Saturday 17 May 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Nadal to renew rivalry vs. Djokovic in Rome final

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ROME (AP) - Top-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Novak Djokovic will renew their rivalry in the Italian Open final on Sunday.There will be an enticing womens championship too, with top-ranked Serena Williams to face Sara Errani, the tournaments first Italian finalist in nearly 30 years.Having been stretched to three sets in his opening three matches this week, Nadal finally put in a complete performance with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals on Saturday.Today was a good confirmation that I really played better. ... A lot of positive things, Nadal said. (Djokovic) is playing great and its going to be a really tough match.Earlier, Djokovic took his time before figuring out Milos Raonics massive serve for a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory in the last key clay-court tuneup before the French Open starts next weekend.Nadal holds a 22-18 career edge vs. Djokovic but the Serb won their last meeting for the Sony Open title in March in Key Biscayne, Florida.Nadal already has a record seven titles in Rome, while Djokovic is seeking his third championship at the Foro Italico. They have met in three finals here, with Nadal winning two of them.Williams overcame a second-set lapse to beat Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 and gain a measure of revenge for a fourth-round loss to the Serb at this years Australian Open.Using vocal crowd support to her advantage, Errani fought back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set for a 6-3, 7-5 win over two-time Rome champion Jelena Jankovic.Williams is aiming for her third Rome title, having won this clay-court tuneup for Roland Garros in 2002 and last year. The American is 6-0 in her career against Errani and lost just one game in their last meeting, in the semifinals of last years French Open.Shes just taken her game to a whole new level and she has so much confidence beating two really good top-10 players and two really great clay-court players, Williams said, also referring to Erranis win over second-seeded Li Na in the quarterfinals. So I have a lot of work to do tomorrow. Its not going to be easy. And she has nothing to lose and she has the crowd behind her. So its going to be a really tough match for me.Nadal went the distance against Gilles Simon, Mikhail Youzhny and Andy Murray in his opening rounds this week but had relatively little trouble against Dimitrov, who was playing in his first Masters series semifinal.Djokovics win was a struggle, with Raonic serving near 230 kph (more than 140 mph) and firing 16 aces.I cant recall the last time when I was feeling so helpless in the return games, Djokovic said. It was brutal.Afterward, Djokovic appealed for help for his flood-hit native Serbia, and wrote a message of support on a camera lens, adding I love you in Cyrillic.This is a total catastrophe of biblical proportions, he said. Half the country is in danger of not having electricity.Errani drew emotion from the crowd.There were a few moments when I thought I might not pull it off but the fans were huge, said Errani, who is attempting to become the first Italian to win the tournament since Raffaella Reggi took the 1985 title in Taranto.The last Italian man to win was Adriano Panatta back in 1976.Its already Erranis best result since reaching the 2012 French Open final.Jankovic, the 2007 and 2008 Rome champion, repeatedly asked the chair umpire to come down and check marks but none of them were overturned, resulting only in the crowd stepping up its encouragement for Errani.Just do it, Sara. Just do it, Sara, the fans cheered late in the second set.The highly partisan crowd frequently applauded Errani while points were still being played and cheered even when Jankovic double-faulted.(The crowd) was all on her side but its normal, shes the local player, Jankovic said. I tried to stay focused on my game, and play my tennis but she was the better player today.

Errani to face Serena Williams in Rome final

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ROME (AP) - Sara Errani became the first home player to reach the Italian Open final in nearly 30 years Saturday, and she'll face top-ranked Serena Williams for the trophy.Using vocal crowd support to her advantage, the 10th-seeded Errani fought back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set for a 6-3, 7-5 win over sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic.Williams overcame a second-set lapse to beat 11th-seeded Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 and gain a measure of revenge for a fourth-round loss to the Serb at this year's Australian Open.Williams is aiming for her third Rome title, having won this clay-court tuneup for Roland Garros in 2002 and last year. The American is 6-0 in her career against Errani and lost just one game in their last meeting, in the semifinals of last year's French Open.She's just taken her game to a whole new level and she has so much confidence beating two really good top-10 players and two really great clay-court players, Williams said, also referring to Errani's win over second-seeded Li Na in the quarterfinals. So I have a lot of work to do tomorrow. It's not going to be easy. And she has nothing to lose and she has the crowd behind her. So it's going to be a really tough match for me.In the men's final, Novak Djokovic will meet either seven-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal or Grigor Dimitrov.Djokovic took his time before figuring out Milos Raonic's massive serve for a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory. The match was highly tactical, with Raonic serving near 230 kph (more than 140 mph) and firing 16 aces.I can't recall the last time when I was feeling so helpless in the return games, Djokovic said. It was brutal.Afterward, Djokovic appealed for help for his flood-hit native Serbia, and wrote a message of support on a camera lens, adding 'I love you' in Cyrillic.This is a total catastrophe of biblical proportions, he said. Half the country is in danger of not having electricity.Errani drew emotion from the crowd.There were a few moments when I thought I might not pull it off but the fans were huge, said Errani, who is attempting to become the first Italian to win the tournament since Raffaella Reggi took the 1985 title in Taranto.The last Italian man to win was Adriano Panatta back in 1976.It's already Errani's best result since reaching the 2012 French Open final, and gives her momentum heading back to Roland Garros next week.Jankovic, the 2007 and 2008 Rome champion, repeatedly asked the chair umpire to come down and check marks but none of them were overturned, resulting only in the crowd stepping up its encouragement for Errani.Just do it, Sara. Just do it, Sara, the fans cheered late in the second set.The highly partisan crowd frequently applauded Errani while points were still being played and cheered even when Jankovic double faulted.(The crowd) was all on her side but it's normal, she's the local player, Jankovic said. I tried to stay focused on my game, and play my tennis but she was the better player today.Errani also reached the doubles final and her partner Roberta Vinci sat in her box. Her parents and brother were on hand, too.Having them here is key, Errani said. They give me that extra motivation so I'm not just playing for myself but for them, too, and that makes me even stronger.Known for her consistency, Errani committed just 11 unforced errors to Jankovic's 28.Jankovic attempted to attack Errani's abbreviated serving style but she had more trouble on her own serve, and faced 16 break points five of which Errani converted.She's not going to give you free points, Jankovic said. She keeps making you hit and hit and I needed to come more to the net and finish those points. When I was doing that I was winning but when I stopped she took advantage.

Football: Arsenal win FA Cup

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LONDON (AFP) - Aaron Ramsey scored an extra-time winner as Arsenal ended their nine-year trophy drought by coming from two goals down to beat Hull City 3-2 in a gripping FA Cup final on Saturday.Appearing in their first ever major final, Hull rocked Arsenal by going 2-0 up inside just eight minutes through goals from centre-backs James Chester and Curtis Davies.But Santi Cazorla's sumptuous free-kick reduced the arrears in the 17th minute and after Laurent Koscielny netted an equaliser with 19 minutes of normal time remaining, Ramsey drilled home the winner in the extra period.We have conceded early in lots of big games this season, but we showed great strength of character to come back, and to score the winner is something I have dreamed of, Ramsey told ITV.It was the Welsh midfielder's 16th goal of a campaign that has seen him emerge as Arsenal's most influential player and brought Arsene Wenger's side a first trophy since the 2005 FA Cup.Wenger, who is still to extend his contract, which expires shortly, has now won five FA Cups, while Arsenal have equalled Manchester United's record of 11 successes in the competition.We wanted to make history tonight and win the game and we did that in both ways -- how not to start the cup final and how to come back, said Wenger.I've praised the spirit of this team and they showed that today.Hull faded badly after their stunning start, but Steve Bruce's side could console themselves with the knowledge that a Europa League place was already secure.In terms of effort, endeavour and determination you couldn't fault them to a man, said Bruce. Proud? Of course I am. They were magnificent.Chester had unexpectedly overcome a hamstring problem to take his place in Hull's three-man defence, but nobody could have predicted how quickly he would have an impact on the game at a muggy Wembley Stadium.Hull's fans were still adjusting to the novelty of seeing their side in an FA Cup final when Chester put them ahead in the fourth minute, clipping the ball into the bottom-left corner from Tom Huddlestone's mishit volley.Huddlestone had been picked out by Stephen Quinn from a corner and four minutes later, Arsenal were again exposed at a set-piece.After Ahmed Elmohamady's free-kick was partially cleared, Quinn put the ball into the box from the left and when Alex Bruce's downward header came back off the post, Davies rattled the rebound home from a tight angle.It might have been 3-0 minutes later, with Kieran Gibbs heading off the line from Bruce, but Cazorla reduced the arrears with a glorious 25-yard free-kick that arced into the top-right corner.Arsenal continued to force the issue in the second half and had three penalty claims turned down by referee Lee Probert in the space of 10 minutes.Huddlestone appeared to drag Giroud back with his hand, Arsenal substitute Yaya Sanogo saw a header hit Jake Livermore on the arms and Cazorla was caught by Davies, but Probert allowed play to continue on each occasion.Amid the flurry of appeals, Koscielny headed wide from a corner, but in the 71st minute the Frenchman found the target.Cazorla's corner was knocked down at the back post and Koscielny swivelled to hook the ball home from close range despite being flattened by Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor.Gibbs then wasted a gilt-edged chance to put Arsenal ahead by blazing over from only six yards after being teed up by Sanogo, before Cazorla was again refused a penalty following a tangle with David Meyler.Giroud, twice, and Sanogo went close in the closing minutes of normal time and Arsenal's dominance spilled over into extra time, with Giroud heading a cross from Ramsey against the bar.Wenger introduced Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky at half-time of extra time, but it was Ramsey who made the difference, ghosting onto Giroud's back-heel and drilling an exquisite half-volley into the bottom-right corner.Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski gave his team's fans one last fright by rushing out of his box and missing the ball, but Hull substitute Sone Aluko's effort from out on the left bounced agonisingly wide.

Bayern Munich win German Cup final

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BERLIN (AFP) - Arjen Robben and Thomas Mueller scored extra-time goals as Bayern Munich won the German Cup with a 2-0 victory over rivals Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.After the first 90 minutes finished goalless, Robben broke the drought in the 107th-minute before Mueller added a second in time added-on.Coach Pep Guardiola finishes his first season in charge of Bayern with four trophies having already won the Bundesliga title, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.When a team wins the German league title, it's already been a good season, said Guardiola.That was the most important title, but of course we are very happy that we have won the cup.Bayern lifted the German Cup for a record 17th time to claim the domestic league and cup double -- the Champions League was the only title to evade the Bavarian giants this season.But Guardiola admitted he deserved criticism from the German media in the wake of their 4-0 home drubbing by Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final, second-leg.The criticism was quite justified, I did things I shouldn't have done, said Guardiola.I made mistakes in our playing style and tactics against Real, but things like that can happen in big games against big clubs.Having also scored the late winner in the 2013 Champions League final against Borussia at Wembley, Netherlands winger Robben again broke Dortmund hearts.We were finished at the end, admitted Dortmund's coach Jurgen Klopp, who was left fuming after television replays showed a second-half Mats Hummels header crossed the line, but was not given.We tortured ourselves and gave everything. In the phase when we were stronger, we scored a goal, which wasn't given.That should have been seen (by the referee) even without goal-line technology.There was no fairytale finish for Poland striker Robert Lewandowski who had promised to finish his four years at Dortmund by lifting the cup before joining Bayern next season.This was the fourth and final time Germany's top two sides met this season with both teams finishing with two wins a piece.But it was a nervy, tense affair in front of a 71,967 crowd at Berlin's sold-out Olympic Stadium which also included Hollywood star Tom Hanks who is filming 'A Hologram for the King' in Germany's capital. Bayern were forced into a late change when Austria left-back David Alaba dropped out with a stomach muscle injury and Brazil's Rafinha slotted into his place.Munich were already without defensive midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, ruled out with a knee injury while striker Mario Mandzukic having been dropped.Guardiola opted to play a new 3-4-3 system and included 18-year-old midfielder Pierre-Emile Hoejbjerg, who was making only his 11th first team appearance.Dortmund were at near full strength with Lewandowski making his final appearance in the yellow-black shirt.Bayern made a bright start as Mueller and Robben both forced Dortmund captain and goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller into early saves.There were worrying scenes ahead of next month's World Cup in Brazil when Bayern's Germany captain Philipp Lahm limped off with half an hour gone to be replaced by Franck Ribery.The Bayern bench said Lahm had taken a knock to the fibula, but it was not serious and he is expected to join the Germany training camp which starts on Wednesday.Hoejbjerg squandered a great chance with half-time approaching when he fired wide from the penalty area after being left unmarked.At the other end, Lewandowski cannoned his shot over the bar moments later.Both teams had clear chances in the second half as Mueller's shot at point-blank range was smothered by Weidenfeller on 56 minutes.And at the other end, Dortmund defender Mats Hummels' header was saved off the line on 64 minutes by Bayern's Dante.After the game went to extra-time, Robben broke the drought when he fired home at the near post from five metres out.Mueller then took advantage of tired Dortmund legs when he held off Germany team-mate Marcel Schmelzer and rounded Weidenfeller just before the final whistle as Bayern defended their cup title.

Motorcycling: Dominant Marquez takes pole in France

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LE MANS (AFP) - MotoGP world champion and series leader Marc Marquez took pole position for the fifth successive race on Saturday as he timed fastest in qualifying for Sunday's French Grand Prix.The 21-year-old Spanish Honda rider, who was second in the race last year, secured the 42nd pole position of his career ahead of compatriot Pol Espargaro (Yamaha Tech3) and Italy's Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati).Marquez has carried all before him this season winning all four races and should he win on Sunday he would match Italian great Giacomo Agostini's five straight wins to open the 1972 season.Victory on Sunday would also make him the youngest ever rider to win five successive races in the premier class, taking the record from Mike Hailwood who was 22 years and 160 days old when he won five successive races in the 500 class in 1962.Marquez was immediately on the pace on Saturday with his time of 1min 32.567sec becoming a new lap record of Le Mans.But things got even better when the world champion improved to another record time of 1min 32.042sec to maintain his 100% qualifying record in 2014. Marquez was 0.692sec clear of rookie Espargaro who secured his best MotoGP grid result to date in just his fifth elite class race.Dovizioso qualified 0.713sec behind Marquez to take the final spot on the front row.I'm very happy to be on pole and also with the gap between myself and second place on the timesheet, said Marquez.Tomorrow will be interesting as my main rivals -- Dani (Pedrosa), Jorge (Lorenzo) and Valentino (Rossi) -- are not on the front row but on rows two and three. However, I know they will be there in the battle and we must be prepared. Starting from pole is an advantage and I will try to capitalise from it and give 100% -- as always -- to fight for the win.The second row features Stefan Bradl on a Honda with Rossi, a three-time Le Mans winner, and his factory Yamaha teammate Lorenzo 0.857sec off pole in sixth place.I'm quite happy, especially after Friday which was a disaster. I wasn't able to ride the bike in a good way then, but today with my team we improved the setting a lot and I'm satisfied, said Rossi.I'm always fast. I have a good pace and a good setting so I like the bike. In the qualifying I had the potential to be on the front row but at the end it's ok like this.He added: I'm in fifth ahead of Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa and I think they will be great rivals. Marc Marquez is also very fast, but I can fight with them.Making up an all Spanish the third row are Alvaro Bautista, Aleix Espargaro and Marquez's Honda teammate Pedrosa who won the race in 2013.German rider Jonas Folger secured the fifth pole position of his career when he was fastest on his Kalex in qualifying for the Moto2 event.The 20-year-old, who is in 11th position in the championship standings, edged out Spanish duo Esteve Rabat and Luis Salom, both also on Kalex bikesEfren Vazquez of Spain will start in pole position for the Moto3.Vazquez, third in the world championship, steered his Honda to the front of the grid for the fifth race of the season, ahead of championship leader Jack Miller of Australia, on a KTM, and fellow-Spaniard Alex Rins, on another Honda.

Fossils of 'largest' dinosaur found in Argentina

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BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Paleontologists in Argentina's remote Patagonia region have discovered fossils of what may be the largest dinosaur ever, amid a vast cache of fossils that could shed light on prehistoric life.The creature is believed to be a new species of Titanosaur, a long-necked, long-tailed sauropod that walked on four legs and lived some 90 million years ago in the Cretaceous Period.Researchers say the plant-eating dinosaur weighed the equivalent of more than 14 African elephants, or about 100 tonnes, and stretched up to 40 meters (130 feet) in length.The previous record holder, also in Argentina, the Argentinosaurus, was estimated to measure 36.6 meters long.A fossilized femur of the Titanosaur was larger than a paleontologist who lay next to it. And the find didn't stop there.Bones from at least seven individual dinosaurs, including some believed to be younger, were found at the site.This is the most complete discovery of this type of giant dinosaur in the world, a momentous discovery for science, cheered Jose Luis Carballido, one of eight scientists who participated in the research.The fossils were accidentally discovered in 2011 by a farm worker in a remote area in the Patagonian province of Chubut, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) south of Buenos Aires. The worker first spotted a massive leg bone, measuring some 2.4 meters in length.Excavations launched in January 2013 also uncovered complete bones of the tail, torso and neck -- which will allow for a fuller picture of what the entire animal looked like when alive.Carballido, part of a team of Argentine and Spanish researchers, said the group had uncovered 10 vertebrae of the torso, 40 from the tail, parts of the neck and complete legs.Until now, what was known, worldwide, about sauropods was from fragmentary discoveries, said the 36-year-old paleontologist from the Egidio Feruglio Museum in the southern city of Trelew, calling the find extraordinary.Even more bones may yet appear. So far, we have only recovered an estimated 20 percent of what's in the field, said Carballido.The find is set to help shed light on more than just the anatomy of these remarkably large herbivores.The researchers have also found what they believe to be muscle insertions, which will help them reconstruct the form of the creature's muscles and calculate how much energy was needed to move them.Paleontologists have found about 60 teeth at the site, 57 of which are from Tyrannotitan carnivores -- one of the largest known therapods, and known scavengers.In addition to the skeletal remains, fossil imprints of leaves and stems have been found, which could help researchers rebuild the ecosystem at the time. We will be able to make a very precise reconstruction and answer many questions, Carballido said -- including just what about southern Argentina made conditions favorable for so many massive dinosaur species.So far, the new species remains unnamed, and scientists estimate they will publish the first results next year.The research will be done in several stages. First we will present the new species, its characteristics, Carballido said, followed by years of study to detail the animal's biology and the way it grew up.Paul Barrett, fossils and anthropology expert at London's Natural History Museum, cautioned that claims this dinosaur is the largest ever still must be confirmed.This is an inspiring new discovery of a truly gigantic dinosaur, Barrett said. However, we need to know more about the overall size and proportions of the skeleton and use several different methods to investigate its possible width before deciding it's definitely the largest dinosaur species yet known.US paleontologist David Burnham agreed that a lot of things still need to be proven.But largest dinosaur or not, the breadth of the discovery was truly remarkable.You can really start reconstructing past life when you get a treasure trove like this, said Burnham, of the University of Kansas.Finding so many individual dinosaurs at one site could confirm the hypothesis that these herbivores lived in herds, as well as determine any predators they may have had, whether they were scavengers, when they died and in what type of environment they lived, the paleontologist added.

US reports third case of MERS virus

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - An Illinois man has contracted the MERS respiratory virus after coming into contact with the first case of the mysterious Middle East pathogen in the United States, become the third infected person.It was during an ongoing investigation on the first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in the United States that officials identified the new case, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday.CDC officials explained that these laboratory test results are preliminary and suggest that the Illinois resident probably got the virus from the Indiana patient and the person's body developed antibodies to fight the virus, the agency said in a statement.It said the Illinois resident, who has not recently traveled outside the United States, met twice with the Indiana patient before he was identified as the first known case of MERS in the United States.As part of the investigation, health officials have tested people who came into contact with the Indiana resident.The identities of the MERS patients have not been released.The Illinois resident was first tested for MERS on May 5, and those test results were negative. But a blood sample tested positive on Friday, showing he has antibodies to MERS.This latest development does not change CDC's current recommendations to prevent the spread of MERS-CoV, said David Swerdlow, who is leading the agency's MERS response. It's possible that as the investigation continues, others may also test positive for MERS-CoV infection but not get sick.The United States has previously announced two confirmed cases of MERS, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, which originated in Saudi Arabia and has since spread to more than a dozen countries. The first patient, who fell ill in April, has been discharged from a hospital in Indiana.Symptoms of MERS can include fever, chills, cough and in serious cases, kidney failure. Health authorities say it is transmissible mainly through close person-to-person contact and in health care settings.Meanwhile, health authorities in Saudi Arabia reported three more fatalities from the MERS respiratory virus, taking the death toll in the world's worst-hit country to 163.The health ministry website also revealed that 520 cases have been recorded in the country since MERS first appeared in Saudi Arabia in 2012.Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and the United States have also recorded cases, mostly in people who had been to the desert kingdom.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.

79 killed, 141 wounded in Benghazi clashes: latest official toll

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BENGHAZI (AFP) - At least 79 people were killed and 141 others wounded Saturday in fierce clashes in eastern Libya between armed groups loyal to a rogue ex-general and Islamist militias.Libya's government accused the outlaw retired general, Khalifa Haftar, and his irregular forces of trying to carry out a coup as they fight to crush militants in the restive eastern city of Benghazi.Haftar, who lead ground forces in the 2011 uprising that toppled Moamer Kadhafi, used warplanes and helicopters Friday to support an offensive in pitched battles.Giving the latest toll of Friday's unrest in Benghazi, health ministry official Abdallah al-Fitouri said those wounded had been taken to five hospitals in the area. An earlier toll had 37 dead and 139 wounded.Reacting to his vow to continue fighting until Benghazi is purged of terrorists, the army announced a no-fly zone over the port city and suburbs, vowing to shoot down any aircraft that defies the ban.The government, parliament and army charged that Haftar's operation was tantamount to a coup against the central authorities. It is an action outside state legitimacy and a coup d'etat, said a joint statement read on state television by Nuri Abu Sahmein, the head of the General National Congress.All those who took part in this coup bid will be prosecuted, said Abu Sahmein, flanked by recently appointed Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani and armed forces chief of staff Abdessalam Jadallah al-Salihin.Haftar denied the accusations. Our operation is not a coup and we do not plan to seize power, he told reporters. This operation has a precise goal which is the eradication of terrorism in Libya. Haftar, who sees himself as the chief of the national armed forces and has the support of rogue officers and army units as well as warplanes and helicopter gunships, seemed to act on his own accord.Haftar's threat to purge Benghazi of the terrorists is an affront to the authorities, who have struggled to stomp out lawlessness in the North African nation, which is awash with weapons and effectively ruled by a patchwork of former rebels.Once seen as heroes, ex-rebels, particularly Islamists, have been blamed for attacks that have killed dozens of members of security forces, judges and foreigners in Benghazi, the cradle of the 2011 revolt.Meanwhile, a tentative calm was shattered when a war plane bombed an Islamist position in the northwest of the city, an ex-rebel said.We fired at the plane which missed its target, said the source, adding that there were no casualties.It was not immediately clear who carried out the raid, which came after Haftar spokesman Colonel Mohammad Hijazi advised residents in western and southern districts of Benghazi to evacuate their homes.Earlier this year, Haftar caused a stir when he announced an initiative aimed at suspending the interim government and parliament.That sparked concern on social media that a coup might be in the offing, but the government was quick to quash them and insist it was in control.The army says Haftar is backed by tribes, army defectors and ex-rebels who are opposed to the central government.The army's high command declared all of Benghazi and its suburbs a no-fly zone until further notice, state-run LANA news agency said.All military planes flying over the city will be shot down by army units... and units of the revolutionaries (ex-rebels), LANA added.It is not clear if the fledgling army, which is still trying to bolster its capacity, has the means to carry out that threat.Friday's clashes wound down after Haftar's forces pulled out of Benghazi.The violence came weeks after the government acknowledged for the first time the existence of terrorist groups in Libya and said it was mobilising against them.And it comes two weeks after extremist gunmen, including from Ansar Sharia, stormed police headquarters in Benghazi, triggering fighting that killed nine soldiers.Haftar's forces pounded former rebel groups on Friday, focusing in particular on Ansar Sharia, an organisation designated by the United States as a terrorist group.The offensive also comes at a time of high political tensions in Libya where Islamists and liberals are in a tug-of-war, particularly after the disputed election this month of Islamist-backed Thani.Haftar defected from Kadhafi's forces in the late 1980s and spent nearly 20 years in the United States before returning home to join the uprising. He has been accused of being in the pay of the Americans.In other developments, voting was underway in Tripoli for local councils to replace those formed after the uprising, with an average turnout at polling stations after a lacklustre campaign.

7 'Qaeda', soldier killed in Yemen clashes: officials

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ADEN (AFP) - Yemeni forces killed seven Al-Qaeda militants in separate clashes on Saturday while a soldier died in a firefight as the army pressed an offensive against jihadists, officials said.Five Al-Qaeda members were killed in the southern Shabwa province when clashes broke out after militants ambushed a military convoy, a security official said.One soldier was killed and five others were wounded in the gunfight east of the town of Ataq, the official said.Earlier the defence ministry said on its 26sep.net news website that army forces killed two Saudi terrorists, Ibrahim Hamad and Ahmed al-Harbi, in the town of Azzan, also in Shabwa.The army seized Azzan after launching its operation on April 29, but continues to clash with some Al-Qaeda militants still holed up in houses there, witnesses said. The provinces of Abyan and Shabwa and the neighbouring central province of Baida have been the focus of the offensive.President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi vowed Thursday to clear Al-Qaeda from all its remaining bastions by extending the offensive to other regions.He named Marib, east of Sanaa, where Al-Qaeda is firmly implanted. A military official cited by state news agency Saba Saturday said Al-Qaeda members are still being hunted and stressed that the operation will continue until they are cleared.The official urged people to be vigilant about militants fleeing from Mahfad and Shabwa to neighbouring areas. The jihadists' Yemen franchise, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, took advantage of a 2011 uprising that forced veteran president Ali Abdullah Saleh from power to seize large swathes of the south and east.The army recaptured several major towns in 2012 but has struggled to reassert control in rural areas despite recruiting militia allies among the local tribes.

At least 30 dead in massive flooding in Bosnia, Serbia

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BELGRADE (AFP) - The heaviest rains in more than a century have sparked floods across Bosnia and Serbia, claiming at least 30 lives and leading to the evacuation so far of more than 16,000 from flooded villages, officials said Saturday.More than 20 corpses have so far been brought to the city's morgue, the mayor of the northern Bosnian town Doboj, Obren Petrovic, told Bosnia's FTV public broadcaster.Another victim drowned in the town of Samac, police chief Gojko Vasic was quoted by Fena news agency as saying.And the bodies of two elderly women were found in the town of Maglaj after the waters withdrew, the civil protection chief there told reporters.Four flood victims had been found in Bosnia and three in Serbia on Friday. And the death toll could rise. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told reporters that rescuers have started recovering dead bodies from flooded areas, but we will not make the number public before the complete withdrawal of the water. Hardest hit has been the town of Obrenovac, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Belgrade, where the entire town is now being evacuated amid warnings of more flooding, Predrag Maric of the emergency services said.Reporters were banned from entering the town, but a local television channel broadcast footage from a helicopter showing that most of the city was flooded, with water swamping the lower floors of six-storey buildings.Water defences gave way outside Obrenovac near a power plant that produces about half of Serbia's electricity, prompting authorities to urge citizens to limit their use of electricity.Some 78,000 homes in Serbia and 60,000 in Bosnia have no power at all, authorities said.Sirens wailed in the nearby town of Baric as police ordered its 7,000 inhabitants to leave. An AFP photographer saw military and police helicopters evacuating women and children, while others were leaving the town by car or walking towards buses carrying bags with some of their belongings.The European Commission said 14 EU countries were sending aid including helicopters and motorboats, as well as food and medicine, to the flooded Balkan countries. Belgrade has opened 13 centres to receive thousands of evacuees. In one sports venue turned into a shelter, around 400 people sat on improvised beds, recounting their rescues.Svetlan Joksimovic, 74, said he was forced to leave as floods were carrying everything away. I do not know what happened to my cattle, I released the animals so they could swim, he told AFP.Danka Kistovic said a neighbour pulled her out of her flooded house using a rope.I couldn't move anywhere, water flooded everything. I couldn't go out any other way, so a neighbour came to me and put a rope around my waist, pulling me slowly towards their terrace where rescuers picked me up later, she said.Many people were unable to track their family members since the authorities had not yet had time to compile lists of those evacuated.Thousands of volunteers from Belgrade, Novi Sad and other towns went overnight to help set up flood defences in the western town of Sabac, where the Sava river has risen well above historic levels following the worst rains since records began in the late 19th century.Dozens of other cities throughout Serbia were devastated by floods, Maric of the emergency services said.Over the border in Bosnia, local authorities have begun evacuating five villages around the eastern town of Bjeljina, which has also lost electricity.In the region of Zenica a number of villages were cut off so rescuers, including from neighbouring Croatia and Slovenia, were using some 15 helicopters to evacuate people. Landslides had destroyed dozens of homes.Downstream in Croatia, officials were on high alert amid fears that the Sava would overflow and flood the east of the country.The world number two seed Novak Djokovic appealed from Rome, where he booked his place in the final of the Rome Masters, for help and solidarity with his native Serbia.Support and solidarity for my people in Serbia serbiafloodsunitecrisis Please SHARE, Djokovic wrote on his Facebook page, where he has more than four million followers.

India's new parliament sees few women

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NEW DELHI (AFP) - Only one in ten lawmakers elected at Indias national poll are female, despite pledges by politicians from all sides during the campaign to empower women, research published Saturday said.Women candidates won 61 out of 543 seats in the newly-elected national parliament, a small increase on the number in the outgoing one, data from the parliamentary think-tank PRS Legislative Research showed.Final results show women taking 11.3 percent of the seats up for grabs, compared with 10.6 percent at the last national election five years ago, the think-tank based in New Delhi said.Women in India have served as prime minister and president and headed political parties. Sonia Gandhi is the current president of the Congress party, which ruled for 10 years before its rout at the 2014 election.But politics is mostly dominated by men in the traditionally patriarchal country, and only 633 women stood at the mammoth election out of a total 8,164 candidates, the research showed.In recent months, Indian politicians have made a concerted effort to woo women, who make up 49 percent of the electorate, and some promised to pass a long-delayed bill that would reserve a third of seats in national and state assemblies for women.Prime minister-elect Narendra Modi, whose party won the election in a landslide, was among leaders who stressed the need to empower women, including ensuring their personal safety, after the fatal gang rape of a student on a bus in Delhi in December 2012.The crime, which shocked the nation, sparked days of protests and debate about widespread abuse of and discrimination against women in India, and led to tougher laws against rapists and other sex offenders.According to Saturdays research, the incoming parliament will also continue a trend which has seen older lawmakers win a growing number of seats in a country with an increasingly young electorate.About 46 percent of newly elected lawmakers are aged over 55, setting a new record, while the number of elected MPs aged under 40 dropped from 79 in 2009 to 71, the lowest in Indias history.

PTI, JI unite over electoral reforms

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PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat Islami (JI) agreed on Saturday over the proposed electoral reforms while determining to protect the democratic system. JI Chief Sirajul Haq said that his party has no intention to detail democracy, Dunya News reported.PTI’s vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi met JI Chief Sirajul Haq here on Saturday. Both leaders discussed the ongoing political situation.Addressing the media, Qureshi said that he wants to see democratic institutions strengthen. He said that they won’t let democratic process be sabotaged.Sirajul Haq said that some powers are creating shadows of doubts under current circumstances. He said that his party has no intention of derailing democracy.It merits mentioning here that PTI has been contacting the opposition parties to gain support for the proposed electoral reforms. Major parties including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PMLQ) have already agreed to the proposals made by PTI.PTI Chief Imran Khan announced ‘charter of demands’ on May 11, demanding electoral reforms. The party demanded the reformation of Election Commission after removal of the current election commission staff.

Libyan army imposes no fly zone over Benghazi

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BENGHAZI (AFP) - The Libyan army imposed a no fly zone over Benghazi Saturday in a direct challenge to a retired general who has been using airpower to press a campaign against Islamist militants there.Khalifa Haftar, who lived in exile in the United States before returning home to lead ground forces in the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Moamer Kadhafi, heads what he calls a National Army.On Friday his paramilitary force, backed by warplanes and helicopters, pounded Islamist militiamen in Libyas second city and fought pitched battles with the ex-rebels.Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani denounced Haftars forces as outlaws and called on all parties to observe restraint.But Haftar vowed to press his war against Islamists, blamed for attacks that have killed dozens of members of the security forces, judges and foreigners since the end of the uprising in October 2011.The operation will continue until Benghazi is purged of terrorists, he told Libya Awalan television.Armed forces chief of staff Abdessalam Hadallah al-Salihin has denied any army involvement in the Benghazi clashes, although he admitted that some officers and army units had defected to join Haftar.Later Haftar spokesman Colonel Mohammad Hijazi called on people living in the western Benghazi district of Guwersha and the southern one of Sidi Fradj to evacuate their homes.He did not say if this was the prelude to attacks on those neighbourhoods, which are known to be bastions of the Islamists.The armys high command upped the ante by declaring all of Benghazi and its suburbs a no fly zone until further notice, state-run Lana news agency said.All military planes flying over the city will be shot down by army units... and units of the revolutionaries (ex-rebels), it said.But it was not clear if the army has the means to carry out its threat, which came as local sources said mediation was underway to try and prevent new fighting in Benghazi.The health ministry said 37 people were killed and 139 wounded in Fridays clashes in Benghazi, cradle of the revolution that toppled and killed Kadhafi.A precarious calm reigned in the port city Saturday.- Political tensions -Fridays violence came weeks after the government acknowledged for the first time the existence of terrorist groups in Libya and said it was mobilising against them.It also comes two weeks after jihadist gunmen, including Ansar Sharia, stormed police headquarters in Benghazi, triggering fighting that killed nine soldiers.Haftars forces pounded former rebel groups, focusing in particular on Ansar Sharia, an organisation designated by the United States as a terrorist group, the army said.The offensive also comes at a time of high political tensions in Libya where Islamists and liberals are in a tug-of-war,particularly after the disputed election this month of a new Islamist-backed prime minister.The government has struggled to assert its control over the vast, mostly desert country, which is awash with heavy weapons and effectively ruled by a patchwork of former rebel militias.The Benghazi clashes have divided Libyans, with some saying Haftars operation could pave the way to a military coup in order to seize power.Others praise his will to rid Libya of extremism.Tribes and the military have allied themselves with Haftars forces, who are also supported by separatist rebels who have been blockading for months petroleum sites.Haftar defected from Kadhafis forces in the late 1980s and spent nearly 20 years in the United States before returning home to join the uprising. He has been accused of being in the pay of the Americans.In other developments, voting was underway in Tripoli Saturday for local councils to replace those formed after the uprising, with an average turnout at polling stations after a lacklustre campaign.The city has been divided administratively into four municipalities as part of an electoral process that began last November in the east of the country.Libyas interim government has divided the country into 102 municipalities with a view to promoting local governance and decentralisation.

Malawi leader says graft scandal is election trump card

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ZOMBA (AFP) - Malawis President Joyce Banda wrapped up her election campaign Saturday by claiming that a graft scandal which rocked her administration is in fact her trump card.As part of her campaign to crack down on corruption, she last year ordered an audit which found that millions of dollars in state funds had been looted by officials under her watch.Bandas opponents accuse her of complicity in the theft and have used the so-called Cashgate scandal in their campaigns against her ahead of Tuesdays election.But she told journalists before addressing a final rally in her home village of Songani on the outskirts of Zomba, the scandal would not affect her showing at the polls.If anything, the Cashgate scandal was one of the highlights of her two years in office and that should work to her advantage, she suggested.In fact thats my greatest achievement, she said, adding that it had emerged that the rot had been going on before she came into office.Her decision to fight graft put her political career at risk, but she had no choice and someone had to wage the battle, she said. Its just theres one bold president who came in and decided enough was enough, she said.I realised and I was advised that seven months before elections was too short for me to tackle corruption because the people that are benefiting from it, they will fight you back, they will bring you down, you may never get up.I said yes, I dont have a choice. I took risks, I had to make very bold decisions.A former vice president, Banda took power in 2012 after the death in office of president Bingu wa Mutharika.I came in and found a country that was corrupt and bankrupt, I have turned around the economy, she said.Banda managed to kickstart growth with painful economic reforms, winning the confidence of donors who returned with vital aid -- some of which was again suspended after Cashgate.She squares up in the election against the brother of her predecessor, Peter Mutharika, who is her closest rival, and two other candidates who have a significant support base.

Turkey mine rescue ends, death toll at 301: minister

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SOMA (AFP) - Turkey on Saturday declared rescue operations over following this weeks devastating coalmine blast after retrieving the bodies of two last trapped miners, bringing the final death toll to 301.The rescue operation was carried out to completion. There are no miners left underground. All of them have been identified after DNA tests, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told reporters in the western town of Soma, site of the countrys worst ever industrial disaster.Rescuers scoured all corners of the mine for a last time to make sure everyone had been located, but they have not come across any more bodies, he said.The rescue workers have battled unexpected fires since Tuesdays initial fire and explosion, Yildiz said, including one that broke out earlier Saturday, hampering efforts to save the last two trapped miners.A total of 485 miners were rescued alive, he added, pledging support for the stricken families.A preliminary expert report on the accident, obtained by the Milliyet newspaper, pointed to several safety violations in the mine, including a shortage of carbon monoxide detectors and ceilings made of wood instead of metal.Mine operator Soma Komur on Friday vehemently denied any negligence.We have all worked very hard. I have not seen such an incident in 20 years, said general director Akin Celik.Yildiz said the mine would not resume production until all issues have been brought to light.Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been the focus of mounting anger for his response, starting with an apparent attempt to play down the incident by comparing it to mining disasters from 19th-century Britain.At least 36 people, including eight lawyers, were briefly arrested and held in a stadium in Soma on Saturday after they attempted to make a statement.Police beat and injured some of the lawyers who had come to advise families of the miners who lost their lives, the Contemporary Lawyers Association wrote on Twitter.Security checkpoints were set up on the main roads leading to Soma a day after police forcefully broke up a peaceful demonstration in the town.- A sense of revulsion -Nationwide trauma has turned to rage, fuelled by claims of negligence against mine operators and what many see as a heartless response from the government.There was further outrage on social media after a video emerged of Erdogan shouting an anti-Israel slur at a crowd of angry protesters -- and apparently hitting one of them.Why are you running away, Israeli spawn? Erdogan is heard yelling at a protester in the footage, which surfaced after one of his advisors was photographed kicking a grieving demonstrator.But an official from Erdogans office told AFP on Saturday: The prime minister has definitely not used such an expression. The use of such an expression is out of the question.Erdogans popularity -- particularly among poorer, rural communities -- has proved largely impervious both to waves of anti-government protests last year and recent allegations of high-level corruption, with his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) winning a landslide victory in local elections in March.But the response to the mining disaster may shock even his more loyal supporters, analysts say.This time even many of Erdogans supporters are feeling sceptical and confused about his response. Thats a new feeling for them. The image of a government advisor kicking a protestor is bound to evoke a sense of revulsion, Rasit Kaya, political science professor at Ankaras Middle East Technical University, told AFP.It is not something he can easily turn to his advantage. But how much damage will be caused is anyones guess, he said.- Universities occupied -Mine explosions and collapses are frequent in Turkey, but both the scale and the handling of Tuesdays disaster stand to weaken Erdogans hand ahead of an expected run for the presidency in August.Turkish police used tear gas, water cannon and plastic bullets to disperse demonstrators chanting anti-government slogans in Soma on Friday.In Istanbul, police broke up a demonstration by about 150 people who lit candles and lined up mining helmets on the ground to pay tribute to the dead miners.Students occupied university buildings in the city, holding an all-night vigil in protest at the official response.Erdogans government stands accused of failing to heed warnings about Soma, a key centre for lignite coal mining that has suffered accidents in the past.Ozgur Ozel, a local lawmaker from the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), said the ruling party had turned down his request to investigate work-related accidents at coalmines in Soma.But Yildiz said his party was now backing a motion to probe the disaster and vowed to amend mining regulations.
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