Thursday 5 December 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Khawaja Asif assures SC of presenting missing persons today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, has assured the Supreme Court that not all but a large number of the missing persons will be presented before the court today (Friday).uring the previous hearing of the case, Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday ordered the Ministry of Defence to present all missing persons on Friday.A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed hearing of the case.In his remarks, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said if the missing persons were involved in any crime the government could frame charges against them.Defence Minister Khawaja Asif sought some more time from the court and submitted written assurance to the court.During the hearing, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif telephoned Khawaja Asif who after the permission of the court attended the call.The CJ asked Khawaja Asif to brief the PM on the progress of the matter. The defence minister told the court that the government would give good news to the Registrar Supreme Court.Upon this, the CJP said why only Registrar would be given the good news; we all should receive the news about the progress.Khawaja Asif held consultation with Attorney General Munir A Malik and informed the court that tomorrow the government would produce not all but many of the missing persons to the court.The Chief Justice said not only tomorrow but the court could even resume the hearing on Saturday and Sunday to reach the conclusion of the matter.The SC ordered the defence minister to make sure the presence of 30 missing persons on the next hearing.The bench adjourned the hearing of the case and ordered to present missing persons by tomorrow.Talking to media outside Supreme Court, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said it was impossible to present the missing persons to the court today, however, a maximum number of them would be presented in the Supreme Court tomorrow.He said that there were security threats to the missing persons however he could understand the feelings of the families of these persons.The defence minister said that the government also wants that the Supreme Court should resolve the issue of missing persons.Earlier, during the hearing, The Supreme Court issued a contempt of court notice to Inspector General Frontier Corps Major General Ejaz Shahid for not appearing in the court in the missing persons case.During case proceedings, the Chief Justice remarked that IG FC is bound to obey court orders. He remained absent without giving any reason.IG FC had assured the court over recovery of the missing persons, he added.Defence Minister Khawaja Asif requested the court to hold in-camera proceedings due to sensitive nature of the case.Khwaja Asif cited that he could face life threats if the information was revealed in the court.On this, CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked that in-camera hearing cannot be held until the government presents the missing persons. He also suggested that ‘sensitive information’ can be handed over to the court in a written form.Court is ready to go to any extent in this case, the CJP stated.Khwaja Asif said that it will take some time to find out about the missing persons and assured the court that the government doesn’t intend to prolong the issue.Meanwhile, the Attorney General requested the bench to give some more time for recovery of the missing persons.The bench rejected the request and directed the concerned authorities to present missing persons by 4:00pm today.

4 more councilors, elected unopposed, abducted from Turbat

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TURBAT (Dunya News) – According to details, some unidentified armed men abducted four unopposed LG election winners namly Javed Iqbal, Abdul Qadir, Saleem and Behram Baloch from Malangor area in Tehsil Dasht near Turbat, Balochistan.It is pertinent to mention here that on Wednesday too, three councilors belonging to Nation Party were abducted from the area.

Major events in the life of Nelson Mandela

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July 18, 1918: Born to Hendry Mphakanyiswa, a Thembu chief, and Nosekeni Qunu in the Umtata district of the Transkei, at a time when virtually all of Africa was under European colonial rule1940: Expelled from University of Fort Hare, a leading institution for blacks, for role in a student strike with Oliver Tambo, a future African National Congress president. Moves to Johannesburg.1942: Joins African National Congress.1943: Receives BA from Fort Hare after completing correspondence courses through University of South Africa.1944: Helps form the ANC Youth League with Tambo and Walter Sisulu to more aggressively push for racial equality. Marries Evelyn Mase, Sisulus cousin.1947: Mandela elected secretary of youth league.1950: Becomes president of ANC Youth League, elected to ANC national executive committee1952: Leads the Defiance Campaign, encouraging people to break racial separation laws. Convicted under Suppression of Communism Act, banned from attending gatherings and leaving Johannesburg. With Tambo, forms the first black law partnership in the country.1956: Charged with treason, along with 155 other South Africans of all races who had supported the Freedom Charter calling for a non-racial democracy and a socialist-based economy. They were all acquitted after a four-year trial.1958: Marries social worker Winnie Nomzamo Madikizela after divorcing Evelyn.1961: Helps establish ANC guerrilla wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, or Spear of the Nation. He would say later the decision to take up arms came after a sober assessment of the political situation that had arisen after years of tyranny, exploitation and oppression of my people by whites.January 1962: Leaves the country for military training and to gather support for Umkhonto weSizwe.July 1962: Returns to South Africa via Botswana and drives to Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia. Travels to KwaZulu-Natal to report back to ANC President Chief Albert Luthuli and other comrades.Aug. 5, 1962: Arrested near Howick and charged with illegally leaving the country and incitement to strike. He is later sentenced to five years hard labor.Nov. 7, 1962: Mandela is assigned the prisoner number 19476/62.May 1963: Sent to Robben Island.October, 1963: Charged with sabotage in Rivonia Trial.April 20, 1964: At a time when African colonies are becoming independent makes his speech from the dock in which he says he is prepared to die for a democratic South Africa.June 11, 1964: All except two of Rivonia Trialists convicted of sabotage.June 12, 1964: Mandela and seven others sentenced to life imprisonment. All except Goldberg are sent to Robben Island to serve their sentences. Goldberg, as the only white person convicted in the trial, is held in Pretoria Central Prison. Mandela is assigned the prisoner number 466/64.1968: Mandelas mother Nosekeni dies. He is forbidden from attending her funeral.1969: Mandelas eldest son Thembekile is killed in a car accident. Mandela is forbidden from attending his funeral.1982: Mandela, Sisulu, Mhlaba and Mlangeni and later Kathrada are transferred to Pollsmoor Prison. Mandela is assigned the prisoner number 220/82.1973: Refuses a government offer of release on condition he agrees to a kind of exile in his native Transkei.1985: Another release offer, on condition he renounce violence. In fiery refusal, read by his daughter Zindzi at a rally, Mandela says burden is on the government to renounce violence, legalize the ANC, scrap segregation laws and agree to political negotiations. Goldberg, who has been held apart from his comrades for more than 20 years, accepts the offer and is released.1985: Undergoes surgery on his prostate gland at the Volks Hospital in Cape Town. Visited in hospital by Justice Minister Kobie Coetsee.May 1986: Meets with an Eminent Persons Group from the Commonwealth Group of Nations.July 1986: Wrote to the Commissioner of Prisons requesting a meeting on a matter of national importance. He requested a meeting with Kobie Coetsee. Met with Coetsee where he first raised the issue of talks about talks between the National Party Government and the ANC. Also asked to meet President PW Botha.November 1987: Govan Mbeki is released from Robben Island.August 1988: Contracts tuberculosis and is admitted to Tygerberg Hospital where he remains for six weeks.December 1988: Continues his recuperation at Constantiaberg MediClinic.Dec. 9, 1988: Is transferred to Victor Verster Prison near Paarl where he is held in the house formerly occupied by a warder. Mandela is assigned the prisoner number 1335/88.July 1989: Meets P.W. Botha.October 1989: Sisulu, Kathrada, Motsoaledi, Mlangeni and Mhlaba are released.December 1989: Meets F.W. de Klerk.Feb. 2, 1990: At the opening of Parliament President F.W. de Klerks announces the unbanning of all political organizations including the African National Congress.Feb. 9, 1990: Meets de Klerk and is informed of his release the next day. He was to be released in Johannesburg. Mandela objects saying he wants to walk out of the prison at Victor Verster and asks for an extra week for ANC people on the outside to prepare. De Klerk refuses the extension but agrees to release him at Victor Verster.Feb. 10, 1990: De Klerk announces at a press conference that Nelson Mandela will be released the next day.Feb. 11, 1990: Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison to cheering crowds. Addresses thousands of well-wishers gathered on the Grand Parade, from the balcony of the City Hall in Cape Town. Spends the night at Bishopscourt, the official residence of the Archbishop of Cape Town.Feb. 12, 1990: Holds a press conference in the garden of Bishopscourt. Flies to Johannesburg.Feb. 12, 1990: Stays the night in North Riding at the home of a supporter Sally Rowney.Feb. 13, 1990: Flies to FNB Stadium in Soweto for a welcome home rally. Spends his first night in decades at his family home of 8115 Orlando West, Soweto.1991: Mandela elected president of ANC. The government, ANC and 17 other political groups begin formal negotiations on a new constitution.1993: Draft constitution adopted, opening the way to South Africas first all-race election in April 1994. Mandela and President F.W. de Klerk receive Nobel Peace Prize for their work in negotiating an end to apartheid.April 1994: ANC wins elections.May 10, 1994: Mandela inaugurated as South Africas first black president.June 24, 1995: South Africa defeats New Zealand in the finals of the Rugby World before fans who include Mandela, wearing the jersey of Francois Penaar, South Africas team captain.1996: Mandela granted a divorce from Winnie.1998: Mandela weds former Mozambican first lady Graca Machel on his 80th birthday.April 5, 1999: Two Libyan suspects handed over to U.N. representative for trial in the Netherlands in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Scotland after intensive diplomatic efforts by Mandela.June 16, 1999: Mandela retires after one term, a rarity among African presidents, but continues to be active in causes promoting world peace, supporting children and fighting AIDS.October 1999: Now a former president and sought-after international mediator, Mandela tours Iran, Syria, Jordan, the Palestinian territories and Israel.Jan. 30, 2003: In speech, calls U.S. President George W. Bush arrogant and shortsighted for ignoring the U.N. on Iraq.2004: Announces retirement from public life.Jan. 6, 2005: Eldest son Makgatho dies. Mandela announces the cause is AIDS-related complications, saying the only way to fight the diseases stigma is to speak openly.July 18, 2007: Celebrates 89th birthday by launching council of elders Nobel peace laureates, politicians and development experts dedicated to finding new ways to foster peace and resolve global crises.June 25, 2008: In speech in London, goes further than his government in first public comments about Zimbabwes political crisis, referring to the tragic failure of leadership in our neighboring Zimbabwe.July 18, 2009: 91st birthday declared international Mandela Day, which organizers hope will become annual day devoted to service to communities.July 11, 2010: Mandela waves to the crowd at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg as South Africa bids farewell to the 2010 soccer World Cup. Driven in a small golf cart and seated alongside wife, Graca Machel, the smiling, warmly dressed Mandela is welcomed by a thunderous mix of vuvuzelas and roars from the crowd.Jan. 28, 2011: Mandela released from hospital after spending two nights there for a respiratory infection.June 21, 2011: Mandela meets at his home with Michelle Obama, her two daughters and other Obama relatives.Feb. 26, 2012: Mandela is released from a hospital after overnight stay for minor diagnostic surgery to determine the cause of an abdominal complaint.December 2012: Mandela spends nearly three weeks in a hospital, where he is treated for a lung infection and has a procedure to remove gallstones.March 9, 2013: Mandela spends a night in the hospital for a medical exam.March 28, 2013: Mandela admitted to a hospital with a lung infection.April 6, 2013: Mandela is released from the hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia and having fluid drained from his lung area.April 29, 2013: State television broadcasts footage of a visit by President Jacob Zuma and other ANC leaders to Mandela at his Johannesburg home. Zuma said at the time that Mandela was in good shape, but the footage - the first public images of Mandela in nearly a year - showed him silent and unresponsive, even when Zuma tried to hold his hand.June 8, 2013: The government says Mandela is admitted to a hospital with a recurring lung infection. Officials describe his condition as serious but stable.December 5, 2013: Mandela dies at age 95. South African President Jacob Zuma makes the announcement at a news conference, saying weve lost our greatest son.

UN chief calls Mandela 'a giant for justice'

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UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Nelson Mandela was a giant for justice whose selfless struggle for human dignity, equality and freedom inspired many people around the world.No one did more in our time to advance the values and aspirations of the United Nations, he told reporters soon after Mandelas death was announced Thursday.Nelson Mandela showed what is possible for our world, and within each one of us, if we believe a dream and work together for justice and humanity, Ban said. Let us continue each day to be inspired by Nelson Mandelas lifelong example to keep working for a better and more just world.The U.N. Security Council interrupted a meeting on the tribunals for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and stood for a minute in silent tribute to Mandela.

Obama mourns death of icon Nelson Mandela

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Counting himself among the millions influenced by Nelson Mandela, President Barack Obama on Thursday mourned the death of the anti-apartheid icon with whom he shares the distinction of being his nations first black president.He no longer belongs to us. He belongs to the ages, Obama said in a somber appearance at the White House.I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandelas life, he continued. And like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set.Mandela died earlier Thursday at 95. He had spent much of the year in and out of the hospital, and his illness prevented a meeting with Obama when the U.S. president visited South Africa this summer.Still, the former South African presidents legacy influenced nearly every aspect of Obamas trip. Obama, along with wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha, made an emotional visit to Robben Island, standing quietly together in the tiny cell where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison.Obama also met privately with members of Mandelas family.The president is likely to travel to South Africa for Mandelas funeral, though a trip has not yet been announced. Other former U.S. presidents and dignitaries are also likely to attend.Obamas political rise has drawn inevitable comparisons to the South African leader. Both are Nobel Peace Prize laureates and the first black men elected to lead their countries.However, the two men met in person only once, a hastily arranged meeting in a Washington hotel room in 2005 when Obama was a U.S. senator. A photo of the meeting hangs in Obamas personal office at the White House, showing a smiling Mandela sitting on a chair, his legs outstretched, as the young senator reaches down to shake his hand. A copy of the photo also hung in Mandelas office in Johannesburg.The two presidents did speak occasionally on the phone, including after the 2008 election, when Mandela called Obama to congratulate him on his victory. The U.S. president called Mandela in 2010 after the South African leaders young granddaughter was killed in a car accident. Obama also wrote the introduction to Mandelas memoir, Conversations With Myself.Mandela had already shaped Obamas political beliefs well before their first encounter. As a student at Occidental College in Los Angeles, Obama joined protests against the schools investments during South Africas apartheid era. In 1981, Obama focused his first public political speech on the topic.Its happening an ocean away, Obama said, according to a retelling of the story in his memoir Dreams From My Father. But its a struggle that touches each and every one of us. Whether we know it or not. Whether we want it or not.

'A great light has gone out', says Cameron of Mandela

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LONDON (AFP) - British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday said a great light had gone out following Nelson Mandelas death, revealing that flags would be flown at half-mast at his Downing Street Office.A great light has gone out in the world, Cameron wrote on his official Twitter account.Nelson Mandela was a hero of our time. Ive asked for the flag at No.10 to be flown at half mast.A Downing Street spokesman said a fuller statement was expected later.Shadow finance minister Ed Balls also took to Twitter, writing: Seeing Nelson Mandela walking free is one of the great moments of my life - proving leadership and hope can triumph. Thank-you. RIPIrish prime minister Enda Kenny paid tribute to the gift of Mandela, and offered the countrys deepest sympathies to the people of South Africa.The name Mandela stirred our conscience and our hearts. It became synonymous with the pursuit of dignity and freedom across the globe, he said in a statement.As we mark his passing, we give thanks for the gift of Nelson Mandela. We ask that his spirit continues to inspire, guide and enlighten us as we strive to bring freedom and dignity to the family of man, our brothers and sisters, across the world, he added.

Nelson Mandela, 20th century colossus, dies at 95

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JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Nelson Mandela, who became one of the worlds most beloved statesmen and a colossus of the 20th century when he emerged from 27 years in prison to negotiate an end to white minority rule in South Africa, has died. He was 95.South African President Jacob Zuma made the announcement at a news conference late Thursday, saying weve lost our greatest son.His death closed the final chapter in South Africas struggle to cast off apartheid, leaving the world with indelible memories of a man of astonishing grace and good humor. Rock concerts celebrated his birthday. Hollywood stars glorified him on screen. And his regal bearing, graying hair and raspy voice made him instantly recognizable across the globe.As South Africas first black president, the ex-boxer, lawyer and prisoner No. 46664 paved the way to racial reconciliation with well-chosen gestures of forgiveness. He lunched with the prosecutor who sent him to jail, sang the apartheid-era Afrikaans anthem at his inauguration, and traveled hundreds of miles to have tea with the widow of Hendrik Verwoerd, the prime minister at the time he was imprisoned.His most memorable gesture came when he strode onto the field before the 1995 Rugby World Cup final in Johannesburg. When he came on the field in South African colors to congratulate the victorious South African team, he brought the overwhelmingly white crowd of 63,000 to its feet, chanting Nelson Nelson NelsonFor he had marched headlong into a bastion of white Afrikanerdom the temple of South African rugby and made its followers feel they belonged in the new South Africa.At the same time, Mandela was himself uneasy with the idea of being an icon and he did not escape criticism as an individual and a politician, though much of it was muted by his status as a unassailable symbol of decency and principle. As president, he failed to craft a lasting formula for overcoming South Africas biggest post-apartheid problems, including one of the worlds widest gaps between rich and poor. In his writings, he pondered the heavy cost to his family of his decision to devote himself to the struggle against apartheid.He had been convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 for leading a campaign of sabotage against the government, and sent to the notorious Robben Island prison. It was forbidden to quote him or publish his photo, yet he and other jailed members of his banned AfricanNational Congress were able to smuggle out messages of guidance to the anti-apartheid crusade.As time passed the long, lonely, wasted years, as he termed them international awareness of apartheid grew more acute. By the time Mandela turned 70 he was the worlds most famous political prisoner. Such were his mental reserves, though, that he turned down conditional offers of freedom from his apartheid jailers and even found a way to benefit from confinement.People tend to measure themselves by external accomplishments, but jail allows a person to focus on internal ones; such as honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, generosity and an absence of variety, Mandela says in one of the many quotations displayed at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. You learn to look into yourself.Thousands died, were tortured and were imprisoned in the decades-long struggle against apartheid, so that when Mandela emerged from prison in 1990, smiling and waving to the crowds, the image became an international icon of freedom to rival the fall of the Berlin Wall.South Africas white rulers had portrayed Mandela as the spearhead of a communist revolution and insisted that black majority rule would usher in the chaos and bloodshed that had beset many other African countries as they shook off colonial rule.Yet since apartheid ended, South Africa has held four parliamentary elections and elected three presidents, always peacefully, setting an example on a continent where democracy is still new and fragile. Its democracy has flaws, and the African National Congress has struggled to deliver on promises. It is a front runner ahead of 2014 elections, but corruption scandals and other missteps have undercut some of the promise of earlier years.We have confounded the prophets of doom and achieved a bloodless revolution. We have restored the dignity of every South African, Mandela said shortly before stepping down as president in 1999 at age 80.Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born July 18, 1918, the son of a tribal chief in Transkei, one of the future Bantustans, independent republics set up by the apartheid regime to cement the separation of whites and blacks.Mandelas royal upbringing gave him a dignified bearing that became his hallmark. Many South Africans of all races would later call him by his clan name, Madiba, as a token of affection and respect.Growing up at a time when virtually all of Africa was under European colonial rule, Mandela attended Methodist schools before being admitted to the black University of Fort Hare in 1938. He was expelled two years later for his role in a student strike.He moved to Johannesburg and worked as a policeman at a gold mine, boxed as an amateur heavyweight and studied law.His first wife, nurse Evelyn Mase, bore him four children. A daughter died in infancy, a son was killed in a car crash in 1970 and another son died of AIDS in 2005. The couple divorced in 1957 and Evelyn died in 2004.Mandela began his rise through the anti-apartheid movement in 1944, when he helped form the ANC Youth League.He organized a campaign in 1952 to encourage defiance of laws that segregated schools, marriage, housing and job opportunities. The government retaliated by barring him from attending gatherings and leaving Johannesburg, the first of many banning orders he was to endure.After a two-day nationwide strike was crushed by police, he and a small group of ANC colleagues decided on military action and Mandela pushed to form the movements guerrilla wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, or Spear of the Nation.He was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years hard labor for leaving the country illegally and inciting blacks to strike.A year later, police uncovered the ANCs underground headquarters on a farm near Johannesburg and seized documents outlining plans for a guerrilla campaign. At a time when African colonies were one by one becoming independent states, Mandela and seven co-defendants were sentenced to life in prison.I do not deny that I planned sabotage, he told the court. I did not plan it in a spirit of recklessness, nor because I have any love of violence. I planned it as a result of a calm and sober assessment of the political situation that had arisen after years of tyranny, exploitation and oppression of my people by whites.The ANCs armed wing was later involved in a series of high-profile bombings that killed civilians, and many in the white minority viewed the imprisoned Mandela as a terrorist. Up until 2008, when President George W. Bush rescinded the order, he could not visit the U.S. without a waiver from the secretary of state certifying he was not a terrorist.From the late 1960s South Africa gradually became an international pariah, expelled from the U.N., banned from the Olympics. In 1973 Mandela refused a government offer of release on condition he agree to confine himself to his native Transkei. In 1982 he and other top ANC inmates were moved off Robben Island to a mainland prison. Three years later Mandela was again offered freedom, and again he refused unless segregation laws were scrapped and the government negotiated with the ANC.In 1989, F.W. de Klerk became president. This Afrikaner recognized the end was near for white-ruled South Africa. Mandela, for his part, continued, even in his last weeks in prison, to advocate nationalizing banks, mines and monopoly industries a stance that frightened the white business community.But talks were already underway, with Mandela being spirited out of prison to meet a white Cabinet minister.On Feb. 11, 1990, inmate No. 46664, who had once been refused permission to leave prison for his mothers funeral, went free and walked hand-in-hand with Winnie, his wife. Blacks across the country erupted in joy as did many whites.Mandela took charge of the ANC, shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with de Klerk and was elected president by a landslide in South Africas first all-race election the following year.At his inauguration, he stood hand on heart, saluted by white generals as he sang along to two anthems: the apartheid-era Afrikaans Die Stem, (The Voice) and the African Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika (Lord Bless Africa).To black South Africans expecting a speedy new deal, Mandela pleaded for patience. The millions denied proper housing, schools and health care under apartheid had expected the revolution to deliver quick fixes, but Mandela recognized he had to embrace free market policies to keep white-dominated big business on his side and attract foreign investment.For all his saintly image, Mandela had an autocratic streak. When black journalists mildly criticized his government, he painted them as stooges of the whites who owned the media. Whites with complaints were dismissed as pining for their old privileges.He denounced Bush as a warmonger and the U.S. having committed unspeakable atrocities in the world. When asked about his closeness to Fidel Castro and Moammar Gadhafi despite human rights violations in the countries they ruled, Mandela explained that he wouldnt forsake supporters of the anti-apartheid struggle.With his fellow Nobelist, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, he set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which allowed human rights offenders of all races to admit their crimes publicly in return for lenient treatment. It proved to be a kind of national therapy that would become a model for other countries emerging from prolonged strife.He increasingly left the governing to Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, who took over when Mandelas term ended in June 1999 and he declined to seek another a rarity among African presidents.I must step down while there are one or two people who admire me, Mandela joked at the time. When he retired, he said he was going to stand on a street with a sign that said: Unemployed, no job. New wife and large family to support.His marriage to Winnie had fallen apart after his release and he was now married to Graca Machel, the widowed former first lady of neighboring Mozambique.He is survived by Machel; his daughter Makaziwe by his first marriage, and daughters Zindzi and Zenani by his second.

Ronaldo, Shevchenko to join Nadal at live poker tournament

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PRAGUE (AFP) - Football legends Ronaldo and Andriy Shevchenko will be among the big names to compete against world tennis number one Rafael Nadal at his first live poker tournament next week, organisers said Thursday.Retired Brazilian striker Ronaldo and Ukrainian Shevchenko will join poker buff Nadal at the charity tournament in the Czech capital Prague on December 12, said online gaming firm PokerStars, with whom Nadal has an endorsement deal.Ronaldo has always been a hero of mine and Im looking forward to taking him on at the poker table, Nadal, 27, said in a statement released by PokerStars.There are many similarities between sport and poker strategy, so it will be good to see how he translates his game from the football field to the poker felt.Nadal has been a fervent poker player since a knee injury sidelined him from his day job last year, but had so far only played in online poker tournaments.He will be competing for a 100,000-euro (135,000-dollar) charity prize pool in the tournament -- part of the European Poker Tour, to be held from December 8 to 18.Dutch field hockey champion Fatima Moreira De Melo, world number one poker player Daniel Negreanu and Italian ski legend Alberto Tomba will also play in the event.Nadal has made a blistering return to tennis since his career-threatening knee injury, winning 10 titles and closing out the 2013 season in the number one spot.

Football: India to host 2017 U-17 World Cup: FIFA

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COSTA DO SAUIPE (AFP) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter confirmed Thursday that India will host the Under-17 World Cup in 2017.Eight venues have been shortlisted to be pared down to six -- Goa, Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Cochin, Kolkata, Delhi and Guwahati.The news was greeted with elation among Indian officialsThis is historic, this is what we have been waiting for, said Praful Patel, president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).FIFA has been extremely supportive of All India Football Federations ambitions and taking Indian Football to the world level, said Patel.Both FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and FIFA Secretary General Mr Jerome Valcke have always been huge supporters of Indian Football.Patel also thanked the Indian government for providing the necessary guarantees and told the AIFF website the move could revolutionise the game on the Indian sub-continent.Hosting a tournament of such a stature will also help galvanise the face of Indian Football among the masses and youth of the country.At the moment, football is popular in certain pockets in India. With the U-17 World Cup taking place, I strongly believe that the popularity will swell overnight and the mission of making football a pan-India sport will be realised, Patel said.AIFF general secretary Kushal Das added: I cannot sum it up in words what this means to Indian Football, as he expressed gratitude to the government, FIFA and Patel.In all, 24 teams will take part.China hosted the first U-17 event in 1985.Nigerias Golden Eaglets are defending champions after winning the last event in the United Arab Emirates last month. Chile will be the next hosts in 2015.

FIFA to pay World Cup winner $35M prize money

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COSTA DO SAUIPE (AP) - FIFA will give the 2014 World Cup winner $35 million in prize money, and all 32 competing nations will get at least $8 million.The figures were agreed Thursday by FIFAs executive committee as part of a $576 million fund. It includes payments to clubs worldwide and an insurance policy to cover injured players salaries.At the 2010 World Cup, champion Spain earned $30 million from a $348 million teams prize money pot.FIFA pays the money to the 32 national federations, which will each get an additional $1.5 million to prepare for the June 12-July 13 tournament in Brazil.The German federation has promised all 23 players a 300,000 euros ($407,000) bonus for winning the title.

FIFA won't sell tickets for WCup final and opener

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COSTA DO SAUIPE (AP) - Tickets for the final and the opening match of the 2014 World Cup will not be available to fans when a new sales phase opens after Fridays draw in Brazil.FIFA had been saying it would sell tickets to all 64 matches beginning Sunday, but the high-demand matches in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro will be blocked off again for now.Tickets for the two matches were among those already not available in the previous ticket sales. More than 720,000 tickets were requested for the June 12 opener at the Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo and more than 750,000 were requested for the July 13 final at the Maracana Stadium in Rio.Footballs governing body said Thursday that tickets for the matches may be available again in future sales phases.Fans can apply for tickets to all other matches from Sunday until Jan. 30. A random selection draw will allocate the tickets for matches where the demands surpass the number of entrances available. FIFA says fans putting in their request on the first day the window opens will have the same chance as those applying on the last day.It will be the first sales period after Fridays draw determines the tournament schedule. With all teams knowing who and where they will play, FIFA is expecting an increased demand from international fans. In this phase, each nation will be reserved 8 percent of tickets for the matches they will be playing.Another sales phase will open from Feb. 26-April 1 on a first-come, first-serve basis. The last minute sales phase will be made available from April 15 until the day of the final.About 900,000 tickets were sold in the first stage and the nearly 230,000 tickets available in the second phase were sold out just seven hours after being made available on FIFAs website.Brazilians were entitled to discounts and have bought nearly 70 percent of the tickets so far, followed by Americans, Australians, British and Argentines. About 1.1 million tickets have been sold until now. Organizers expect to sell a total of nearly 3.3 million tickets for the tournament, the first in Brazil since 1950.FIFA received about 6.2 million ticket applications, and each applicant could request for up to four tickets for a maximum of seven matches.

Golf: Donald thunders into Sun City lead

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JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Englands Luke Donald opened up a two-shot lead at the Nedbank Golf Challenge on Thursday before thunderstorms brought a premature end to the first round at Sun City.Donald was top of the leaderboard on three under par after three holes before the first weather suspension hit the Gary Player Country Club.After a two and half hour delay, Donald continued where he had left off with back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth to turn in five under par 31.Donald added pars on 10 and 11 before play was called off for the day as more storms arrived.It doesnt get much better than a three-three start around here, Donald told www.europeantour.com.Birdie-eagle and all of a sudden you are three under par through two holes. I played solid for those first 11 holes and hit a couple of very nice shots in that time that I was able to take advantage of. I feel good over the ball right now and I am playing with confidence.Donald holds a two stroke lead over Denmarks Thomas Bjorn, Jamie Donaldson of Wales and Zimbabwean Brandon de Jonge.Defending champion Martin Kaymer is on two under, while Henrik Stensons defence of his Race to Dubai crown got off to a solid start, with the Swede one under through seven holes.

Lindsey Vonn says she will race at Lake Louise

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LAKE LOUISE (AP) - With her eyes wide and a big smile, Lindsey Vonn declared on Thursday that she is ready to race for the first time in 10 months.In an interview with The Associated Press and USA Today Sports, Vonn said she will return to competition in a World Cup downhill on Friday, the latest major step in her push to get ready for the Sochi Olympics.She has not raced since a high-speed crash at the world championships in February, when she tore two ligaments in her right knee and broke a bone in her lower leg. About 2½ weeks ago, Vonn partially re-tore one of those reconstructed ligaments in a crash while training in Colorado.You kind of know if your body is ready or not, and I feel like mines ready, Vonn said.Im really excited. Its been a long time coming. But ... it doesnt feel like Ive been gone that long. It just feels like the start of a new season, the 29-year-old American said. To me, this feels pretty awesome.The 2010 Olympic downhill gold medalist and four-time overall World Cup champion said her right knee felt fine and did not swell up after Wednesdays training run at Lake Louise, where she has a seven-race winning streak. She waited until the evening to see how the knee would hold up before deciding she would get in the starting gate Friday.It usually swells pretty soon after if theres trauma. It definitely doesnt take very long to tell, to see if its going to get swollen or not, but I just gave it the whole day and nothing happened, thankfully, Vonn said. So all positive signs.Vonn plans to enter all three races this weekend. There is another downhill Saturday and a super-G on Sunday. She considered taking part in Thursdays second downhill training run before opting to skip it, in large part because she knows the hill so well.It was just a matter of: Did I nail the line? That was the goal yesterday to ski solid, but ski the line, ski my race line. And I did that, Vonn said. So I knew that if I could accomplish all those things in one run, I dont need a second run.After turning in the fastest time in the second training run, 2011 overall World Cup champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany was asked about Vonns decision to skip Thursday and race Friday.Shes saving some energy and maybe protecting her knee a little bit. But I think she got a good feeling yesterday already and shes ready for tomorrow to attack it, Hoefl-Riesch said. Its a long time ago that she was racing and everyone is excited for her because she is the big star of (recent) years and everyone is happy to see her back on the slope.Some have taken to referring to this spot as Lake Lindsey in recognition of her dominance: 14 of her 59 World Cup race wins came at this picturesque resort in the Canadian Rockies, including three-victory sweeps in 2011 and 2012.Vonn had hoped to race last week at Beaver Creek, Colorado, not far from her home in Vail, but her setback from a crash on Nov. 19 scrapped those plans.She told the AP last weekend that she needs another operation on her right knee but is trying to put it off as long as possible to ski at the Winter Games, which begin in about two months.I was definitely nervous in the starting gate yesterday, Vonn said Thursday, referring to her training run. Its so familiar, yet foreign, because I just havent been racing, and I dont have that adrenaline. And so that feeling was different. But now that I got that first run done with, I feel much better.

Oil gains on strong US growth; natural gas soars

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NEW YORK (AP) - The price of oil edged higher Thursday as the U.S. economy grew more than expected in the third quarter.Benchmark U.S. crude for January delivery rose 18 cents at $97.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil rose near $98 for the first time in five weeks before falling back a bit. Oil is still up $4.66 a barrel, or 5 percent, this week.Meanwhile, natural gas rose to the highest level in six months as the Energy Department reported a large decline in supplies and cold weather had homeowners turning up the thermostat in many states.The Commerce Department said the U.S. economy grew at a 3.6 percent annual rate from July through September, the fastest since early 2012. The numbers signaled some momentum in the economy, although some economists cautioned that nearly half the growth came from a buildup in business stockpiles, a trend that could reverse in the current quarter.Natural gas added 17 cents to $4.13 per 1,000 cubic feet, the highest closing price since May 29. Natural gas in storage fell by 162 billion cubic feet last week, compared with analysts' expectations for a decline of 143 billion cubic feet. Cold weather is covering the western and middle parts of the country and is heading east.Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, fell 90 cents to $110.98 a barrel on the ICE Exchange in London.

Dollar weakens vs. euro ahead of US jobs report

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar fell against the euro Thursday, a day before the US government reports job creation and unemployment data for November, data key to the pace of Federal Reserve stimulus.The euro bought $1.3666 around 2200 GMT, up from $1.3591 at the same time Wednesday. Earlier the European currency hit $1.3677, its highest peak since late October.The dollar also fell against the Japanese currency, to 101.77 yen from 102.32 yen, while the euro was essentially unchanged, up a hair at 139.08 yen from 139.06.The weakness in the dollar came after better-than-expected US data added to a mixed picture of the US economy.The Commerce Department revised sharply higher US economic growth in the third quarter, to an annual rate of 3.6 percent from an initial estimate of 2.8 percent, led by a big increase in inventory investment.First-time claims for unemployment benefits, a sign of the pace of layoffs, fell below 300,000 last week, the Labor Department reported.The price action in the dollar today suggests that investors are looking forward to Fridays (jobs) release and future data on fourth-quarter economic growth, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.While jobless claims fell sharply and US GDP growth was revised higher, the greenback failed to hold onto its initial gains as investors immediately interpreted the rise in inventories to mean that Q4 GDP growth could be even weaker than most economists had anticipated, she said.Analysts on average expect US job growth slowed last month to 188,000 from 204,000 in October, and the unemployment rate will dip a tenth point to 7.2 percent.The dollar fell to 0.8966 Swiss franc from 0.9024 franc late Wednesday.But it strengthened against the British pound, which fell to $1.6333 from $1.6381.
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