Friday 30 August 2013

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Dunya TV

Obama weighs 'limited and narrow' Syria action

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Edging toward a retaliatory strike, President Barack Obama said Friday he is weighing limited and narrow action against Syria as the administration bluntly accused Bashar Assad's government of launching a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 1,429 people far more than previous estimates including more than 400 children.No boots on the ground, Obama said, seeking to reassure a public weary after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.With France as his only major public ally, Obama told reporters he has a strong preference for multilateral action. He added, frankly part of the challenge we end up with here is a lot of people think something should be done but nobody wants to do it.Halfway around the world, U.S. warships were in place in the Mediterranean Sea armed with cruise missiles, long a first-line weapon of choice for presidents because they can find a target hundreds of miles distant without need of air cover or troops on the ground.In what appeared increasingly like the pre-attack end game, U.N. personnel carried out a fourth and final day of inspection as they sought to determine precisely what happened in the attack last week. The international contingent arranged to depart Syria on Saturday and head to laboratories in Europe with the samples they have collected.Video said to be taken at the scene shows victims writhing in pain, twitching and exhibiting other symptoms associated with exposure to nerve agents. The videos distributed by activists to support their claims of a chemical attack were consistent with AP reporting of shelling in the suburbs of Damascus at the time, though it was not known if the victims had died from a poisonous gas attack.Residents of Damascus stocked up on food and other necessities in anticipation of strikes, although no signs of panic or shortages were evident.One man, 42-year-old Talal Dowayih, said: I am not afraid from the Western threats to Syria; they created the chemical issue as a pretext for intervention, and they are trying to hit Syria for the sake of Israel.Obama met with his national security aides at the White House and then with diplomats from Baltic countries, saying he has not yet made a final decision on a response to an attack that the Assad government lays at the feet of the rebel forces.But the administration did nothing to discourage the predictions that he would act and soon. It was an impression heightened both by strongly worded remarks by Secretary of State John Kerry and the release of an unclassified intelligence assessment that cited high confidence that the Syrian government carried out the attack.In addition to the dead, the assessment reported that about 3,600 patients displaying symptoms consistent with nerve agent exposure were seen at Damascus-area hospitals after the attack. To that, Kerry added that a senior regime official who knew about the attack confirmed that chemical weapons were used by the regime, reviewed the impact and actually was afraid they would be discovered. He added for emphasis: We know this.The assessment did not explain its unexpectedly large casualty count, far in excess of an estimate from Doctors without Borders. Not surprisingly given the nature of the disclosure it also did not say expressly how the United States knew what one Syrian official had allegedly said to another.Mindful of public opinion, Kerry urged Americans to read the four-page assessment for themselves. He referred to Iraq when Bush administration assurances that weapons of mass destruction were present proved false, and a U.S. invasion led to a long, deadly war. Kerry said this time it will be different.We will not repeat that moment, he said, and a few hours later, Obama echoed him.Despite difficulty in rounding up foreign allies, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, travelling in the Philippines, said, Our approach is to continue to find an international coalition that will act together. So far, only France has announced it will support military action.The day's events produced sharply differing responses from members of Congress and that was just the Republicans.Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Obama needed to go further than he seems planning. The goal of military action should be to shift the balance of power on the battlefield against Assad and his forces, they said in a statement.But a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, Brendan Buck, said if the president believes in a military response to Syria, it is his responsibility to explain to Congress and the American people the objectives, strategy, and legal basis for any potential action.The looming confrontation is the latest outgrowth of a civil war in which Assad has tenaciously and brutally clung to power. An estimated 100,000 civilians have been killed in more than two years, many of them from attacks by the Syrian government on its own citizens.Obama has long been wary of U.S. military involvement in the struggle, as he has been with turbulent events elsewhere during the so-called Arab Spring. In this case, reluctance stems in part from recognition that while Assad has ties to Iran and the terrorist group Hezbollah, the rebels seeking to topple him have connections with Al Qaeda terrorist groups.Still, Obama declared more than a year ago that the use of chemical weapons would amount to a red line that Assad should not cross. And Obama approved the shipment of small weapons and ammunition to the Syrian rebels after an earlier reported chemical weapons attack, although there is little sign that the equipment has arrived.With memories of the long Iraq war still fresh, the political cross-currents have been intense both domestically and overseas.Dozens of lawmakers, most of them Republican, have signed a letter saying Obama should not take military action without congressional approval, and top leaders of both political parties are urging the president to consult more closely with Congress before giving an order to launch hostilities.Despite the urgings, there has been little or no discussion about calling Congress back into session to debate the issue. Lawmakers have been on a summer break for nearly a month, and are not due to return to the Capitol until Sept. 9.Obama's efforts to put together an international coalition to support military action have been more down than up.French President Francois Hollande has endorsed punitive strikes, and told the newspaper Le Monde that the chemical massacre of Damascus cannot and must not remain unpunished.But British Prime Minister David Cameron's attempt to win a vote of approval in Parliament for military action ended in ignominious defeat on Thursday. American attempts to secure backing at the United Nations have been blocked by Russia, long an ally of Syria.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged a delay in any military action until the inspectors can present their findings to U.N. member states and the Security Council.

Iraq violence kills 14 as Al Qaeda claims attacks

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BAGHDAD (AP) - The Iraqi branch of Al Qaeda claimed responsibility Friday for a lethal wave of coordinated bombings in the Baghdad area earlier this week, as new attacks killed another 14 in the latest outbreak of violence to hit the country.Friday's deadliest attack struck after nightfall in a Kurdish neighborhood in the ethnically mixed town of Tuz Khormato. Insurgents there set off a non-lethal stun bomb apparently designed to attract a crowd before detonating a real bomb that killed 12 and wounded 10, said the town's police chief, Col. Hussein Ali Rasheed.Tuz Khormato, a frequent flashpoint for violence, sits in a band of territory contested by Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen about 200 kilometers (130 miles) north of Baghdad.Iraq is facing its deadliest wave of violence since 2008. The spike in bloodshed is raising worries the country is heading back toward the brink of civil war fueled by the country's sectarian and ethnic divisions.Hours earlier, the Al Qaeda affiliate in Iraq, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, posted a message on a militant website taking responsibility for the deadly attacks that rocked the Baghdad area on Wednesday. Coordinated car bombings and other violence that day that killed at least 82 people, mostly in Shiite areas of the capital.The group claimed the attacks were a response to the Aug. 19 execution of 17 Sunni prisoners, all but one of them convicted on terrorism-related charges. It said tight security measures imposed by Iraqi forces failed to stop the attacks, and the group vowed to carry out more attacks against government targets.We will avenge the blood of our brothers, the group said.The authenticity of the statement could not be independently confirmed. It was posted on a website commonly used by jihadists and its style was consistent with earlier Al Qaeda statements.The bombings were the latest in a wave of bloodshed that has swept Iraq since April, killing more than 4,000 people and worsening already strained ties between Iraq's Sunni minority and the Shiite-led government. More than 570 people have been killed so far in August.Al Qaeda is hoping to tap into the anger of more moderate Sunnis, who began holding rallies in December against the government over what they feel is their second-class treatment. Among their biggest grievances are the application of tough anti-terrorism measures they feel unfairly target their sect, and the treatment of Sunni detainees in Iraqi prisons.Iraq has executed 67 people so far this year, mainly for terrorism-related charges. It put more people to death last year than any country except for China and Iran, according to Amnesty International. Human rights groups have raised questions about whether defendants receive a fair trial.Also Friday, police said gunman on a speeding motorbike opened fire on Sunni worshippers as they were heading to a mosque to perform Friday prayer in the Sunni neighborhood of Adel in western Baghdad, killing two worshippers and wounding two others.Attacks on Sunni mosques have been on the rise in recent months, raising fears that Shiite armed groups are starting to carry out retaliatory strikes. Most of the violence in recent years has been the work of Sunni extremists such as Al Qaeda.Police also reported five more people killed and eight wounded in attacks in Baghdad the previous night. That brought the number of people killed in Iraq just on Thursday to 29.Medics in a nearby hospital confirmed the casualty figures for all attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

NATO chief: No plans for alliance action in Syria

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COPENHAGEN (AP) - NATO's chief said for the first time Friday that the alliance has no plans for military action in Syria because of the alleged use of chemical weapons against its civilians.Asked about the alleged deadly attack in a suburb of Damascus on Aug. 21, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen pointed the finger at Syrian forces. It demands cynicism beyond what is reasonable to believe that the opposition is behind a chemical attack in an area it already largely controls, he said.On Wednesday, Fogh Rasmussen said, Any use of such weapons is unacceptable and cannot go unanswered. Those responsible must be held accountable.But on Friday he told reporters in Denmark that NATO has no plans to intervene in Syria, which would require the approval of all 28 of its members.Supporters of a proposed no-fly zone in Syria have pointed to the one that was established by NATO over Libya in 2011. It overwhelmed Moammar Gadhafi's air defenses and attacked tanks and military vehicles that threatened civilians.NATO's top decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, struggled for days to reach an agreement on using its military command and control capability to coordinate the operation in Libya, and the governments of the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Turkey helped coordinate that breakthrough.But no such cooperation is emerging regarding Syria's civil war.Backing the Obama administration, French President François Hollande offered strong support on Friday for international military action against the Syrian government over evidence of chemical munitions' use in the Syrian civil war. But on Thursday the British Parliament rejected Prime Minister David Cameron's call for intervention.

Suspected US drone kills Yemen Al Qaeda top figure

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SANAA (AP) - Yemeni security and military officials say a suspected U.S. drone strike has killed three alleged Al Qaeda militants, including a provincial leader of the group.Officials say Qaid el-Zahab was killed along with two other suspected militants in a car in the mountainous region of el-Manaseh in the central province Bayda on Friday. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to media.El-Zahab is believed to be the head of Al Qaeda in Bayda. Parts of Bayda's capital were briefly overrun by Al Qaeda militants in early 2012, when the group took advantage of a security vacuum amid political turmoil.The United States has dramatically increased its drone strikes in Yemen the past year, through it rarely confirms individual strikes.

UN investigators visit Syrian military hospital

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UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U.N. experts have visited a government military hospital in Damascus in response to the Syrian government's allegations of a chemical weapons attack against soldiers.U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said the inspectors interviewed patients Friday to assess the merits of Syria's allegations and determine whether to launch an investigation.Syrian officials say soldiers were hospitalized after chemical weapons attacks on Aug. 22, 24 and 25 in Damascus suburbs.Any U.N. investigation into Syria's claim is unlikely to happen soon. The inspectors are set to leave Syria on Saturday after completing an investigation into an alleged Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus.The Obama administration says 1,429 people died in that attack and accuses Syrian government forces of carrying it out.Syria's government denies it was behind the attack.

Djokovic overcomes slow start to win at US Open

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NEW YORK (AP) - Novak Djokovic faced two set points early in his second-round match at the U.S. Open.He saved them, won the set, then needed less than an hour to close out a victory. The 2011 champion beat 87th-ranked Benjamin Becker of Germany 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 on Friday.Becker had a chance to serve for the first set at 5-4. But he wasted the first with a forehand into the net and the second when a backhand sailed wide.Becker is a quality opponent and he should have won the first set, Djokovic said in an on-court interview. I was fortunate enough to come back and win the first set, and after that, I was much more comfortable on the court.The wind was swirling at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as it often does during the day to players' frustration.You need to have this adjustment, footwork, steps, in order to get on the ball, Djokovic said. I didn't have that in the first set. I was still trying to find my way from baseline, and the other side he was serving well. I had my chances though first set earlier to break, but didn't capitalize.After I played a good tiebreak, everything kind of settled. I started to serve better, started to step into the court, which is important. I need to start the way I started in the first match, but my game is getting there. I feel that it was a big test for me today.

Li Na avenges loss to Robson in US Open 3rd round

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NEW YORK (AP) - Li Na looked like a Grand Slam champion, while Laura Robson looked like a promising teenager.The fifth-seeded Li avenged her third-round upset loss to the young Brit at last year's U.S. Open, winning in straight sets Friday at the same stage at Flushing Meadows.Li, the 2011 French Open champ, rallied from down a break in the second set for a 6-2, 7-5 victory.Li was nervous after she noticed that her draw was a repeat from last year. A pep talk from coach Carlos Rodriguez eased her anxiety.After the talk I was feeling much, much better, she said. Because before I never try to share the feeling with the team.Agnieszka Radwanska needed nearly two hours to slip past No. 32-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 7-6 (1). The third-seeded Pole faced 10 break points, but Pavlyuchenkova was able to convert only two, while Radwanska was 3 for 5.A year ago, Robson's upset of Li was the biggest victory of her breakthrough run. Meanwhile, it was the third straight frustrating U.S. Open loss for the Chinese star.Robson was ranked 89th coming into last year's tournament. She had never advanced past the second round at a Grand Slam event or defeated a top-10 opponent.That all changed when she upset major champions Kim Clijsters and Li back-to-back to make the fourth round. Now 19, Robson was seeded 30th at Flushing Meadows and coming off a fourth-round run at Wimbledon.Li had 34 unforced errors in their match a year ago, and she lamented then that the free points lifted the teen's confidence. This time, Robson never had much of an opening.She served very well today and I thought she was returning really deep, Robson said. You know, there wasn't a lot I could do in some points.Li surprised herself with 11 aces Friday including one on a second serve on match point and won all nine points when she went to the net. She's back in the fourth round at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2009.Her run over, Robson now must face an unfortunate reality for many teenagers: getting her wisdom teeth out.All the other girls in the locker room are telling me their horror stories: 'Oh, yeah, I pulled my gauze out and it was just blood,' Robson said. So that's not too nice.Serena Williams will be back on court later Friday a day after playing singles and doubles, facing Yaroslava Shvedova in the nightcap at Arthur Ashe Stadium.Former champs Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray also have matches, while two other U.S. Open winners, Juan Martin del Potro and Lleyton Hewitt, play each other.

Bayern beat Chelsea to win UEFA Super Cup

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PRAGUE (AP) - Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer saved a penalty by substitute Romelu Lukaku to give Champions League winner Bayern Munich a 5-4 victory over Chelsea in a shootout Friday to claim the UEFA Super Cup, after the game finished 2-2 following extra time.Ten-man Chelsea looked on the verge of victory after Eden Hazard made it 2-1 in extra time but substitute Javi Martinez equalized with the last kick of the game to force the shootout.All nine players converted their penalties before Lukaku stepped up, and Neuer dove to his left to keep the shot out.Fernando Torres gave Europa League winner Chelsea an early lead with a fierce volley, before Franck Ribery equalized two minutes into the second half.Bayern won its first Super Cup in the club's fourth attempt, earning a first trophy with the team for new coach Pep Guardiola.

Unheralded Bond takes 1-shot lead at Wales Open

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NEWPORT (AP) - Unheralded Welshman Liam Bond is making the most of a late call-up to his national event, shooting a 3-under 68 Friday to take a one-shot lead after the second round of the Wales Open.Bond, who is ranked No. 1,528, was only invited to play in the tournament on Wednesday after receiving a call from the European Tour during a round with his 7-year-old daughter on a local course.After opening with a first-round 69, he made five birdies on Friday to move to 5-under 137 at Celtic Manor, the 2010 Ryder Cup host.My daughter and I were rooting for balls on my home golf course just up the road from Celtic Manor when the Tour phoned me saying do you fancy playing in the Wales Open, Bond said. I told (them) I would snap their hand off to play here, and the good thing is Celtic Manor's only 10 minutes from my house. ... So it won't be long before I'm home and putting the slippers on and enjoying a nice cup of tea.First-round leader Espen Kofstad of Norway only managed a 74 to sit tied with Tjaart van der Walt of South Africa (71), one shot back.Five players, including American Peter Uihlein (70) and Ireland's Paul McGinley (69), were another shot back in a tie for fourth.McGinley, the European Ryder Cup captain, is looking to capture a first victory in nearly eight years.I played well today and found the wind a real challenge but then I enjoyed that, McGinley said. Also I played well here last year but then I learned so much from watching the Ryder Cup players when we were here in 2010.Defending champion Thongchai Jaidee kept alive his hopes of making the Presidents Cup team despite shooting a 74, which was enough to make the cut at 3 over.The Thai golfer needs to play all four rounds to give himself a chance of breaking back into the top 10 on the International Team's Presidents Cup standings. He is currently 12th on the list.The Presidents Cup starts Oct. 3 in Dublin, Ohio.A back injury forced Scotland's Stephen Gallacher out of the event after just three holes of his second round, less than a week after losing out in a playoff in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.Gallacher had injured his back washing the family car prior to the start of the Gleneagles event.Shortly after he pullled out, Gallacher learned that his uncle Bernard Gallacher, the former Ryder Cup captain, was hospitalized in serious condition.I understand that he is critical but stable, Stephen Gallacher said in a statement. My family is in disarray at the moment and it is obviously a worrying situation. We are all anxious.

Stybar wins 7th Vuelta stage, Nibali protects lead

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MAIRENA DEL ALIJARAFE (AP) - Czech rider Zdenek Stybar won the seventh stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Friday, and Vincenzo Nibali of Italy maintained his overall lead.Stybar broke away with Philippe Gilbert in the final kilometers of the 206-kilometer (128-mile) stage from Almendralejo to Mairena del Alijarafe and edged the world road race champion at the finish line.The 27-year-old Stybar won the Eneco Tour this month. His stage win comes one day after Omega Pharma-Quickstep teammate Tony Martin saw his long solo escape come up just short in the final stretch.It's a really beautiful day for me and my team after yesterday when Tony was fighting so hard. It was a perfect scenario, Stybar said. It felt really good. The first stages were really hard for me, but today the win gives me a lot of confidence.You don't beat a world champion every day.Stybar finished with a time of 4 hours, 51 minutes, 27 seconds.The flat stage didn't cause any changes at the top of the general classification.Nibali, the Giro d'Italia champion, kept his 3-second lead over American rider Christopher Horner.The day ended poorly for the Garmin Sharp team when the peloton passed through Seville, with Tyler Farrar stopping because of a flat tire before Daniel Martin was slowed by a fall.Some cyclists complained that the final stretch was unsafe because the narrow streets brought the spectators too close to the riders.The end of the stage was shameful. An urban route where we have the public touching us with their hands? It's an issue of survival, Joaquim Rodriguez said. We already talked about it in the peloton. This is worth stopping for.Fellow Spaniard Alejandro Valverde agreed.Too dangerous? I think so, he said. I have spoken with several riders and they all complained. There must have been another alternative that was less dangerous. The final sprint always has its risks, but today was too much.After two transition stages, the Vuelta returns to the mountains on Saturday with a 167-kilometer (104-mile) ride starting in Jerez de la Frontera and ending in a climb to the category one summit finish at Alto de Penas Blancas.The three-week race ends in Madrid on Sept. 15.

Oil drops below $108 as US weighs Syria options

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NEW YORK (AP) - The price of oil fell below $108 a barrel Friday as an imminent U.S. attack on Syria appeared less likely.President Barack Obama says he hasn't made a final decision about a military strike against Syria. But he is considering a limited and narrow action in response to a chemical weapons attack that he says Syria's government carried out last week.British lawmakers on Thursday voted against going along with Prime Minister David Cameron's plan to intervene in Syria.U.S. benchmark oil for October delivery fell $1.15, or 1.1 percent, to $107.65 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Friday.Brent crude, the benchmark for international crudes, was down 95 cents to $114.10 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.The U.S. is looking increasingly isolated as far as potential attack on Syria, is concerned, said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch & Associates, an independent energy consulting firm.Still, the surge in prices that pushed oil to a two-year high Wednesday is starting to affect pump prices in the U.S.Oil has fallen back 4 percent since climbing as high as $112.24 during trading on Wednesday, when an attack on Syria seemed imminent.But the surge in prices isn't necessarily over Ritterbusch said.It's premature to say that we've seen the highs, he said.Syria is not a major oil producer but a widening conflict there could affect major producers in the region or disrupt supply routes.The rise in prices may have as much to do with sagging output from Libya as the threat of a strike against Syria, said analyst Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix in Switzerland.Earlier this week, Libya's deputy oil minister, Omar el-Shakmak, said the country was currently exporting between 300,000 and 320,000 barrels a day, a fifth of the 1.6 million barrels it regularly exported before the 2011 war that overthrew dictator Moammar Gadhafi.The export drop was due to protests by security guards protecting Libya's oil industry and infrastructure shutdowns.Jakob said Libya's supply disruption was a very significant event.

Suspect survives 200-foot fall down garbage chute

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SYRACUSE (AP) - A bank robbery suspect trying to elude police searching for him in an apartment building jumped into a garbage chute and survived a 200-foot (61-meter) fall into trash in the basement, police said Friday.Robin Gutheridge, 26, plunged from the 21st floor of the Clinton Plaza Apartments, a few blocks from the Chase Bank Branch he had robbed earlier, according to Sgt. Tom Connellan.He was conscious and told police he had climbed into the garbage chute to avoid being captured. Police estimate he fell about 210 feet (64 meters) before landing on garbage in a compactor at the bottom.He was able to slow himself down by holding the sides of chute, and the garbage may have cushioned the fall, but he did get severe injuries, Connellan said.Firefighters moved the compactor and removed Gutheridge from the chute, police said.Gutheridge was in critical condition Friday at Upstate University Hospital, where he was in the intensive care unit with fractures and internal injuries, Connellan said.Police said Gutheridge fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash after robbing the bank. After detectives learned he was seen entering a nearby apartment building, they began searching the building. Thats when a maintenance worker told them he could hear someone calling for help from a garbage chute in the basement.

Australia gears up for day-night test cricket

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MELBOURNE (AP) - Cricket Australia will trial day-night first-class matches this summer with plans to play a test in Australia under lights by 2015-16.CA said in a statement Friday that the ninth round of its Sheffield Shield competition will all be day-night matches and played with pink balls. The matches are expected to be played in early March.There is a lot of work to be done and nothing is guaranteed, but this summer's trials are our first serious effort to make day-night test cricket a reality, CA chief executive James Sutherland said.If the trials are successful this year, Cricket Australia would aim to schedule more day-night first-class matches in the 2014-15 season to further trial playing conditions and equipment.Sutherland said talks are under way with New Zealand, which plans an Australia tour in late 2015, about a night test.The International Cricket Council last year decided to allow test-playing nations to play day and night tests if there was mutual agreement on the hours of play and type and color of the ball.This month, Sri Lankan officials rejected a proposal from Pakistan to play a first-ever day-night test match during a series to be played later this year. Sri Lanka Cricket said its executive committee turned down the proposal because the national team had not practiced under lights with a pink ball to be used in the match.We acknowledge that one of the critical aspects is how the ball wears, behaves and is seen over the course of an innings, Sutherland said in Friday's statement. There are also some concerns about dew on the ground at night. There may need to be some flexibility and compromise to get to the outcome.In encouraging teams to trial test cricket as day-night matches, the ICC has said it will take a positive and flexible view of any proposed amendments to playing conditions that will allow such trials to proceed.International cricket has been played under lights in the limited-overs format since the 1970s, using a white ball in matches typically limited to 100 overs. Teams wear colored uniforms in limited-overs cricket to off-set the color of the ball. Teams wear white or cream uniforms in test cricket and use a red ball. The pink ball is seen as a compromise so that test players can still wear the white uniforms but still be able to see a lighter colored ball at night.Other issues under investigation involve the use of the pink ball. In one-day international matches, teams use two white balls per 50-over innings to maintain quality and balance. In test cricket matches, which last up to five days, the red leather balls are only replaced after 80 overs unless they're badly damaged.

Zimbabwe calls off Sri Lanka series

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COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's scheduled tour of Zimbabwe has been thrown in doubt after the African nation sought to postpone the series starting in October without giving any specific details, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Friday.We received an e-mail from the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) seeking a postponement of the tour and the reason given was 'due to unavoidable circumstances', SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga told reporters.No further reasons were given by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union and we are awaiting further clarification on this matter.Unconfirmed reports stated that the ZCU, which hosted India in July and are currently playing Pakistan at home, do not have the budget to host a third country in the space of four months.Sri Lanka were due to tour Zimbabwe from Oct. 6-Nov. 4 to play two tests, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches.

UN has nothing to add on Syria intel: Kerry

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State John Kerry says the United Nations cannot tell the world anything about a chemical weapons attack in Syria that the U.S. doesn't already know and hasn't already made public.He says President Barack Obama will ensure the U.S. makes decisions on its own timeline, based on its own values and interests.Kerry says UN investigators probing last week's chemical weapons attack are limited by a mandate to determine if an attack took place. He says they won't say who is responsible.Obama has been seeking international support for a potential military strike against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.But the UN Security Council has not backed a strike.Kerry says the UN cannot galvanize the world to act the way it should.
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