Friday 13 June 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Shikarpur: Road accident claims 4 lives

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SHIKARPUR (Dunya News) – According to details, two vehicles collided at the National Highway near Shikarpur on early Saturday morning, killing four people and wounding 15 other.Police and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured to nearby hospital.

Afghans vote in election clouded by Taliban and fraud fears

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KABUL (AFP) - Afghans head to the polls today (Saturday) to vote in a second-round presidential election under the threat of Taliban attack, as US-led combat troops wind down a 13-year war that has failed to defeat the insurgents.The run-off election will decide whether former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah or ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani leads the country into a new era with declining international military and civilian assistance.President Hamid Karzai is due to step down after ruling the country since 2001, when a US-led offensive ousted the austere Taliban regime for sheltering Al Qaeda militants behind the 9/11 attacks.Afghan officials and international allies are hoping for a repeat of the successful first-round vote in April, when the insurgents failed to launch a single high-profile attack and voter turnout was more than 50 percent.But the stakes are high with the Taliban issuing specific threats to target polling stations and widespread fears that electoral fraud could produce a contested result.UN head of mission Jan Kubis issued a stark warning to candidates' supporters not to resort to the kind of ballot-box stuffing that marred the 2009 election when Karzai retained power.Do not commit fraud. Do not use intimidation or manipulation to favour your candidate, Kubis said.Abdullah secured 45 percent of the first-round vote with Ghani on 31.6 percent, after investigations into multiple fraud claims by both sides.The two candidates came top of an eight-man field, triggering the run-off election as neither reached the 50 percent threshold needed for an outright victory.A smooth handover in Afghanistan's first democratic transfer of power would be a major achievement for the international effort to establish a functioning state after the depredations of the Taliban era.The country has seen massive changes as billions of dollars of aid money poured in, bringing rapid development in some cities but only limited improvements in security, women's rights and education.Harsh terrain and poor roads make holding an Afghan election a major challenge, with thousands of donkeys used to transport ballot boxes to remote villages.Counting the vote will take weeks. The preliminary result is due on July 2 and the final result on July 22.Ahead of the election, the Taliban said polling booths would be targeted in non-stop assaults.By holding elections, the Americans want to impose their stooges on the people, the insurgents said on their website.Police and soldiers have been searching almost every car on the roads of the capital, and Afghan officials expressed confidence in the security forces that have been trained by the US-led military coalition.The level of threats is higher compared to the first round, interior minister Omar Daudzai said.But we have gained far more experience and we have better equipment and are in a much better position to prevent any possible attack by terrorists.Ethnic friction is also a concern as Abdullah's support is based among the Tajik minority and other northern tribes, while Ghani is a Pashtun -- Afghanistan's largest ethnic group, which is strongest in the Taliban heartlands of the south and east.Karzai, who is constitutionally barred from a third term in office, has fulfilled his pledge not to interfere in the election -- in public at least -- though he is tipped to retain an influential role after handing over power.

Obama: US will help but Iraq must mend divisions

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States may take military action to support Baghdad in its battle against Sunni extremists but only if Iraq takes steps to heal its sectarian divide, President Barack Obama said Friday.Obama warned that US ground troops would not be sent back into the country they occupied for eight difficult, violent years, but said recent stunning rebel victories were a threat to US interests.Amid reports the Pentagon is drawing up plans for air strikes against ISIL, the Sunni jihadist force that has seized the Iraqi city of Mosul, Obama warned that Iraq must also help itself.We will not be sending US troops back into combat in Iraq, but I have asked my national security team to prepare a range of other options that could help support Iraqi security forces, he said.Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government has launched its own counter-attack against ISIL, but has also asked the United States to provide military assistance.Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby declined to say what kind of response was being prepared, adding: Our job is to provide the commander-in-chief options. We are doing that.He confirmed that the US aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and its strike group are in the region and ready to act. The US navy said the carrier group was in the Arabian Sea.Kirby also said the US military had stepped up intelligence sharing with Iraq in recent days at the request of the Iraqi government.In brief remarks to reporters at the White House, Obama warned the Baghdad government that it had harmed itself by failing to heal the divides between Sunni and Shiite camps in the country.He admitted that having spent so much money and lost so many US lives in Iraq over the past decade, the United States had enormous interests in not seeing the country fall back into chaos.But he warned this did not imply Washington would intervene without a clear commitment from Baghdad that it would seek a broader political settlement between Iraq's communities.The United States will not involve itself in military action in the absence of a political plan by the Iraqis that gives us some assurance that they're prepared to work together, he said.US forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, eight years after they had overthrown Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and the American public is loathe to be drawn into another conflict in the Middle EastObama warned that any action that we may take to provide assistance to Iraqi security forces has to be joined by a serious and sincere effort by Iraq's leaders to set aside sectarian differences.He also criticized the readiness of the Iraqi security forces, which received billions of dollars worth of US equipment and training but downed arms and fled when ISIL stormed Mosul this week.The fact that they are not willing to stand and fight and defend their posts against admittedly hardened terrorists, but not terrorists who are overwhelming in numbers, indicates that there a problem with morale, a problem in terms of commitment, he said.Ultimately that is rooted in the political problems that have plagued the country for a very long time, he added, in another implicit swipe at Maliki's Shiite-led government, which has alienated Sunnis.So the United States will do our part, but understand that ultimately it's up to the Iraqis as a sovereign nation to solve their problems.Obama also warned that coordinating any military response with Baghdad would take several days and that people should not anticipate that this is something that will happen overnight.ISIL's seizure of Mosul and a lightning advance southwards by its fighters, hardened by war in neighboring Syria, and other Sunni groups has threatened to push Iraq into sectarian conflict.On Friday, Iraq's leading Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged Iraqis to take up arms against Sunni militants, while Maliki's forces prepared to defend the capital against any attack.Oil prices, meanwhile, hit a nine-month peak on fears that the unrest would hit Iraqi exports, although Obama played this down as an issue, saying he was sure other Gulf producers would step up.

UN steps up aid response in Iraq: spokesman

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The United Nations is stepping up aid deliveries to Iraq, where hundreds of thousands have already been displaced, setting up camps and providing medical supplies, a spokesman said Friday.UN agencies are moving further supplies into the country in anticipation of further displacement, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters in New York.A World Food Programme flight from Dubai would transport humanitarian supplies to Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, he said.UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said earlier Friday that hundreds of people may have been killed in recent days and nearly 1,000 wounded as Sunni militants march on Baghdad.UN refugee agency UNHCR is concerned about a shortage of shelter as the numbers of displaced increase, Haq said.He said 300,000 people are reported to have arrived in Arbil and Dohuk with little more than the clothes on their backs.Families in Dohuk are sheltering in mosques, schools, churches and unfinished buildings, and a growing number of people are staying at a transit camp near Mosul, he said.UNHCR has helped the Iraqi government set up tents and is providing other relief items. Other UN agencies are installing latrines and water tanks, he said.Aid workers have set up a new camp to host some 3,000 people near Dohuk and two more sites are being planned, Haq said.The World Health Organization and partners are helping to provide medicines to families stranded at checkpoints, and will provide measles vaccinations in the next few days, Haq said.The head of the UN mission in Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, has been holding talks on initiatives and trying to see what he can do to bring the Iraqi government and people together, Haq said.On Friday, Mladenov urged the Iraqi federal court for a timely certification of the 2014 legislative election results, he said.At this stage we do believe that Baghdad for now is safe. That may change and of course if there are any changes we will raise alerts accordingly, Haq said.

Four Yemeni soldiers, five 'Qaeda' killed in attacks

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ADEN (AFP) - Four Yemeni soldiers and five suspected Al Qaeda militants were killed in two separate attacks Friday in southern restive regions, military and local sources said.In the first attack, a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into an army position in Mahfad, in Abyan province, a military official said.He was a suicide bomber from Al Qaeda, said the official, who asked not to be named. He said six soldiers were also wounded in the attack.A medical source at Ataq public hospital confirmed the deaths.Meanwhile, a drone strike killed five suspected Al Qaeda militants at Saeed junction, east of the city of Ataq, in nearby Shabwa province, a local source said.The pilotless aircraft fired a missile at the group as they were gathered under a tree, the source said.The United States is the only country operating drones over Yemen, but US officials rarely acknowledge the covert programme.On Thursday, the Yemeni army killed four Al Qaeda members in an attack in Habban, also in Shabwa, the defence ministry said.The army launched an all-out offensive against Al Qaeda in Shabwa and neighbouring Abyan in a bid to expel its forces from smaller towns and villages that escaped a previous sweep in 2012.It said 500 Al Qaeda militants were killed in the operation, while 40 soldiers were killed and 100 others woundedTroops and militia have entered a series of towns, but analysts say their advances could be the result of a tactical retreat by the militants in coordination with local tribes.Taking advantage of a collapse of central authority during a 2011 uprising that forced veteran strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh from power, Al Qaeda seized large swathes of the south and east.They remain deeply entrenched in Hadramawt province further east, where they have carried out a series of spectacular attacks in recent months.

Russia sending tanks, rocket launchers to Ukraine rebels: US

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Friday accused Russia of sending tanks and rocket launchers to pro-Moscow rebels in Ukraine.We assess that separatists in eastern Ukraine have acquired heavy weapons and military equipment from Russia, including Russian tanks and multiple rocket launchers, State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement.The United States had information that Russia has accumulated tanks of a type no longer used by Russian forces at a deployment site in southwest Russia, and some of these tanks recently departed.Ukraine alleged Thursday that three tanks had crossed from Russia into its territory, underscoring the growing tensions between Kiev and Moscow.Ukraines new President Petro Poroshenko told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the reported crossing of three tanks into his countrys separatist east was unacceptable.Moscow has denied the allegation, earlier raised by Ukraines Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, who stopped short of accusing Russia of being behind the reported incursion.Russia will claim these tanks were taken from Ukrainian forces, but no Ukrainian tank units have been operating in that area, Harf said in a statement.We are confident that these tanks came from Russia.Earlier, she told reporters that a convoy of three T-64 tanks, several BM-21 or Grad multiple rocket launchers and other military vehicles had crossed from Russia into Ukraine.Internet videos had shown the same types of the tanks moving through multiple cities in eastern Ukraine, including Snizhne, Torez, and Makiyivka, Harf said.The same type of rocket launchers was seen traveling through Lugansk.Russia alleged that two Ukrainian tanks crossed the border into its territory before being intercepted by the border patrol.

Nisar hospitalizes after cardiac problem

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ISLAMABAD (Online): Federal Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has fallen sick after which he has been shifted to hospital here on Friday night.According to media reports, Nisar felt cardiac pain, following which he was immediately taken to Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC), where General (R) Pervez Musharraf was also admitted for the same treatment.Former commandant of the AFIC, Azhar Kayani conducted the angiography of the Interior Minister after which he was discharged from hospital. The AFIC and national institute of Heart Diseases is an Inter Services Organisation with a capacity of 250 beds dedicated purely to cardiac ailments and is considered to be the leading cardiac hospital in Rawalpindi.

Football: Netherlands stun World Cup champions Spain

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SALVADOR (AFP) - Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben both scored twice as the Netherlands avenged their 2010 World Cup final defeat by routing holders Spain 5-1 on Friday in a record-breaking humiliation.As well as it being the worst ever mauling inflicted at a World Cup on the reigning champions, it was the worst defeat suffered by Spain in more than half a century, coming 51 years after a 6-2 defeat to Scotland in 1963. Manchester United striker van Persie produced a stunning first-half header and slotted home the Netherlands' fourth.Not to be outdone, Bayern Munich star Robben scored two second-half goals with Stefan De Vrij compounding the misery for Vicente del Bosque's world and European champions.Veteran midfielder Xabi Alonso gave the Spanish a first-half lead when he drilled home a penalty after a foul on Brazilian-born striker Diego Costa, who was jeered constantly by local fans.But Van Persie's diving header 90 seconds from the break put the Dutch level before goals by Robben, centre-back de Vrij and Persie again completed the rout.The Netherlands triumvirate of Robben, Van Persie and Wesley Sneijder caused the Spanish defence all manner of problems, but it was Daley Blind's superb long passes which created their two opening goals.The best chance of the opening exchanges fell to the Netherlands when a Robben pass put Sneijder in behind the defence, but Ilker Casillas blocked the Galatasaray star's shot.Spanish left winger Andres Iniesta fired over for La Roja while Costa was barracked again when he mistimed two early shots. Spain went ahead when Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli judged Costa had been fouled by De Vrij and Alonso drilled the 27th-minute penalty past Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.Soon after, David Silva squandered a great chance to put the world champions 2-0 up when Cillessen managed to get a glove to the Manchester City star's chipped shot.Van Persie levelled on 44 minutes when Blind's pin-point pass from the left wing found the Manchester United star in space to loop his header over the stranded Casillas.The Netherlands took control soon after the break when Ajax's Blind again provided a superb pass to Robben in the area.The winger got the better of both Spain centre-backs Gerald Pique and Sergio Ramos to fire the Oranje into a 2-1 lead on 53 minutes.Van Persie then rattled the crossbar with an hour gone before De Vrij grabbed the Netherlands third on 64 minutes when he headed home at the back post.Spain looked to have pulled a goal back when Silva stabbed home a Cillessen save with 67 minutes gone, but he was shown to be offside.Van Persie claimed his second and the Netherlands' fourth when he beat Casillas to a loose ball and, aided by a helpful bounce, he tapped home on 72 minutes.The Dutch delight was clear as Van Persie handed the captain's armband to Robben in the dying stages as the striker was replaced with his work finished.Robben, who could have finished with a hat-trick, netted his second on 80 minutes by again dancing around Spanish defenders to claim his team's fifth goal of a stunning night.

Football: Chile beat Australia to heap pressure on Spain

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CUIABA (AFP) - Alexis Sanchez helped Chile pile the pressure on world champions Spain after a 3-1 win over Australia in their World Cup opener in Cuiaba saw them join the Netherlands on top of Group B.Sanchez set Chile on their way early on, the Barcelona star turning provider 70 seconds later to set up Jorge Valdivia.Tim Cahill pulled one back before half-time with Wigan Athletics Jean Beausejour grabbing a third for Chile in injury time of a pulsating encounter under the Arena Pantanals floodlights.But following Spains 5-1 rout by the Dutch earlier in Salvador, the reigning champions almost certainly must beat Chile in Rio on June 18th to avoid an ignominious early exit.Chile thought theyd done enough to snuff out the Socceroos in the time it takes to make a pisco sour.The 12th minute opener came after sterling work by Charles Aranguiz in the Australia box, the midfielders efforts resulting in the ball landing at Sanchezs feet, spelling danger for an Australian defence all at sea.The prolific striker did not let the opportunity slip, clipping the ball right-footed past keeper Mat Ryan.Among those celebrating in the 20,000-strong Chilean support were Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, and the countrys president Michelle Bachelet.Two minutes later the Aussie backline was once again found wanting.Sanchez set up the second, feeding the ball to an unmarked Valdivia whose sweetly struck shot from the edge of the box sailed over the helpless Ryans head.The perfect start then for a Chile side that arrived in Brazil with huge ambitions to make a real impact for the first time since finishing third on home soil in 1962.After that frenetic opening to the game, played in stifling 30 degree heat despite the evening kick-off, entered a quiet phase as Ange Postecoglous bunch of largely untested youngsters tried to regroup.If Australia were going to get back into the game it was going to take some magic from veteran Cahill, the countrys all-time top scorer. And the New York Red Bulls striker duly obliged, outjumping his marker, Cardiff citys Gary Medel, to head past Chile captain Claudio Bravo in the 35th minute.Cahill, sent off in Australias first match four years ago in South Africa, wasnt a million miles away from a quick second, his shot as half-time beckoned only denied by the shins of Bravo.Pellegrini would no doubt have given anything to descend from his commentary box and impart a word or two of advice to his 11 countrymen at the interval.Chile, buoyed by Arturo Vidals return to fitness after a knee problem, faced a serious task at the restart to reassert their early domination against a reinvigorated Australia.But soon after, Bravo was picking the ball out of the back of his net, only for Cahills effort to be justifiably disallowed for offside.The scales had firmly tilted in Australias favour and only Bravos outstretched hand denied Mark Brescianos attempt.Felipe Gutierrez replaced Vidal on the hour, as Aussie defender Alex Wilkinson performed heroics to stop Eduardo Vargass shot, which had nipped past Ryan, from crossing an empty goal line.As the stifling conditions took their toll, second half substitute Beausejour sealed Australias fate as Chile joined the Dutch at the top of Group B.

Football: Mexico down Cameroon 1-0 as officials flop again

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NATAL (AFP) - Mexico beat Cameroon 1-0 at a rain-drenched Natal on Friday in a World Cup Group A match scarred by more refereeing blunders.Oribe Peralta grabbed the only goal after 61 minutes but Mexico will consider themselves unlucky not to have been more comfortable winners after Giovani Dos Santos had two goals ruled out for dubious offside decisions in the first half.On both occasions, it was former Tottenham striker Giovani Dos Santos who was the victim.In the 11th minute, the Villarreal player found the target with a sweet, stabbed volley from a cross by Porto's Hector Herrara but his effort was ruled out by Colombian referee Wilmar RoldanOn the 30-minute mark, a Dos Santos header from a corner by Miguel Layun was also not allowed to stand.In between, Cameroon skipper Samuel Eto'o had a goal chalked off for offside although this time the referee made the right decision.The blunders came just a day after Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura controversially awarded a penalty which set Brazil on their way to a 3-1 win over Croatia.Eto'o had Cameroon's best chance of the first half after 21 minutes but narrowly went wide of the post.Early in the second period, Mexico had a golden opportunity when Peralta was clean through on goal, but he fired the ball straight at Charles Itandje in the Cameroon goal.Peralta deservedly put Mexico in front just after the hour mark. Dos Santos's shot was parried into his path and the Club Santos Laguna striker slotted in from close range.Cameroon's Benjamin Moukandjo had a chance to rescue a point in injury time but his header was well-saved by Guillermo Ochoa.Mexico next face Brazil in Fortaleza on Tuesday with Cameroon taking on Croatia the following day.

Football: Ronaldo '100 percent', says Carvalho

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CAMPINAS (AFP) - Cristiano Ronaldo is 100 percent fit and ready for Portugal's opening World Cup match against the powerful Germans, William Carvalho said on Friday, hailing his team-mate as the best player in the world.The Real Madrid star had ice applied to his troublesome left knee after training on Thursday, sparking fears over his fitness ahead of Monday's Group G opener.But Angola-born midfielder Carvalho, speaking at Portugal's training base in Campinas, outside Sao Paulo, said: I think he's now 100 percent fit.Portugal captain Ronaldo featured in a 5-1 friendly win over the Republic of Ireland in the United States earlier this week before being substituted.He had missed his country's previous two warm-up games because of thigh and knee injuries.Regarding his physical fitness, that's more for the doctors and physios to reply but of course he's a very important player for us, the best in the world, said Sporting Lisbon defender Carvalho.Carvalho said Ronaldo had been tired at the start of World Cup training after an exhausting season but his vast experience was crucial to the team as they battle to get out of a daunting group also featuring Ghana and the United States.Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo enjoyed a sensational season for Real Madrid, scoring in his team's Champions League final win over Atletico Madrid. His 17 Champions League goals set a new mark for a single campaign.Paulo Bento's squad boasts the likes of Moutinho, Pepe and Nani but Ronaldo, who scored four goals over two legs in his team's play-off victory against Sweden to reach Brazil, is pivotal to their hopes.Germany 2006 semi-finalists Portugal are not considered among the favourites in Brazil even though they are ranked fourth in the world but Carvalho, the subject of transfer speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United, is unperturbed.We respect everyone's opinion. We know we're not considered as favourites but we will do our work, he said. Our work is to give the best for our team.When asked about Germany's injury problems in the run-up to the tournament, he said that was not an issue for the team.We also had a few problems with injuries recently, with players not training at 100 percent, but we don't really think too much about the opponents' injuries. All we have to do is to concentrate on our own job.Portugal play Germany on June 16 in Salvador and Ghana take on the United States in Natal.

Tennis: Federer into Halle last four without striking a ball

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HALLE WESTFALEN (AFP) - Defending champion Roger Federer reached the semi-finals of the Halle grasscourt championships on Friday without appearing on court as quarter-final opponent Lu Yen-Huen of Taiwan withdrew through injury.Lu, who had self-deprecatingly announced that he faced a mission impossible against the Swiss former world number one when he said: If I'm 150% and he's 100% I think I'd still lose, pulled out with a recurrence of a back problem.Federer, a six-time winner of the tournament, now faces Japan's world number 12 Kei Nishikori, who beat American Steve Johnson 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), for a place in the final.Earlier, Philipp Kohlschreiber fought his way into the semi-finals by edging past fellow-German Dustin Brown 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (18/16).Kohlschreiber, who was on the losing end of a five-set marathon against Britain's Andy Murray at the French Open, prevailed after an epic third set tie-break against world number 85 Brown.The defeat was a bitter disappointment for Brown, who had knocked out world number one Rafael Nadal the previous day.Kohlschreiber, the 2011 champion, now plays 69th-ranked Alejandro Falla for a place in the final after the Colombian overcame another German Peter Gojowczyk 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2).Wildcard Gojowczyk also saw his run come to an end in frustrating fashion, having claimed the scalp of third seed Milos Raonic of Canada in the previous round.

Tennis: Stepanek claims another scalp at Queen's

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LONDON (AFP) - Czech veteran Radek Stepanek claimed another impressive scalp at Queen's Club as he followed his shock win over Andy Murray by defeating South Africa's Kevin Anderson 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-finals on Friday.Stepanek, ranked 42nd, ended defending champion Murray's 19-match winning run on grass in the previous round.And the 35-year-old continued his giant-killing streak by fighting back from a set down to eliminate world number 18 Anderson to reach the last four at the Wimbledon warm-up for the first time in nine years.Stepanek will play Feliciano Lopez on Saturday for a place in Sunday's final after the Spanish 10th seed enjoyed a surprise 6-4, 7-6 (9/7) success against world number six Tomas Berdych.Stepanek seemed to be suffering a hangover from his stunning victory against Wimbledon champion Murray during a lethargic first set display that saw the big-serving 6ft 8in Anderson overpower his opponent with ease.But Stepanek, supported again by compatriot and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, wrestled the momentum back to seal his latest impressive win after surviving a 15-ace barrage from the seventh seed.It's great to beat a top guy, but it's even tougher to back it up with a win again, said 15th seed Stepanek, who is bidding to win his first singles' title since 2011 in Washington.In the first set Kevin played perfect tennis. For a half hour I really had no chance.But I once won a match where I faced 78 aces. That was against Ivo Karlovic in the Davis Cup in 2009, so I knew I just had to wait and take my first chance.Czech second seed Berdych, a former Wimbledon runner-up, was well below his best against Lopez, the smooth-moving left-hander who had beaten four-time Queen's champion Lleyton Hewitt in the second round.Lopez, the world number 29, broke in the fifth game for a 3-2 lead and easily closed out the set.The 32-year-old kept the pressure on in the second set and when Berdych double-faulted on match point, Lopez was able to celebrate his 50th win on grass and his first ATP Tour semi-final berth since Gstaad nearly a year ago.It was very close but I don't think I gave more than two break points in the whole match, Lopez said.I'm very happy with my performance. The way I play, on grass I have to be aggressive and today my serve was working perfectly.All the upsets at this year's tournament mean there will be a first-time champion as the four previous winners in the draw -- Murray, Hewitt, Sam Querrey and Marin Cilic -- were knocked out before the quarter-finals.Bulgarian fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov didn't have to break sweat to reach the semi-finals as his scheduled opponent, Ukrainian eighth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov, was forced to withdraw ahead of their match with a thigh strain.Dimitrov will face top-seeded Swiss Stan Wawrinka after he defeated Australia's Marinko Matosevic 7-5, 6-3.Matosevic, the world number 60, had earned headlines on and off the court this week after criticising Murray's decision to hire Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo as his coach and then defeating Cilic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to the last eight.But he couldn't steal the limelight against world number three Wawrinka, who won his maiden Grand Slam in Australia earlier this year and is gradually getting back on track after losing three of his four matches before Queen's, including a first round exit at the French Open.Wawrinka's win is an ominous sign for his remaining rivals as on each occasion he has made the last eight this year he has gone on to take the Chennai, Australian Open and Monte Carlo titles.

Oil prices hit new nine-month peaks on Iraq violence

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Global oil prices surged to fresh nine-month highs on Friday as traders eyed escalating violence in Iraq, OPEC's second-biggest crude exporter.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for July rose 38 cents to close at $106.91 a barrel, its highest level since September 18, 2013.Brent crude for July delivery climbed 39 cents to $113.41 a barrel in London trade, its highest close since September 9.Prices had rallied sharply on Thursday, more than $2 for WTI and $3 for Brent, Sunni militants pushed toward Baghdad and forces from Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region took control of the northern oil hub of Kirkuk.People are calmer today because they realize that the threat to oil supplies is not very strong, said Michael Lynch of Strategic Energy and Economic Research.The militant offensive, spearheaded by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, has taken a huge swathe of predominantly Sunni Arab territory in northern and north-central Iraq since its launch in Mosul late Monday.On Friday, they battled pro-government forces near Muqdadiyah, just 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Baghdad's city limits.US President Barack Obama said he was examining options short of sending troops to help Iraq counter the Sunni militant onslaught.It's looking like a war here, and to the extent there is any credible threat to Bagdad, to the central government, and of course the southern Iraq oil, this is a major concern for the oil market, said John Kilduff of Again Capital. Kilduff said the market had not yet entiredly priced in the situation.Iraq is the second-biggest oil exporter in the 12-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) after kingpin Saudi Arabia.The International Energy Agency said that oil supplies from Iraq may not be at immediate risk.Concerning as the latest events in Iraq may be, they might not for now, if the conflict does not spread further, put additional Iraqi oil supplies immediately at risk, the IEA said in its monthly market report Friday.It pointed out that Iraq's relatively small output from the north of the country has been off the market since March due to violence while output from the south has been on the rise and production has hit a 30-year high.But the IEA pointed to the long-term importance of Iraq for the global energy market.Roughly 60 percent of the growth in OPEC crude production capacity for the rest of this decade will come from Iraq, it said.

Yen slips as BoJ calls for more reform in Tokyo

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The yen slipped against the dollar and euro Friday after Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda called for the government to implement reforms to combat tepid growth.Meanwhile British central bank chief Mark Carney's hint at an earlier interest rate hike than markets expect pushed the pound higher.The BoJ held monetary policy in place after a two-day meeting, as expected. But Kuroda's call underscored the frailty of the Japanese recovery and the need to do more to shore it up.The BoJ strongly expects that the government will implement the (reforms) policy, as it is important to improve labor supply and productivity, he said following the meeting.His call came after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government would cut the corporate tax rate, one of the world's highest.Japan's corporate tax will become growth-oriented... to help boost jobs and improve people's livelihoods, Abe said.Bank of England governor Mark Carney suggested Thursday that its benchmark rate could be increased this year, rather than in 2015 as many analysts have predicted.A rate rise could happen sooner than markets currently expect, Carney said, given the strength of the country's economy.
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