Saturday 21 June 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Joint investigation team to probe Model Town tragedy

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – According to a Punjab government spokesman, a joint investigation team has been formed to probe Model Town tragedy.The investigation team consists of IB, MI, ISI and police officials.The spokesman further informed that the investigation team will review all aspects of the Model Town tragedy.

Egypt court confirms mass Islamist death sentences

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MINYA (AFP) - An Egyptian court on Saturday confirmed death sentences for more than 180 Islamists, including Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohamed Badie, after a mass trial that sparked an international outcry.The court in the central city of Minya initially sentenced 683 people to death, but on Saturday commuted death sentences of four defendants to life in prison and acquitted 496 others, prosecutor Abdel Rahim Abdel Malik told AFP.Since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July last year, hundreds of his supporters and Badie himself have been sentenced to death in trials roundly criticised by human rights watchdogs.The 183 whose death sentences were confirmed Saturday were convicted of involvement in the murder of two policemen and the attempted murder of five others in Minya province on August 14, the day police killed hundreds of Morsi supporters in Cairo clashes.They were also found guilty of vandalism, attacking public property, bearing arms and joining illegal organisations, Abdel Malik said.Lawyers said most of those sentenced to death are on the run.The defence lawyers were unable to attend the trial and defend their clients. The court violated the defendants' rights of defence and gave its decision quickly, said one, Mohammed Tosson, adding they intended to appeal.Journalists were barred from attending the trial.The decision came after the court referred its initial April ruling to the country's top Islamic scholar, as required under Egypt's legal system.Defence lawyer Khaled Elkomy said the case was full of flaws.The judge referred 683 defendants to the grand mufti because he believed that they were guilty... he then returned and acquitted most of them, he said.This shows that the judge did not even study the case properly.In March, the same court reduced to life in prison 492 of 529 death sentences passed on another batch of Morsi supporters.Outside the court, relatives reacted to the verdict.I swear that my brother has nothing to do with politics and the Muslim Brotherhood. He does not even pray, said Ahmed, 40, of his brother who was sentenced to death.Another man expressed relief.Allah revealed the truth. Allah acquitted my brother, he said.The mass trial comes amid a crackdown on Morsi's supporters that has seen more than 1,400 people killed since his ouster and more than 15,000 jailed.The crackdown has extended to secular-leaning dissidents who supported Morsi's overthrow but then turned against the military-installed regime that ruled before ex-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president last month.Badie, the Brotherhood's spiritual guide, was this week handed a death sentence by another court that accused him and 13 others of inciting violence that killed 10 people a Cairo mosque.In January 2010, Badie was elected the Brotherhood's eighth chief since its foundation in 1928 after a bitter dispute between ideologically focused conservatives and reformists.The authorities insisted the initial death sentences were issued only after careful consideration and said they were subject to appeal.The verdicts in this case provide the latest example of the Egyptian judiciary's bid to crush dissent, Amnesty International's Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said in a statement.Clearly, Egypt's judicial system is broken and no longer able to deliver justice. The death penalty is being ruthlessly deployed as a tool to eliminate political opponents.Sisi won the May presidential election riding on a wave of popularity after leading Morsi's ouster.Rights activists fear that under his presidency Egypt could see autocracy worse than under Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in 2011.Sisi has signalled he intends to return Egypt to stability rather than encouraging democratic freedoms.British Foreign Secretary William Hague in a statement Saturday said the sentences damage the reputation of Egypt's judicial system and undermine international confidence in the prospects for political stability in Egypt.Meanwhile, in a separate trial, eight people were sentenced to life for torching an office of the Brotherhood's political wing the Freedom and Justice Party in the Nile Delta city of Damietta, the official MENA news agency said.It also reported that in another case the same court sentenced 23 Brotherhood members in absentia to 15 years for participating in a violent protest.

Syria air raids kill 16 in area seized by jihadists: NGO

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Air raids killed 16 people in Syria's Deir Ezzor province Saturday, most of them people gathered at a mourning tent for rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) officers murdered by jihadists, an NGO said.Warplanes bombed the locality of Muhassen six times, killing 16 people, including three women, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.Observatory director Rami Abdul Rahman said one of the targets had been the tent and that most of the victims died in that raid.The Britain-based Observatory said the bodies of the FSA's deputy commander for the area and two other rebel officers had been found Friday on the banks of the nearby Euphrates River near Muhassen.The three had been captured Wednesday by an Islamist brigade allied with the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and their bodies showed signs of having been killed execution style.Earlier Friday, ISIL, which has a significant presence in the eastern province on the border with Iraq, had seized Muhassen and two other villages in the area.Elsewhere in Syria, 21 surface-to-surface rockets hit the suburban Damascus town of Mleiha, which controls access to the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area, the Observatory said.

Ukraine troops clash with rebels despite ceasefire order

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ANDRIYIVKA (AFP) - Ukraine's military waged new battles Saturday with pro-Moscow rebels who rejected Kiev's unilateral ceasefire, while the government raised alarm over the Kremlin's decision to put troops across Russia on combat alert.The resurgence of violence in the 11-week insurgency threatening to splinter the ex-Soviet nation came as Washington slapped sanctions on top separatist leaders and warned the Kremlin against sending forces into Ukraine.But Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared ready to continue sabre-rattling in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War era by ordering units from the Volga to western Siberia to conduct snap military drills.There is no ceasefire, a woman named Lila Ivanovna said just four kilometres (two miles) southwest of the battled-scarred rebel stronghold city of Slavyansk.They were shooting last night and I heard mortar and machinegun fire at four this morning. Nothing has changed.Ukrainian border guards said the militia used sniper fire and grenade launchers to strike one of their bases in the eastern Donetsk region four hours after President Petro Poroshenko declared a unilateral halt to hostilities that have claimed more than 375 lives.Three soldiers were injured -- one seriously -- and equipment damaged, the border guard service said in a statement.It added that Ukrainian troops had to return fire when the same militia unit mounted a second attack near a different Russian border crossing a few minutes later.A spokesman for Ukraine's anti-terrorist operation confirmed the fighting around Slavyansk while the defence ministry said one of its anti-aircraft bases was attacked by 50 men in camouflage.But the separatist leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic told Russia's RIA Novosti state news agency that Slavyansk had absorbed a heavy air and artillery assault from Ukrainian troops.Poroshenko declared the week-long unilateral ceasefire on Friday evening while stressing that it does not mean that we will not fight back against aggression toward our troops.The order and simultaneous peace plan unveiled by the 48-year-old chocolate baron was branded an ultimatum by the Russian foreign ministry.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on a visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday that he was concerned that Kiev's military campaign had only intensified.

At least 10 dead in Boko Haram raids on Nigeria villages

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KANO (AFP) - At least 10 people were killed Saturday in raids by suspected Boko Haram gunmen on two villages near the town of Chibok where Islamists abducted more than 200 girls in April, residents and local leaders said.Military fighter jets dropped bombs on the insurgents, halting the attacks after nine hours, said Enoch Mark, a Christian priest in Chibok, some 11 kilometres (six miles) from the attacked villages. We have picked up 10 corpses with bullet wounds in the bush outside the villages of Kwaranglum and Tsaha, he said.The gunmen wearing military uniforms stormed the villages early Saturday, razing them and shooting residents as they tried to flee, Mark said.Smoke from the direction of the two villages could be seen from Chibok, said Mark, whose daughter and niece were among the schoolgirls abducted in Chibok on April 14.Boko Haram fighters kidnapped 276 girls from Chibok. A total of 219 are still missing.The schoolgirls' abduction from their dormitory in the remote town triggered global outrage and condemnation.The gunmen, aboard all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles, arrived in Kwaranglum around 7:00 am (0600 GMT), firing indiscriminately and torching homes, according to resident Daniel Haruna, who fled to Chibok.The attacks were in apparent reprisal for the killing of eight Boko Haram fighters by a local vigilante in Kwaranglum on Tuesday, Haruna said.Despite being fired on by the gunmen, some of the victims managed to trek a considerable distance from the two neighbouring villages, Mark said.Many bodies are scattered in the bush because the gunmen went after people who ran into the bush and shot them dead, Haruna said.The attacks were brought to a halt by the deployment of the fighter jets that dropped bombs on the insurgents, Mark said.We saw the fighter jet which came around 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) and dropped bombs on the Boko Haram gunmen. We heard eight huge explosions, Mark said in an account supported by Haruna.The vigilantes said Tuesday they had killed eight suspected Boko Haram militants who attacked the village near Chibok, burning several homes and stealing food.As the assailants tried to flee, vigilante members opened fire on them, killing eight. One was arrested and the rest fled, said Adamsi Tar, the local vigilante leader.Earlier this week, some Chibok residents claimed that Boko Haram wrote a letter threatening to launch a fresh attack on the town in Borno state.The police in Borno denied knowledge of the letter.Suspected Boko Haram gunmen on Thursday killed 10 people in raids on five villages in northeast Adamawa state, a local official said Friday.Scores of gunmen wearing military uniforms stormed the villages of Imirsa, Shuwari, Yaza, Humabza and Anguwar Shuwa, burning homes and looting food supplies, he told AFP.The sect is also suspected of carrying out a deadly bomb attack late Tuesday against football fans watching the World Cup in the northern city of Damaturu, capital of Yobe state, killing at least 21 people, in the latest violence targeting the game.Boko Haram's brutal five-year insurgency has claimed thousands of lives.

Curfew imposed in NW for indefinite period

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MIRANSHAH (Dunya News) - Curfew has been imposed in North Waziristan on Saturday for an indefinite period.Meanwhile, armed forces continued Zarb-e-Azb against militants in the tribal region. Security has also been beefed on the entry and exit points of the district.

40 PAT supporters released from jail

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LAHORE (Online) - At least 40 supporters of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) have been released from Kot Lakhpat jail.The PAT supporters had been detained on Wednesday for protesting against the removal of barriers from outside the Central Secretariat of Minhajul Quran in Model Town, Lahore on Tuesday.The clashes between the PAT supporters and the police had killed over dozen people and injured 80 others.

Bikes, cars damaged in bomb explosion in Karachi

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Karachi (Online) - A bomb exploded in front of Ahsenabad police check post near Super Highway here on Saturday damaging a number of bikes and cars.According to details, the bomb went off in parking outside the check post without resulting in any casualties.A large number of Rangers and police personnel cordon off the area after the incident.According to investigation, the bomb was planted in a bike. Further investigations are underway.

Football: Record-equalling Klose saves German blushes

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FORTALEZA (AFP) - Miroslav Klose equalled Brazilian legend Ronaldo's record of 15 World Cup goals with the equaliser for Germany in their 2-2 Group G draw with Ghana in Fortaleza on Saturday.Mario Goetze had given Germany the lead before goals from Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan turned the game on its head and threatened to cause a major upset for the Black Stars.But Klose had the last laugh with a poacher's goal a yard out 19 minutes from time.It doesn't matter whether I play from the start or come off the bench: all games are important and 15 goals in 20 World Cup games isn't bad, said the Lazio striker.German captain Phillip Lahm refused to use the sweltering conditions as a reason for their performance. It was a gruelling 90 minutes, the weather can't be an excuse, we were not as aggressive and gave them too much room, said Lahm, who like several of the squad have experienced semi-final heartbreak in 2006 and 2010.Over the 90 minutes, we had the better chances, but overall we can't be satisfied.Gyan, whose goal saw him join Cameroon legend Roger Milla as the leading all-time African scorer with five, said that they had played much better tha in the defeat by the United States.We believed in ourselves today, the 28-year-old told the BBC.I think tactically we were perfect today.Now we definitely have to beat Portugal. We will have to focus but we believe we can beat them. With the USA playing Portugal in Manaus on Sunday, the result breathes life back into Ghana's hopes of reaching the last 16.The Germans could be knocked from top of the group and must beat Jurgen Klinsmann's Stars and Stripes in Recife on Thursday to be sure of reaching the knock-out stages.Having at times bossed the first half, and only been denied by two fantastic Manuel Neuer saves from Sulley Muntari and Christian Atsu, Ghana switched off at the start of the second.Thomas Mueller picked out Goetze running into the box and the Bayern Munich midfielder stopped unconvincingly to head goalwards with the ball going straight down onto his knee before rebounding past Ghana goalkeeper Abdul-Fatawu Dauda, who like his two centre-backs had been ball-watching.The lead lasted only three minutes before Harrison Afful crossed into the box and Ayew, on his 50th appearance for the Black Stars, climbed above Shkodran Mustafi and the static Per Mertesacker, playing his 100th game for Germany, to flick a header beyond Neuer.Nine minutes later things got even better for Ghana as Muntari dispossessed Germany captain Philipp Lahm in midfield and slid the ball through to Black Stars captain Gyan to smash the ball past Neuer.The Black Stars broke out in some impressive dance moves in celebration wafter Gyan's goal.Ghana were running riot and Germany hanging on by their fingernails but an inspired substitution by coach Joachim Loew brought Klose into the fray to stab home from a yard out after Benedikt Hoewedes flicked on Toni Kroos's corner.Both sides had late chances to win the game as Jordan Ayew headed over with the German defence again all at sea.At the other end, only a superb Kwadwo Asamoah tackle denied Mueller before Ozil also went close, while Gyan pulled a late shot wide in a frantic finish.The bad news for Germany may not end with just the result as Mueller required extensive treatment at the end of the game after crashing into central defender John Boye's shoulder.Kevin-Prince Boateng, who has failed to have the impact he had in the 2010 finals, said that a draw had been a fair result.We had set out to win today, but we should be happy with the result, said Ghana's Kevin-Prince Boateng.It went backwards and forwards, Germany could have won it, we could have won it - the point was fair.We didn't want to let them get into the game, that was the key today.

Football: Bosnia out as Nigeria end win drought

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CUIABA (AFP) - Bosnia-Hercegovina's maiden appearance at a World Cup finals ended in disappointment as Peter Odemwingie's goal condemned them to a 1-0 defeat by African champions Nigeria in Cuiaba and ensured they could not qualify for the second round.Nigeria's win, their first at a World Cup finals since 1998, leaves them as favourites to join Argentina in the second round.Argentina are on six points after beating Iran 1-0 earlier on Saturday to leave the Iranians on a point while the Nigerians are on four points.Nigeria play Argentina in their final group game on Thursday -- the Africans have lost all three times they have previously played the South American side in the group stages, losing 1-0 on the last occasion in 2010.Nigeria were a completely different team to the one that had barely got out of a Sunday morning stroll in the 0-0 draw with Iran.Emmanuel Emineke always looked a threat and it was he who created the goal, as he burst down the right and engaged in a race for the ball with veteran Bosnian skipper Emir Spahic, who tried vainly to obstruct the Nigerian.However, the central defender had completely misjudged the situation as Emineke went the opposite side and outpaced him to collect the ball before unselfishly squaring it to Peter Odemwingie, with the Stoke City striker tucking the ball away.Bosnia had little to offer, though they could claim that they had been robbed of a goal as Edin Dzeko put the ball past Vincent Enyeama, but it was wrongly ruled out for offside.Dzeko, though, could have stolen a point at the death when he rose to meet a corner but his downward header was straight at Enyeama, who gratefully smothered it.The Manchester City striker went even closer in time added on as his shot from inside the area beat Enyeama but cannoned back off the post.The referee whistled for fulltime shortly after that with the Bosnians collapsing to the ground in despair and the Nigerians jumping for joy as they -- after the Ghanaians drew with Germany earlier on Saturday -- restored pride to the African challenge at the finals.

Football: 'Hurting' England must restore pride: Rooney

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - England striker Wayne Rooney said on Saturday that his side were hurting after their early World Cup elimination and urged his team-mates to restore pride against Costa Rica on Tuesday.Obviously we're hurting, the Manchester United striker told a press conference at England's Rio de Janeiro training base.It's really disappointing to be out of the tournament, so I'm sure you can imagine it's quite tough.There'll be a long few days for us now and we have to try and pick ourselves up for this game on Tuesday, go out fighting and show our pride.England lost their first two Group D games 2-1 against Italy and Uruguay and were eliminated on Friday after the Italians lost 1-0 to Costa Rica in Recife.It is the first time England have gone out in the first phase of a World Cup since the 1958 tournament in Sweden.Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has confirmed that England manager Roy Hodgson will stay on until the 2016 European Championship and goalkeeper Joe Hart said the squad were fully behind him.Asked if Hodgson retained the players' full support, the Manchester City goalkeeper replied: Of course he does. We've got to stick together.We came as a group and we tried to succeed as a group. We didn't, but we've got to stick together. We prepared as best as we could have and we just haven't performed on the field.Rooney added: Make no doubt about it -- Roy is the man to take this team forward.Earlier, Rooney issued a public apology to England's fans on his official Facebook page.Sorry to all the fans that travelled and at home that we haven't done better, said Rooney, who did manage to get his first World Cup finals goal in the Uruguay game.Going into each game we had great belief in ourselves, but unfortunately it hasn't worked out.Midfielder Jack Wilshere sent the same message to England's supporters.Gutted doesn't come close to how I am feeling right now. Sorry to all the fans who came out and supported us, and everyone back home, the 22-year-old Arsenal player said on his Twitter account.

Tennis: Djokovic shrugs off wrist injury fears

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LONDON (AFP) - Novak Djokovic insists the wrist injury that forced him to pull out of a Wimbledon warm-up event this week won't affect his bid to win the grasscourt Grand Slam.After being troubled by the right wrist problem since Monte Carlo in April, Djokovic has been taking extra care not to aggravate the injury with Wimbledon just days away.The 27-year-old felt the injury may have been in danger of flaring up due to the tricky transition from clay to grasscourts and that prompted him to pull out of an exhibition match in London earlier this week.But he has practised pain-free over the last few days and the 2011 Wimbledon champion expects to be fit enough to make a strong bid to win the All England Club crown for the second time.It's the first time that I have problems with the wrist. I started feeling it before Monte Carlo tournament started, Djokovic told reporters at Wimbledon on Saturday.I played Monte Carlo under strange conditions, under a lot of pain. I decided to skip Madrid, which was a good decision, because I played pain-free in Rome and Roland Garros.Right now I don't feel any pain. But I felt like when I'm changing surfaces, especially from clay to grass, in the opening few days of the practice here got a little bit of a strange sensation in the wrist.Now it's fine, so hopefully it can stay that way.Djokovic will need to be at his best physically and mentally as he tries to reverse a worrying recent trend of falling just short of the sport's top prizes.The Serb has won just one Grand Slam title in the last two years and has lost in five of his last six major finals, including an agonising French Open defeat to Rafael Nadal earlier this month.It was especially painful as Djokovic has made completing his career Grand Slam of all four major titles his main goal and he felt he had a golden opportunity this time following his victory over the Spaniard on clay at the Rome Masters.In the circumstances, it was important to get away from tennis for a few days to recover his composure and he headed off to Ibiza for a holiday instead of playing one of the Wimbledon warm-up events.Roland Garros in general has taken a lot out of me emotionally. That's the reason why I haven't been taking part in one of the these lead-up events, he said.It was a long claycourt season and I needed four or five days rest to try to get my mind off tennis.It helps. Because as much as we love this sport, you need to balance and try to have some recovery time which can recharge your batteries mentally most of all.That's what I got, so now I'm very motivated to play Wimbledon.Djokovic is ranked second in the world behind Nadal, but he received a boost when Wimbledon chiefs bumped him up to the top seeding ahead of the Spaniard due to his superior recent record on grass.He will also have former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker to lean on for advice after the German joined his coaching team earlier this year.With so many recent Grand Slam final defeats on his CV, Djokovic, who starts his Wimbledon campaign against Andrey Golubev, hopes Becker's grasscourt experience can tip the balance of power back in his favour.I have to try to improve myself not just on the court, but understand the mental aspect, why I am not able to win a Grand Slam title in last couple of years, he said.So that's something to work on. It's one of the reasons why Boris is onboard.I do feel different having Boris, a player who made a mark in this tournament, on my side.

Formula One: Massa on pole for Austrian Grand Prix

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SPIELBERG (AFP) - Williams driver Felipe Massa secured his first pole position in six years on Saturday, setting up an exciting duel with Mercedes for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix. The 33-year-old Brazilian outpaced the competition with a fastest lap of one minute and 08.759 seconds in the dying minutes of the qualifying round, to take his 16th career pole, 0.087 seconds ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas.Massa deprived Mercedes's current championship leader Nico Rosberg of a third successive pole position, leaving the German trailing by 0.185 seconds with the third fastest time. I'm so happy with what's happened today with us, our team. It's such a great moment. It's been a long time since I had my last pole position, which was in Brazil in 2008, Massa said after the qualifying round. For sure we need to concentrate on the race tomorrow, it's a very difficult, important race for us. But I think it's a great moment, he added. Bottas, who achieved his best ever result on Saturday, was similarly ecstatic: It's a great achievement. Of course it's only Saturday but I am really looking forward to tomorrow.Mercedes and Williams had already dominated the three practice sessions at the Red Bull Ring this weekend. But Rosberg and 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton had to watch Massa and Bottas speed ahead on the 4.3-kilometre track. Hamilton, a four-time Grand Prix winner this season, eventually finished in ninth place. I definitely didn't expect Williams to be ahead of me today but they did a good job, Rosberg conceded. Still, he remained in fighting spirit ahead of Sunday's race, which sees the return of the Austrian Grand Prix after an 11-year absence. Third place is ok. I have a cool car for the race tomorrow so everything's possible, said this year's Australian and Monaco Grand Prix winner. I will do my best. It was a strong performance (from Massa and Bottas) but I think I can be faster in the race. So we'll see... I think I have good chances. Ahead of this weekend, it was Red Bull -- fresh from taking first and third places at the Canadian Grand Prix -- that were widely expected to set up an exciting duel with the current leaders. But the Austrian team has struggled in Spielberg despite racing on home turf. Germany's Sebastian Vettel barely made it past the first qualifying round with just the 15th fastest time and then succumbed in the second round, a far cry from his championship winning form in the past four seasons. Teammate Ricciardo meanwhile improved his times on Saturday -- finishing qualifying with the fifth fastest time -- but still failed to match his performance from Montreal when he won his first ever Grand Prix. Already after the first practice sessions, Red Bull's drivers admitted they would not be going into Sunday's race as the favourites, with Mercedes too strong at the moment.Except for Montreal two weeks ago, Mercedes have enjoyed a near-perfect season, winning the first six races, allowing them to build a 119-point lead in the constructors' standings ahead of Red Bull. Facing a new track this weekend that included some tricky turns, several drivers -- including Hamilton and Alonso -- saw times disallowed Saturday after going too far off course. Force India's Sergio Perez will meanwhile drop five places on the grid for his horrific crash with Massa in Montreal two weeks ago. Marussia's Max Chilton also has a three-point grid penalty for causing a collision in Canada and will start at the back. The last Austrian Grand Prix winner in 2003 was seven-time champion Michael Schumacher.

Sri Lanka fight back after Robson century

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LEEDS (AFP) - Australia-born opener Sam Robson scored his maiden Test century before Sri Lanka checked England's progress on the second day of the second Test at Headingley on Saturday.England were 320 for six in reply to Sri Lanka's 257, a lead of 63 runs, at stumps after Robson had made 127 in only his second Test.But with England on the verge of taking command, Sri Lanka fought back with three wickets late in the day.And both Matt Prior (three not out) and Chris Jordan (four not out) were dropped before the close.It was a special day, I got a bit of a start last night but I just wanted to fight hard this morning and get us into a decent position, 24 year-old Robson told Sky Sports.Robson's debut, in the drawn first Test of this two-match series at Lord's, his Middlesex home ground, had yielded scores of just one and 19.My debut at Lord's was unbelievable, a bit overwhelming in some respects, so I was looking forward to coming up here and focusing on the cricket rather than the party, as it were, Robson explained after scoring a century witnessed by a Headingley crowd that included both his Australian father and English-born mother.England resumed Saturday on 36 without loss after Yorkshire fast bowler Liam Plunkett had taken Test-best figures of five for 64 on his home ground and Stuart Broad a hat-trick on Friday.Alastair Cook, the England captain, had added just three runs to his overnight 14 when he nicked paceman Dhammika Prasad to Kumar Sangakkara at first slip.That left Cook still searching for his first Test century since the last of his England record 25 hundreds at Headingley last year.But Robson, 21 not out overnight, confidently off-drove Shaminda Eranga for four.Meanwhile, Gary Ballance, fresh from his maiden Test hundred, hit well-struck fours off both seamer Nuwan Pradeep and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.Robson's edged boundary off Pradeep saw him to 50 and at lunch England were 106 for one.Ballance had added just one to his lunch score of 30 when Herath struck him on the pad.New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden upheld Sri Lanka's lbw appeal but England challenged and, with the Decision Review System indicating the ball would have turned past leg stump, Yorkshire's Ballance survived.The Zimbabwe-born left-hander had another reprieve when on 61, he was dropped at short leg off the inside edge by Kaushal Silva, with Herath again the luckless bowler.Robson also had a break on 78 when he was hit on the pad by Prasad but Sri Lanka, thinking he had hit the ball, did not appeal.Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews brought himself on with England 183 for one off 65 overs.And the all-rounder's ninth ball did the trick, Ballance (74) edging to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal, recalled after Prasanna Jayawardene broke a finger at Lord's.Robson, 98 not out at tea, went to three figures with a two into the covers off Prasad before lofting Herath over long-on for six -- only his sixth six in 73 first-class matches.But Robson's six-and-a-quarter hour innings finished when, after Sri Lanka had taken the new ball, he was bowled between bat and pad by Pradeep to end a 253-ball knock also featuring 15 fours.Robson put on 142 for the second wicket with Ballance and 87 for the third with Ian Bell, appearing in his 100th Test.It seemed there was little to stop the experienced Bell joining the select group of seven players who had made hundreds in their 100th Test until, on 64, he didn't get enough on a glance off Eranga and was caught by Chandimal.England were still on 311 when Joe Root (13), opening the face, was caught behind off Mathews.The medium-pacer nearly had another wicket when Prior, then on nought, checked a drive only for Mathews to drop the low return chance. But Sri Lanka struck again when Moeen Ali, playing away from his body, edged Eranga to give Chandimal his fourth catch of the innings.Jordan had made just one when he thrashed at Prasad and Dimuth Karunaratne at short extra-cover failed to hold a tough chance.

Dhoni backs inexperienced team against England

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MUMBAI (AFP) - Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Saturday his inexperienced team was ready to take on England in Indias first five-Test series there in 55 years.India last toured England in 2011 but havent played five tests on English soil since 1959 when the hosts won 5-0.For quite a few players its a first tour of England, Dhoni said at a press conference ahead of the teams departure to England early Sunday.But theyve had exposure in South Africa and New Zealand and have a few games behind them, the wicketkeeper-batsman said.Only three players in the 18-member Indian squad have played in England before including Dhoni, opener Gautam Gambhir and paceman Ishant Sharma.India start their tour with a practice game against Leicestershire on June 26 followed by another warm-up game with Derbyshire.The first Test starts in Nottingham on July 9 with the remaining matches in London (Lords and The Oval), Southampton and Manchester.The Tests will be followed by five one-day matches and a lone Twenty20 international.Dhoni said the warm-up games would allow the team to get acclimatised.Its good we are going early, it will help us get into the groove. Its a long series and its not very usual (for us) to play a five-Test series, he said.Overall, its looking good. We have got enough time to prepare.India have not played a five-Test series since losing in the Caribbean in 1997.As far as his own game was concerned, Dhoni said he would play his normal attacking game irrespective of the situation India find themselves in.I intend to go for my shots from the first ball. It is very important to back my strength and not think too much about the situation, he said.England beat hosts India 2-1 when the teams last squared up in a Test series in 2012.
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