Sunday 1 September 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Citing sarin use, US seeks Congress' OK for action

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WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration geared up for the biggest foreign policy vote since the Iraq war by arguing Sunday that new evidence shows the Syrian government used sarin gas in a deadly August attack. With its credibility on the line, the United States must respond, the countrys top diplomat said.Members of Congress, deadlocked on just about everything these days and still on summer break, expressed sharply divergent opinions about whether to give President Barack Obama the go-ahead he requested to retaliate with military force against the Assad regime, and what turning down the commander in chief could mean for Americas reputation.Secretary of State John Kerry presented Obamas case for military action in a series of interviews on Sunday TV news shows, outlining the latest information the administration has received about the Aug. 21 attack in the Damascus suburbs that the U.S. says killed 1,429 civilians, including more than 400 children.He said samples collected by first responders in Damascus added to the growing body of proof that Syrias government had launched a chemical weapons attack.Samples of hair and blood have been tested and they have reported positive for signatures of sarin, Kerry said. Each day that goes by, this case is even stronger. We know that the regime ordered this attack. We know they prepared for it. We know where the rockets came from. We know where they landed. We know the damage that was done afterwards.Sarin, which affects the nervous system and is toxic in liquid or gas form, can be delivered in missiles, bombs, rockets or artillery shells. The gas is outlawed under international rules of warfare. The reference to hair and blood samples were the first pieces of specific physiological evidence cited by any member of the administration, which previously spoke only about an unnamed nerve agent.Kerrys assertion coincided with the beginning of a forceful administration appeal for congressional support, now that Obama has declared he will await approval from the House of Representatives and Senate before ordering any cruise missile strikes or other action.On Capitol Hill, senior administration officials briefed lawmakers in private to explain why the U.S. is compelled to act against President Bashar Assads government. Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough also made calls to individual lawmakers.Further classified meetings were planned over the next three days.Republican Sen. John McCain, a leading Senate hawk and the candidate Obama defeated for the presidency in 2008, said he would discuss Syria with the president at the White House on Monday.Obama must convince skeptical Americans and their representatives in Congress of the need for more U.S. military action in the Muslim world after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.He also is trying to assemble an international coalition, but finding it hard to land partners. They fear becoming involved in a conflict that has claimed more than 100,000 lives in the past 2½ years and dragged in terrorist groups on both sides of the battlefield.Only France is firmly on board among the major military powers. Britains Parliament rejected the use of force in a vote last week.The United Nations on Sunday asked the head of its chemical weapons inspection team to expedite the analysis of tests from samples it collected last week from the site of the attacks in the Damascus suburbs.Assads government, which has denied allegations of chemical weapons use, reveled in Obamas decision to defer any immediate action. Deputy Foreign Minister Faysal Mikdad claimed that the move reflected the lack of evidence of government culpability.With U.S. Navy ships on standby in the eastern Mediterranean Sea ready to launch missiles, Congress began a series of meetings that will take place over the next several days in preparation for a vote once lawmakers return from summer break, which is scheduled to end Sept. 9.Dozens of members attended the two-hour classified briefing Sunday in the Capitol, though many emerged saying they needed to see more details of Obamas plan and more facts about the alleged chemical weapons attack. Many feared giving Obama overly broad authority for military action.On selling the strategy to Congress, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, the senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said, They have a ways to go.They also have work to do with respect to shoring up the facts of what happened, Thompson said.The Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans a meeting Tuesday, according to its chairman, Sen. Bob Menendez. The Senate Armed Service Committee will gather a day later, said Sen. Jim Inhofe, the top Republican on the panel.Kerry confidently predicted that lawmakers would back limited military strikes.The stakes are just really too high here, he said.Kerry was asked repeatedly in the broadcast interviews what Obama would do if Congress didnt give its consent. He said he believed lawmakers would recognize the grave implications for letting a chemical weapons attack go unchecked and what that might mean for U.S. efforts to force North Korea to get rid of its nuclear weapons and prevent Iran from acquiring such capability.We are not going to lose this vote, Kerry said. The credibility of the United States is on the line.Obama is likely to find stronger support in the Democrat-controlled Senate than the Republican-dominated House, yet faces complicated battles in each. Some anti-war Democrats and many tea party-backed conservative Republicans are opposed to any intervention at all, while hawks in both parties, such as McCain, feel the president must do far more to help Syrias rebels oust Assad from power.It cant just be, in my view, pinprick cruise missiles, McCain told CBS Face the Nation.In an interview with an Israeli television network, McCain said Obama has encouraged our enemies by effectively punting his decision to Congress. He and fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham have threatened to vote against Obamas authorization if it is too limited.On the other end of the spectrum, an unusual coalition of foreign policy isolationists, fiscal conservatives and anti-interventionists in both parties opposes even limited intervention for fear that might draw the United States into another costly and even bloody confrontation.The White Houses request to Congress sent late Saturday speaks only of force to deter, disrupt, prevent and degrade the Assad regimes ability to use chemical weapons.I think its a mistake to get involved in the Syrian civil war, said Republican Sen. Rand Paul.Echoing that sentiment, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy questioned: Does a U.S. attack make the situation better for the Syrian people or worse?Paul expected the Senate to rubber-stamp Obamas plan, while he said it was at least 50/50 whether the House will vote down involvement in the Syrian war.

Syrian opposition urges US Congress to vote 'yes'

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ISTANBUL (AP) - Syrias opposition urged the U.S. Congress on Sunday to approve military action against President Bashar Assad, saying the legislators must make it clear that the use of chemical weapons will be punished wherever that occurs.Dictatorships like Iran and North Korea are watching closely to see how the free world responds to the Assad regimes use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people, the Syrian opposition coalition said in a statement Sunday. If the free world fails to respond to such an outrageous breach of international norms, dictators around the world will be encouraged in their efforts to follow the example set by Assad.On Saturday, President Barack Obama said he would seek congressional approval for a military strike against the Syrian government in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack.The Syrian opposition also said a U.S. attack should be accompanied by more arms being sent to the rebels.During the past two-and-a-half years, the democratic world has offered only condolences and promises whilst Assads regime, supported by its allies in Iran and Russia, has been busy killing Syrias democratic hopes, said the statement issued in Istanbul.The Syrian coalition believes any possible military action should be carried out in conjunction with an effort to arm the Free Syrian Army. This will be vital in restraining Assad and ending the killing and chaos he wants to spread throughout the region.

Egypt's Morsi to be tried for inciting violence

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CAIRO (AP) - Egypts top prosecutor referred Sunday ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi to trial on charges of inciting the killing of opponents protesting outside his palace while he was in office, the state news agency said.The military ousted Morsi on July 3 after millions took to the street demanding he step down. Hes been held incommunicado since. Despite other accusations by prosecutors, Sundays decision is his first referral to trial. No date was announced for the trial.Morsi will be tried, along with 14 members of his Muslim Brotherhood, in a criminal court for allegedly committing acts of violence, and inciting the killing of at least 10 people.The case dates back to one of the deadliest bouts of violence during Morsis one year in office. At least 100,000 protesters gathered outside his presidential palace on Dec. 4, protesting a decree he issued to protect his decisions from judicial oversight and a highly disputed draft constitution that was hurriedly adopted in the Islamist-dominated parliament.Protesters demanded he call off a referendum scheduled days later. The next day, Islamist groups and supporters of Morsi attacked protesters who camped out there, sparking deadly street battles that left at least 10 dead and sending chills among Morsi opponents that he had relied on organized mobs to defend his palace.The state news agency said an investigation by prosecutors revealed that Morsi had asked the Republican Guard and the minister in charge of police to break up the sit-in, but they feared a bloody confrontation and declined. The agency said Morsi aides then summoned their supporters to forcefully break up the sit-in.Officials from the Brotherhood and its political party deny using violence to quell critics and said supporters were defending the palace. They accused opponents of starting the battles and forcing away police that had been guarding the area.Those referred to trial with Morsi include the deputy leader of the Brotherhoods political party, Essam el-Erian, currently in hiding. They also include leading Brotherhood member Mohammed el-Beltagy, arrested this week, as well as leading pro-Brotherhood youth leaders who were video-taped during the street clashes on the front lines.Since Morsi ouster, authorities have waged an intensive security crackdown on members of his group. The crackdown followed a violent breakup of a sit-in held by Morsi supporters for weeks demanding his reinstatement that left hundreds killed.

UN says over 800 people killed in Iraq in August

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BAGHDAD (AP) - More than 800 people were killed in Iraq in violence throughout August, the UN said Sunday. That was down somewhat from July, but still one of the highest monthly tolls in recent years.Violence in Iraq has spiked following a deadly crackdown by the Shiite-led government on a Sunni protest camp in northern Iraq in April.Attacks including waves of multiple coordinated car bombings, mostly blamed on al-Qaidas local branch, target the military, police and Shiite civilians.The scale of the bloodshed is intensifying fears Iraq is heading back toward the widespread Sunni-Shiite sectarian killing that peaked in 2006 and 2007.Security forces have tried to ratchet up counterinsurgency operations in response, but do not appear to have made a major dent in the pace of attacks.The UN mission in Iraq said it recorded 804 people killed in August, including members of Iraqs security forces but not insurgents. The capital Baghdad was the part of the country worst affected, with 317 killed. The U.N. figure was lower than its July death toll, which stood at 1,057.The report says a total of about 5,000 people were killed since the start of 2013.The UN said that 716 of those killed in August were civilians and 88 were Iraqi security forces.Attacks continued Sunday, leaving six dead.A roadside bomb went off near an outdoor market, killing three people including a woman and wounding four others in the Shiite town of Dujail, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.Also, a car bomb exploded in a residential area in the in the ethnically mixed town of Tuz Khormato, killing three people and wounding 16, said the towns 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.Medics in nearby hospitals confirmed the casualty figures for both attacks. The officials other than Col. Rasheed spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Sri Lanka says UN rights chief violated mandate

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COLOMBO (AP) - Sri Lanka has accused the United Nations human rights chief of violating her mandate by making political statements during her recent visit after she said the government was heading in an authoritarian direction.The Government Information Department said in a statement Sunday that the judgment of the countrys leadership is best left to the people to decide, rather than being caricatured by external entities influenced by vested interests.United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Saturday concluded a weeklong visit to assess Sri Lankas rights situation and visited the countrys former civil war zone.She said in her concluding statement that democracy was being undermined and the rule of law eroded in Sri Lanka, with the country increasingly becoming an authoritarian state.

India to play 2 tests, 5 ODIs in New Zealand

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WELLINGTON (AP) - India will play two tests and five limited-overs internationals on its cricket tour to New Zealand in January and February, though venues for those matches have yet to be decided.The framework for the tour schedule was agreed during weekend talks between New Zealand Cricket and the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The tour will now directly follow New Zealands home series against the West Indies in December and January.India and New Zealand will meet in ODIs on Jan. 19, 22, 25, 28 and 31. The tourists will then play a two-day warmup match before test matches from Feb. 6-10 and Feb. 14-18.

Murray beats Mayer in 3 sets in US Open 3rd round

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NEW YORK (AP) - Defending champion Andy Murray staggered around the court between points on a humid day at Arthur Ashe Stadium.Once a point started, he sprinted down every ball, as usual. Murray needed a set to find his rhythm against 47th-ranked Florian Mayer, then rolled the rest of the way to a 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 victory Sunday in the third round of the U.S. Open.Its classic Murray to grimace in apparent pain after losing a point, then race across the court to hit a winner with no hint of discomfort. Even if his expressions didnt show it, the third-seeded Scot is enjoying the role of reigning champ at Flushing Meadows.It was here a year ago that he cured 76 years of tennis misery for Britain, its first mens Grand Slam winner since 1936. Then back home for Wimbledon in July he ended its drought there, too, with the first title in 77 years.The expectations are higher, but theres not as much pressure to win, Murray said in an on-court interview. I feel much more comfortable coming into these events than this time last year.Hell next face 65th-ranked Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, who won a five-setter against No. 20-seeded Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 3-6, 6-1.Fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych played his match on the Grandstand, the third-largest stadium at the U.S. Open. In a sport dominated by four players, Berdych is easily overlooked. But he is cruising so far at Flushing Meadows, where he reached the semifinals last year after beating Roger Federer.The Czech routed No. 31-seeded Julien Benneteau 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 and has yet to drop a set at this years U.S. Open.Berdych, who lost to Rafael Nadal in the 2010 Wimbledon final, will face ninth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka in the round of 16.Wawrinka beat Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (7).Top-seeded Novak Djokovic is scheduled to open the night session against Joao Sousa. But the biggest show of the day came before that.Defending womens champ Serena Williams was taking on fellow American Sloane Stephens, a rematch craved by tennis fans ever since Stephens upset a hobbled Williams in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January. The 20-year-old Stephens is seeded 15th.Bob and Mike Bryan were down a set and a break against unseeded Canadians Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil in their third-round doubles match before rallying for a 6-7 (1), 7-5, 6-2 victory. The defending champs are trying to become the first mens double team of the Open era, and the first since 1951, to win all four major tournaments in the same year.Theyve already achieved a Bryan Slam with four straight titles starting with the 2012 U.S. Open.Struggling with returning serve, the top-seeded Bryans switched sides after the opening set for the first time in about three years.After going down a break at 3-4 in the second set, the American twins immediately broke back against the 40-year-old Nestors serve. They clinched the set by breaking his serve again, with Nestor double-faulting twice in the game, including on match point.The Bryans broke his serve twice more in the third set to advance.

Williams beats Stephens to reach US Open quarters

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NEW YORK (AP) - Serena Williams avenged her major loss to Sloane Stephens, pulling away from the young American for a 6-4, 6-1 win to return to the U.S. Open quarterfinals.Stephens beat a hobbling Williams in the quarters of the Australian Open in January.Shes definitely a good player, so it felt like something bigger, but I just had to stay focused for the moment, Williams said in an on-court interview.In the rematch Sunday, the 16-time Grand Slam champion served big and controlled points against the 20-year-old. From 4-4 in the first set, Williams won eight of the last nine games.The whole time I just tried to do what I wanted, she said. Stay calm, stay relaxed, stay composed.The 15th-seeded Stephens hung with the defending champ for most of the first set. After Williams broke to go up 4-2, she broke right back.Serving at 4-5, Stephens had six of her 29 unforced errors. She was able to save two set points, but twice failed to capitalize when she had a chance to close out the game.When Stephens hit a forehand wide, Williams had the set, and she took over from there.Obviously, shes No. 1 in the world for a reason, Stephens said. I thought she played really well herself. Obviously, it didnt go how I wanted. The second set got away from me a little bit. All in all, I thought I competed well and played well. Thats all you can do, really.Williams will face 18th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro, who needed 2 hours, 41 minutes to edge eighth-seeded Angelique Kerber 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Liverpool, Arsenal claim narrow derby wins

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MANCHESTER (AP) - Liverpool and Arsenal relied on goals from their in-form strikers to secure 1-0 home wins over their biggest rivals on Sunday, handing Manchester United and Tottenham their first defeats of the Premier League season.England international Daniel Sturridge flicked home a fourth-minute header from close range on his 24th birthday in Liverpools gritty victory over United at Anfield, putting his team top of the standings on a maximum nine points.France striker Olivier Giroud also grabbed his third goal in as many games, settling the north London derby at Emirates Stadium against a Tottenham side that has spent more than 100 million pounds this summer but still hasnt scored in open play.Swansea claimed its first points of the campaign in Sundays other game, beating West Bromwich Albion 2-0 thanks to goals by Ben Davies and Pablo Hernandez.The English league may be only three weeks old, but it is still strange to see United not in the divisions top four.After drawing 0-0 with Chelsea on Monday and then losing to Liverpool, the reigning champions have four points from a possible nine under new manager David Moyes. Failing to score in two straight games is unusual for United, and it didnt help that Wayne Rooney was unavailable on Sunday after cutting his forehead in an accidental training-ground collision with a teammate.Uniteds scoring woes prompted one of the clubs most famous fans, Usain Bolt, to post a short video on social networking sight Instagram, imploring Moyes to sign a creative midfielder, one that can pass and create opportunities, right now.Its all positives at Liverpool, though.For the first time since the 1993-94 season, the team has won its first three league matches all of them 1-0 and all of them secured by Sturridge. He is proving a more-than able fill-in for Luis Suarez, who remains out of action through suspension for biting an opponent last season.Sturridge played through the pain barrier against United after injuring his thigh in a midweek League Cup win over Notts County, but showed great movement to lose his markers at a corner and flick a header into the net from close range after Daniel Agger met Steven Gerrards outswinging corner.He was nowhere near fit today, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said of Sturridge. But even at 70 percent, hell be as good, if not better, than a lot of Premier League strikers.Liverpools defense held firm in a second half that United dominated possession-wise but in which it failed to seriously test goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who kept a third straight clean sheet.Like Sturridge, Giroud has started the season in impressive style, scoring in four of Arsenals five matches in all competitions and in all three league games.His winner against Tottenham came in the 23rd minute, meeting Theo Walcotts low cross with a glancing finish in at the near post.Everybody knows its a big game for us and the fans are really excited about this time of the year as well, Giroud said. We wanted to keep it up after our three wins (over Fulham in the league and then two over Fenerbahce in the Champions League playoffs) ... We never gave up and we showed a real togetherness.On the day that Gareth Bales move to Real Madrid was finally completed, Tottenhams performance showed that the players recruited with the money from the Welshmans transfer still need time to bed in. Penalties from Roberto Soldado in 1-0 wins over Crystal Palace and Swansea in their opening two games remain their only goals this campaign.Erik Lamela, signed from Roma this week, came on as a second-half substitute but another summer signing France midfielder Etienne Capoue had left the field by then after twisting his left fibula.Arsenal joined Tottenham on six points and is fourth in the fledgling table, behind Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Ronaldo helps Madrid win before Bale joins

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BARCELONA (AP) - Cristiano Ronaldo helped Real Madrid roll to a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao Sunday hours before the Spanish club announced it had signed Gareth Bale to pair him with the Portugal forward in one of the most formidable attacks in football.Madrid said Bale was leaving Tottenham to join the Spanish club for six seasons, ending the longest transfer saga of the offseason one day before the market closed.After not scoring in Madrids first two wins to start the Spanish league season, Ronaldo headed in Madrids second goal in first-half injury time to add to Francisco Isco Alarcons 26th-minute opener from Karim Benzemas pass.Benzema assisted Isco again in the 73rd for his third goal in as many games since joining from Malaga this offseason.Things are going well considering we have just started the season, three for three so far, said the 21-year-old Isco. We are getting better game by game. Thats our goal.Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti started Diego Lopez instead of Iker Casillas for the third straight match, but the goalkeeper could do nothing to stop substitute Ibai Gomez from getting Bilbaos consolation goal in the 79th.Ancelotti said that defender Fabio Coentrao was staying at the club after changing his mind over a transfer.Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera did not play a day after his club said it had rejected an offer for him from Manchester United. Coach Ernesto Valverde said that his benching had nothing to do with the interest from United and that he expected Herrera to stay.Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid also stayed perfect through three rounds by winning 2-1 at Real Sociedad thanks to David Villas goal and assist for Jorge Koke Resurreccion to add a second.Espanyol, meanwhile, remained unbeaten after drawing 0-0 at home with the winless Real Betis.Later, Barcelona visits Valencia and Sevilla hosts Malaga.Before the match started, Madrid dismantled a stage it had set up inside the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium last weekend supposedly for Bales presentation. It will go back up early on Monday for the Wales wingers arrival to the Spanish capital.Isco poked his first goal under goalkeeper Iago Herrerin after Benzema set him up with a scooped pass made easier by Bilbaos Andoni Iraola who failed to move forward with the rest of the defensive line, leaving Isco onside to take the ball alone in the area.Isco is playing very well, it looks like he has been playing here a long time, Ancelotti said.Benat Etxebarria almost leveled for Bilbao with a free kick on the half-hour mark, but a misplaced pass Madrid threaten on the counterattack with Isco and Benzema leading the way.Ronaldo extended the hosts lead by running free to head Angel Di Marias dipping free kick into the corner of the net.Ronaldo was denied another goal by Herrerin in the 68th when he made a one-handed parry to push Ronaldos driving free kick around his post.Isco fired in Madrids third after controlling Benzemas short cross with one touch and scored to ensure Bilbao would suffer its first loss of the season following two victories.

Jamaica's Bailey-Cole wins 100 race in Berlin

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BERLIN (AP) - Jamaicas Kemar Bailey-Cole won the 100-meter race at the ISTAF meet in Berlin for the second year in a row on Sunday.Bailey-Cole ran 10.04 seconds to finish ahead of 2003 world champion Kim Collins of St. Kitts and Nevis, and Jaysuma Saidy Ndure of Norway. American Jeffery Demps was fourth in 10.25.LaKeisha Lawson of the United States claimed the womens race in 11.18, ahead of Germanys Verena Sailer and Ashleigh Nelson of Britain.Three-time world champion Robert Harting delighted his hometown fans by winning the discus with a throw of 69.02 meters.Harting was pushed hard by compatriot Martin Wierig, who threw 66.73 meters. Polands Robert Urbanek and Piotr Malachowski were third and fourth, respectively.

Moreno takes Vuelta lead with 2nd stage win

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VALDEPENAS DE JAEN (AP) - Daniel Moreno took the lead of the Spanish Vuelta on Sunday after winning his second stage in six days with an impressive uphill push to separate from the pack.The Katusha rider broke away on the steep ramp to the finish line to snatch the leaders red jersey from Nicolas Roche by one second in the overall standings.Moreno also won the fourth stage on Tuesday. He finished Sundays ninth stage, a 163-kilometer (104-mile) mountainous ride from Antequera to Valdepenas de Jaen, with a time of 4 hours, 18 minutes, 57 seconds.Fellow Spaniards Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez, also of Katusha, crossed next four seconds later.I cant ask for more, said the 32-year-old Moreno, who has never led the Vuelta before. I pushed forward and was able to get there in the end, even if I had my doubts during the last meters.After coasting through rolling olive groves, the course took the riders up a category-two climb that broke the peloton into pieces.Those left in the leading group following the nervy descent faced a 2-kilometer uphill stretch with the incline reaching 30 degrees where Moreno launched his attack.With overnight leader Roche now one second behind Moreno, Giro dItalia winner Vincenzo Nibali is third at 19 seconds behind.Valverde moved into fourth at 22 seconds back, while Rodriguez is 56 seconds off his teammates leading pace.Despite becoming the new leader, Moreno said he was still riding to support Rodriguezs chances of winning his first grand tour.Of course, we only have one leader, Moreno said. Tomorrow we have a tough day and we hope that both Purito (Rodriguez) and I have a good day.Mondays stage is a 187-kilometer (116-mile) mountainous ride starting in Torredelcampo and finishing with a special-category climb to a summit finish at Alto Hazallanas.The three-week race finishes in Madrid on Sept. 15.

Egypt deports 3 Al Jazeera journalists

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CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt deported three Al Jazeera journalists on Sunday, days after the Qatari-owned channel carried appeals from leaders of ousted President Mohamed Mursis Muslim Brotherhood to stage protests against the army-backed government.The Gulf emirate was a strong financial backer of Brotherhood rule and vehemently opposes the armys overthrow of Morsi and the ensuing bloody crackdown on his movement.Al Jazeeras offices in Cairo have been closed since July 3, when they were raided by security forces hours after Mursi was toppled, although the channel, broadcast from Qatar, can still be seen in Egypt.Security officials at Cairo airport, declining to be named, said Wayne Hay, Adil Bradlow and Russ Finn had been put on an Egyptian plane headed for London, after being forced to leave their equipment behind.The men had been held since Tuesday. An Al Jazeera spokesman said they had been released and left Egypt without being given a reason for their detention.The station also said that Shihab Elddin Shaarawi, an executive producer for Al Jazeeras Egyptian channel, had been arrested on Friday morning but later released.The channels cameraman Mohamed Badr was detained a month ago and Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Abdullah al-Shami was arrested on Aug. 14.Both are still in detention, but producer Mohammed Baher was freed on Sunday after being held for five days.Last week, Al Jazeera aired statements from two Brotherhood leaders who had eluded a wave of arrests, Mohamed El-Beltagi and Essam El-Erian, that included a call to join protests against Egypts military-backed interim government. Beltagi has since been caught.There has been a campaign against Al Jazeera in particular, as the channels offices were raided last month and security forces seized equipment which has yet to be returned,Al Jazeeras English service said on its website.The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Egypts government was widening a censorship campaign, adding that its research showed that four other journalists were in custody.Egyptian security forces continue to detain and harass journalists working for news outlets critical of the military-led government, particularly Al Jazeera and its affiliates, it said last week.On Thursday, the government said that Al Jazeera Mubashir Misr, the broadcasters Egyptian channel, was operating without a licence and that unspecified legal measures would follow, given the threat it poses to national security.Ayman Gaballah, the head of the channel, said the accusations were fabricated.

Fukushima radiation levels 18 times higher than previously thought

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TOKOYO (Web Desk) - Radiation levels 18 times higher than previously reported have been found near a water storage tank at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, prompting fresh concern over safety at the wrecked facility.The plants operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), said radiation near the bottom of the tank measured 1,800 millisieverts an hour – high enough to kill an exposed person in four hours.Tepco said water levels inside the tank had not changed, indicating there had not been a leak. But the firm said it had yet to discover the cause of the radiation spike.Last month Tepco said another storage tank of the same design as the container causing concern this weekend had leaked 300 tonnes of radioactive water, possibly into the sea.Japans nuclear watchdog confirmed last week it had raised the severity of that leak from level 1, an anomaly, to level 3, a serious incident, on an eight-point scale used by the International Atomic Energy Agency for radiological releases.Earlier, the utility belatedly confirmed reports that a toxic mixture of groundwater and water being used to cool melted fuel lying deep inside the damaged reactors was seeping into the sea at a rate of about 300 tonnes a day.Experts said those leaks, which are separate from the most recent incidents, may have started soon after the plant was struck by a powerful tsunami on 11 March 2011.The tsunami smashed into the plant after Japans north-east coast was rocked by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake. The waves killed almost 19,000 people, while the resulting triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi forced 160,000 people to abandon their homes.The high radiation levels announced on Sunday highlighted the dangers facing thousands of workers as they attempt to contain, treat and store water safely, while preventing fuel assemblies damaged in the accident from going back into meltdown.Japans nuclear workers are allowed an annual accumulative radiation exposure of 50 millisieverts. Tepco said radiation of 230 millisieverts an hour had been measured at another tank, up from 70 millisieverts last month. A third storage tank was emitting 70 millisieverts an hour, Tepco said. Radiation near a pipe connecting two other tanks had been measured at 230 millisieverts.Tepco admitted recently that only two workers had initially been assigned to check more than 1,000 storage tanks on the site. Neither of the workers carried dosimeters to measure their exposure to radiation, and some inspections had not been properly recorded.The firm responded to growing criticism of its handling of the water problem by increasing the number of workers patrolling the tanks from the current total of eight to 50.

Let's make UK best country with technology

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LONDON (Web Desk) - The computer is a bicycle for our minds. Thats what Steve Jobs said back in 1990, at the dawn of the internet revolution that transformed economies and societies across the globe.When I was a teenager, I was lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to learn to code Basic – the equivalent of learning to ride a bike in the digital age, so to speak.At the time, tens of thousands of young people across the UK were also learning to code on BBC Microcomputers, and exploring the potential of writing software and interacting with technology.While my coding skills didnt make it beyond Basic, an entire generation of gifted British software engineers and world-beating technology companies was born.This golden era of coding ended in the last decade, as school curriculums focused on simply teaching young people how to use software such as Word and PowerPoint, not how to write code and design computer programs. In other words, students became passive consumers, not creative producers.At a time when technology was becoming ever more important for the economy, when we were not only viewing whats available online but editing and uploading too, I think this was a mistake. It fundamentally misunderstood tech – an industry that has broken down the traditional barriers between the consumer and the producer.This means that today an ever increasing number of people are producing software, creating new ideas, new products, even new industries.The proliferation of apps is just one example, fuelled as it is by thousands of small developers, rather than the few goliaths who made up the market for software just a decade ago. The digital economy is booming, producing the kind of jobs we need to win in the global race.Thats why, this week, Im going to one of the worlds largest technology festivals, Campus Party, at Londons O2, where I will debate with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales the role for government alongside entrepreneurs in making sure this country is the best place in the world to learn digital skills, engage with the digital economy and set up the next Wikipedia.Government doesnt create entrepreneurs. But my job as chancellor is to make sure we create the right environment for those entrepreneurs to succeed. First, were putting in place the right digital infrastructure. We are already committed to extending superfast broadband to 95% of homes and businesses – and this year we announced we want to reach 99%.Second, we are opening up the government data that had previously been locked away in Whitehall. This data not only makes government more accountable and transparent, its also being used by thousands of small businesses and charities across the UK to produce innovative new apps and services.But most important of all, we are going to give our young people the very best tech start in life. As this newspaper has so tirelessly argued, it is vital for our economy that British students are once more taught how to program code and master the tools of the digital age.From September 2014, the new national curriculum will require that students aged between five and 16 are given the skills they need to build apps and write computer programs.The curriculum will cover theoretical ideas and practical problems, software and hardware systems – and it certainly wont be an easy ride. Students will be given a thorough understanding of logic and set theory, and theyll need to master difficult concepts such as algorithms, programming languages and the architecture of the internet.There will be tough new requirements for computer science teachers, too, who themselves should be able to program code.Weve launched new bursaries of up to £9,000 to computer science graduates who become teachers. We have teamed up with the British Computer Society to offer scholarships worth £20,000 each to reward truly exceptional graduates who decide to become computer science teachers.And were retaining existing teachers. Our education minister, Liz Truss, recently announced £2m of funding to build a network of 400 master teachers who will help thousands of others acquire the digital-making skills that they in turn can pass on to their students.
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