Tuesday 27 August 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

US 'ready' to strike Syria, says goal is not regime change

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WASHINGTON — US forces readied to strike Syria on Tuesday, as the West insisted its goal was not regime change but to punish the Assad government for unleashing chemical warfare on civilians.The White House said there was no doubt that President Bashar al-Assad's forces were to blame for an attack which killed hundreds of Syrians last week, and promised to provide declassified evidence this week to prove it.With military action seen as a near certainty and expected within days, Syria vehemently vowed to defend itself with what it dubbed surprise measures, while allies Russia and Iran warned that the use of force would have dire consequences.Global stock markets dived and world oil prices hit a six-month high as the drumbeat of war grew louder.US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the American military was already prepared to act if President Barack Obama gave the order -- though White House aides said no final decision had been taken.We are prepared. We have moved assets in place to be able to fulfil and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take, Hagel said in Brunei.We are ready to go, like that.Analysts expect to see cruise missiles launched from US and allied submarines, ships and possibly planes, firing into Syria from outside its waters and airspace.US allies like Britain and France could also be involved.US Vice President Joe Biden said an essential international norm had been violated in Syria.There is no doubt who is responsible for this heinous use of chemical weapons in Syria -- the Syrian regime, Biden said on Tuesday.The president believes and I believe that those who use chemical weapons against defenseless men, women and children should and must be held accountable.The White House said that any US action would be to defend the principle that chemical weapons should not be used -- and would not aim to topple Assad, despite previous calls for him to go.I want to make clear that the options that we are considering are not about regime change, said Obama's spokesman Jay Carney.Carney said that claims that it was unclear who fired the weapons or that Syrian rebels could be responsible were preposterous.It was undeniable that chemical weapons were used, that the Syrian regime has custody of the country's chemical arsenal and that it used the type of rockets bearing the murderous payload in last Wednesday's attack, he said.Carney added that a declassified version of a US intelligence investigation into the attack would be released this week.He refused to say whether Washington would seek a UN Security Council mandate for action, despite the likelihood of a Russian veto.A Syrian campaign is expected to be limited in scope, likely to last only several days and to target military sites but not the chemical weapons stocks themselves, sources in Washington said.An opposition Syrian National Coalition official said in Beirut that the group expects a Western military intervention within days and has been consulted over targets.It's a question of days and not weeks, said Ahmad Ramadan, adding that there have been meetings between the Coalition, the (rebel) Free Syrian Army and allied countries during which possible targets have been discussed.They included airports, military bases and arms depots, he said.During a defiant news conference earlier on Tuesday, Syria Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Damascus would defend itself.We have two options: either to surrender, or to defend ourselves with the means at our disposal, he said.The second choice is the best. We will defend ourselves.US allies kept up a coordinated push for action.President Francois Hollande said France was ready to punish those behind the attacks and will meet the Coalition's leader Thursday.In London, Prime Minister David Cameron recalled parliament to discuss the crisis and said Syria's use of chemical weapons was morally indefensible.His deputy Nick Clegg echoed US assurances about not seeking regime change.The Arab League meanwhile put the entire responsibility for the horrible crime in Syria on Assad's government.The regime has denied it fired chemical weapons into the Damascus suburb, killing many of the victims in their beds. It says the rebels battling Assad in a vicious civil war are responsible.Syria's ally Moscow, meanwhile, stepped up its anti-Western rhetoric.Attempts to bypass the Security Council, once again to create artificial groundless excuses for a military intervention in the region are fraught with new suffering in Syria and catastrophic consequences for other countries of the Middle East and North Africa, a Russian foreign ministry spokesman said.Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, said more concisely on Twitter that: The West behaves towards the Islamic world like a monkey with a grenade.Iran, Syria's main regional ally, said Western action would threaten the stability and security of the region. But another key regional power Turkey, said the chemical attack was a crime against humanity that cannot go unpunished.Amid fears of reprisals for any Western attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a fierce retaliation if his country came under fire.We are not part of the civil war in Syria, but if we detect any attempt to hurt us, we will react, and react fiercely, he said.Increasing signs of impending military action hit global markets.Most European equities fell sharply as investors ignored solid data from Germany and nervously eyed Syria, sending the price of safe-haven gold soaring.London's FTSE 100 index slid 0.79 percent to 6.440.97 points.The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 170.56 points (1.14 percent) at 14,775.90.Oil prices soared, with Brent crude striking six-month highs on supply concerns.

Mexico's vigilantes attack local police, take arms

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MEXICO CITY (AP) - Vigilantes attacked local police officers in the southern Mexico state of Guerrero, beat them with rifle butts and machetes and handcuffed them, then stole their rifles and briefly kidnapped some municipal officials, authorities said Tuesday.The clash Monday in Tixtla highlighted the confusion and contradictions in the Mexican government's effort to deal with self-defense groups that have sprung up in parts of southern Mexico since February to fight drug cartels.Some vigilantes openly carry weapons and periodically scuffle with police and soldiers, but the most truculent of them have not been arrested even while dozens of members of smaller, more isolated self-defense groups have been hauled off to jail.Over the weekend, 21 members of a group in Aquila, a mountain village in the western state of Michoacan, were ordered to stand trial at a maximum security prison on weapons charges, and 19 others face lesser charges.This is completely out of proportion, irrational, to have so many communal farmers held at a maximum security prison, the men's lawyer, Leonel Rivero, said Tuesday.The vigilantes in Tixtla, meanwhile, appear to have got away scot free with several assault rifles after beating the local police officers. Guerrero state authorities said Tuesday there had been no arrests despite the fact the vigilantes kidnapped several officials and wounded the town's police chief with a machete.Guerrero Gov. Angel Aguirre has been in talks with community police and vigilante groups seeking to persuade them to register their members and weapons and to not carry arms into other towns. The framework set up for these talks have been violated by these violent acts in Tixtla, Aguirre said.The government is having a hard time deciding which vigilantes to arrest and which to tolerate, given that some of the groups have been resisting drug cartel extortion while critics say some groups are involved in criminal activity themselves.In Aquila, for instance, two residents said the self-defense group members arrested there were fighting against the Knight Templar, which had been forcing townspeople to pay 700,000 pesos a month, about $53,000, from mining royalties they received. Michoacan state authorities, however, contend the vigilante group really has been in a dispute over the royalties with other townspeople.In another Michoacan town, La Ruana, about 40 vigilantes are still jailed after being arrested several months ago because authorities claimed they had links to a drug cartel.Yet in other towns, federal police and soldiers coexist with armed self-defense groups.I think every case is different, and I think the government doesn't have a very clear idea of the situation, and I think that is why they are acting so slowly, said Javier Oliva, a political science professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.Authorities have little option but to try to work with the groups. With police and soldiers proving unable to root out drug cartels that terrorize villagers and extort money from them, many people think the appearance of vigilantes has been a needed return to older forms of local police and self-policing.The Guerrero state government has agreed to provide training, pay and some form of official recognition for old-style community police groups, which are independent, village-run guards who have been patrolling remote areas of the state with single-shot rifles since 1997. They handle minor crimes, hold people briefly in improvised jails and often mete out community service as punishment.The federal government has announced it will deploy 5,000 rural civilian police, to be trained by the army and called gendarmes, by 2014.Oliva said the gendarme plan is hazy. He said the government would do better to revive rural defense guards, squads of civilian volunteers that have served under army discipline for almost a century.This already exists in the legal framework; you don't have to make any changes. It would be better, Oliva said.

Unchallenged goal overshadows League Cup match

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YEOVIL (AP) - An English League Cup match featured a bizarre goal Tuesday, when a Birmingham player was allowed to score an equalizer unchallenged by the opposition.The goal came in extra time of Birmingham's second-round match at Yeovil to help resolve a fair play dispute.Birmingham, the 2011 League Cup winners, had been leading 2-1 in the 90th minute before Byron Webster scored in stoppage time to take the match into extra-time.It all started when Birmingham goalkeeper Colin Doyle kicked the ball out of play following an injury to a teammate. By convention, Yeovil would have sent the throw-in back to the visitors.Instead, with defender Dan Burn still down and referee Darren Sheldrake allowing play to continue, Yeovil defender Webster quickly received the ball from the throw-in and kicked it into an empty net.Birmingham was incensed at Webster's decision not to give the ball back, sparking ugly scenes between both sets of players before the match entered extra time locked at 2-2.Compounding Birmingham's fury, Luke Ayling put Yeovil in front 14 minutes into extra time.But straight from the restart, the Yeovil home fans were stunned when their team bowed to the convention of sportsmanship by allowing Lee Novak to run the ball into the net completely unchallenged to make it 3-3.Second-tier Birmingham only managed to secure what it saw as a rightful victory by winning the penalty shootout 3-2.Despite the narrow win, Birmingham manager Lee Clark was considering lodging a formal complaint about Yeovil's conduct.I think something has got to be done, Clark said. It's always easy to give a goal back when you're leading.We were winning going into injury time. I'm proud of my players, every single one of them. I said to them before the penalties that whatever happens, even if they missed or scored, they have done the club proud.Yeovil manager Gary Johnson conceded he sparked the flashpoint by urging his team to play on and not return the ball from the throw-in.I apologized to Lee Clark ... because, on reflection, it was ungentlemanly, Johnson said. However, we get a bit fed up of teams kicking it out for their own players here when we're trying to get a goal back.I wanted us to play on but I didn't expect the Birmingham side to stand still, and didn't expect Byron to hook a goal in. I think people should look at this. How many teams are going to kick the ball out for their own players in the last minute?

Single bullet killed Australian athlete: Autopsy

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The bullet that killed an Australian baseball player in a random attack this month collapsed both his lungs, fractured two ribs and tore through his aorta and pulmonary artery before lodging in his shoulder, the state medical examiner said Tuesday.The medical examiner's autopsy report supports the theory of Duncan police that Christopher Lane, 22, of Melbourne was shot with a small-caliber weapon from behind by someone passing him in a car and that the shooter intended to kill the athlete by aiming for his upper torso.Lane died Aug. 16 in Duncan, and police say three teenagers targeted him at random to break up the monotony of an Oklahoma summer. The official cause of death was listed as penetrating gunshot wound to the back.The bullet has a small caliber, is made of gray metal, with no jacket and has a round nose and visible markings that appear slightly deformed on the side, the autopsy said. Police have said Lane was killed with a .22-caliber handgun, and they found .22-caliber ammunition in a suspect's vehicle.The report suggests the bullet entered Lane's lower back on an upward trajectory, struck two ribs and passed through his esophagus, heart and lungs before stopping near his left shoulder.After penetrating the skin, the bullet passed forward, upward and to the right, the report said.Chancey Allen Luna, 16, and James Francis Edwards, Jr., 15, both of Duncan, have been charged as adults with first-degree murder. Michael Dewayne Jones, 17, of Duncan, was charged with using a vehicle in the discharge of a weapon and with accessory to first-degree murder. He is considered a youthful offender but will be tried in adult court.Although the autopsy report will be a critical piece of evidence that supports police and prosecutors' theory about how Lane was shot, it does nothing to specifically link the three defendants to the killing, said Art LeFrancois, a criminal law professor at Oklahoma City University's School of Law.It certainly is significant that the autopsy thus far does not seem to contradict or seem to be inconsistent with the theory that the police have of the case, LeFrancois said. It would have been troubling and problematic for the prosecution if the autopsy was inconsistent with the police's case.Luna's attorney, Jim Berry, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his client was not involved in the shooting, but declined further comment. Edwards' attorney, Al Hoch, and District Attorney Jason Hicks also declined to discuss the case, citing a gag order the judge in the case issued Tuesday.Stephens County Special Judge Jerry Herberger's gag order prohibits police, prosecutors and defense attorneys from discussing the case publicly.In the days after the slaying, Duncan Police Chief Dan Ford said the older boy told investigators that the three were bored and decided to kill someone for the fun of it.Lane moved to Oklahoma to play baseball. He would have been a senior at East Central University and hoped to enter the real estate business.

Taliban, police run joint crime rackets in Karachi: report

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Secret Agencies in a report have informed the Inspector General of Sindh that Taliban and some police officers were jointly running crime centers in some areas of Karachi.According to the report, the biggest crime center in Nazimabad is operating under the patronage of local SHO.Some high officials of police, CID and SIU are also bribed to overlook the whole activity.The activities of TTP have an enormous impact on life for the citizens of Karachi; criminal undertakings are their favored means for raising funds for the battle in the tribal areas.Taliban also indulge in target killing to settle scores with the rivals or ‘business partners’.Large swathes of Pakhtun neighborhoods in districts west and east, as well as pockets in districts Malir, central and south are reported to be under the influence of the TTP. While all 30 or so of its factions have a presence in the city, the most influence is wielded by the Hakimullah Mehsud and Mullah Fazlullah factions.According to local police and residents of the affected areas, elements belonging to the TTP have entrenched themselves in these areas after having terrorised the local Pakhtun population into submission, and driven out the ANP from most of its traditional strongholds.

Pakistan offers platform for Kabul-Taliban talks

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The spokesman of Foreign Office Aizaz Choudhry said that Pakistan was ready to provide a platform for direct talks between Afghan government and Taliban leaders.Talking to Dunya News Tuesday, Aizaz claimed that Afghan President Hamid Karzai had made a request to Pakistan in this regard during his recent visit to Pakistan. He said Pakistani leadership had assured the Afghan leadership of diplomatic support for breaking ice between the Afghan government and Taliban.The modalities about the platform would be finalised through diplomatic contacts between the two sides.President Hamid Karzai earlier urged Pakistan to facilitate peace talks between his country and the Taliban during a visit to Islamabad.He said the Pakistani government could provide opportunities for talks between the Afghan High Peace Council and the militants.Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he wanted to help regional efforts to stabilise Afghanistan.Officials say that the fact that Mr Karzais talks in Islamabad will continue on Tuesday - when he will meet Mr Sharif again - indicates that so far they have gone well and that the two sides have something concrete to talk about.In their public statements after their talks, both Mr Sharif and Mr Karzai mentioned the problem of militant violence - although Mr Karzai focused much more on it.Three times in his brief speech Mr Karzai said that a joint fight against militancy was needed and that he pinned great hopes on the re-elected Mr Sharif, who came back to power in June.Afghanistan believes that Taliban safe havens in Pakistan are the main cause of increased violence in the country.

Privacy breaches: Facebook to pay compensation to users

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LONDON ( BBC News) - The names and pictures of an estimated 150 million Facebook members were used in Sponsored Stories, but only those who responded to an email from the site earlier this year will be compensated.Privacy organisations will also receive some of the $20m (£12.9m) settlement.Facebook said it was pleased the settlement had been approved.The payout was approved by a US court on Monday following a class action filed against Facebook in 2011 by five of its users.The group said their details had been used to promote products and services through the site's Sponsored Stories programme, without paying them or giving them the choice to opt-out.A Sponsored Story is a tailored advertisement that appears on members' Facebook pages, highlighting products a user's friends have endorsed or liked on the site.US District Judge Richard Seeborg acknowledged that the $15 payments were relatively small, but said it had not been established that Facebook had undisputedly violated the law.He added that the claimants could not prove they were harmed in any meaningful way.The court estimated that Facebook had made about $73m (£47m) in profit from the Sponsored Stories featuring details of the 150 million members.The settlement also requires Facebook to make changes to its Statement of Rights and to give users more information and control over how their details are used in the future.This move was estimated by the plaintiff's lawyers to cost Facebook $145m in advertising revenue.Approximately 7,000 Facebook users opted out of the settlement altogether, allowing them to bring their own legal action against the social network.A Facebook spokesperson said: We are pleased that the settlement has received final approval.

France vows to punish Syria, Damascus to resist pressure

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PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday that France stood ready to punish the perpetrators of a chemical attack in Damascus last week and would increase its military support to the Syrian opposition.France is ready to punish those who took the decision to gas the innocent, Hollande told an annual meeting in Paris of dozens of French ambassadors posted around the world.Hollande said it seemed certain that forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad were behind the chemical attack - which is believed to have killed hundreds of civilians - and said it was the outside world's responsibility to respond.Meanwhile, Syria's foreign minister said Tuesday his country would defend itself using all means available in case of a U.S. strike, denying his government was behind an alleged chemical weapons attack near Damascus and challenging Washington to present proof backing up its accusations.Walid al-Moallem spoke at a press conference in Damascus as condemnation of President Bashar Assad's grew over last week's purported attack with poison gas, which activists say killed hundreds of people.The Arab League threw its weight behind calls for punitive action, blaming the Syrian government for the attack and calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.The announcement by the 22-member body, which is dominated by Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Qatar, provides indirect Arab cover for any potential military attack by Western powers.The United Nations, meanwhile, said that its team of chemical weapons experts in Syria has delayed a second trip to investigate the alleged attack near Damascus by one day for security reasons.Al-Moallem, speaking at a press conference in Damascus, likened U.S. allegations that President Bashar Assad's regime was behind the attack to false American charges that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of that country.They have a history of lies Iraq, he said.Al-Moallem spoke a day after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said there was undeniable evidence of a large-scale chemical attack likely launched by Assad's regime.Kerry's comments and tough language Monday laid out the clearest argument yet for U.S. military action in Syria, which, if President Barack Obama decides to order it, would most likely involve sea-launched cruise missile attacks on Syrian military targets.U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Tuesday that U.S. forces are now ready to act on any such order.In an interview with BBC television during a visit to the southeast Asian nation of Brunei, he said the U.S. Navy has four destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea positioned within range of targets inside Syria. U.S. warplanes are also in the region, he said.Support for some sort of international military response is likely to grow if it is confirmed that Assad's regime was responsible for the Aug. 21 attack that activists say killed hundreds of people. The group Doctors Without Borders put the death toll at 355.

Zimbabwe clinch rare victory against Pakistan in 1st ODI

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HARARE (AP) - Zimbabwe beat Pakistan by seven wickets Tuesday for its first one-day international win in a bilateral series over the Pakistanis in 15 years.Zimbabwe had lost its last three ODI series against Pakistan 3-0, 5-0 and 5-0 before half-centuries by openers Hamilton Maskadza and Vusi Sibanda and 43 not out by captain Brendan Taylor led the lowly-ranked African team to a rare win at Harare Sports Club.Sean Williams made an unbeaten 39 and won the game with a six over long-on as Zimbabwe overhauled Pakistans modest 244-7 with 10 balls to spare.Zimbabwe finished on 246-3 and also secured only its fourth ODI win since late 2011.Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haqs 83 not out and Mohammad Hafeezs 70 earlier were in vain for the tourists.Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez made half-centuries to lift a tentative Pakistan to 244-7 in the first one-day international on Tuesday, giving Zimbabwe a chance at its first ODI win in a bilateral series against the Pakistanis in 15 years.Misbah and Hafeez gave the tourists some impetus in their 99-run partnership for the third wicket but Zimbabwe kept Pakistan largely in check in the series-opener on a Harare Sports Club pitch which is generally a good batting strip.Misbah made 83 not out from 85 deliveries with three fours and two sixes on his return to lead the team after sitting out Pakistans 2-0 win in the Twenty20 series. Hafeez hit 70 from 71 balls with six fours and three sixes.Other than that, there was little else from Pakistans batsmen as the openers struggled to score and the middle and lower order were removed cheaply.Seamers Tendai Chatara and Brian Vitori took two wickets each for Zimbabwe, which was whitewashed 3-0, 5-0 and 5-0 in its last three ODI series against Pakistan and last won a match against Pakistan in a bilateral series in 1998.Danger man Ahmed Shehzad was stumped off Prosper Utseya for 24 after making 70 and 98 in the two T20 games. Opening partner Nasir Jamshed was one of Chataras (2-32) wickets as Pakistan struggled to 80-2 off the first 20 overs.Hafeez and his skipper hit back with their partnership in the middle overs, and Hafeez survived when one of his sixes was helped over the boundary rope by Tinashe Panyangara at long-off, who just missed the tough chance.After Hafeez was out to Chatara, wickets fell regularly with Umar Amin (1), big-hitting Shahid Afridi (11), Haris Sohail (2) and Sarfraz Ahmed (7) all prevented from doing any damage. Misbah collected some quick runs at the end, including a towering six over mid-on.

Pakistan to avail China help in Pak-Iran gas line project

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – According to documents acquired by the Dunya News, Pakistan government has decided in principal to avail China’s help in construction of the Pak-Iran gas line project.Pakistan will hold talks with the US administration soon and request for seeking exemption from sanctions.According to sources, PM Nawaz Sharif will hold a meeting with US President Barak Obama on the sidelines of United Nation’s Security Council meeting, and ask for exemption of sanctions imposed on dealings with Iran.The schedule for the said meeting has been finalized in a meeting between PM advisor Sartaj Aziz and US Secretary of State John Kerry, sources say.Pakistan might seek financial assistance from China for the construction of the pipe line in case talks with US do not prove fruitful.Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Monday that Pakistan will not be deterred by any pressure on a pipeline project which seeks to import much-needed natural gas from Iran.The $1.5 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline is vital to meet burgeoning energy needs of Islamabad, especially as domestic gas production has remained stagnant and other energy import projects have hit a stalemate.“There is no fear of any sanctions. We are confident that the project will go through and we are pushing for it,” Abbasi told Media persons.The 1930km long pipeline will bring 750 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) of gas to Pakistan.Besides the fear of US sanctions, the government also needs to arrange money for construction of pipeline part in Pakistan.President Zardari and former Iran President Ahmadinjad signed the agreement about the project in a ceremony earlier this year.

Asia Hockey Cup: India eye big win over Bangladesh

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IPOH (Web Desk) - Already through to the semifinals, an upbeat India would aim to keep their winning juggernaut rolling and end their pool engagements with a thumping victory over minnows Bangladesh in the Asia Cup hockey tournament today (Wednesday), Indian media reported on Tuesday.After back-to-back victories against Oman and defending champions South Korea, the Indians are brimming with confidence but they cannot afford to relax in the eight-nation tournament, which they desperately need to win to qualify for next years World Cup at The Hague, Netherlands.India sealed their semifinal place after shocking title holders South Korea 2-0 in their second Pool B match at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium on Monday.A win against Bangladesh tomorrow would ensure India top Pool B which means they will most likely take on hosts Malaysia in the semifinals and avoid arch-rivals Pakistan till the final hurdle.Taming Bangladesh shouldnt be much of a problem for Roelant Oltmans boys as the Tigers would be morally down after consecutive defeats, especially after yesterdays 2-4 loss against Oman, a side which is five places below them in the world rankings. Bangladesh had earlier lost 0-9 to Korea in their opening tie.For both eight-time Olympic champions India and neighbours Pakistan, it is a do-or-die tournament as one of them faces the prospect of missing out on a World Cup berth for the first time since the launch of the tournament in 1971.But having impressed all and sundry with their game so far, the Indians would be hoping to carry on the momentum to crucial classification matches. The Indian midfield under inspirational captain Sardar Singh blossomed against the Koreans yesterday.Not only the mid-fielders, Indias ever-fragile backline too dished out a fine show yesterday and stood tall to thwart Koreas relentless attacks. And Oltmans would hope for similar performances from his players in the remainder of the event.I am very happy with the performance of all the mid-fielders - Sardar, S K Uthappa, Chinglensana (Singh), Manpreet (Singh). Our defenders also did very well. I am happy with the overall team performance. This is a huge experience for youngsters of our team, Oltmans said.It would not be fair to overlook the performance of Indias young and inexperienced forward line which so far managed to live up to the expectations.In the absence of quartet of Danish Mujtaba, SV Sunil, Gurwinder Singh Chandi and Akashdeep Singh -- all out of the tournament due to injuries, India fielded a young, untested forward line for this tournament.But the likes of Mandeep Singh, Nithin Thimmaiah, Malak Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Nikin Thimmaiah managed to rise to the occasion and did not let anyone feel the vacuum created by the injuries to senior players.Young Mandeep, in particular, is in superb form and so far scored four goals in the tournament, including three against Oman the other day.On the goalkeeping front, P R Sreejesh is in rollicking form and against Korea he showed why he is considered as Indias best goalkeeper.Against Korea, Sreejesh made as many as six-seven clear saves, which included some acrobatic efforts, to earn the man-of-the-match award and help India keep a slate clean. But India will have to do away with their habit of providing easy scoring chances to their opponents ahead of the important classification matches.Oltmans too admitted that India were lucky not have conceded a goal in the opening half against Korea.To be honest we were lucky to be leading at halftime, especially after conceding five penalty corners in the first half, he said.Going by head-to-head record, the Indians are expected to steamroll the Bangladeshis tomorrow. India defeated Bangladesh 18 times out of 19 encounters between the two teams so far with one ending in a draw. Out of the 18 wins, six came in the Asia Cup.

'Real shame that England players urinated on Oval pitch'

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LONDON (Agencies) - Former Australian leg spinner Shane Warne said Tuesday criticized peeing on Oval pitch by English players.When you play in a six to eight-week series of intense Ashes cricket you should always have a chance to let your hair down at the end. Unfortunately the way people are judged these days its best to celebrate within the confines of the dressing room, Warne said.Stay in there as long as you like, get as drunk as you like if that is what you want to do and enjoy your team-mates and the moment. But to go and disrespect something as ancient as the Oval pitch in such an unnecessary and crass way is a pretty ordinary and arrogant thing to do, wrote Warne.Its a real shame they let themselves down so badly and Im sure it will have some big ramifications from the ECB, said Warne. However, the ECB has been rather quiet about the incident. Inquiries have gone without a reply and it is likely that the management will let the players off with a minor wrap on the knuckle.Meanwhile, British paper The Telegraph publish a surrey which says the County that has the historic Oval as their home ground -- have asked the England cricket Board for an apology and investigate the peeing incident.Englands 3-0 Ashes triumph is losing sheen after the Australian media reported on Monday that Kevin Pietersen, Stuart Broad and James Anderson urinated on The Oval pitch while being cheered by team-mates.Richard Gould, the Surrey CEO, has slammed the behaviour of the players and admitted the nature of celebration spoils Englands image after a convincing series victory. Former Australian spin king Shane Warne, too has slammed the English players. Sports minister Hugh Robertson has also wanted a probe.In 2005, English players celebrated their Ashes win with a mammoth drinking session. The party continued in a reception at Downing Street with Prime Minister Tony Blair. It later emerged one of the players urinated in the Blairs garden.In 2009, the ECB and coach Andy Flower were careful that the celebrations didnt go overboard. The players partied quietly before going to Ireland for a 50-over match.

China welcomes Pak desire to be full member in SCO

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ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - China Tuesday said it warmly welcomes Pakistans desire to become full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).China warmly welcomes this and we will work with other countries to actively promote such request‚ the Vice-Foreign Minster Cheng Guoping said while replying to a question at a press conference here.The press conference was also addressed by Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong‚ Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao and Deputy Governor Yi Gang of Peoples Bank of China to brief the media on President Xi Jinpings State visits from Sept 3 to 13 to Turkmenistan‚ Kazakhstan‚ Uzbekistan‚ Kyrgyzstan and his attendance at the G20 St. Petersburg Summit and the Shanghai Cooperation Organizations Bishkek Summit.Minister Cheng said China will continue holding discussion on the formal documents accepting new members. He said because they have to go through some procedures therefore‚ they are still working on this document.To become a full member state of the SCO is required consensus of all the existing members states‚ he said adding therefore‚ in terms of expanding the membership of the SCO it will still take sometime.The 13th meeting of the council of heads of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is slated for September 13 in Bishkek‚ the capital of Kyrgyzstan.As Chinese President‚ Xi Jingpin will for the first time attend the summit at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev. He will also hold talks with various leaders on the sidelines of the meeting.Founded in June 2001‚ the SCOs member states consist of China‚ Russia‚ Kazakhstan‚ Kyrgyzstan‚ Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.Pakistan‚ India‚ Iran‚ Mongolia and Afghanistan have observer status in the organization.The G20‚ established in September 1999‚ brings together 20 major economies of the world‚ including 19 countries and the European Union.

Prize bond winning news kills old man

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RAWALPINDI (Web Desk) - A 60-year-old man, Zarar, died upon learning that he had won Rs 1,200,000 prize bond.When told by the bank’s management that he had the winning bond the man had a heart attack and died inside the bank before help could arrive.Excitement can trigger heart attacks, cardiac arrest, strokes, and other potentially fatal medical emergencies.Your body reacts to excitement in much the same way it reacts to feelings of fear or stress—by releasing the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline.These stress hormones trigger what’s known as the fight-or-flight response, which primes people (and animals) to face dangerous situations.However, too much adrenaline and noradrenaline can be dangerous to the heart, brain, and other organs.An enormous shock, whether positive or negative, can cause your heart to speed up, beat irregularly, or stop.In patients with pre-existing heart disease, the fight-or-flight response can also dislodge arterial plaques, sending blood clots to the heart, causing a heart attack, or to the brain, causing a stroke.

ECP takes up rigging charges in PP-150 Wednesday

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday will take up the matter pertaining to rigging allegations during by-elections in Punjab Assembly constituency PP-150 Lahore-XIV.Earlier on Monday, the ECP took suo motu notice of rigging allegations during by-polls in PP-150 and summoned all contesting candidates.The ECP had said that the matter requires further consideration and issued notices under Section 103 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976 to all contesting candidates to appear before ECP on Wednesday.In an order, the ECP had stated that it has examined the order of the Returning Officer of PP-150 Lahore-XIV constituency whereby the application of Mehr Wajid Azeem, contesting candidate from the said constituency for recount was dismissed.“In first part of the order, the Returning Officer has taken note of all the allegations made and arguments addressed on behalf of the counsel for said candidate as also of the counsel for the respondent-contesting candidate Mian Marghoob Ahmed but surprisingly while dismissing the application the Returning Officer prima facie has not attended to all those allegations and has based his order primarily only on one contention of the applicant,” the ECP had stated in its order.
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