Saturday 3 August 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

US envoy in Egypt holds talks with rival sides

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CAIRO (AP) - Egypts Interior Ministry warned supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi on Saturday for a second time to abandon their protest camps as a senior U.S. diplomat met with officials on both sides of the countrys political divide.U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns extended his visit to Cairo by one day so he could meet military leader Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi and the countrys prime minister on Sunday, an Egyptian Foreign Ministry official said. A member of the pro-Morsi delegation that met Saturday with Burns said the four delegates also would meet again with the U.S. diplomat on Sunday for more talks.At the core of talks is the political future of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies following the July 3 coup that ousted Morsi, the countrys first freely elected president. The military coup, which followed several days of mass protests by millions of Egyptians demanding his ouster, also led to the dissolution of the Islamist-dominated parliament and the suspension of an Islamist-drafted constitution.The Brotherhood says it is looking for concessions before beginning talks with their rivals. Such measures could include releasing detained Brotherhood leaders, unfreezing the groups assets, lifting a ban on its television stations and reigning in the use of force against its protesters.Tarek el-Malt, who met with Burns and is a member of the Brotherhood-allied Wasat Party, said the delegation insisted that any initiatives for a way out of the crisis must center on the 2012 constitution being restored.Morsi would return to power in all cases, he told The Associated Press. Whether he spends his full term in office or delegates his power to a national Cabinet is up for discussion.However, Burns and others have signaled that the West has moved on from Morsis presidency. Washington and others are foremost seeking stability in the Arab worlds most populous nation, and have called for the Brotherhoods participation in the transition as a way to achieve national reconciliation.The trip by Burns, his second to Cairo since the coup, comes amid heighted fears of more bloodshed after more than 80 Morsi supporters were killed in clashes with police a week ago. More than 280 people have been killed nationwide in political violence since Morsis removal.Americas No. 2 diplomat also held talks Saturday with interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour and Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei, as did the European Unions special envoy, Bernardino Leon.Nevine Malak, who attended the same meeting with Burns as el-Malt as part of a delegation representing those against the coup, said the session was mainly for listening. She said the group, which includes two members of the Brotherhoods political wing, would meet Burns again on Sunday.Any solution or any initiative must include the return of the (suspended) constitution, she told the AP. We dont ignore the fact that there were masses that took to the streets, but we dont ignore either that what happened was a coup against legitimacy.Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy also met Burns and said Egyptian officials have made clear to their Western counterparts there is no moving back. Fahmy also said the transitional roadmap adopted by the countrys military-backed interim leaders is open to the Brotherhood for participation.There have been contacts between different figures, be they in government directly or indirectly, and those among the Brotherhoods leaders, Fahmy told journalists. He declined to describe those discussions as negotiations.Fahmy, who served as Cairos ambassador to Washington under autocrat Hosni Mubarak, also said that key to the U.S. is their interests in the region.I think they do that by assessing whos in power, whos not in power ... and how to deal with that situation given what their interests are, he said.While Egyptian authorities say the political sphere is open to Morsis allies, they are simultaneously outlining plans to break up the two main sit-ins where thousands of protesters still rally daily for Morsis return to power. Authorities plan to set up a cordon around the sites while offering safe passage to those willing to leave.In televised remarks Saturday, Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel-Latif urged Morsis supporters to end their protests, saying it would help the Brotherhoods return to Egypts political process. He repeated the offer from the ministry, which is in charge of police, to give a safe exit to those who abandon the sit-ins.Meanwhile, Al Qaedas leader Ayman al-Zawahri condemned Egypts Muslim Brotherhood in a message for having tried its best to satisfy America and the secularists. He said that democracy is allowed only for those who agree to be a slave for the Wests ideology, action, policy and economy.The messages authenticity could not be independently confirmed but was posted on a militant website late Friday commonly used by Al Qaeda.

Bombings, shootings across Iraq kill 19

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BAGHDAD (AP) - Bombings and shootings across Iraq on Saturday killed 19 people, including an ambush that targeted a convoy carrying a top military commander in the country, authorities said.Violence has been on the rise in Iraq all year, but the number of attacks against civilians and security forces has spiked during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began early last month. The surge in the bloodshed is raising fears of a return to the widespread killing that pushed the country to the brink of civil war after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.The deadliest attack involved an ambush targeting the motorcade of Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir al-Zaidi, a top military commander, in an area north of Baghdad. Gunmen killed six of al-Zaidis bodyguards and wounded four others, police said. The attack took place near the town of Adeim, about 100 kilometers north of Baghdad.Al-Zaidi, who commands some government forces in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, was not hurt in the attack, police said.Gunmen also broke into the house of a former fighter in the anti-Al Qaeda militia known as Sahwa, killing the mans wife and two daughters near the city of Baqouba. The father was not in the house at the time of the attack.Sahwa joined with U.S. troops in the war against Al Qaeda at the height of Iraq war. Ever since, it has been a target for Sunni insurgents who consider them traitors. There were several attacks in July targeting current and former Sahwa members.In another attack near Baqouba, gunmen shot and killed two Sahwa fighters as they were working on their farm. Baqouba is 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad.Meanwhile, police officials said gunmen in a car killed two off-duty policemen near the northern city of Mosul. In the central Iraqi city of Tikrit, a roadside bomb explosion killed a father and his son, authorities said.In western Baghdad, a bomb went off near a line of car part stores, killing two people and wounding seven others, officials said. In the southeast of the capital, authorities said a blast missed a police patrol but killed two civilian passers-by.Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures for all attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media.With Saturdays attacks, at least 597 people have been killed since the start of Ramadan, according to an Associated Press count. Along with security officials being killed, there have been multiple bloody attacks targeting civilians in cafes as they broke their daily fast. Its been the bloodiest Ramadan in Iraq since 2007.

Syrian airstrike kills 9 near border with Lebanon

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BEIRUT (AP) - Syrian warplanes struck targets near the border with Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least nine people in the latest attack along the volatile border, the Lebanese state-run news agency and security officials said.The warplanes targeted the rebel-held town of Yabroud inside Syria, just across from Lebanese villages housing Syrians who fled a government offensive in June, a Lebanese security official from the eastern Bekaa region said. Both sides in the Syrian civil war have allies and supply lines in Lebanon.The official said the victims included six members of the same family, while 16 people were wounded. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.Also on Saturday, rebels captured an arms depot near Damascus, seizing weapons and ammunition from the regime, activists said.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that militants from the Al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra group led the assault on the depot in Qalamun district north of the capital. Militants seized caches of ammunition, rockets and anti-tank missiles, the Observatory said.It was a rare battlefield success by the rebels in recent months. The government has been on the offensive in the countrys heartland and has retaken territory, although rebels are sometimes reported to overrun military facilities and villages.The Observatory relies on reports from a network of informants on the ground.Syrias main opposition coalition meanwhile urged the release of a Catholic priest who disappeared Monday while visiting a rebel-held city dominated by Islamic groups in the countrys northeast. The Western-backed Syrian National Coalition said it was deeply concerned over the disappearance of Paolo DallOglio, an Italian Jesuit priest and a well-known figure in Syria.We urge all parties involved in the disappearance of Father Paolo to immediately come forward and release him, the coalition said in a statement released in Istanbul on Saturday. It described the priest as a wise man of peace and compassion who engaged in interfaith dialogue with Muslims and forged close ties with people all over Syria.Activists said DallOglio went to Raqqa to meet with Al Qaeda-linked militants. The city, which fell to the rebels in early March, has seen tensions between the hard-liners and more moderate rebel groups over how to administer it.Both rebels and pro-regime forces have abducted political foes, members of rival sects and wealthy families around Syria and others, including foreign journalists, to settle scores or for ransom.DallOglio is a critic of the regime of President Bashar Assad, which the rebels are fighting to overthrow. A year ago, the government expelled him from Syria, where he had lived for 30 years.Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, in charge of the Holy Sees office dealing with Eastern Churches, has expressed closeness in prayer to DallOglios fellow Jesuits over the persistence of the uncertainty of the situation, the Vatican said Saturday.Sandris office said it was praying that the war ends and peace is given back to beloved Syria and all the peoples of the Middle East.DallOglio is the third Christian cleric believed to have been kidnapped in northern Syria this year. In April, two Orthodox bishops were abducted and have not been heard from since their kidnapping. No group has publically claimed it is holding the clerics.The statement said Sandris office also recalled the absolute silence that weighs on the fate of the two (Orthodox) bishops.More than 100,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the Syrian uprising in March 2011.

Zimbabwe: Mugabe declared winner in disputed vote

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HARARE (AP) - Zimbabwes longtime President Robert Mugabe won 61 percent of the presidential vote, trailed by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai at 33 percent, election officials announced Saturday.Mugabe, 89 and in power for 33 years, has another five-year term in office, according to the results.Mugabes party won 158 of the 210 parliament seats, giving it a two-thirds majority in the legislature that enables it to make amendments to the new constitution and existing laws, according to the results announced by the state Election Commission. Tsvangirais party captured 50 seats and two went to independent candidates.Tsvangirai earlier Saturday rejected the results as fraudulent and called for fresh elections. He urged a peaceful response to the alleged massive rigging by Mugabes ZANU-PF party.Tsvangirai said his Movement for Democratic Change party has in its possession evidence of massive rigging by Mugabes ZANU-PF party in the just-ended polls and will challenge results from Wednesdays voting.People of Zimbabwe must be given another chance to participate in a free, fair and credible election. They have been shortchanged by a predetermined election, he said.Tsvangirai told a news conference that the outcome of the polls has extended Mugabes rule which has plunged the nation into economic and political turmoil.He said Mugabes victory in the polls has dashed peoples hopes and aspirations.There is no celebration, there is national mourning, Tsvangirai said.He said his party will not participate in any government institutions in protest but stopped short of saying it will boycott its reduced seats in the Harare parliament.Mugabes loyalist army and police have set up security posts in Harare Saturday, apparently in case there are any protest demonstrations.We are rejecting the results because they are fraudulent, Tsvangirai said. We will go back to our people. Our people are the ones hurting. Our people are disciplined. We dont want a violent resolution to this crisis.He said a complete audit is needed of the shambolic voters lists, which was only made available at the time of the election.British Foreign Secretary William Hague expressed deep concern over the conduct of the election, saying the failure to share the voters roll with political parties was a critical flaw.Hague said that and other irregularities call into serious question the credibility of the election.We note that some political parties have rejected the result on the basis of these irregularities, he said, without saying whether Britain endorsed their move. We will need to examine what has happened and consider further reports from regional and local observer missions. In the meantime, it is important that all allegations of electoral violations are thoroughly investigated.Tsvangirais party lost several seats in its Harare urban strongholds by massive margins compared to their overwhelming victories in 2008.In one Harare constituency, Tsvangirais party won with 9,538 votes to 8,190 captured by Mugabes party. In 2008 the same district voted for the MDC candidate, Tendai Biti, by about 8,300 ballots against Mugabes 2,500 votes.It is ZANU-PFs imagination that they have won this election, they know the truth, Tsvangirai said Saturday. We have been robbed.Independent monitors have charged that as many as 750,000 voters were prevented from casting their ballots on Wednesday because of irregularities in voters lists.They allege thousands of unregistered voters were allowed to vote.The continent-wide African Union and regional monitors of the Southern African Development Community, or SADC, have generally endorsed the elections as peaceful, but have expressed misgivings over how voting numbers might have been manipulated and have demanded a full account of voter numbers from the official state election body before passing their final judgment on whether the polls were free, fair and credible.Observers generally commended actual polling for being free of violence that has dominated campaigning against Tsvangirai in his two previous challenges for the presidency in 2002 and 2008.

Isner beats Tursunov to reach Washington final

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Taking control by breaking serve immediately after a rain delay, eighth-seeded John Isner hit 29 aces and came back to beat Dmitry Tursunov 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the Citi Open final.Isner stretched his winning streak to eight matches, including a title last week at Atlanta in another hard-court tournament thats a tuneup for the U.S. Open.After dropping Saturdays first set, Isner was ahead on serve 2-1 in the second when, with the match 70 minutes old and a drizzle falling, play was suspended. When they resumed at 30-40, Isner converted the break point with a forehand passing winner on a 12-stroke exchange.That was the first break of serve in the match, and all the 20th-ranked Isner would need to even things at a set apiece 15 minutes later. He then broke again to lead 3-2 in the third, this time at love, helped by three unforced errors by the 61st-ranked Tursunov.That was pretty much that, because Isners powerful serve was clicking just as it usually does during the summer hard-court season in North America.Its my absolute favorite time of the year, said Isner, whose best Grand Slam showing was a run to the U.S. Open quarterfinals in 2011. Its not a coincidence that I play and do well here in the summer, every single year.Isner won 69 of 86 points he served Saturday, including runs of 16 and 14 in a row, and did not face a break point. Despite consistently hitting serves at 130 mph or faster, Isner only double-faulted once. Tursunov hit nine double-faults and only four aces.In Sundays final, Isner will face top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, the 2008 and 2009 champion in Washington, or No. 3-seeded Tommy Haas. They were to meet in the second mens semifinal; both womens semifinals also were scheduled for Saturday night.Ive got one more tomorrow, and Im going to give it my all, said Isner, who was visited by a trainer but said the left thigh muscle injury that forced him to stop playing at Wimbledon was not bothering me at all.If he wins Sunday, Isner would earn his third title of 2013 and pull even with No. 1 Novak Djokovic for the third-highest total on tour. Only Rafael Nadal (seven) and Andy Murray (four) have won more tournaments this season.As well as Isner served in the first set Saturday, he lost it in a tight tiebreaker exactly the way he began his quarterfinal against Marcos Baghdatis before coming back to win in three sets.Isner, the 2007 runner-up in Washington, won 24 of 28 service points at the start of the match against Tursunov, but faltered in the tiebreaker, when he went only 5 for 8.The highest-ranked American man actually held the matchs first set point, ahead 6-5, but sailed a return long. Tursunovs first set point came at 7-6, and Isner erased it with a 142 mph ace. But he wouldnt win another point in the tiebreaker, missing a volley long, then watching Tursunov end an 11-stroke exchange with a forehand volley winner.After trudging to the sideline, Isner dropped his racket and white baseball hat on the ground and covered his face with a towel.There were more missed opportunities for Isner early in the second set, including a break point at 1-0, when he missed a backhand long and yelled, NoThe next time Tursunov served, though, the Russian made a bad error, dumping an overhead smash into the net to fall behind 15-40 and create two more break points. Isner couldnt capitalize on the first, putting a forehand return of a 94 mph serve into the net. Thats when play was halted because of the rain, leading to a delay of about 1 hour, 20 minutes.When they returned to the court, Isner did not take long to assert himself.

Arsenal draws 2-2 with Napoli in Emirates Cup

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LONDON (AP) - A late header by Laurent Koscielny capped a spirited comeback for Arsenal as they drew 2-2 against Napoli before a home crowd at the Emirates Cup on Saturday. Earlier, Galatasaray beat FC Porto 1-0 to take a lead in the two-day preseason tournament.Arsenal was down 2-0 at halftime after clinical strikes by Napolis forwards caught them off guard, with Lorenzo Insigne taking advantage of a defensive blunder by Carl Jenkinson in the seventh minute to open the scoring. A long pass from Marek Hamsik 20 minutes later found winger Goran Pandev, who cut wide and curled the ball in from a tight angle.Arsenal had a chance to equalize on a penalty between those goals, when Napolis Valon Behrami felled Kieran Gibbs in the box. But Lukas Podolski was denied by Napolis newly-signed goalkeeper, Pepe Reina.Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger reacted in the second half by inserting Theo Walcott for pace on the right flank and the team pressed higher up the pitch, dominating possession and creating multiple chances.Olivier Giroud pulled one back with a spectacular overhead kick goal from a corner and almost added a second two minutes later with a header. But it was Koscielny who leveled the score with three minutes to go before the end of regular time. The French center-back headed home the ball after Reina had made a stunning save on a header by Per Mertesacker.Wenger declared himself satisfied with his players response. He said they suffered early on because they were not pressing enough, something the Italian team took advantage of.They are good at counterattacking. It took us some time to adjust defensively, Wenger said.He refused to be drawn about Arsenals attempts to sign Liverpool forward Luis Suarez, saying negotiations were ongoing.In the first match of the Emirates Cup, Turkeys Galatasaray beat Portugals Porto in a match decided by penalties.Galatasarays Felipe Melo converted one in the 71st minute after a run into the box by defender Emmanuel Eboue, who was playing at the Emirates Stadium for the first time since leaving Arsenal in 2011.Porto had dominated possession in the early stages but could not capitalize on its opportunities. Jackson Martinez was denied on the first penalty by Galatasarays goalkeeper Fernando Muslera early in the first half while Lucho Gonzalez failed to equalize late in the match, drawing his spot kick wide to the left.Galatasaray grew in confidence in the second half, with Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder linking up effectively and testing Muslera on several occasions. Porto had to rely on counterattacks, in particular on the speed of their Brazilian winger Kelvin.Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim acknowledged his side was lucky to earn full points from the match.In the first half Porto was better than us. Our play wasnt very satisfactory but in the second half we pressed more and we performed better, Terim said.He decried mistakes in defense that had conceded the two penalties and exposed the goal, but said the team was still feeling the after-effects of preseason training.After the first two matches, Galatasaray leads the tournament with four points three for winning and one for a goal. Arsenal and Napoli follow with three points each and Porto lag with none.The Emirates Cup concludes on Sunday, with Napoli playing Porto before Arsenal takes on Galatasaray.

Woods just ordinary, still up by 7 at Bridgestone

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AKRON (AP) - Tiger Woods followed one of the best rounds of his life with a solid 2-under 68 on Saturday in the third round of the Bridgestone Invitational, giving him a seven-shot lead and setting him up for a remarkable eighth victory at Firestone Country Club.Unlike in a second-round 61 that could easily have been a 59 or even lower, Woods didnt recover from all of his errant shots. He bogeyed the ninth, 14th and 16th holes, failing to bounce back from mediocre shots.Yet he still was good enough to put himself in position for yet another lopsided victory, one that will likely mark him as the player to beat next week in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill.He had a 15-under 195 total.Henrik Stenson was second after a 67.

Hungary edges Montenegro for men's water polo gold

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BARCELONA (AP) - Hungary edged Montenegro 8-7 Saturday to claim its third world title in mens water polo.Hungary never trailed but needed Marton Szivos goal with less than two minutes to play and a save by goalkeeper Viktor Nagy in the final seconds to ensure the gold medal.Hungarys previous two gold medals at the world championships came in 1973 and then in 2003 at this same Bernat Picornell pool in Barcelona.The silver was Montenegros first medal in mens water polo competing as an independent nation after gaining independence from Serbia in 2006. In 2005, competing as Serbia and Montenegro, it beat Hungary for the gold.Earlier, Croatia claimed the bronze by defeating Italy 10-8.

Franklin makes it 5 golds at world championships

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BARCELONA (AP) - Missy Franklin got back to winning at the world swimming championships, and now shes joined a very select club.With one more victory, shell really be in some elite company.Franklin won her fifth gold medal of the championships with an easy victory in the 200-metre backstroke Saturday, tying the record for most victories by a female at the biennial world meet.The 18-year-old American matched Tracy Caulkins of the U.S., who won five times at the 1978 worlds in Berlin, and Libby Trickett of Australia, who did it at her home championships in Melbourne six years ago.Franklin has one event remaining the 400 medley relay and a chance to join Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz and Kristin Otto as the only swimmers to win as many as six golds at the worlds or the Olympics.The winning time was 2 minutes, 4.76 seconds. Belinda Hocking of Australia took the silver, more than a body length behind Franklin, while Canadas Hilary Caldwell claimed the bronze.That was awesome, said Franklin, who has already bettered her performance at the London Olympics, where she won four golds and a bronze. The 200 back is my favorite race, but its probably my most painful.If she was hurting, it sure didnt show. Midway through the race, Franklin has already pulled out to a comfortable lead. Everyone else was chasing the other two spots on the podium. She was chasing history.Its incredible, she said. I couldnt have ever imagined this coming into the meet. Its nice knowing after London that I was still able to motivate myself and all that work that I put in this past year has still really been worth it and Ive been able to do what Ive been done here.Meanwhile, after an epic night of swimming, Ryan Lochte finally ran out of gas on his 29th birthday.He had the top time coming into the final of the 100 butterfly, but only managed a sixth-place finish. Chad le Clos won the gold, leaving no doubt he is the new kind of the fly as long as Michael Phelps stays in retirement. The personable South African touched in 51.06, completing a sweep of the 100 and the 200 in Barcelona. Laszlo Cseh of Hungary claimed the silver, while Polands Konrad Czerniak picked up the bronze.The previous night, Lochte pulled off a stunning triple, winning two gold medals and setting a personal best in the 100 fly semifinals. But he couldnt match it in the final, trailing all the way and finishing in 51.58 a tenth of a second slower than the previous day, even though he was better rested.The Americans also faltered in the 50 freestyle as Brazils Cesar Cielo won his third straight world title.Despite undergoing surgery on both knees after the Olympics, and not even bothering to enter the 100 free, Cielo showed hes still the man to beat in the furious, foamy dash from one end of the pool to the other. His time was 21.32, edging Russias Vladimir Morozov by 0.15. The bronze went to George Bovell of Trinidad.In a star-studded final, Nathan Adrian of the U.S. only managed fourth, reigning Olympic champion Florent Manaudou was fifth, and American Anthony Ervin sixth.Cielo celebrated wildly, screaming and pumping his fists while straddling a lane rope. Then, as always, the tears flowed freely while the rousing Brazilian anthem played and his countrys flag was raised toward the roof of the Palau Sant Jordi.Jeanette Ottesen Gray of Denmark won gold in the 50 butterfly, a non-Olympic event. She touched in 25.24. Chinas Lu Ying claimed the silver, while the bronze went to Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands. American Dana Vollmer finished last in the eight-woman field.Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania broke a world record that was set only hours earlier in the womens 50 breaststroke. In the second semifinal heat, Meilutyte ripped off a time of 29.48, beating the mark set in the morning preliminaries by Russias Yuliya Efimova.Efimova was swimming the same heat as the 16-year-old and touched second in 29.88, just off the mark of 29.78 she held for not even a day. She had broken the previous record set by American Jessica Hardy in 2009 at the height of the rubberized suit era, 29.80.The 50 breaststroke is another event not on the Olympic program. Still, it goes down as the second world record for Meilutyte at these championships. She also set one in the semifinals of the 100 breast before winning gold in the final.As for Franklin, shes got a whole bunch of golds to lug home to Colorado.And maybe one more to go.Ill probably just throw em in my swim bag and carry em on, she joked.

Australia in command despite Pietersen ton

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MANCHESTER, England (AP) - Kevin Pietersens dazzling century failed to remove Australias grip on the third Ashes test on Saturday, with England closing 34 runs short of avoiding the follow-on after an engrossing third days play at Old Trafford.Pietersen dug his team out of a hole by hitting 113 his 23rd test hundred but was one of three batsmen dismissed after tea by Australia, which reduced England to 294-7 in reply to 527-7 declared.If the English lower order, starting with Matt Prior (6) and Stuart Broad (9), can get the team past the follow-on mark of 328, Australias hopes of victory to keep the series alive would be seriously dented with only two days left.It means the opening hours play on Sunday could define the five-match series, with England 2-0 ahead and only requiring a draw to retain the Ashes urn. Weather could also be a factor, with some rain forecast on both days.Weve gone OK, said Pietersen, who became Englands leading run-scorer in all formats with 13,194, overtaking Graham Gooch. We can get the runs to avoid follow on and even if we dont, then we can bat for a good length of time.Ian Bell continued his fine form this summer by scoring 60 in a crucial 115-run stand for the fifth wicket with Pietersen, and Alastair Cook added 26 to his overnight tally to make 62, but the day was all about Pietersen.The South African-born batsman was only playing here after passing a fitness test on a left calf injury sustained in Englands victory at Lords two weeks ago. There was a train of thought that he should be rested and kept fresh for the final two tests of the series the selectors will be thankful they kept faith with their superstar batsman now.Few batsmen have the ability to take a game away from an opposition like Pietersen can. Thats why the ECB went to such great lengths to bring him back into the fold after the damaging and drawn-out phone-message row that marred last years test series against South Africa.He came to the crease with England stumbling to 64-3, following Jonathan Trotts dismissal for 5, and made a jittery start, wafting at a couple of wide balls and nearly getting bowled. Once he got settled, though, it was a masterclass.I like performing on the big stage, when the team needs you, Pietersen said. I like to stand up and be counted.If you play for England or Australia, your career is defined on how you perform in Ashes cricket.Assuming the lead role after captain Cook fell caught behind to a legside delivery by Ryan Harris, Pietersen joined forces with Bell in what could yet prove to be a series-clinching partnership.Despite the precarious situation, Pietersen didnt hold back on a good batting track, signaling his intent by lofting Nathan Lyon over mid-off for an early four and then smashing the offspinner for two sixes in a row to bring up his fifty off 71 balls.Bell was seeking a century in a fourth successive Ashes test and also sent Lyon over the ropes, which was enough for Australia captain Michael Clarke to remove him from the attack.Australia was becoming demoralized, Shane Watson even more so when he rapped Pietersen on the pad but didnt go for a review. Replays showed the ball would have hit leg stump and Clarke buried his head in his hands after seeing the big screen.Wicketless in the second session, the Australians finally found some joy when Harris clean-bowled Bell but Pietersen soldiered on and brought up his century with a typically flamboyant uppercut for four off Mitchell Starc over point. He removed his helmet and flourished his bat to the crowd with a wide smile on his face.Pietersen was still around but specialist batsmen ran out at the other end when Jonny Bairstow, who never looked secure, edged a rejuvenated Starc to Watson at second slip for 22.Pietersen only made five scoring strokes in 41 deliveries after reaching three figures and his 206-ball innings ended when he was trapped lbw by Starc, although DRS was needed to confirm his departure to a standing ovation.To make sure he didnt stay in and get a big one was key, said Starc, the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3-75, before adding cheekily: Its always nice to get a big scalp and its always nice to get Kevin out as well.Prior and Broad dug in grittily in the final half-hour, with six of the last seven overs being maidens. Australia wont be giving up without a fight.Its going to be a big half-hour, Starc said. We need to take these three wickets as quickly as we can.

Pietersen reveals decision over knee surgery

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MANCHESTER (AP) - England batsman Kevin Pietersen says he decided against surgery on his right knee that could have kept him sidelined for nine months so he could play in back-to-back Ashes series this year.Pietersen injured his knee during the tour of New Zealand in March and only returned to action in June, just in time for the Ashes against Australia.The South African-born batsman says I didnt have surgery because I didnt want to miss the Ashes. I could have done but its proved to be the right decision from the surgeons perspective and mine.Pietersen says he will be in rehab for the rest of my career, unfortunately but shouldnt need an operation on his knee if I keep being as professional as I have been over the last 3 ½ months.He showed his worth to England by hitting 113 Saturday on the third day of the third test against Australia, giving the team renewed hope of a draw that would clinch a third straight Ashes urn.

Berlusconi aides seek presidential pardon

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ROME (AP) - A Silvio Berlusconi loyalist warned on Saturday of a possible civil war unless ex-premiers punishment for tax-fraud conviction is not lifted, as his aides maneuvered to win a presidential pardon so he can avoid a prison term and a ban on holding public office.Berlusconi stalwarts also urged the 10 million Italians who voted for the conservative leader in this years election to fill the streets of Rome on Sunday.Italys highest court on Thursday upheld Berlusconis four-year prison sentence, the first time that the media mogul was definitely convicted and sentenced in two decades of trials and other criminal probes.A law to reduce prison overcrowding slashes his sentence to one year and since he is over 70, he can choose house confinement or perform social services instead of going to prison.Berlusconi insists he is a victim of prosecutors and judges who he says have leftist sympathies.In this country, democracy has been mutilated by the high courts decision, Daniela Santanche, one of Berlusconis closest associates, told Sky TG24 TV.His political associates and party officials pressed their save Silvio strategy on several fronts after huddling with him on Friday evening. Berlusconi, in a recorded video message a few hours after Italys Supreme Court upheld the conviction, had sounded shaken but defiant, vowing to galvanize his partys base.Renato Brunetta, a leader of Berlusconis People of Freedom party, said Saturday he and a former Senate president, Renato Schifani, have requested a meeting with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, who can issue pardons.Napolitano hasnt publicly commented about the prospects of a pardon. But, according to the Italian constitution, only Berlusconi, his lawyer or a family member can ask for a presidential pardon, which could wipe out or lessen the punishment but not the conviction itself.Fueling political tension was longtime Berlusconi loyalist Sandro Bondis assessment that Italy must find a solution or risk civil war if the 76-year-old billionaire businessman is forced to serve time and is stripped of his Senate seat.Whatever the governments fate, Berlusconi isnt about to start serving his sentence or lose his seat. He has until mid-October to decide whether to serve the years sentence at home or perform some socially useful service. And Senate procedures to strip him of his post will likely take months.Exposing raw nerves in Premier Enrico Lettas coalition, Deputy Economy Minister Stefano Fassina denounced the request for a pardon as an unacceptable provocation and Bondis words as bordering on subversion.Lettas fragile coalition risks collapse if Berlusconis party withdraws support.Berlusconis political heir, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano has said that maybe he and fellow ministers who support the media mogul should quit in a show of anger over the conviction.Lettas center-left Democratic Party won the most votes in Februarys election for Parliament but not enough to govern alone with a majority in both chambers of the legislature. Democrats reluctantly agreed to a coalition with Berlusconis conservatives.The alliance has been fraught with tensions for weeks before Berlusconis conviction made its long-term survival uncertain.

Smoking, high BP may shrink your brain

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ISLAMABAD (Web Desl) - Smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and being overweight in middle age may cause brain shrinkage and lead to cognitive problems up to a decade later, a new study has suggested.“These factors appeared to cause the brain to lose volume, to develop lesions secondary to presumed vascular injury, and also appeared to affect its ability to plan and make decisions as quickly as 10 years later.A different pattern of association was observed for each of the factors,” said study author Charles DeCarli, MD, with the University of California at Davis in Sacramento and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.“Our findings provide evidence that identifying these risk factors early in people of middle age could be useful in screening people for at-risk dementia and encouraging people to make changes to their lifestyle before its too late,” added DeCarli. The study involved 1,352 people without dementia from the Framingham Offspring Study with an average age of 54.The study found that people with high blood pressure developed white matter hyperintensities, or small areas of vascular brain damage, at a faster rate than those with normal blood pressure readings and had a more rapid worsening of scores on tests of executive function, or planning and decision making, corresponding to five and eight years of chronological aging respectively.People with diabetes in middle age lost brain volume in the hippocampus (measured indirectly using a surrogate marker) at a faster rate than those without diabetes.Smokers lost brain volume overall and in the hippocampus at a faster rate than nonsmokers and were also more likely to have a rapid increase in white matter hyperintensities.People who were obese at middle age were more likely to be in the top 25 percent of those with the faster rate of decline in scores on tests of executive function, DeCarli said. People with a high waist-to-hip ratio were more likely to be in the top 25 percent of those with faster decrease in their brain volume.The study has been published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology

Pollution causes brain damage, depression

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OHIO (Web Desk) - Long-term exposure to air pollution could damage the brain and cause depression, besides triggering learning and memory problems.Mice tests showed that, in the long term, dirty air could cause actual physical changes to the brain which resulted in negative effects.While other studies have looked at the impact of polluted air on heart and lungs, this is one of the first to look at the effect on the brain, said doctoral student Laura Fonken from the Ohio State University who led the study.The results suggest that prolonged exposure to polluted air can have visible, negative effects on the brain which can lead to a variety of health problems, she said, reports the journal Molecular Psychiatry.This could have important and troubling implications for people who live and work in polluted urban areas around the world, Fonken added, according to the Telegraph.Fonken and her colleagues at Ohio State exposed mice to either filtered air or polluted air six hours a day, five days a week for almost half their lifespan which was 10 months.After 10 months of exposure, behavioural tests were carried out on the rodents, including a learning and memory test.After five days of training they were placed on a brightly lit area and given two minutes to find the dark escape hole where they would be more comfortable.The mice which breathed the polluted air took longer to learn where the escape hole was and at later tests they were more likely to forget where it was.

Does US face Pakistan-like dilemma in Egypt?

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Amid violent clashes in Egypt, White House officials argued this week that the United States cant cut off its $1.3 billion a year in assistance to Egypt. To do so would cause Washington to lose influence with the countrys generals. Vital American security interests are at stake, they said, and keeping the torrent of American aid flowing gives Washington leverage. If that argument sounds familiar, it is. For the last decade, the United States has used the same logic in Pakistan. The US has given $11 billion in military aid to the Pakistani military in the name of maintaining American influence in Islamabad.From new equipment to reimbursements for Pakistani military operations, the money flowed year after year, despite complaints from American officials that the Pakistanis were misusing funds and inflating bills.Can the United States do better in Egypt? Pakistan and Egypt are vastly different, but as the Obama administration fervently embraces its Pakistani tactics in Egypt, its worth examining the results of our dollars-for-generals approach.A decade on, little has changed in Pakistan. The countrys military continues to shelter the Afghan Taliban, hundreds of American and Afghan soldiers have died in cross-border attacks from Pakistan and the army remains by far the most powerful institution in the country.Yes, the government of outgoing Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari performed poorly and mismanaged the countrys economy. And its wrong to assume or argue that an effective, efficient civilian government would emerge if Pakistans army would give up its decades-old domination of the country.But what did the United States get for its $11 billion? One goal of providing U.S. military aid was to get the Pakistani military to crack down on the thousands of Afghan Taliban who have lived, trained and planned operations from inside Pakistan since 2001.But so far that has not happened. Republicans and Democrats poured money into the coffers of the Pakistani military but it did not change the Pakistani militarys long-running view that Afghan Taliban and other militants are useful proxies against Pakistans arch-rival India.American officials say the $11 billion did allow the United States to get what it most wanted: drone strikes in Pakistans tribal areas that weakened al Qaeda and may have thwarted terrorist attacks in the United States. The strikes fuel sweeping anti-Americanism in Pakistan, but the cold political calculus for any American president, officials argue, is preventing terrorist attacks on the homeland.So far, the Obama administration appears intent on following the same aid-for-leverage approach in Egypt. The White House delayed the delivery of four new F-16 fighters to Egypt this week. But the fact that the Egyptian military has already killed 140 protesters, twice as many as Iran did in its 2009 crushing of the Green Movement, apparently gives administration officials little pause.In a visit to Pakistan this week, Secretary of State John Kerry gave the administrations most full-throated defense of the Egyptian military yet. In effect, they were restoring democracy, Kerry said in a Pakistani television interview. The military did not take over, to the best of our judgment — so far, so far — to run the country. Theres a civilian government.Last week, the White House announced that the Obama administration would not enforce an American law requiring the U.S. government to cut off American aid to any government the carries out a coup. How? By ignoring it.The law does not require us to make a formal determination as to whether a coup took place, and it is not in our national interest to make such a determination, a White House official told the New York Times. We will not say it was a coup, we will not say it was not a coup, we will just not say.In other words, America will look the other way to maintain influence with the Egyptian military. One of the lessons from the last decade in Pakistan is that money might buy American officials a seat at the table. But Pakistani generals or Egyptian generals will not necessarily listen.And they will definitely blame their problems on us. For the last decade in Pakistan, military officials have used pro-military media outlets to spread a message that an all-powerful United States is behind the countrys ills.The drone strikes are a case in point. Since 2004, the Pakistani military has covertly supported American drone strikes in the country. For years, they allowed American drones to fly out of a Pakistani military base. Pakistani air force planes could have easily shot down slow-moving, propeller-driven American drones at any time — if given the command.At the same time, Pakistani generals and civilian officials publicly condemned the attacks as an outrageous American violation of their sovereignty. The Taliban insurgency inside the country was fueled by drone strikes, they argued.No mention was made of the fact that many of the jihadist groups were originally trained and funded by the Pakistani military to serve as proxies against India. After initially supporting the jihadists, Pakistans military has lost control of many of them.Some of the same patterns are emerging in Egypt. The Egyptian military blames the United States for the countrys ills. They also oversee a vast economic empire that enriches senior officers.Dalia Mogahed, an expert on Egypt and the former executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, believes the United States should take a more aggressive stance in Egypt. Providing $1.3 billion per year with few questions asked is not a recipe for change.We need clear conditions on aid that we actually follow through with, Mogahed said in an email. Were dealing with military massacres of protestors. Our values and our interests dictate that we condition aid on the immediate halt of excessive force and holding accountable those responsible for it.
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