Thursday 19 June 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Altaf expresses grief over Tahiras death

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has expressed grief over the sad demise of Tahira Asif. The MQM has also announced three days of mourning over the death of its MNA Tahira Asif in a Lahore, however, the transport and the businesses will remain open.

Obama to send advisors to Iraq, open to military action

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama pledged to take precise military action if needed to check marauding Sunni radicals in Iraq and offered up to 300 US advisors to train Iraqi forces facing a crisis splintering the country on sectarian lines.But Obama, who based an entire political career on ending US involvement in Iraq, insisted the United States is not slipping back into the morass -- and issued a sharp warning that sectarianism spells disaster for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Iran.Obama signalled stepped up White House action after meeting top national security advisors to discuss how to respond to swift gains by rbel Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) forces, which have seized several key cities and threatening to advance on Baghdad.The fighters have northern Iraqs biggest city, Mosul and taken swathes of territory in an advance which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, left an unknown number dead and alarmed Western nations who fear the establishment of a vast new terror haven.Obama was adamant, however, that American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq.But we will help Iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people, the region and American interests as well, he said.Obama said he had already bolstered surveillance and intelligence capabilities in the country, to assess the possibilities for military operations that might be in the US national interest.Going forward, we will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if and when we determine that the situation on the ground requires it, said Obama.Washington has already positioned an aircraft carrier in the Gulf and is also considering the possibility of drone strikes against ISIL forces.Senior US officials privately that the special forces being sent to advise Iraqi forces could also be used to call in air strikes if necessary.Military officials also confirmed on Thursday that US F-18 fighters were already flying F-18 and unmanned surveillance flights over Iraq.It remains unclear, however, whether ISIL forces, deployed in civilian areas, will provide suitable targets for US aircraft or drones and the danger of casualties in built-up areas could give Washington pause.The president said he was prepared to send up to 300 military advisors in all to Iraq -- in addition to 175 troops currently protecting the US embassy and 100 more on standby -- to assess how to train, advise and support Iraqi forces.The US government, which spent billions building up the Iraqi army after disbanding the Sunni-led force of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein, was dismayed by the way some units laid down their arms and fled the advance of ISIL forces.While Iraqi forces struggled in the early part of the offensive, they now appear to be performing better, and regained full control of the Baiji oil refinery in Salaheddin province on Thursday, officials and witnesses said.The Pentagon has noted a stiffening or resistance among security forces around Baghdad and a flood of volunteers to Shiite militias may also be easing the situation.Maliki meanwhile Thursday ordered security officers not serving in active units to report, to bolster forces battling the militant offensive.Despite opening the way to a more overt role in Iraq, Obama warned that there was no military solution to the crisis.He said that Malikis actions could dictate the fate of the country, amid a growing feeling in Washington that the Iraqi leader would do best by moving on.The test is before him and other Iraqi leaders as we speak, Obama said.Regardless of whats happened in the past, right now is a moment where the fate of Iraq hangs in the balance, he said, calling for an end to mistrust, deep sectarian divides and political opportunism.While Obama said it was not up to Washington to chose Iraqi leaders, his remarks made clear US patience was wearing thin with Maliki.Obama also warned Iran, which has cultivated Maliki as a key Shiite ally, that it must also play a positive role -- and that if it did not, could threaten its own security.Weve indicated to them that it is important for them to avoid steps that might encourage the kind of sectarian splits that might lead to civil war, Obama said.(An) Iraq in chaos on their borders is probably not in their interests. But old habits die hard.Washington has said it is open to working with its old foe to stabilize Iraq, but has ruled out any kind of military cooperation.Obama also announced a new diplomatic initiative, sending Secretary of State John Kerry to Europe and the Middle East this weekend to consult on next steps with US allies and Iraqs neighbors.Oil prices soared on Thursday to a new nine-month high point because of the violence in Iraq, and the attack on the countrys biggest refinery.Brent crude for August delivery rallied as high as $114.80 per barrel, reaching a level last seen in September 2013. It later stood at $114.50, up 24 cents from Wednesdays close.Britain meanwhile banned ISIL, adding it to a list of proscribed organizations along with four other groups linked to the Syrian conflict, as fears grow the radicals could pose a direct threat to European security.India said it knows the location of its 40 workers abducted from Mosul as several of their families said they spoke with the captured men who were scared but safe.

Car bomb in Syria's Homs kills 6: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - A car bomb in Homs in central Syria Thursday killed six people in an Alawite-majority neighbourhood of the city, a monitoring group said as state media gave a lower toll.The attack is the second of its kind in a week, and comes just over a month after rebels lost their bastion in the heart of Homs city to regime control.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least six people were killed in the attack and nine seriously wounded, adding that it expected the death toll to rise.State television put the death toll at three, and said women and children were among the nine wounded in what it called a terrorist car bomb attack in the Akrameh district.The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on activists and medics on the ground for its reports, was not able to say who was behind the blast.Homs was once dubbed the capital of the revolution against President Bashar al-Assad. Most of the city, except the battered district of Waar, has returned to regime control after two years of bombardment and siege.Elsewhere, warplanes launched 25 air strikes on Mleiha southeast of Damascus, a key rebel bastion that the regime has struggled for weeks to recapture, the Observatory said.Regime ground forces also fired surface-to-surface missiles at the Mleiha as troops backed by Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah battled rebels and their jihadist Al-Nusra Front allies, said the monitor.The Assad regime in late spring began a bid to retake Mleiha, which is strategically located near the airport road and in the besieged rebel region of Eastern Ghouta.Meanwhile, activists in the rebel-held Al-Hajar al-Aswad neighbourhood in southern Damascus accused the regime of cutting off water supplies for more than two weeks.Some 20,000 people live here, mostly women and children. The regime wants to pressure civilians into forcing rebels to sign a truce with the army, activist Rami al-Sayed told AFP.People are suffering from inflammations and digestive system diseases because they are drinking dirty water from wells, he added.Rights groups have frequently accused both sides in Syria's conflict, especially the regime, of using illegal siege tactics as a weapon of war.On another front, an armed group allied to the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Wednesday kidnapped two Syrian rebel commanders in Deir Ezzor province.While rebels seeking Assad's ouster initially welcomed ISIL among their ranks, the jihadists' systematic abuses turned the opposition against them.Rebels and Islamists have fought ISIL since January, pushing them out of large swathes of the north.ISIL remains squarely in control of Raqa, and is seeking to expand its influence in oil-rich Deir Ezzor province bordering Iraq.The group already controls many of the Syrian province's energy fields.It is also leading a militant offensive in Iraq where hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been displaced in nine days of fighting and an unknown number killed.

Abdullah threatens to reject Afghan election result

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KABUL (AFP) - Afghanistan's election crisis deepened Thursday when presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah said he would reject the result because his claims of massive fraud have failed to stop the ongoing vote count.Abdullah's complaints about alleged fraud in Saturday's run-off election have thrown the country's first democratic transfer of power into turmoil ahead of preliminary results due out on July 2.A smooth election was seen as a key benchmark of Afghan progress by the US-led coalition that has fought against insurgents and donated billions of dollars in aid since 2001 when the Taliban regime was ousted.But the dispute could trigger instability as NATO combat troops withdraw by the end of the year.From now onwards, since (the election authorities) have not responded to our legitimate demands... everything they do and the result of their activities will not be accepted by us, Abdullah told reporters.Referring to the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Election Complaints Commission (ECC), he said: We will not consider these two institutions as legitimate.Abdullah had demanded an immediate stop to the vote count and the sacking of Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhail, head of the IEC secretariat, over Amarkhail's alleged attempt to remove unused ballots from the IEC headquarters on polling day.But the IEC refused his demands, saying it would stick to the schedule in an election that will choose a new president after Hamid Karzai's 13-year reign.In a strong statement late Wednesday, the UN mission had described Abdullah's earlier decision to suspend cooperation with the IEC as regrettable.The UN warned that if candidates abandon the legal process and framework and appeal directly to supporters (it) could incite violence.Some people have already called for civil disobedience and some incidents have already taken place, the UN said, calling for the electoral timetable to be followed.Abdullah took on Ashraf Ghani in the run-off vote after the two came first and second in an eight-man election on April 5, when Abdullah was well ahead with 45 percent against Ghani's 31.6 percent.About 100 supporters of Abdullah demonstrated in Kabul on Thursday in the first public protests of the crisis, though Abdullah has repeatedly called on his loyalists to show restraint.Ethnic friction is 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.Abdullah has focused his fraud claims on the IEC's estimated turnout of more than seven million voters, which he believes is too high.On Thursday, he again demanded the explanation for reported figures that suggest more people voted in some volatile eastern provinces than live there.Abdullah feels massive fraud denied him victory in the 2009 election, and he has often said that only a repeat of ballot-rigging could deny him power this election.The responsibility and consequences of this crisis and this political stalemate is on the shoulders of the president and the election commissions, he said, in a clear attack on Karzai.Karzai pledged to stay out of the election, and he insisted in public that he had no favoured candidate. He was constitutionally barred from standing for a third term.Both Abdullah, a former anti-Taliban resistance fighter, and Ghani, a ex-World Bank executive, worked as ministers under Karzai, but now have a prickly relationship with their former boss.After the poll closed, the White House praised voters' courage and called the elections a significant step forward on Afghanistan's democratic path.Eleven voters in the western province of Herat had their fingers -- which were dipped in ink to register their ballot -- cut off by insurgents.All NATO combat forces are due to withdraw from the country by December, though 10,000 US troops will remain into next year.

NATO reports new Russian troop build-up near Ukraine

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KIEV (AFP) - NATO on Thursday reported another build-up of Russian forces near Ukraine as its new president put in place key pieces of his pro-Western government and embraced an EU trade pact that has been bitterly fought by the Kremlin.Ukraine's parliament unanimously confirmed as foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin -- a charismatic 46-year-old ambassador to Germany who had spearheaded the EU negotiations and now represents Poroshenko at closed-door talks with Moscow.Those high-stakes meetings and Poroshenko's late-night phone exchange on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin bolstered hopes for a solution to Ukraine's worst crisis since independence in 1991.Poroshenko promised to soon unilaterally halt the army's 10-week push against pro-Russian insurgents who have proclaimed independence in Ukraine's eastern rustbelt -- a plan some fighters rejected but Moscow cautiously endorsed.Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin called Klimkin one of Ukraine's most experienced and well-known diplomats.We wish the new minister success and are ready for contact with him, the Russian diplomat said.But the Kremlin's good will was immediately put in question by new charges from NATO that Putin had seen at least a few thousand more troops to the border in a reversal of a withdrawal he had begun at the start of the month.I consider this a very regrettable step backwards, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in London.It seems that Russia keeps the option open to intervene further into Ukraine.NATO's findings -- met with stony silence in Moscow -- came on the heels of US charges that rocket launchers and even tanks were starting to cross the Russian border into the conflict zone.Daily clashes that have now claimed at least 360 lives saw the Ukrainian border guard services on Thursday report stepped up activities by rebel groups near the Russian frontier.US President Joe Biden called on Russia to stop the flow of weapons and militants across the border and to exercise its influence among the separatists... both of which Russia has thus far failed to do.Poroshenko was certain to irritate Putin on Thursday by vowing to sign the trade and economic relations portion of an historic EU pact in Brussels on June 27.The old Kremlin-backed leadership's rejection of the EU Association Agreement in November sparked months of deadly protests that led to the February ouster of president Viktor Yanukovych.The interim government headed by Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk signed the political relations portion of the deal in Brussels on March 21.But Kiev delayed signing the economic section because it demanded that Ukraine lift import barriers aimed at protecting its farmers and steel mills in the east from direct EU competition.The complete pact's signing will effectively cut Ukraine off from a Moscow-led economic alliance of a few former Soviet nations championed by Putin.Russia on Thursday once again threatened to impose trade restrictions against Ukraine should it sign the full EU deal.

At least ten dead in Bulgaria flooding

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SOFIA (AFP) - At least ten people, including a child, died in heavy floods as torrential rain lashed Bulgaria on Thursday, police said.The Black Sea city of Varna was particularly hard-hit, with cars swept away and streets and houses flooded.We can confirm the death of ten people, Varna regional police chief Ivan Kalchev told BTV private television.The victims included a child, Varna police spokeswoman Ivana Mileva told AFP, adding that this is probably not the final toll. Electricity was cut in affected areas and the authorities said it would not be restored for the time being due to safety reasons.The bad weather is forecasted to continue on Friday.

Suicide blast kills one in Peshawar

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PESHAWAR (AFP) - A suicide bomb attack at the residence of an anti-Taliban peace militia in Peshawar left one dead and five others injured late Thursday, police said. The incident took place in the Matan Adezai area of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa city and targeted the leader of an anti-insurgent group, senior police official Najeeb U Rehman told AFP.A suicide bomber hurled a hand grenade and then entered the house of Farman Ullah... where he blew himself up, Rehman said, adding that Farman Ullah was not injured.Senior police official Nasir Khan confirmed the deadly attack and said he met Farman at the residence after the incident.The attack came as Pakistan's military wages a long-awaited offensive against insurgents holed up in nearby North Waziristan.The operation has been going on since Sunday and is expected to intensify when a three-day window to allow civilians to leave the area ends on Friday.In the latest action, 15 militants were killed by helicopter gunships overnight and eight more by sniper fire while attempting to plant bombs on an important road, a statement from the military said.

Football: Suarez double puts England on the brink

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SAO PAULO (AFP) - A brilliant double strike by Luis Suarez put England on the brink of a humiliating World Cup exit as Uruguay won 2-1 in a tense Group D match Thursday.Suarez, back in action just four weeks after knee surgery, put Uruguay ahead with a 39th-minute header before Wayne Rooney equalised with his first ever World Cup finals goal.But Liverpool hitman Suarez had the final say when he latched on to a long ball and smashed home the winner five minutes from time, leaving England staring at their first group stage exit since 1958.England, who also lost their first game 2-1 to Italy, are now left relying on the Azzurri beating Costa Rica on Friday to keep them in the competition.England coach Roy Hodgson said that the team had done the country proud.I don't think anyone let me down, the team down, or the country down, said the 66-year-old, who in his only other World Cup finals in 1994 guided Switzerland to the last 16.We conceded two goals, but didn't concede many other chances at all. I thought we had a lot more possession but they stood firm and we couldn't score.However, Hodgson, who steered England to the Euro 2012 quarter-finals shortly after replacing Fabio Capello, admitted the players were desperately disappointed. Everyone tried very hard and the mood is very low. It is hard to know what to say.Despite familiar temperatures of 12 degrees C (54 F), England started nervily and after conceding an early corner, goalkeeper Joe Hart had to beat away Suarez's place-kick at his near post.But England's pacey forwards were soon causing problems and when Daniel Sturridge drew a foul for handball near the penalty area, Rooney's free-kick curled agonisingly wide.England, with Rooney playing centrally behind Sturridge, looked the stronger but they suffered a scare when Phil Jagielka lost the ball in defence and Cristian Rodriguez couldn't keep his rising shot on target.After a scrappy period, Uruguay again went close when Suarez's low corner from the right was struck first time by Cavani but whistled over the bar.On the half-hour, Rooney came within inches of scoring when, from about a yard away, he headed a Steven Gerrard free-kick against the angle between the post and crossbar.England were in the ascendancy but six minutes from the break, it was Uruguay who scored on the counter via the hitherto quiet Suarez, after England lost the ball on the halfway line.Nicolas Lodeiro passed left to Cavani, who wrong-footed the entire defence with a sumptuous diagonal chip to the Liverpool forward, who got away from Jagielka and looped his header over Hart.After the break, Suarez very nearly doubled Uruguay's lead first when his corner was parried by Hart off the line, and then when he shot well wide with the goal at his mercy.England, now defending in front of the Uruguay support, were looking ragged and Cavani also should have put his team 2-0 up when he burst into the penalty area but fired wide.However, Rooney almost got the equaliser when he latched on to a cross from the left and hammered a shot at the diving Muslera.An accidental Raheem Sterling knee to the head knocked out Alvaro Pereira but he refused to be substituted.Hodgson threw on Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana for Sterling and Danny Welbeck but it was Glen Johnson who created England's breakthrough when he beat his man on the right of the box.The right-back's rolled ball fell perfectly for Rooney and the grateful Manchester United striker had the simplest of tap-ins as he finally scored his debut goal at a World Cup finals.Sturridge then worked Muslera as England, buoyed by Rooney's goal, came alive and looked an increasing threat.But again it was Uruguay who struck through Suarez, who gambled to latch onto a long ball from defence and lashed his shot past Hart, before celebrating wildly in front of his adoring fans.

Football: Colombia into last 16 after Japan-Greece bore draw

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NATAL (AFP) - Colombia qualified for the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time in 24 years after Japan and 10-man Greece played out a dire 0-0 draw in Natal on Thursday.Japan failed to take advantage of the Greeks being reduced to 10 men from the 38th minute when captain Konstantinos Katsouranis was sent off for a second bookable offence.Both sides picked up their first point and can still qualify from Group C, although they must win their final matches to do so.Greece play Ivory Coast, who are on three points, in their final match while Japan tackle Colombia, who have a perfect six points.Japan winger Shinji Kagawa's terrible year continued as after a miserable season with Manchester United Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni dropped him to the bench after a poor showing against Ivory Coast.Japan controlled affairs in the first-half thanks to the surging runs of left-back Yuto Nagatomo and the tight, short passing of a potent midfield being marshalled superbly by Keisuke Honda.Greece's chances of taking something from the game lessened dramatically during a disastrous five minutes in the first-half.First leading striker Kostas Mitroglou's injury nightmare, which saw him barely play a game for Fulham after a multi-million pound move in January, continued as he hobbled off in the 35th minute.Three minutes later he was followed by his Katsouranis, though for a less commendable reason as he was sent for an early shower after being booked for a second time in the game.Greece coach Fernando Santos reacted to Katsouranis's red card by turning to the experience of substitute Georgios Karagounis, Greece's most capped player of all time, and sacrificing Genoa midfielder Ioannis Fetfatzidis.Greece, though, have shown that they are never more dangerous than when their backs are against the wall and soon after they produced their best chance of the half, Vasilios Torosidis stinging the palms of Eiji Kawashima with a fierce drive from the right of the area.Zaccheroni eventually sent on Kagawa on 57 minutes as Greece appeared to be comfortably holding their opponents.Greece, however, again came closest to breaking the deadlock as Kawashima did brilliantly to get down and turn away for a corner a header from Theofanis Gekas.Japan found their rhythm again and carved out a fine opportunity when Kagawa sighted Atsuto Uchida ghosting in deep on the right, but after the defender's delivery across goal Yoshito Okubo could only splice wide from a tight angle.A Nagatomo delivery then caused confusion in the Greek box, but Uchida spurned another chance with a sliding effort that was just off target.A speculative 30-metre drive from Okubo forced Orestis Karnezis to parry on 77 minutes and Japan's final chance fell to Yasuhito Endo in the 90th minute when a free kick was awarded on the edge of the area, but the midfielder's curling effort was parried to safety by Karnezis at his far post.

Football: Colombia beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in World Cup

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BRASILIA (AFP) - Another superb performance by playmaker James Rodriguez who scored one goal and created the other inspired Colombia to a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast in their World Cup Group C match and to the brink of the last 16 on Thursday.Rodriguez, scoring his second of the tournament, and substitute Juan Fernando Quintero, with his first international goal, struck in the second-half while Gervinho replied with a superb individual goal, his second of the finals, for the African side.Colombia, making their first appearance at the finals since 1998, will qualify for the second round if the match later on Thursday between Japan and Greece ends in a draw or if the Greeks beat the Blue Samurai.Ivory Coast are still firmly in the hunt for a place in the last 16 for the first time in three appearances as they opened with a 2-1 win over Japan.It was a tough match like all of those at the World Cup, said Rodriguez, who has more than made up for the loss of leading striker and fellow Monaco team-mate Radamel Falcao through injury.It is terrific to have taken three points off our major rival who are extremely physical and know how to play good football.Colombia's coach Jose Pekerman said he was delighted with their campaign as they bid to reach the second round for only the second time in five appearances at the finals.It gives me great pleasure that we have come through a tough encounter and we have six points from six, said the Argentine, who guided his homeland to the quarter-finals in 2006.It is super that Colombia can compete at this level with players competing in their first World Cup finals.His Ivory Coast counterpart Sabri Lamouchi did not appear prepared to accept the result.We did not deserve to lose the game, said the former France international.Colombia has a lot of experience and they waited for us to make mistakes. We lost unjustly in my opinion. The national anthems saw Ivorian midfielder Die Serey in floods of tears -- it was reported later that his father had died hours before the match. The first-half was largely bereft of any excitement, although the Colombians should have gone in one goal to the good but for a dreadful miskick by Teofilo Gutierez after being beautifully teed up by Rodriguez.The Ivory Coast, who had once again opted to leave veteran Didier Drogba on the bench, offered little in attack with their one incident of note a crude piece of play acting by Serge Aurier when having got free of his opponent he then collapsed theatrically to the ground clutching his face.Colombia, though, had done an effective job on taking Ivory Coast's main creative force Yaya Toure out of the game as Carlos Sanchez followed him everywhere.Colombia were still the more vibrant attacking force in the second-half and an early counter-attack should have given the Ivorians due warning.Rodriguez found wing wizard Juan Cuadrado and he worked his magic on the weary Arthur Boka turning him inside and out and his cross shot beat the keeper only to cannon to safety off the crossbar.Ivory Coast coach Sabri Lamouchi had seen enough and sent 36-year-old Drogba on for the ineffective Wilfried Bony hoping he could work his magic with both his previous World Cup goals coming against South American opposition.However, his team-mates were looking at him in askance after the smaller Rodriguez managed to beat him and another defender to Cuadrado's corner and head home sparking another terrific Motown style Colombian goal celebration.There was another excuse for more of that in the 70th minute as Rodriguez dispossessed Die inside his own half and fed Juan Fernando Quintero who ran into the penalty area and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Boubacar Barry.The Ivorians, though, were far from down and out as the match really came to life and Gervinho gave the African side real hope when he scored a superb individual goal.The former Arsenal man picked the ball up on the left flank and then with a swish of his hips beat one man to cut inside and then beat another challenge before tucking the ball past David Ospina.

Tennis: Murray warms up for Wimbledon by beating Robredo

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LONDON (AFP) - Andy Murray warmed up for the start of his Wimbledon title defence with an emphatic victory over Spain's Tommy Robredo at the Hurlingham Club on Thursday.Murray's preparations for the grasscourt Grand Slam had suffered a setback when he was surprisingly beaten in the third round at Queen's Club by Czech veteran Radek Stepanek last week, a defeat that ended his 19-match winning run on grass.But the Scot looked back in the groove as he dispatched world number 22 Robredo 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) in the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic exhibition event.It was another pre-Wimbledon boost for the 27-year-old, who heard earlier in the week that he will be seeded third in the Grand Slam due to his good record on grass, even though he is currently ranked fifth in the world.Murray's Wimbledon campaign will get underway on Monday when he walks on to Centre Court as the first British male defending singles champion since Fred Perry.It is certain to be a pressure-packed fortnight for Murray, especially as his partnership with new coach Amelie Mauresmo will be closely scrutinised.Frenchwoman Mauresmo was Murray's shock choice to replace Ivan Lendl, initially on a trial basis until the end of the short grasscourt season.With few other leading men coached by women, Murray's move has raised eyebrows in the tennis world, but the Scot is happy to be able to pick the brains of former Wimbledon winner Mauresmo about the experience of defending the title.I chatted to her about it last night when we had dinner, Murray said.It's important at the beginning, when you go out and walk onto the court, to try to enjoy that feeling, because it's something I've never experienced before, it will be a proud moment to come back as defending champion.It's important to try to enjoy experiences like that, because they don't happen often.I don't know how it will feel, I have no idea, I'm sure I'll be nervous and will feel some pressure, but I'll try to enjoy it, it's a new experience for me.It's not often that happens now, there aren't many situations I haven't been in, after nine or 10 years on the tour, so that will be nice.But then when you start playing the match, you need to treat it like any other tennis match, and get down to business and focus on the tactics and what you need to do to try to come through.Murray, who also won the Olympic singles gold medal at Wimbledon in 2012, says he is relishing his time with Mauresmo after working without a coach since Lendl quit in March.I've really enjoyed working with Amelie so far, I've really enjoyed being on the court with her, he said.She understands the game well obviously, she's also been in the position before coming back as defending champion at Wimbledon.Queen's didn't really count as a tournament that we spent together because she arrived on Tuesday afternoon and I played my first match on Wednesday, and we practised for 30 minutes.From her side, she's just getting to know me, getting to know the guys that I work with, and how we operate.Then these last few days we've had time on the court, some peace and quiet to work on some things and to try to get ready for the start of the tournament.It's important to enjoy practising and having fun on the court with your coach, and that's been the case in the last four days.

Tennis: Wimbledon champ Bartoli beaten by schoolgirl

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LONDON (AFP) - Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli was beaten by a 15-year-old English schoolgirl as she turned out on a grasscourt on Thursday for the first time since her historic triumph.Just over a year ago, Bartoli was lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish on Wimbledon's hallowed Centre Court having achieved her lifelong dream by defeating Germany's Sabine Lisicki in the women's final.The 29-year-old Frenchwoman retired a month later and won't defend her title at Wimbledon, which gets underway on Monday.But Bartoli's fond memories of England's grasscourts persuaded her to accept an invitation to play in the Liverpool Hope University International Tennis Tournament at Liverpool Cricket Club this week.Her first opponent in the exhibition event was teenager Jodie Burrage and Bartoli was virtually unrecognisable from the player who did not drop a set at Wimbledon last year.The disbelief on Burrage's face was clear as she raced into a 4-0 lead.Bartoli won the next four games but could not save the set, and trailing 7-5, 3-2 she pulled out with a right shoulder problem.Burrage, 208th in the junior world rankings, earned the chance to play in the event by winning a junior tournament in Liverpool last year and she said: I can't believe it. It's amazing even to be able to play against her. So to win, it's unreal.I was really nervous, I was thinking, 'Just get a couple of games, or even a game'. Then when I was out on the court, I couldn't believe the scoreline and how I was playing. I played really well.When I won the first game, I thought it was lucky. When I went 4-0 up, I was like, 'Oh my God, you could get a set'. I didn't think I'd win. Then I think I lost my focus a bit but I still managed to get that and then go up in the second.Unfortunately she had to pull out, but still it was incredible.Bartoli is expected to compete in doubles on Friday, although it was unclear whether she would be able to complete her round-robin singles matches.

Oil hits new nine-month peak on Iraq violence

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices soared Thursday on escalating violence in Iraq, as government troops recaptured a major refinery and the US said it was sending in military advisers to train Iraqi forces.Brent crude for August delivery rallied 80 cents in London to $115.06, its highest since early September.In New York, West Texas Intermediate for July delivery added 46 cents at $106.43 a barrel.The rise in prices continued after US President Barack Obama announced that he was ready to send 300 military advisers to Iraq and if necessary to take targeted and precise military action to counter radical Sunni fighters.We will help Iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people, the region and American interests as well, he said.The extremists have captured swathes of the country's north but have yet to directly threaten the key oil-producing region in the south.Iraqi forces regained full control on Thursday of the country's largest oil refinery after heavy fighting, officials said.The security forces are in full control of the Baiji refinery, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's security spokesman, said in televised remarks.The crisis has rocked the global oil market because Iraq is the second-biggest producer within the 12-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).The country has more than 11 percent of the world's proven resources and produces 3.4 million barrels a day.

Euro pushes higher for second session

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro climbed against the dollar for a second straight day Thursday despite comments from the International Monetary Fund that eurozone growth was too weak and inflation worryingly low.The continued dovish stance of the US Federal Reserve, reiterated Wednesday in a new policy statement, appeared to be still guiding markets, according to analysts.Fed Chair Janet Yellen said the economy was growing steadily and dismissed a fresh uptick in US inflation as noise reflecting some short-term distortions. This suggests that the Fed still sees a low-inflation environment for the next year or more.Unlike other central banks that have recently expressed their desire to become more active, the Fed remains comfortable with their current course and has no desire to alter the market's expectations, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.While we don't expect a significant sell-off in the dollar, the greenback should extend its losses against the currencies of central banks who are looking to tighten.

West Indies edge closer to squaring NZ series

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PORT OF SPAIN (AFP) - Despite a defiant ninth-wicket New Zealand partnership that has forced the match into the final day, the West Indies were poised for a series-levelling victory at close of play on the fourth day of the second Test at Queen's Park Oval on Thursday.Trailing on first innings by 239, the tourists reached stumps on 257 for eight, leading by just 18 runs with all of day five to come.West Indies were anticipating an innings victory late on the fourth day when Tim Southee was the eighth wicket to fall with the score at 212 and more than an hour-and-a-half left in the final session.However B.J. Watling (38 not out) and Mark Craig (29 not out) held firm for 110 minutes in adding 45 runs to ensure the home side will have to try to complete victory on Friday and so set up a series decider in Barbados next week.Kemar Roach was the leading wicket-taker with three for 53, but the bowling honours of the day really went to Sulieman Benn.The gangling left-arm spinner operated unchanged through the first two sessions of the day but for one over when he was off the field, taking the vital wickets of Tom Latham and Jimmy Neesham in the morning session.Latham could do little to avoid a delivery that kicked off a length and offered a simple catch to silly-point, but the dismissal of Neesham stunned everyone, even the bowler, as he flung himself low to his right to come up with a sensational catch.Benn ended the day with two for 62 off 49 persevering overs and should have broken the stand between Watling and Craig early as Jermaine Blackwood failed to hold on to a sharp chance at forward short-leg when Craig was just on five.Kane Williamson, who added 75 for the second wicket in a partnership that had started the previous evening, has been New Zealand's top-scorer so far, getting to 52 before being caught at the wicket off Roach. He also accounted for Ish Sodhi and Southee in the final session.Having lost three wickets in the morning, the Black Caps would have been looking to Ross Taylor to take them out of trouble.But the prolific strokeplayer failed to live up to his impressive record against the West Indies, falling for 36 in mid-afternoon when a loose drive off pacer Shannon Gabriel offered a catch to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin which the home captain completed with great jubilation.Regular opener Hamish Rutherford, who came in at the fall of the fifth wicket after being off the field for most of the fourth day with a stomach upset, lasted for an hour before Jerome Taylor trapped him LBW offering no shot.New Zealand's trademark doggedness seemed to have disappeared and the West Indies were already sensing victory with Roach's two wickets in the last session, only for the belated rearguard action by Watling and Craig leaving them more than a little frustrated.
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