Wednesday 14 May 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Federer blown off court by Chardy; Nadal scrapes through

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ROME (AFP) - Frenchman Jeremy Chardy caught new father Roger Federer on the hop and Rafael Nadal had to fight to survive as leading seeds were tested by Frenchmen in Wednesday's second round of the ATP-WTA Rome Masters.Federer fell to Jeremy Chardy after missing on a match point to go down to a wind-blown 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) defeat.Nadal was manhandled by Gilles Simon before the Spaniard came up with a third-set recovery in a 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (4/7), 6-2 win lasting nearly three and a half hours in chilly night conditions.The seven-time champion wasted a match point in the 12th game of the second set and lost the ensuing tiebreaker.It took a massive effort in the third to squeeze out the narrow win.Federer's loss came barely a week after the 32-year-old became father to his second set of twins, boys this time round as opposed to girls the first occasion.Unfortunately, when I had the lead I couldn't stretch it. That's how it happened today. We both struggled at time in the wind - at the end it was a shot here or there that decided the match, said the Swiss.The fourth seed, who has never won the Rome title, decided to come and have a go on the clay of the Foro Italico after consulting with wife Mirka and his team.Conditions were brutal for a match played amid great bursts of red clay blowing regularly through the air.The conditions made it difficult to prepare a proper game plan or execute the way you wanted. You can't take as much risk, you just put the ball in play rather than going for it, said Federer.Federer swept the opening set but began to fade in the second as a charged-up Chardy made his move.Federer, who salvaged seven of eight break points in the final set, saved a first match point.But he could not touch a freak Chardy crosscourt return which landed on his shoelaces.He's not going to make that one very often, But it happens and credit to him. He fought his way back into the match and got it, said Federer.Sixth seed Tomas Berdych started his week by beating Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-3 while seventh seed Andy Murray took revenge for a defeat a year ago as he beat Marcel Granollers to open with a 6-2, 7-5 victory.I did a very good job, it was hard conditions: it affects significantly the way you play and the way you would like to play, said Murray. I tried to serve high percentage.But you have to play the wind, try to use it in your advantage if you can. I thought I did a good job of that.Murray will next face resurgent Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who beat Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3.France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga earned his 300th career victory as he beat Kevin Anderson 7-6 (16/14), 7-6 (7/5).There were also wins into the third round for Grigor Dimitrov, Mikhail Youzhny and Tommy Haas.In women's second-round play, Serena Williams showed no sign of the thigh injury which forced her withdrawal from a Madrid semi-final as the top seed beat Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 6-2.It broke my heart to pull out of Madrid, especially being the defending champion. But I knew that I wanted to play today, said Williams. I'm not at 100 per cent but it's getting better.Madrid winner Maria Sharapova remained unbeaten on clay this season with a defeat of Monica Puig 6-3, 7-5, while Madrid runner-up Simona Halep, seeded fourth, beat Madison Keys 5-7, 6-0, 6-1, then retired, citing an abdominal muscle strain.I'll fly to Bucharest now for treatment to allow me to train next week for the French Open, said the 2013 Rome semi-finalist.

Football: Sevilla stun Benfica on penalties to maintain jinx

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TURIN (AFP) - Spanish side Sevilla sensationally claimed a third Europa League title after a dramatic penalty shoot-out in which Benfica pair Oscar Cardozo and Rodrigo missed from the spot to extend the Portuguese giants' European final hoodoo in Turin on Wednesday.Benfica, recently crowned league and League Cup champions, came to Turin confident of ending a 52-year hoodoo that had seen them lose a total of seven European finals since winning the second of two consecutive European Cups in 1962.Benfica had stumbled at the last hurdle five times in the European Cup, once in the UEFA Cup (1983) and once in its successor, the Europa League, in 2013 when they lost 2-1 to Chelsea in Amsterdam.However despite creating the lion's share of chances in a fairly balanced encounter, the 'Benfica Curse' was maintained as Jorge Jesus's men ultimately failed to convert the numerous chances they created at Juventus Stadium.The match remained scoreless after two 15-minute periods of extra time and when it came to penalties Sevilla -- who claimed the second of their two titles from the Europa League's predecessor, the UEFA Cup in 2007 -- stepped up to the plate in impressive fashion.Benfica striker Lima got the Portuguese giants off the mark but after Sevilla striker Carlos Bacca fired into the roof of the net to pull level, Sevilla 'keeper Beto dived low to save Oscar Cardozo's tame shot.Stephane Mbia then sent Jan Oblak the wrong way to make it 2-1, and after Beto saved Rodrigo's tame shot the title was Sevilla's after Kevin Gameiro, a late substitute, gave the Spaniards an unassailable 4-2 lead following successful spot kicks from either side by Coke and Benfica captain Luisao.Sevilla can now boast winning three titles from Europe's second-tier club competition having won the Europa League's predecessor, the UEFA Cup, twice in succession, in 2006 and 2007.In 2007 the Spaniards beat fellow La Liga side Espanyol on penalties.The Andalusians, coached by Unai Emery, become the first champions of the Europa League to win on penalties.Their triumph this year is all the more impressive as Emery's revamped side, who only finished ninth in last season's Spanish championship, were given entry because two other clubs failed to meet the financial benchmark set by UEFA.

Squash: Matthew passes his Selby date

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KINGSTON UPON HULL (AFP) - World champion Nick Matthew admitted he had to run risks to reach the quarter-finals of the British Open, but he did so only after a five-game scare in Hull on Wednesday.Matthew ovecame his England team mate Daryl Selby 11-7, 10-12, 11-3, 5-11, 11-4 and cold late evening conditions which made patient rallying and fluid movement - two of Matthew's greatest strengths - difficult to employ.Instead adapting was the key quality. Matthew did this by pitching the ball in short more often than normal, bringing a greater likelihood of unforced errors and of an opponent's anticipation moving him forward quickly for a kill.It was risk and reward squash, said Matthew.You can get the reward but run the risk of counter-attack.But if you are not positive you can get punished for that too, so these were very tough conditions.For a few minutes while Selby, the world number ten, was making rapid progress in the fourth game, it seemed that the favourite might be in real trouble.Instead he was helped early in the fifth game by some misfiring ambition from Selby, who put a drop, a drive and a cut-off volley down, restoring some of Matthew's faith that he would prevail. But he still looked relieved when he did. Daryl is a dangerous, intelligent opponent whom I've lost to before. I knew it would be even more dangerous having to play him as early as the second round, said Matthew.He is seeded to play in the last eight either Karim Darwish, the former world number one from Egypt, or Fares Dessouki, a steadily improving Egyptian qualifier.The other top seed, Nicol David, will not play her first match on the all-glass show-court until her second round match on Thursday against Sarah-Jane Perry, the world number 17 from England.Her main rival Laura Massaro, who has succeeded David as both World and British Open champion, scored the most comfortable of her seven victories over Annie Au, the world number nine from Hong Kong, winning 11-7, 11-4, 11-6.This was a solid achievement by Massaro, who had lost four of the previous six encounters against the accurate and intelligent left-hander, and it hinted that her self-belief may have risen to new heights. To say I'm chuffed to get through is an understatement. I'd really like to win this again. Although I can get quite fiery, I was even more fired up tonight, the Englishwoman said.This was something she also revealed with the intense focus and sharp movement needed in an encounter in which the ball was moved short and long with disruptive frequency.Massaro next plays Sarah Kippax, the unseeded local hope overcame the disappointments of losing two tie-breaks and missing three successive match points to beat Nicolette Fernandes, the top 20 Guyanese.Kippax also came from 6-7 down in the decider of a 15-17, 11-4, 11-13, 11-3, 12-10 win which, lasting 84 minutes, was the longest women's match of the day.

Athletics: Kenyan steeple star Kemboi in new legal row

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NAIROBI (AFP) - Kenya's double Olympic steeplechase champion Ezekiel Kemboi has been hit by fresh legal trouble linked to his alleged turbulent private life, a report said Wednesday.The Star newspaper said the athlete was being sued for child negligence by a former girlfriend with whom he allegedly fathered a now two-year-old son, and that the estranged couple were involved in a fight in a Nairobi hotel on Saturday.It said the woman had confronted Kemboi over a lack of child support, and that the star tried to force the woman to again have sex with him, prompting a fight and the intervention of hotel security.Kemboi angrily dismissed the allegations, saying he was a victim of extortion.That lady is a frustrated person. We were friends some time back but she is now a married woman. How can I be involved with somebody else's wife? the 31-year-old told AFP by telephone from his hometown of Eldoret.I did not have a child with her. She should have gone to court to sue me for the alleged paternity instead of tarnishing my name in the media, he added.Kemboi, who is also a police officer, beat a similar case in 2012 when another woman claimed he stabbed her after she refused his sexual advances but later decided to drop the charges.The athlete, who had denied all the charges, was bailed in time to participate in the London Olympics, where he won the 3,000m steeplechase gold medal, becoming the first Kenyan to take two Olympic titles in the event, which he also won in Athens in 2004.He is also a three-time world champion.

Federal Cabinet to meet today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - An important meeting of the Federal Cabinet will be held today (Thursday). Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will chair the meeting.Finance Minister Ishaq Dar would brief the meeting on proposals for the upcoming budget. The meeting would also discuss law and order situation and matters of national security.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would take the cabinet into confidence on his recent visit to Iran.

Malala portrait goes for $102,500 in New York

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NEW YORK (AFP) - A painted portrait of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban, fetched $102,500 at auction Wednesday in New York -- with the money going to female education in Nigeria.The proceeds will be donated from her Malala Fund to a special fund designed to assist local NGOs working to educate girls and women in Nigeria, where more than 200 schoolgirls are missing after being snatched at gun point last month by extremists.Auction house Christie's had estimated the portrait of the veiled teenager -- done in 2013 by leading British artist Jonathan Yeo -- would fetch $60,000-$80,000.But after several bids it was snapped up in just a few minutes at a higher price.Malala, now 16, was shot by a Taliban gunman in 2012 over her outspoken views on education for girls in her home region of northwest Pakistan. After undergoing extensive medical treatment, she now lives in Britain.

Saudi announces 5 new MERS deaths

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RIYADH (AFP) - Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday five new deaths from MERS, raising the death toll in the country worst-hit by the mysterious coronavirus to 157 since it appeared in 2012.The health ministry also reported 16 new infections with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome raising the total so far to 511.Three women, all over 60, died in Riyadh, while two men, aged 56 and 57, died in the port city of Jeddah, the ministry said on its website.Saudi Arabia accounts for by far the largest proportion of the 571 MERS cases worldwide reported to the World Health Organisation, 171 of which have proved fatal. MERS has also been found in 16 other countries but nearly all have among people from, or who had recently travelled to, the Gulf.Research has identified camels as the likely original source of the virus and the Saudi agriculture ministry on Sunday urged camel handlers to wear masks and gloves.But a growing number of infections have been among health workers or fellow patients in hospitals treating MERS cases and the WHO called on Wednesday for improved infection control.A WHO team carried out a five-day inspection visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this month and pinpointed breaches in its recommended infection prevention measures as being partly responsible for the spike in hospital infections.A rash of cases among staff at Jeddah's King Fahd Hospital last month sparked public panic and the dismissal of its director and the health minister. MERS is considered a deadlier but less transmissible cousin of the SARS virus that appeared in Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, nine percent of whom died.Like SARS, it appears to cause a lung infection, with patients suffering coughing, breathing difficulties and a temperature. But MERS differs in that it also causes rapid kidney failure.

Study: Antidepressant may cut Alzheimer's protein

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Research shows a common antidepressant may cut production of one of the chief suspects behind Alzheimers.Its far too early for anyone worried about dementia to try the drug citalopram, also called Celexa. But its a new avenue in the hunt for drugs to prevent or slow the brain disease.Researchers tested the drugs effect on a protein named beta-amyloid that in Alzheimers, somehow goes awry and forms gunky brain plaques. First researchers gave the drug to older mice and their plaques quit growing. Then they gave a single dose to a small group of healthy young adults and their bodies normal production of amyloid dropped.It will take more research to tell if that translates into brain protection. Next, researchers will start testing the drug in healthy older adults.

Oil prices rise on declining Cushing inventories

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices moved higher Wednesday, lifted by a new decline in US oil inventories at the key Cushing storage hub and falling gasoline stockpiles.The New York benchmark West Texas Intermediate for June delivery rose 67 cents to $102.37 a barrel, the highest closing price since April 21.In London, Brent oil for June delivery added 95 cents to settle at $110.19 a barrel.Prices gained a boost from the US Department of Energy's weekly oil inventories report. Traders shrugged off a 900,000-barrel increase in overall crude oil stockpiles and focused on drawdowns at the Cushing, Oklahoma, terminal and in gasoline stores.Another drop at Cushing and a nice draw in gasoline reserves are good signs for demand, said Gene McGillian of Tradition Energy.Crude prices were also still benefiting from hints that the Obama administration is seriously considering lifting the ban on US oil exports, according to Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group.Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz told reporters in South Korea early Tuesday that the US is reviewing its longstanding ban on exports, though without saying what options were being weighed.Ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine kept prices supported Wednesday as traders worried that an escalating conflict could disrupt oil supplies. The broader international supply situation looks little-changed, with tension over still-flowing Russian oil supplies and only a slight uptick in Libyan output today, said Tim Evans of Citi Futures.

Euro rises vs. dollar

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro rose against the dollar Wednesday after lackluster data in the eurozone added to speculation the European Central Bank will loosen monetary policy next month.The eurozone's industrial output declined in March, while German and French reports on price changes continued to highlight low inflation.Eurozone data today confirmed the picture of very subdued inflation which make it increasingly likely that the European Central Bank will ease its monetary policy stance in June, said Rebecca O'Keeffe at Interactive Investor.The dollar was under pressure from falling Treasury yields after US producer prices rose an unexpectedly strong 0.6 percent in April. Despite a surprise increase in producer prices, 10-year yields hit its lowest level in seven months and as long as US rates are falling, the dollar will have a tough time rallying, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.The pound, meanwhile, lost ground after the Bank of England raised its 2015 growth forecast to 2.9 percent, adding that the economy was heading back to normal as the recovery picks up speed.But most analysts do not see the BoE beginning to raise interest rates from their record low level until the beginning of next year.The backdrop of weaker expected inflation allows the BoE to keep interest rates lower for longer, and as a result the British pound is under pressure across the board, said Christopher Vecchio, currency analyst at DailyFX.

Army 100% honest, sincere with the govt: Army Chief

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Chief of Army Staff said on Wednesday during high level meeting that Pakistan Army’s 100% honesty and sincerity is with the government, adding that Pakistan Army will offer its honest opinion whenever asked by the government, Dunya News reported.He said that he is confident that political leadership can handle recruitment and transfers in police force without any political influence.He said that whenever army is consulted over any issue, they will give honest recommendations and support the federal and provincial governments with utmost honesty and sincerity.Army Chief said that there’s no obstacle between parties and democratic forces. He said that he knows that only political leadership can arm and strengthen the police force.

NEPRA approves decrease in power generation cost

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved reduction in cost of electricity generation.The approval has been given after reduction in furnace oil price that dropped by Rs 6,173 per ton in the month of April.According to NEPRA, Rs 1.63 per unit has been reduced for Jamshoro Power Company’s Unit One, while Rs 1.88 has been approved in the power generation tariff of Units Two, Three and Four of Jamshoro Power Company.The consumers would get relief through monthly fuel adjustment.Approval of Rs 1.88 per unit decrease in power generation cost has been given after decrease in furnace oil price.

Sahiwal: Woman bludgeoned, shot dead over love marriage

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SAHIWAL (Dunya News) – The woman who jumped off the train along with spouse after being chased by family members over love marriage three months ago was brutally murdered on Wednesday, Dunya News reported.The resident of Harappa Farzana was taken from Darul Aman by relatives who butchered her with axe and then shot her dead multiple times.Police has registered the case and is now raiding various locations in search of the suspects.The slain woman had entered into love marriage after running away from family three months ago.In the previous incident which also made headlines, the victim’s relatives had kept chasing her, following which she jumped off a train along with spouse and was critically injured.Her husband had divorced her after the train jump incident and the court had sent divorcee to Darul Aman.The couple had married on February 9 and vowed to stay together for better or worse. They had left for Karachi on a train in search for better life but man’s brother had tipped the relatives of the young woman about their plans.Five armed relatives of Farzana boarded the train on Sahiwal station following which the couple had jumped off the train.

Pakistan, India agree to play six series during next eight years

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LAHORE (AFP) - Pakistan confirmed on Wednesday it had agreed to play six full series of cricket against India with official backing, the first since the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks suspended play between the teams.Pakistan is expected to host four of the matches over the next eight years, after its cricket board said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with India on the issue, and pending a legal agreement.The Future Tours Program (FTP) for Pakistan between 2015 and 2023 will have six tours with India, four of which will be hosted by Pakistan, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed told AFP.Reports had been circulating since last month that a full series would be played between the two nations as early as next year after the PCB conditionally agreed to a reorganisation of the game's administration, the International Cricket Council (ICC), which will give India a bigger say in its governance.India suspended all bilateral series with Pakistan in the wake of the 2008 attacks, which New Delhi blamed on militants based across the border.The Pakistan team did tour India for a short limited over series in December 2012-January 2013 but a full series was not agreed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).Ahmad said the six tours would involve 14 Tests, 30 one-days and 12 T20s. The PCB expected the tours to be written into legally binding agreements as soon as possible, he added.The PCB wanted the first of the series to be played on home ground but if the security situation was not conducive to it the match will be played in the United Arab Emirates.Pakistan have not hosted any international cricket since terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009.If the series goes ahead it will mark the biggest success for Pakistan in recent years after a prolonged isolation at the international level due to security fears.Pakistan last played a full series in India in 2007 while India last toured Pakistan in 2006.The cricket matches between Pakistan and India are widely seen as the most sought after in cricket globally, with billions watching them on television around the world.

Pakistan, India agree to play six series during next eight years

Posted:

LAHORE (AFP) - Pakistan confirmed on Wednesday it had agreed to play six full series of cricket against India with official backing, the first since the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks suspended play between the teams.Pakistan is expected to host four of the matches over the next eight years, after its cricket board said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with India on the issue, and pending a legal agreement.The Future Tours Program (FTP) for Pakistan between 2015 and 2023 will have six tours with India, four of which will be hosted by Pakistan, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed told AFP.Reports had been circulating since last month that a full series would be played between the two nations as early as next year after the PCB conditionally agreed to a reorganisation of the games administration, the International Cricket Council (ICC), which will give India a bigger say in its governance.India suspended all bilateral series with Pakistan in the wake of the 2008 attacks, which New Delhi blamed on militants based across the border.The Pakistan team did tour India for a short limited over series in December 2012-January 2013 but a full series was not agreed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).Ahmad said the six tours would involve 14 Tests, 30 one-days and 12 T20s. The PCB expected the tours to be written into legally binding agreements as soon as possible, he added.The PCB wanted the first of the series to be played on home ground but if the security situation was not conducive to it the match will be played in the United Arab Emirates.Pakistan have not hosted any international cricket since terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009.If the series goes ahead it will mark the biggest success for Pakistan in recent years after a prolonged isolation at the international level due to security fears.Pakistan last played a full series in India in 2007 while India last toured Pakistan in 2006.The cricket matches between Pakistan and India are widely seen as the most sought after in cricket globally, with billions watching them on television around the world.
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