Monday 26 May 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Narendra Modi formally takes charge as Indian PM

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NEW DELHI (AFP / Web Desk) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office on Tuesday, a day after being sworn-in by President Pranab Mukherjee.Modi was received at South Block office of the PMO by newly appointed Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra and some other officials.As soon as he entered his office, he paid obeisance to Mahatma Gandhi by offering flower tributes to his photograph.Narendra Modi also held meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his new cabinet on Tuesday, shortly before he was expected to hold landmark talks with his Pakistani counterpart, as he hit the ground running on his first day in office.The morning after Modi and his slimmed-down team of ministers were sworn in, the right-wing leader was to host Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bid to ease tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.Sharif was one of six regional leaders who attended the lavish inauguration on Monday evening for Modi, a former tea boy who has been elected leader of the world's largest democracy with the strongest mandate for 30 years.Modi has an image as a hardliner, even within his own Hindu nationalist party, and is regarded with deep suspicion by many in Pakistan after deadly anti-Muslim riots erupted in his western fiefdom a decade ago.But in a surprise move that disarmed many of his critics, Modi decided last week to invite Sharif to his inauguration and then to join him for bilateral talks on Tuesday.Let us together dream of a strong, developed and inclusive India that actively engages with the global community to strengthen the cause of world peace and development, Modi said as he was sworn in on Monday.It will be the first time an Indian prime minister has hosted a Pakistani leader for official talks in New Delhi since the rupture in relations that followed the 2008 attacks in Mumbai when 166 people were killed.The talks come as Modi announced his new cabinet on Tuesday, with Sushma Swaraj, the most senior woman in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), named foreign minister.Arun Jaitley, an urbane top lawyer who has emerged as one of Modi's chief lieutenants, was handed the finance and defence portfolios, while BJP president Rajnath Singh is the new home affairs minister.Modi himself is in charge of space and nuclear energy along with personnel, public grievances and pensions.Modi named 46 ministers including himself -- 25 fewer than in the outgoing government headed by the left-leaning Congress party.The smaller team is part of a drive to speed up decision-making and slash India's notorious bureaucracy, blamed in part for a slowdown in the economy which is now growing at its lowest rate in a decade.- Strong mandate -In an interview to India's NDTV network, Sharif said Modi's arrival in power after a landslide election victory represented a great opportunity for the countries to open a new chapter in relations.This is a chance to reach out to each other. Both governments have a strong mandate, added Sharif who won Pakistan's election last year.Sharif promised to pick up the threads of a failed peace process which went on during his second term in office -- coinciding with the last time Modi's BJP was in power in India.In 1999, then-Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee rode a bus to the Pakistani city of Lahore to sign an accord with Sharif, but three months later the neighbours nearly went to war over Kashmir.Several television channels reported Modi was likely to chair his first cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening in another signal of his desire to promptly set out clear targets for his government.In a statement to mark his swearing-in, Modi said his election had handed him a mandate for development, good governance and stability, avoiding any reference to the Hindu nationalist plank of the BJP's manifesto.Modi, who rose through the ranks of right-wing Hindu organisations, is tainted by anti-Muslim riots that occurred while he was running his home state of western Gujarat in 2002 that killed at least 1,000 people.

PM Nawaz visits Jamia Masjid New Delhi

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NEW DELHI (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday (today) visited Jamia Masjid.Imam of the Mosque, Syed Ahmed Bukhari received the Prime Minister on his arrival at the mosque.The PM was accompanied by members of his delegation Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit.Nawaz Sharif waved to the visitors who were present in the mosque.On this occasion, Imam Ahmad Bukhari briefed the PM about the historical status of the mosque and Indian Muslims religious devotion to it.Nawaz Sharif praised aesthetic sense of the great artistes who participated in the construction. He also praised the great architecture of the mosque.Later, the PM also visited Red Fort in Delhi and took round of different parts of the fort.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would also hold meetings with different leaders of parties representing Muslims in India.It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in India on Monday to attend oath taking ceremony of newly elected Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will hold important talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi today (Tuesday).The two sides will discuss bilateral relations and regional and international issues. Theywill also explore mean to remove tensions on the Line of Control.On Monday night, the PM also attended a reception hosted by Indian President in honor of world leaders, who arrived in New Delhi to attend the ceremony.

Kalam: 16 killed as truck plunges into River Swat

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KALAM (Dunya News) – At least 16 members of the same family, including 10 children and five women, were killed and seven others were injured when a truck carrying them fell into River Swat Pashmal area of Kalam near Swat on Tuesday morning.The ill-fated family was going to Atro from Punjab.Police and rescue teams reached the spot and started rescue operation. The injured were shifted to Saidu Sharif Hospital.

Egypt votes in poll seen giving Sisi landslide victory

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CAIRO (AFP) - Egyptians voted for a new president Monday in an election expected to give a landslide victory to the ex-army chief who ousted the country's first democratically-elected leader and crushed his Islamist movement.The two-day election is the first since the frontrunner Abdel Fattah al-Sisi deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July, a move that unleashed the bloodiest violence in Egypt's recent history.Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood is boycotting the vote, as are revolutionary youths who fear Sisi is an autocrat in the making.But the 59-year-old retired field marshall is expected to trounce his sole rival, leftist Hamdeen Sabbahi, amid widespread calls for stability.Sisi himself voted minutes after polling opened Monday amid a throng of jostling reporters and supporters. About 53 million people are eligible to vote.The entire world is watching us, how Egyptians are writing history and their future today and tomorrow, Sisi said. Egyptians must be reassured that tomorrow will be very beautiful and great, he said, as supporters shook his hand and kissed his cheeks.Many view the vote as a referendum on stability versus the freedoms promised by the Arab Spring-inspired popular uprising that ousted veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Since the revolution, the country of 86 million people has been rocked by sporadic unrest and a tanking economy.Mubarak's successor, Morsi, lasted one year in office, winning Egypt's first democratic presidential poll only to quickly alienate many who held mass rallies demanding his resignation.We need someone who speaks in a determined and strong way. The Egyptian people are frightened by this and respect those who are like this, said Milad Yusef, a 29-year-old lawyer waiting to vote in Cairo.Yusef said he had voted for Sabbahi in the 2012 election that Morsi won, but that he would now back Sisi.We need someone strong, a military man, he said. Sisi has said true democracy would take a couple of decades, and suggested he would not tolerate protests disrupting the economy.He also pledged to eliminate the Brotherhood, which won every election following Mubarak's overthrow after being banned for decades.The Islamist movement is boycotting the election, along with the April 6 youth movement which spearheaded the anti-Mubarak revolt, and said Sunday it would reject the outcome.Forgery will never grant legitimacy to a butcher nor will it lessen the determination of revolutionaries, the Brotherhood said.Voting in the pro-Morsi town of Kerdasa, 35 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of Cairo, was low as loyalists of Morsi stayed indoors.Sisi killed youths and now he is grabbing power. This is the biggest evidence that (Morsi's ouster) was a coup, Mohamed Gamal, a law graduate who boycotted the vote, told AFP.Police raided the town in September after 13 officers were killed following Morsi's overthrow.The Brotherhood, now blacklisted as a terrorist group, has been decapitated in a police crackdown that has killed more than 1,400 people, including an estimated 700 protesters on one day in August.Morsi himself has been detained and put on trial.This election will not wipe the slate clean after 10 months of gross human rights violations, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.Hundreds of soldiers and policemen have also been killed in militant attacks since Morsi's overthrow, with the deadliest claimed by an Al-Qaeda-inspired group based in the restive Sinai Peninsula.Sisi has called for a high turnout in the election, billed by the military-installed authorities and the West as a milestone toward elected rule.The poll will be followed by parliamentary elections later this year.Sisi's sole rival Sabbahi, a veteran dissident, has vowed to defend the democratic aspirations of the 2011 revolt.

Turkish court orders arrest of Israeli top brass over Gaza ship raid

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ANKARA (AFP) - A Turkish court on Monday ordered the arrest of four former Israeli military chiefs over a deadly 2010 maritime assault, in a move which could jeopardise reconciliation efforts between the countries.The court in Istanbul will ask Interpol to issue international arrest warrants for four men involved in a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, Cihat Gokdemir, a lawyer working on the case, told AFP.The ruling is part of an ongoing criminal trial in absentia of the four men on charges brought by aid group IHH and the victims' families in 2012, which has been denounced as a show by Israel. It also follows months of negotiations between former allies Turkey and Israel to end a diplomatic row sparked when nine activists were killed after Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish-flagged ship.An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the court's decision on Monday as a ridiculous provocation.If this is the message that the Turks want to send to Israel, it was perfectly well understood, said the official, declining to elaborate further on what this meant for the reconciliation process.Turkish officials recently said they were close to a deal that would see Israel pay compensation for the deaths. Local media said Israel had insisted any deal be conditional on the lawsuits against the soldiers being dropped. Turkish prosecutors are seeking life sentences for former military chief of staff Gaby Ashkenazi, former navy chief Eliezer Marom, former military intelligence head Amos Yadlin and former air force intelligence chief Avishai Levy.Nine Turkish activists died aboard the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, the largest ship in a flotilla dispatched by Turkish relief agency Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip on May 31, 2010.IHH said Monday that a 51-year-old activist who had remained in a coma following the incident died on Saturday, bringing the number of victims to 10.Suleyman Ugur Soylemez became a martyr on Saturday, a member of the NGO told AFP.The assault sparked widespread condemnation and provoked a major diplomatic crisis between the two countries.Ankara expelled the Israeli ambassador, demanded a formal apology and compensation and an end to the blockade on the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas a Palestinian militant group.An Israeli probe found that the raid did not violate international law, in a conclusion which Turkey said lacked credibility.Talks on compensation began a year ago after Israel extended a formal apology to Turkey in a breakthrough brokered by US President Barack Obama.Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, said in April he was prepared to normalise ties with the Jewish state.Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said in February that a deal with Israel was close, adding: When we say okay, an international agreement will be concluded and it will set a precedent.Turkish media have said any agreement would have the status of an international agreement and would give the Israeli military immunity from any liability over the assault.Under the Turkish constitution, international treaties take precedence over domestic law if there is a disagreement.It was not immediately clear what political repercussions the court's verdict would have on the negotiations.We don't know yet how an agreement will address the issue of criminal charges against the former Israeli commanders, said Ozdem Sanberk, a retired ambassador who represented Turkey on a United Nations panel investigating the Mavi Marmara raid.In principle, the judiciary is independent and we must say that the judicial process is independent from the diplomatic track, he told AFP. But Serkan Nergis, spokesman for IHH, said the group would continue to fight in the court. The trial is due to continue, with the next hearing expected n December.We will not drop the lawsuits. We believe criminals must be put on trial, he told AFP on Monday.Even if we do give up, victims' families will not.There have been several other attempts to reach the Palestinian territory by boat since 2010, all of which have been stopped by Israel without bloodshed.

Kerry vows to back new president for 'united' Ukraine

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday said the United States will back the new Ukraine leader and support its people, just as Petro Poroshenko was named winner of the weekend's presidential election.Ukraine's election commission chief said that the tycoon won the election in the first round by collecting more than half the votes in a poll that Washington hopes will bring stability to the eastern European country.We will support their efforts to determine their own future in a more united, secure, independent, and prosperous Ukraine, Kerry said in a statement before Poroshenko's victory was announced.Sunday's vote was seen as the most important in Ukraine's post-Soviet history as it fights to stay united after months of turmoil and avert economic collapse.The unrest has also pitted the United States against Russia after Moscow annexed Crimea, plunging Russia-Washington relations to their lowest point since the Cold war.The successful conduct of these elections reaffirms Ukraine's commitment to the democratic process. The United States will continue to work with the people of Ukraine and the newly elected President to build on this victory for democracy, said Kerry.He added: The United States respects Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, condemns and rejects Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea, and remains committed to working with Ukraine and other partners to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.Kerry also praised the courage and determination of voters in parts of Ukraine's east, where pro-Moscow rebels prevented voting taking place.

20 killed in Boko Haram raid on Nigerian village: official

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KANO (AFP) - Suspected Boko Haram gunmen stormed a Christian village in northeastern Nigeria, killing 20 residents, a government spokesman said Monday.The heavily armed gunmen stormed Waga village in Adamawa state on Sunday and opened fire, Ahmed Soji said.The gunmen believed to be Boko Haram insurgents in trucks and on motorcycles attacked the village where they killed 20 people and burnt several houses, Soji said.The whereabouts of several other people are still unknown but it is assumed they fled into the bush to escape the attack and are yet to return, he said.A second attack by the marauding gunmen on nearby Gublak village was repelled by soldiers in the area, Soji said without saying if there were casualties in the shootout.Adamawa state, which is one of three states under emergency law along with Borno and Yobe, has seen a string of deadly Boko Haram attacks.In February, the group killed 34 people and burnt scores of homes in coordinated bombing and shooting attacks on Michika, Kirchiga and Shuwa towns near the border with Borno state.At least 24 people were killed on Sunday when Boko Haram gunmen raided Kumuta village in Borno State, where the Islamists have stepped up deadly attacks on villages in recent months.According to residents, dozens of motorcycle-riding gunmen stormed the village after sunrise as locals were heading to the weekly market, opening fire on residents.The militants, who have claimed the abduction of more than 200 girls from their school in Chibok, Borno state six weeks ago, have recently intensified their attacks in the state's countryside, raiding villages where they kill residents, loot food supplies and set fire to homes.

PM Nawaz, Modi to meet today

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NEW DELHI (Online): The meeting is expected to last an hour and will be centred on enhancing confidence building measures between the two countries. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will meet the President Pranab Mukherjee after his meeting with Modi.It is pertinent to mention that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is in New Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of his incoming Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.Prior to his departure for New Delhi, PM Nawaz said he is visiting India with the message of peace as dialogue was the only solution for problems. The prime minister added that Pakistan wanted positive relationships with all neighbouring countries including India.

Shab-e-Meraj observed with religious zeal across the country

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Shab-e-Meraj,the night of ascent when the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ascended to the highest levels of Heavens, was being observed on Thursday night across the country with religious devotion, serenity and traditional fervor.The Muslims every year on 27th of Rajab (Islamic calendar) observe the Shab-e-Meraj, the night the Holy Prophet (PBUH) embarked on a special journey to meet Allah Almighty, crossing seven skies riding the heavenly ‘al-Buraq’.The women devotees had arranged special gatherings inside their homes for offering special prayers all the night. Whereas males offered prayers in specially decorated mosques for seeking the blessings of Allah and pray for welfare of the entire nation and the Ummah.During the gatherings, various Islamic scholars highlight the importance of the day and its blessings. Different Islamic and socio-cultural organizations have also arranged special prayers and Mahafil in mosques and at other places Thursday night to seek blessings of the Almighty.The word Meraj is derived from Arabic word Urooj, which means height, or ascension. During Meraj, the command for five daily prayers (Salat) was also given to the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Fazl calls on Sirajul Haq

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LAHORE (Online): A high level JUI (F) delegation headed by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, called on the newly-elected Ameer of the Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, at Mansoora on Monday and congratulated him on assuming his office.The delegation included Hafiz Husain Ahmed, Maulana Amjad Khan and others. The JI Secretary General, Liaqat Baloch, Hafiz Muhammad Idrees, Mian Muhammad Aslam and Rashid Naseem were also present.The two leaders discussed the international scene besides the political situation obtaining in the country with special reference to the working of the religious parties.Later, addressing a joint press conference, Sirajul Haq said that the religious parties were a reality which could not be ignored. He said that Pakistan came into being in the name of Islam and its ultimate goal was the Islamic system. The religious forces wanted the country to advance on its founding ideology.He said that the constitution of the Pakistan was Islamic in character and provided solution to all the problems facing the country and the masses.He said those who were disloyal to the constitution and the Pakistan ideology were not faithful to the country.To a question about Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to India, Sirajul Haq said that the Prime Minister should truly represent the nation and take up with the Indian leaders the issues of Kashmir and river waters, and should also meet the Hurriyat Conference leadership there.Earlier, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, said the purpose of his visit was to promote ties within religious parties which was the need of the time, because practically, the western agenda was being advanced in the country and alien culture, vulgarity and obscenity were being promoted at the cost of the Islamic traditions and values.

Karzai: Pakistan group behind India consulate attack

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NEW DELHI (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday accused a Pakistan-based militant group of being behind last week's attack by gunmen on an Indian diplomatic mission in the west of his war-torn country.On the eve of talks between India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, Karzai blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba for Friday's attack on the consulate in Herat, the latest in a string of assaults on Indian targets in Afghanistan.According to the information that we have available to us -- one given to us by a Western intelligence agency -- the perpetrators were of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Karzai told India's Headlines Today television channel.The incident is condemned by the Afghan people as it is condemned by the people of India. This was a clear, clear attack by terrorists, said Karzai who was in New Delhi to attend Modi's inauguration ceremony.Although there were no casualties among Indian staff, at least two policemen were wounded when the heavily-armed attackers stormed a house close to the consulate and opened fire on the building in a pre-dawn assault that was eventually repelled by security forces.Lashkar-e-Taiba was blamed for the 2008 attacks by Pakistani gunmen in Mumbai which killed 166 people and triggered a complete breakdown in ties between New Delhi and Islamabad.Some analysts have interpreted Friday's attack as an attempt by anti-India elements in Pakistan to test the resolve of Modi, a hardline Hindu nationalist.

Tennis: Stan overboard as Nadal, Djokovic, Sharapova shine

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PARIS (AFP) - Third-seeded Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka made a shock, listless exit from the French Open on Monday at the hands of Spanish journeyman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.The Swiss, bidding to become the first man since Jim Courier in 1992 to win the French Open in the same year as the Australian title, lost 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0.The 29-year-old Wawrinka produced a woeful 61 unforced errors as Garcia-Lopez, the world number 41, booked a second round match against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.Wawrinka, a quarter-finalist at Roland Garros in 2013 and tipped as a possible title contender after winning the Monte Carlo Masters claycourt crown last month, was the second top 10 seed to lose at a rain-hit Monday.Japanese ninth seed Kei Nishikori had earlier lost 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 6-2 to Slovakia's Martin Klizan.There were no such problems for Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova who all shrugged off the Paris gloom.Eight-time champion Nadal, bidding to become the first man to win five Roland Garros titles in a row, beat US wildcard and world number 279 Robby Ginepri 6-0, 6-3, 6-0.It was Nadal's 60th win at the French Open against just one loss.World number one Nadal kicked off his campaign on the secondary Suzanne Lenglen court while title rivals Djokovic and Wawrinka were handed top billing on the main Philippe Chatrier arena.It was a decision blasted as bizarre by one fellow professional even though Nadal himself had criticised the state of the newly-laid clay on Chatrier after a weekend practice session.Despite the controversy, it was business as usual for Nadal who fired 27 winners past Ginepri, a semi-finalist at the 2005 US Open whose challenge was undone by 41 unforced errors.It doesn't matter where I play, said Nadal who next faces highly-rated Dominic Thiem of Austria.It's always a pleasure and an honour to play at Roland Garros, on Chatrier, Lenglen or any other court. This place has given me unforgettable emotions.Second seed Djokovic, the 2012 runner-up who is seeking a first Roland Garros title to complete a career Grand Slam, brushed aside Portugal's Joao Sousa, the world 42, in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.Djokovic, widely regarded as the favourite to dethrone Nadal having beaten the Spaniard in Rome two weeks ago, next faces French hope Jeremy Chardy. I played for most of the match quite solid. The end of the match was not so nice from my side because I dropped my serve twice, said Djokovic.Sharapova, seeded seven and the 2012 champion, needed just over an hour to beat fellow Russian, Ksenia Pervak, the world's 156th-ranked player, 6-1, 6-2.The 27-year-old, who lost last year's final to Serena Williams, looked comfortable under the cloudy conditions on Chatrier, breaking her opponent five times.Sharapova will next face Bulgaria's 2010 Wimbledon semi-finalist Tsvetana Pironkova.First matches at Grand Slams are always tough, no matter how prepared you are, no matter how many matches you've played, said Sharapova, now 13-1 on clay in 2014 with titles in Stuttgart and Madrid.Nishikori was left feeling as miserable as the Paris weather, clearly still suffering from his recent back injury.Nishikori, 24, and coached by 1989 champion Michael Chang, was the first Japanese man in 75 years to make the fourth round in Paris in 2013.But the world number 10, who first suffered the back injury in the Madrid Masters final against Nadal, looked distinctly half-fit on Court 1 where he was broken 10 times by Klizan.He also hit 10 double faults and committed 40 unforced errorsLeft-handed Klizan, 24, one of six former junior champions in the main draw, goes on to face Robin Haase of the Netherlands.It sucks, said Nishikori.Monday's action also witnessed the first marathon of the French Open with Argentine qualifier Facundo Bagnis marking his Gramd Slam debut by seeing off Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-1, 6-2, 1-6, 3-6, 18-16 in four and a half hours.Other top men's players going through were Italian 14th seed Fabio Fognini, Tommy Robredo, the 17th seed from Spain as well as colourful 18th seeded Latvian Ernests Gulbis.In the women's first round, Czech fifth seed Petra Kvitova, a semi-finalist in 2012 defeated Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-2 while Dominika Cibulkova, the Slovak ninth seed, beat France's Virginie Razzano 7-5, 6-0Australian 18th seed Samantha Stosur, the runner-up in 2010, eased past Puerto Rico's Monica Puig 6-1, 6-1 despite having had five stitches in a gashed leg.America's Taylor Townsend, meanwhile, came from 1-5 down to beat compatriot Vania King 7-5, 6-1.Also going through was Austria's Tamira Paszek whose 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) win over Belgium's Alison van Uytvanck was her first at Roland Garros for seven years.

Football: Suarez optimistic of making World Cup: doctor

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MONTEVIDEO (AFP) - Uruguay's star striker Luis Suarez is recuperating after undergoing surgery to repair knee meniscus damage in training and is doing well as he fights to get fit for the World Cup, team doctor Alberto Pan said Monday.The 27-year-old -- who is set to clash with Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard as Uruguay has been drawn with England, Italy and Costa Rica, had the surgery late last week after injuring his knee in training on Wednesday. It augurs well that things have gone very well following the operation and that he has plenty of optimism right now and a great desire to keep getting better, Pan told a press conference.Today, there is no pain, added Pan after the Liverpool hitman, a mainstay of the side which reached the semi-finals at the 2010 finals, went under the knife for the injury to his left knee just 23 days before two-times champions Uruguay meet Costa Rica in their group opener ahead of games with England and Italy.Pan warned even so that it is still premature to put an exact date on when he will return to normal activity and fitness.The first week entails observation, rest and weight training, said Pan, adding that the medical team would assess things from there.He added that Suarez, who enjoyed a superlative season in becoming the first Liverpool player to score 30 league goals in a season since Ian Rush 27 years ago, would bounce back as Luis is an athlete with an exceptional constitution.He saluted the striker's very positive character and noted that he has all the basic conditions (required) to make the best of recoveries.Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez stressed he would wait on Suarez's fitness before determining what role he would play at the finals.Things with Luis will depend on how things go with his knee. Our main concern is the player's health, Tabarez told reporters. while adding that he hoped his fitness will permit him to participate.

Cameroon beat Macedonia 2-0 in World Cup warm-up

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KUFSTEIN (AP) - Striker Pierre Webo picked up a left shoulder injury while scoring Cameroon's first goal in a 2-0 victory over Macedonia in a warmup game for the World Cup.Webo beat Macedonia goalkeeper Tome Pacovski with an acrobatic bicycle kick in the 52nd minute but landed on his arm and thus left the field immediately.The Fenerbahce striker, who scored his 18th goal in 54 international matches, had his left arm in a sling though there was no immediate information on the extent of his injury.In the 84th, Maxim Choupo-Moting scored with a low shot after loose defending by Macedonia to double Cameroon's lead.Coach Volker Finke's team, which has been drawn in Group A with Mexico, Croatia and host Brazil, was without its key striker Samuel Eto'o, who is recovering from a knee injury.Choupo-Moting had hit the crossbar with a thundering strike in the 17th minute, Cameroon's best scoring opportunity in the first half.Cameroon keeper Guy N'Dy Assembe, who replaced Sammy N'Djock at half-time, prevented Macedonia's Blaze Ilioski from scoring after a counter attack by the Europeans in the 70th minute.Mohammadou Idrissou, who came on for Webo, was denied Cameroon's third goal as keeper Pacovski pushed his powerful volley over the crossbar in injury time.Cameroon plays Paraguay in its next warm-up game in Austria on Thursday.

Athletics: Powell appeals doping ban

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LAUSANNE (AFP) - Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, the former 100m world record holder, has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against his 18-month doping ban.Powell and training partner Sherone Simpson tested positive for banned stimulant oxilofrine after the 100m finals at the Jamaican nationals on June 21, 2013.Powell, who blamed his positive result on a nutritional supplement, was banned until December 28, 2014 by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission Disciplinary Panel.The 2008 Olympic champion in the 4x100m relay has requested that CAS cut the suspension to three months, the international body's secretary general Matthieu Reeb told AFP on Monday.The date of the hearing has not yet been fixed.Simpson is also appealing her 18-month suspension.Powell, who held the 100m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, believes the punishment is too severe for the level and nature of the offence.He blamed Canadian physical therapist Chris Xuereb for the positive test, saying he provided the nutritional supplement, Epiphany D1, that resulted in the failed test.Jamaican athletics great Veronica Campbell-Brown was cleared to compete in February after CAS confirmed she had been found not guilty of a doping violation.The 31-year-old -- only the second woman athlete to win successive 200m Olympic titles when she won in 2004 and 2008 -- missed last year's outdoor world championships after she tested positive for a banned diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide.
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