the couple, warning that they risked “irreparable harm or even death” as their health deteriorated.Their family had made repeated pleas for their release, citing their failing health.Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said on Friday the couple “had violated the laws of Afghanistan” and were released from custody “following the judicial process”.Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the “long-awaited news will come as a huge relief” to the family.The British government advises against travelling to Afghanistan, warning that its ability to offer consular assistance is “extremely limited”.Russia is the only country to have officially recognised the Taliban government, which has imposed a strict version of Islamic law and been accused of sweeping human rights violations.Dozens of foreign nationals have been arrested since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces.

An elderly British couple released after almost eight months in detention in Afghanistan are expected to fly back to the UK on Saturday.Taliban authorities arrested Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, in February as they were returning to their home in Bamiyan province, central Afghanistan.Following concerns for their health, the pair were freed on Friday and flown to the Qatari capital Doha.They are expected to leave for London on a commercial flight on Saturday after completing medical checks.The Reynoldses married in Kabul in 1970 and have spent almost two decades living in Afghanistan, running educational programmes for women and children. They also became Afghan citizens.When the Taliban returned to power in 2021, they remained in Afghanistan against the advice of the British embassy.The Taliban have not explained why the pair were detained, and Qatar brokered the negotiations for their release.Speaking on the tarmac at Kabul airport on Friday, Barbie Reynolds said the couple had been treated well and were “looking forward to seeing our children”.”We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens,” she added.They were embraced by family members on arriving in Doha, with their daughter Sarah Entwistle telling AFPTV she was “overwhelmed with gratitude and relief”.The couple were first held in a maximum security facility, “then in underground cells, without daylight, before being transferred” to the intelligence services in Kabul, UN experts have said.In July, independent UN human rights experts called on the Taliban government to free them, warning that they risked “irreparable harm or even death” as their health deteriorated.The couple’s family had made repeated pleas for their release, citing their failing health.Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said on Friday that the couple “had violated the laws of Afghanistan” and were released from custody “following the judicial process”.The Reynolds’ four children hailed their parents’ release but said they face a “long” recovery.Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the “long-awaited news will come as a huge relief” to the family.The British government advises citizens against travelling to Afghanistan, warning that its ability to offer consular assistance is “extremely limited”.Russia is the only country to have officially recognised the Taliban government, which has imposed a strict version of Islamic law and been accused of sweeping human rights violations.Dozens of foreign nationals have been arrested since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 following the NATO pullout.

An elderly British couple detained in Afghanistan for almost eight months arrived in Qatar after their release by Taliban authorities on Friday amid concerns for their health, an AFP journalist reported.Taliban officials have declined to say why they arrested Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, in February as they were returning to their home.”We’ve been treated very well. We’re looking forward to seeing our children,” said Barbie, in a red headscarf, standing next to her bearded husband, near a plane on the tarmac at Kabul airport.”We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens,” she added, after Qatar-brokered negotiations for their release.Later on Friday, they arrived in the Qatari capital Doha, where they were embraced by their daughter Sarah Entwistle and other family members, television images showed. Entwistle told AFPTV she was “overwhelmed with gratitude and relief”.”This is a moment of immense joy for our family. We are deeply thankful to everyone who played a role in securing their release.”A Qatari diplomat said the British couple would receive medical checks in Doha before leaving for London on Saturday on a commercial flight. The couple were married in Kabul in 1970, and have spent almost two decades living in Afghanistan running educational programmes for women and children. They also became Afghan citizens.When the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the couple remained in Afghanistan against the advice of the British embassy.- ‘Recovery’ -Foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said the couple were handed over to British special representative to Afghanistan Richard Lindsay.”Two British nationals named Peter and Barbara Reynolds, who had violated the laws of Afghanistan, were released from custody today following the judicial process,” Balkhi said.The copule’s family welcomed their release. “This experience has reminded us of the power of diplomacy, empathy and international cooperation,” their four children said in a joint statement.”While the road to recovery will be long as our parents regain their health and spend time with their family, today is a day of tremendous joy and relief.”The couple were first held in a maximum security facility, “then in underground cells, without daylight, before being transferred” to the intelligence services in Kabul, UN experts have said.In late July, independent UN human rights experts called on the Taliban government to free the couple, warning that they risked “irreparable harm or even death” as a result of the “rapid deterioration” of their physical and mental health.The couple’s family had made repeated pleas for their release citing their failing health.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed their release, saying the “long-awaited news will come as a huge relief to them and their family”.”I want to pay tribute to the vital role played by Qatar,” including the emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, “in securing their freedom”, Starmer said in a statement.- Travel advice -The British government advises citizens against travelling to Afghanistan, warning that its ability to offer consular assistance “is extremely limited”.Russia is the only country to have officially recognised the Taliban government, which has imposed a strict version of Islamic law and been accused of sweeping human rights violations. Only a handful of embassies have reopened in the capital after it was overrun by the Taliban as NATO forces withdrew.Foreign ministry spokesman Balkhi said the government “does not view the matters of citizens from a political or transactional angle”, adding that “Afghans, wherever they may be, should also receive consular services”.It comes after US special envoy on hostages, Adam Boehler, made a rare visit to Kabul on Saturday to discuss the possibility of a prisoner exchange.   At least one US citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is held in Afghanistan.Dozens of foreign nationals have been arrested since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 following the NATO pullout.

An elderly British couple detained in Afghanistan for almost eight months were released on Friday, the Taliban authorities said, after pressure built to free the pair due to fears over their health.Taliban officials have refused to detail why Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbara, 76, were arrested in February as they were returning to their home.”We’ve been treated very well. We’re looking forward to seeing our children,” said Barbara, in a red headscarf, standing next to her bearded husband, near a plane on the tarmac of Kabul airport.”We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens,” she added, after Qatar-facilitated negotiations for their release.The couple were married in Kabul in 1970, and have spent almost two decades living in Afghanistan running educational programmes for women and children. They also became official Afghan citizens.When the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the couple remained in Afghanistan against the advice of the British embassy.Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi in a statement posted on social media said the couple were handed over to the UK’s special representative to the country Richard Lindsay.”Two British nationals named Peter and Barbara Reynolds, who had violated the laws of Afghanistan, were released from custody today following the judicial process,” Balkhi added.Images of the couple standing together with Lindsay at Kabul airport before their departure to the Qatari capital Doha were broadcast on Sky News. “They are very relieved to be to be going home,” Lindsay told the broadcaster. The couple were first held in a maximum security facility, “then in underground cells, without daylight, before being transferred” to the intelligence services in Kabul, according to UN experts.In late July, the independent UN human rights experts called for the Taliban government to free the pair warning of the “rapid deterioration” of their physical and mental health, stating that they “risk irreparable harm or even death”.Their family had made repeated pleas about their ailing health after their arrest.Hamish Falconer, the UK’s minister for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, said in a statement that he was “relieved… their ordeal has come to an end”.He added that it was against travel advice for British citizens to visit Afghanistan, warning that the government’s ability to offer consular assistance “is extremely limited”.Russia is the only country to have officially recognised the Taliban government, which has imposed a strict version of Islamic law and been accused of sweeping human rights violations. Only a handful of embassies have reopened in the capital after most evacuated at the end of the NATO-led war against Taliban militants.Foreign ministry spokesman Balkhi in his statement said that the government “does not view the matters of citizens from a political or transactional angle”, adding that “Afghans, wherever they may be, should also receive consular services”.It comes after Washington’s special envoy on hostages, Adam Boehler, made a rare visit on Saturday to Kabul to discuss the possibility of a prisoner exchange.   At least one US citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is held in Afghanistan.Dozens of foreign nationals have been arrested since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 following the withdrawal of the US military.A Qatari official, on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, told AFP that the couple were “safely released from detention in Afghanistan following mediation led by Qatar”.”The Qataris had been engaged with the Afghan authorities for many months, working in close coordination with the British government,” he added.

India and Pakistan clash again in the Asia Cup on Sunday, renewing one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries a week after their last match was overshadowed by a handshake row.India won the September 14 group match by seven wickets in Dubai and afterwards refused to shake hands with their opponents, angering Pakistan.It was the first meeting between the neighbours since a four-day cross-border conflict in May left more than 70 people dead.The Pakistan Cricket Board lodged a protest with the International Cricket Council alleging that match referee Andy Pycroft had told skipper Salman Agha not to approach Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav for a handshake at the toss. The PCB demanded Pycroft be removed from their matches and threatened to withdraw from the eight-team Twenty20 competition. Their last group game was held up for an hour before the PCB said Pycroft had apologised and the match, with the Zimbabwean in charge, eventually went ahead.Pakistan beat hosts the United Arab Emirates to qualify for the next stage, the Super Fours, and set up another meeting with India in Dubai.Indian media has reported that the team plans to stick to its no-handshake policy for Sunday’s clash.India spinner Kuldeep Yadav sought to defuse the controversy. “When you step onto the field it’s just a batter in front of you. I have always approached it this way against Pakistan,” he said ahead of India’s last group game, against Oman on Friday.Agha also stuck to sport. “If we play good cricket like we have played in the last few months I think we’ll be good against any side,” the Pakistan captain told reporters.- Simmering tensions -Because of fraught political ties, nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan only meet at neutral venues during multi-team tournaments.Tensions soared ahead of the Asia Cup after the two countries engaged in their worst conflict since 1999.The hostilities in May left more than 70 people dead in missile, drone and artillery exchanges, before a ceasefire.The conflict was triggered by an April attack on civilians in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing, a charge Islamabad denies.India resisted calls to boycott the first Pakistan match.A potential third India-Pakistan showdown looms if both sides qualify for the final on September 28 in Dubai.India lifted the Asia Cup in its last, 50-over edition and are favourites to retain the crown.India and Pakistan advanced to the next stage from Group A while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh qualified from Group B. Sri Lanka face Bangladesh on Saturday in the first Super Fours fixture.Sri Lanka, unbeaten so far, look dangerous while Bangladesh carry the underdog tag under skipper Litton Das.Along with regional bragging rights, the Asia Cup serves as build-up towards the T20 World Cup in February-March in India and Sri Lanka.

India are targeting a record medal haul at next year’s Asian Games in Japan as part of a long-term plan to boost their prospects at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.The world’s most populous nation surpassed expectations at Hangzhou in 2023, breaking the 100-medal barrier for the first time to finish fourth behind hosts China, Japan and South Korea. Powered by their cricketers, shooters and archers, India collected 107 medals at the Covid-delayed event, their best showing to date.Officials believe they can go even better at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4 next year.”I don’t like to talk about medals ever but I can assure you that we will definitely do better than last time,” Adille Sumariwalla, spokesman for the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), told AFP with the Games one year away. “Athletics is something that I am close to and I know that we will do better there.”A former sprinter who represented India at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Sumariwalla stressed that India’s bigger goal was the Los Angeles Games. “The focus for the athletics federation is the Olympics in LA 2028. On the way, if that (Asian Games) gives us medals, it is great,” he said.India has done poorly at the Olympics for a country of its size, winning 10 gold medals in its history. – Chopra star power -One of those was javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, the 2021 Tokyo champion.He will again spearhead India’s campaign in Japan as he chases a third straight Asian Games title. Chopra’s famed rivalry with Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who upstaged him for gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, is set to be one of the highlights.India’s men and women cricketers both took gold in Hangzhou and will be expected to repeat the feat in Japan.Cricket returns to the Olympics in 2028 and offers a major chance for India to add to its modest tally on the biggest stage.In Japan, the men’s hockey team will aim to defend the crown they regained in China, while India’s women will eye redemption after settling for bronze.Shooting, India’s main medal-winning sport at the Asian Games, will again be key.Manu Bhaker is set to defend her team gold in the 25m pistol after becoming the first Indian to win two shooting medals at the Olympics.Archery has also emerged as a medal-rich discipline for India. India bagged nine medals in Hangzhou in the sport, and earlier this month the men’s compound team clinched gold at the World Championships in South Korea.Traditional sports such as kabaddi are expected to keep India’s medal machine rolling after their acrimonious final against Iran two years ago.On the athletics track, the AFI is prioritising the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays, banking on recent successes. In April the men’s 4x100m relay team clocked 38.69 seconds, a time that could put them on the podium in Aichi-Nagoya.

Tapanuli orangutans are the world’s most endangered great ape. Fewer than 800 remain, all previously thought to be in their native Indonesia. But now an Indian zoo says it has one.An Indian court cleared the 3,500-acre wildlife facility known as Vantara on Monday of allegations including unlawful acquisition of animals and financial wrongdoing.But the decision is unlikely to quiet questions about how Vantara, which describes itself as a wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centre, has stocked its enclosures. Vantara, run by Anant Ambani, the son of Asia’s richest man, says it houses 150,000 animals of 2,000 species, far exceeding populations at well-known zoos in New York, London or Berlin. AFP spoke to seven experts on conservation and the wildlife trade to understand concerns about Vantara.Several declined to speak on the record, citing Vantara’s previous legal actions against critics. They called Vantara’s collection unprecedented.”We’ve never seen anything on this scale,” said one longtime conservation expert from a wildlife protection group.”It’s hoovering up animals from all over the world.”Some of those acquisitions are more noteworthy than others, such as the single tapanuli that arrived in Vantara between 2023 and 2024, according to the facility’s submissions to India’s Central Zoo Authority.Only officially described in 2017, tapanulis are incredibly rare, said Serge Wich, an orangutan specialist at Liverpool John Moores University.They are confined to a small range in Indonesia and are in “dire straits” because of threats including mining and deforestation, he told AFP.- ‘Surprised and shocked’ -Trade in the world’s most endangered species is prohibited by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).But there are exceptions, including for “captive-bred” animals — individuals born in captivity to captive parents. There is only one CITES record of a tapanuli orangutan ever being transferred internationally.It left Indonesia in 2023, bound for the United Arab Emirates, where Vantara says its tapanuli came from.The transfer record describes the animal as “captive-bred”.However, multiple experts said that description was implausible.”There are no captive breeding programmes for orangutans in Indonesia,” said Panut Hadisiswoyo, founder and chairman of the Orangutan Information Centre in Indonesia.Only a handful are known to be in captivity at all, at rehabilitation facilities in Indonesia, he said.A conservationist for more than two decades, Panut said he was “surprised and shocked” to learn from AFP about Vantara’s tapanuli orangutan.”We do everything to protect them,” he said. “So it’s really, really distressing information.”There is no information on where in Indonesia the animal originated. The country’s CITES authorities did not respond to a request for comment.Experts said it was possible the orangutan is not a tapanuli at all. They look similar enough to Bornean and Sumatran orangutans that DNA testing would be needed for confirmation. It could also be a mix of tapanuli and another species, perhaps discovered by a zoo in its collection — although experts questioned why a facility would hand off such a rare animal.But if the animal is a tapanuli, “it’s almost inevitable that it would have to be illegal”, said orangutan conservation expert Erik Meijaard.”It would be super sad.”- ‘Pure nonsense’ -Vantara did not respond to AFP’s request for comment on the orangutan and how it acquires animals.The tapanuli is not the first highly endangered animal to arrive at Vantara.Spix’s macaws, a vibrant blue species native to Brazil, were extinct in the wild until recently.Brazil has sought to prevent all trade and transfer of the birds.It allowed a breeding facility in Germany to acquire some on condition they would not be sold or moved without Brazilian permission, according to documents submitted to CITES. Yet in 2023, 26 Spix’s macaws from the German facility arrived in Vantara. Vantara says it is working “to ensure that the calls of these rare birds are never lost from their native habitats”.The case has rankled Brazil, which raised it repeatedly at CITES meetings.Asked about Vantara’s tapanuli, the CITES secretariat told AFP “this matter is under review”, adding it was “not in a position to provide information”.In public documents, CITES has acknowledged receiving “multiple reports” about imports of endangered animals into India. India has said it will invite CITES officials for a visit but has yet to provide “detailed information on the matter”, the secretariat noted.If Vantara does own a single tapanuli orangutan, its conservation value would be limited, said Panut, who urged the animal’s return to Indonesia.For Meijaard, conservation in their natural habitat in Indonesia provides “the only chance for this species’ survival”.”Trying to breed orangutans outside Indonesia with some kind of long-term hope that they are going to contribute to the population is just pure nonsense.”

Pakistan set up another politically charged showdown with arch-rivals India at the Asia Cup after defeating the United Arab Emirates by 41 runs in Dubai on Wednesday.The match began an hour late as the fallout rumbled on from a handshake row with India.The Pakistan Cricket Board was considering pulling out from the tournament and demanded the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft for the must-win group game against the hosts.The Zimbabwean oversaw Sunday’s game with India, after which the victorious India team refused to shake hands with the Pakistan players.But following urgent talks between the PCB and the International Cricket Council, Wednesday’s encounter eventually went ahead after a delay and Pycroft remained the match referee.Fakhar Zaman scored 50 off 36 balls and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi added a brisk 29 not out as Pakistan made a modest 146-9 after being put in to bat.Spinner Abrar Ahmed led Pakistan’s bowling charge with 2-13 as the UAE were dismissed for 105 in 17.4 overs. Shaheen took 2-16 and fellow paceman Haris Rauf 2-19.The win means Pakistan join India in the Super Four from Group A. They will meet again in Dubai on Sunday.Rahul Chopra top-scored for the UAE with a run-a-ball 35.Pakistan got off to a shaky start as Saim Ayub fell for a second-ball duck while Sahibzada Farhan made five, both falling to pace bowler Junaid Siddique.Zaman and Salman Agha (20) added 61 for the third wicket. Zaman hit three sixes and two fours before he fell to left-arm spinner Simranjeet Singh, who took 3-26.It was left to Shaheen to help Pakistan add 51 in the last five overs as Siddique finished with an impressive 4-18.Rauf said Pakistan will be more competitive in their rematch with India after losing by seven wickets in the first clash between the rivals in cricket since the countries fought a brief but deadly border conflict in May.”Yes, we were not up to the mark in the first game, but we will do our best to be competitive,” said Rauf.”Cricket is a game of expectations, fans have a lot of expectation so we will try to live up to that.”UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem played down the distraction of Pakistan arriving late to Wednesday’s match.”We were told about the delay in the match, so we kept our preparations and were not worried about the off-field matters,” said Waseem.Sri Lanka meet Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi to decide who goes through to the next round from Group B. Bangladesh are also in the running with two wins in three matches.