Tuesday 1 July 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Football: Argentina beat Swiss 1-0 and into World Cup last eight

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SAO PAULO (AFP) - Four-time world footballer of the year Lionel Messi set up Angel di Maria for the only goal two minutes from the end of extra-time as Argentina reached the World Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Switzerland in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.Argentina -- who won the last of their two World Cups in 1986 -- will play the winner of Tuesday's late match between Belgium and the United States.The Swiss -- whose defeat brings to an end the glittering career of coach Ottmar Hitzfeld -- had a glorious chance to level right at the end of extra-time as substitute Blerim Dzemaili produced a great header but it came back off the base of the post and he sent the rebound wide.

NASA to try carbon satellite launch on Wednesday

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US space agency will try again on Wednesday to launch a satellite designed to track carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas that is responsible for global warming.The first bid to send the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 to space was aborted at the last minute on Tuesday, after engineers discovered a problem with water flow to the launch pad.The next attempt is now set for Wednesday at 2:56 am Pacific time (0956 GMT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.NASA's two previous bids to send a carbon-tracking spacecraft into orbit failed due to rocket malfunctions in 2009 and 2011.This time, NASA switched to a different type of rocket, the Delta 2, but an issue with the water suppression system to the launch pad caused engineers to halt the process at 46 seconds before liftoff early Tuesday.Pending the outcome of troubleshooting, the launch is rescheduled for Wednesday, NASA announced on its website.The launch window is quite short, just 30 seconds.The timing has to be precise so that the satellite could join the A-Train, a constellation of five other international Earth-observing satellites.

Tennis: Rafael Nadal knocked out of Wimbledon by Nick Kyrgios

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LONDON (AFP) - Australia's world number 144 Nick Kyrgios caused one of the greatest Wimbledon sensations on Tuesday when he sent world number one and 14-time Grand Slam title winner Rafael Nadal crashing to a shock defeat.The 19-year-old Kyrgios, making his Wimbledon debut, clinched a fearless 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 victory to become the first wildcard in 10 years to make the quarter-finals at the All England Club.He is also the first player ranked outside the top 100 to defeat a world number one since Andrei Olhovskiy stunned Jim Courier in the Wimbledon third round in 1992.It was a performance of brutal inventiveness and uninhibited bludgeoning from a man who had had to save nine match points in his second round win against Richard Gasquet and his reward is a clash with Canada's Milos Raonic for a place in the semi-finals.

Six killed in road accident near Sharaqpur

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MANDI FAIZABAD (Dunya News) - At least six persons including a woman and two children were killed in road accident on Tuesday.The accident occurred when the driver lost control and bus overturned killing six persons including a woman and two children and injuring 40 others.The injured were shifted to Tehsil Headquarter Hospital Sharaqpur and Basic Health Centre Mandi Faizabad while those in critical condition were shifted to Lahore.

Six die as Gas cylinder explodes in Jamrood

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Jamrood: (Dunya News) While most of the Pakistan was enjoying its second Iftar of the Ramzan, an explosion of a gas cylinder took six lives away in Walu Mela area in Tehsil Jamrood of Khyber Agency. The explosion occurred in a house belonging to a man named Sharif Gull at the time of Iftar. The deceased include a couple and their three children while five others were injured in the house.The injured were shifted to Peshawar for medical treatment where one of them pased away not being able to cope with the injuries. Political administration claims that the explosion was of a gas cylinder while the locals claim that it was not. Instead it was a bomb, according to locals, that the kids were playing with and exploded during the game causing six deaths and partly damaging to the house.

Tennis: Weeping Serena in Wimbledon health scare

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LONDON (AFP) - US superstar Serena Williams was at the centre of a Wimbledon health scare on Tuesday when she wept and appeared to be close to fainting in a doubles match with sister Venus.Serena, the world number one singles player, called the doctor to Court One just after she and Venus had warmed up for their second round match against Kristina Barrois and Stephanie Voegele.She broke down in tears as she consulted with the doctor and physio before the tournament referee and supervisor were called to court in a reflection of her status in the sport.Serena served up four double faults in her first service game, wobbled on the baseline before Venus led her back to her chair.Umpire Kader Nouni, having already come down from his chair to talk to the Americans, announced that Serena was retiring from the match through illness with the sisters trailing 3-0.

Cricket: Waqar says Pakistan focused on upcoming series

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LAHORE (AFP) - Pakistan cricket coach Waqar Younis insisted Tuesday that next years World Cup would not distract his side as they prepare for tough series against Sri Lanka and Australia.The 42-year-old fast bowling legend took over for a second spell as coach in May from former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore.He aims to better his first stint in the job, when he guided Pakistan to the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup, where they were knocked out by arch-rivals India.Of course, World Cup is the long term target and its a big event on which every team has set their sights on, Waqar told reporters.But there are short term goals as well and they are our three series against Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand.Waqar, who took 373 Test and 416 one-day wickets for Pakistan, said he hoped to learn from the mistakes of his previous spell as coach -- and he called for an end to the perennial sniping against captain Misbah-ul-Haq.Its good that he has been leading the side for the last three years but its also true that a captain always remains under fire. This has been the norm for the last 25 to 30 years, and we need to change that, said Waqar.He added that he looked forward to working with Grant Flower, the former Zimbabwe opener who takes over as Pakistans batting coach.Waqar will supervise a short training camp later this month to get Pakistan tuned up for their two-Test and three one-day international series in Sri Lanka in August.Pakistan play Australia and New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates later in the year, before touring New Zealand for two one-day internationals ahead of the World Cup in February-March.

Putin slams US, says Europe 'natural partner'

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MOSCOW (AFP) - President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday described the conflict in Ukraine as the culmination of Western efforts to contain Russia and sought to play Moscows natural partner Europe against the United States.In a keynote speech laying out his foreign policy priorities, Putin lambasted the US drive to sideline Moscow and said Europe has become a victim of short-sighted, ideology-driven approaches.We should clearly understand that the events provoked in Ukraine have become the essence of the proverbial politics of containment, Putin said in the biennial address to ambassadors.Let me stress that what has happened in Ukraine is the culmination of negative tendencies in global affairs and they have been accumulating for years, he said.In what political analysts said appeared to be an undisguised attempt to drive a wedge between Brussels and Washington, Putin said Moscows natural partner Europe appeared to be a pawn in international politics.More and more European politicians and business people understand that one simply wants to use Europe in someone elses interests, that it is becoming a hostage to short-sighted, ideology-driven approaches, he said without elaborating.The Russian president singled out US pressure on French banks, saying it was blackmail linked to Pariss decision to press ahead with a sensitive deal to supply Moscow with warships.We know of the pressure that our American partners are putting on France so that they dont send the Mistrals to Russia, Putin said.The Kremlin strongman stressed that Russia -- which faces the threat of fresh Western sanctions over Ukraine -- was an unalienable part of Europe.He tasked his diplomats with putting together a raft of proposals on how avoid future crises and meddling in European affairs.All of us in Europe need a safety net of sorts, Putin said. The task is, to incorporate the traditional principle of non-intervention into modern European realities and initiate serious international talks about this.- Potential allies in Europe? -Russia is locked in its biggest post-Cold War showdown with the West over Ukraine, where the United States and its allies say the Kremlin is backing pro-Moscow separatists in the east.The West has slapped sanctions against some of Putins key allies and warned of a new round of punitive measures if Moscow does not persuade Ukrainian rebels to lay down their arms.Putin spoke after European diplomats said Brussels was preparing new sanctions against Russia after the latest push to extend the truce in Ukraine failed despite support from the EU and Moscow.Putin laid the blame for the failure of the peace talks at Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenkos feet, saying he was now assuming full responsibility for the renewed assault.The tough-talking Russian leader showed little appetite for compromise and reiterated his criticism of Western efforts to dominate world politics, saying Russia would not tolerate efforts to be pushed aside.It is necessary to finally start building ties on the basis of equality, mutual respect and taking mutual interests into account.I am hoping that pragmatism will finally prevail, that the West will get rid of ambitions, of a desire to set up a global barracks: to place everyone according to the pecking order, to impose unified rules of behaviour and life, he said in a thinly-veiled reference to Washington.Dmitry Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, said Putin was seeking to exploit internal political differences among EU members.Many in Europe eye the United States role without enthusiasm and he believes that he has got potential allies there, he told AFP.Pro-Kremlin analyst Sergei Markov said the Kremlin hoped the EU would stop doing what he termed Washingtons bidding.However, some among the Russian elites -- including me -- are disappointed and no longer believe that the EU will stop languishing in the United States shadow.

Siraj Ul Haq demands a Time Frame for Operation Zarb-e-Azb

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ISLAMABAD: (Dunya News) Siraj ul Haq, head of Jamat-i-Islami, criticized the government for not taking other political parties into confidence before starting the military operation in North Waziristan Agency (NWA). He said that when government wanted to talk to Taliban, it took everyone into confidence by calling an All Parties Conference but when it went for the military operation, there was no consultation whatsoever with any of the stakeholders. He regretted that none of the religious or political parties in the country was asked for its opinion by the government before starting the operation.Government had launched the operation on June 15, 2014, after a major terrorist attack on Karachi Airport and had named it Operation Zarb-e-Azb. The name was given to the operation after the sword that was used by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) in the Battle of Badr, named Azb. On 8 June, 2014, terrorists had broken into the airport and had caused serious damages. The damages were not confined only to financial losses but also caused embarrassment to Pakistan across the globe. In the light of these developments, the government had decided to launch the operation against the terrorists and their hideouts in the NWA. To keep an element of surprise in it, Pakistan Army had launched the operation without creating much pre-launch hype, a week after the attack on Karachi Airport, which was claimed by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).Jamat-i-Islami has always opposed the military operation in the region and though the party has lent support to the Operation Zarb-e-Azb, it has repeatedly expressed its concerns about the IDPs. Sirajul Haq urged the Prime Minister to mention the names of the people who were responsible for the failure of the negotiations with the Taliban. He complained of having been caught off guard by the operation as no preparations could be made in such a short span of time for the IDPs. He mourned the conditions of thousands of IDPs who were still unable to leave the areas where operation was being carried out and the women and kids who had died of the hot weather. He demanded fifty thousand rupees for each internally displaced family because he feels that the aid currently being given to the IDPs was not enough for them. He also demanded from the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to declare KPK a war-hit area and ask for foreign aid in this regard.He made an appeal to the people of North Waziristan, who have left for Afghanistan, to return to Pakistan. He said that Pakistan was their home and this is where they must live.

Tennis: Federer, Wawrinka set up all-Swiss Wimbledon duel

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LONDON (AFP) - Seven-time champion Roger Federer will take on close friend Stan Wawrinka in the Wimbledon quarter-finals after both men hurried to victory just in time to watch their native Switzerland tackle mighty Argentina in the World Cup.Federer eased into his 12th Wimbledon quarter-final with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Tommy Robredo, a victory headlined by a perfect second set.Australian Open champion Wawrinka, the fifth seed, made his first last-eight date at the All England Club at the 10th attempt by seeing off Spain's Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (9/7), 6-3.Federer will start as overwhelming favourite having a 13-2 record over his 2008 Olympic Games gold medal partner.But Wawrinka won their last encounter on clay at the Monte Carlo Masters final in April and the two have never met on grass.Federer allowed fellow 32-year-old Robredo just three points off his serve in the first set and then none at all in the second with the 17-time Grand Slam title winner claiming 20 out of 20 points on service.In all, Robredo won just 14 points on the Federer serve as the Swiss star went level with Boris Becker in joint second place for most match wins at the tournament on 71.It was Federer's 11th win in 12 meetings with 23rd seed Robredo and avenged his loss to the Spaniard in the fourth round of the US Open last year.Federer finished with 11 aces and 41 winners and has still to drop a set in the tournament in marked contrast to 12 months ago when he was knocked out in the second round.I am very happy with the way I played today. Tommy got better as the match went on, said Federer.I had a great first week and now I have started the second week well. I'm in another quarter-final and you feel as if you are closer to the finish line. I am serving well, returning well and my movement is good.I feel OK on court. I don't worry about what the press or the experts might say. My game is right there as long as I don't have any hiccups or letdowns.Federer then turned his attentions to Switzerland's World Cup second round clash against Lionel Messi's Argentina later Monday.I might watch it while I am having treatment as I will be so tense, said Federer.I am very excited to see it. I missed it when Switzerland played Ecuador in the opening match because I was playing doubles in Halle.I want to see Messi play. We have nothing to lose and I'm sure we will it give it a go and see what happens. You never know, that's why we all watch sport.The first set of the Wawrinka/Lopez clash saw the 100th tiebreak of the men's tournament at this year's Wimbledon -- the first time in history that the number of tiebreaks at a Grand Slam has reached triple figures in either the men's or the women's event.The two men were then locked in a heated discussion at the net at the end of the tie although Wawrinka attempted to play down any bad feeling.The crowd was still talking next to me. I stopped before he was serving, then he asked the umpire what, and then I got involved, explained Wawrinka.It's nothing important. There was a lot of tension, especially with the first two tie-breaks. We both wanted to win, trying everything to win it, and that's it.Eighth-seeded Milos Raonic celebrated his national day in style by becoming the first Canadian man in more than a century to reach the quarter-finals as he knocked out Kei Nishikori.Raonic beat the 10th-seeded Japanese 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in two hours and 27 minutes on Court Three, firing 35 aces and 66 winners.He faces either world number one Rafael Nadal or Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios for a place in the semi-finals.Kyrgios, the world number 144, is bidding to become the first player ranked outside the top 100 to defeat a world number one since Andrei Olhovskiy, ranked at 193, defeated Jim Courier in the third round at Wimbledon in 1992.

Food rations slashed for 800,000 African refugees: UN

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GENEVA (AFP) - Nearly 800,000 refugees in Africa have had their food rations slashed due to a lack of global aid funding, threatening to push many to the brink of starvation, the UN warned on Tuesday.The cuts of up to 60 percent are threatening to worsen already unacceptable levels of acute malnutrition, stunting and anaemia, particularly in children, the United Nations World Food Programme and refugee agency UNHCR said in a joint statement.The heads of the two agencies were in Geneva on Tuesday to make an urgent appeal to governments for more funds to help feed Africas refugees.It is unacceptable in todays world of plenty for refugees to face chronic hunger, said UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres.WFP will need $186 million (136 million euros) by the end of the year to restore full rations and prevent cuts elsewhere, while UNHCR said it needed another $39 million (29 million euros) to fund the nutritional support it provides to vulnerable refugees across the continent.Many refugees in Africa depend on WFP food to stay alive and are now suffering because of a shortage of funding, Ertharin Cousin said in a statement.Refugees hit by ration cuts were desperately looking for ways to put food on the table, with the crisis pushing more and more children to quit school to seek work and prompting families to marry off their girls at a younger age.Survival sex prostitution by women and girls trying to raise money for food was also a growing problem, the statement said.The funding crisis has forced WFP to cut rations for a third of the 2.4 million refugees it helps feed in 22 African countries, with more than half of the 800,000 affected refugees seeing rations slashed by at least 50 percent.- Dire situation in Chad -The situation was most dire for the 300,000 refugees in Chad -- mainly from Sudans Darfur region and from the Central African Republic -- whose rations had been cut by as much as 60 percent, the statement said.Refugees there were in many cases left with rations of just 850 calories per day, compared to the recommended 2,100 calories adults should receive to remain healthy.Desperately hungry refugees continue to cross daily into southern Chad from the strife-torn Central African Republic, only to find that hunger does not stop at the border, the statement said.It cited the case of 24-year-old Habiba who walked with her four children for three months through the Central African bush to escape the violence ravaging the country, often going days without food and water.Habiba, who gave birth to her youngest daughter along the way but who became so weak, starved and dehydrated she could not breastfeed, crossed into Chad only to discover that UNHCRs Dosseye border camp had run out of supplementary food for pregnant and nursing mothers, it said.The situation was not much better for some 150,000 refugees in Central Africa or in South Sudan, where supplies had also been cut by at least half, while another 338,000 refugees in Liberia, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Ghana, Mauritania and Uganda had seen their rations dwindle up to 43 percent, the UN agencies said.In addition, a series of unexpected, temporary ration reductions, sometimes due to insecurity, had hit camps in several countries since early 2013, including Kenya, Ethiopia, the Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.The number of crises around the world is far outpacing the level of funding for humanitarian operations, and vulnerable refugees in critical operations are falling through the cracks, said Guterres.He warned that even small cuts to rations could spell disaster for already undernourished people, with the impact, especially on children, immediate and often irreversible.

Turkish PM Erdogan to contest presidential election

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ANKARA, (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Tuesday his candidacy for the August presidential election which is expected to make him Turkeys longest-serving and most dominant leader since Ataturk.Erdogan -- tipped to win the poll despite a turbulent year that saw unprecedented protests against his rule -- vowed the election would mark a turning point for a new Turkey.The election will be the first time Turks will directly choose a president, and Erdogan indicated he intended to be much more than a ceremonial head of state.But the secular opposition -- which strongly opposes his Justice and Development Party (AKP)s Islamic-tinted rule -- denounced Erdogan as a violator of the rule of law who had no right to be president.But launching his campaign in Ankara in a speech to 4,000 cheering party members laced with Islamic references, Erdogan said, The owner of this victory is only Allah.We are bracing for a blessed journey to serve the people.Erdogans wife Emine could be seen wiping tears from her eyes while his boisterous supporters chanted Turkey is proud of you- Divisive figure -If he wins, Erdogan, 60, would serve as president until 2019, with the possibility of a second mandate, making him Turkeys longest serving leader since the founder of the modern Turkish republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.However his move to switch from the premiers office to the Cankaya presidential palace in Ankara comes at the most turbulent moment in his decade-long domination of Turkey.The government was shaken by mass protests in 2013, a torrent of corruption allegations, a damaging feud with former allies, and most recently its clumsy response to the Soma mine disaster that killed 301 people.Still hailed by supporters for presiding over an economic transformation of the majority Muslim country, Erdogan is now accused by critics of running the country like an Ottoman sultan, and has become an increasingly polarising figure.His candidacy means Erdogans one-time close ally and co-founder of the Islamic-rooted AKP, incumbent President Abdullah Gul will be stepping aside, with his political future uncertain.Gul, who has repeatedly squabbled with Erdogan in recent months, appeared to be absent from the Ankara rally, which was attended by the entire AKP elite.- End to tutelages -If elected president, Erdogan is expected to wield far greater power than previous incumbents, and he indicated the direct election would give the head of state a greater mandate despite no constitutional backing.The president was previously chosen by parliament.The fact that the president will be elected by the people is a turning point for democracy, declared Erdogan. The presidency will not be a place of rest.In an apparent reference to the AKPs drive to lessen the historic influence of the powerful Turkish military, he added that a democratically-elected president will put an end to a dark period of tutelages.Despite his recent troubles, Erdogan still commands fervent support across the country, especially from rural populations and religiously conservative small business owners who prospered under his rule.Erdogan is widely expected to win the election, possibly with an outright majority in the first round of voting on August 10.Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) that accuses the premier of widescale corruption, said Erdogan had no right to stand in the election.Someone who tells lies, who does not have high standards of morality... and has a shadowy past cannot be a presidential candidate, he said.To the surprise of many, the CHP and nationalist MHP have jointly fielded a devout intellectual -- the former head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu -- as to challenge the pious Erdogan.But while Ihsanoglu, 70, may play well with religious voters, the bespectacled and softly spoken academic has none of the charisma of the combative Erdogan.I didnt start this struggle after I turned 60. Ive been in it since I was 18, sniped Erdogan in apparent reference to his rivals age and lack of experience.Meanwhile, the main pro-Kurdish party on Monday announced its candidate would be Selahattin Demirtas, an energetic figure who nonetheless is expected to struggle to break into double figures.Erdogan said the stalled peace process with Kurdish rebels would continue.Turkey has no other option than a solution, brotherhood and peace, he said. He also reaffirmed he would work for NATO member Turkeys full accession to the European Union.

Europe rights court upholds French burqa ban

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STRASBOURG (AFP) - The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld Frances controversial burqa ban, rejecting arguments that outlawing full-face veils breaches religious freedom.In a case brought by a 24-year-old French woman with the support of a British legal team, the court ruled that France was justified in introducing the ban in the interests of social cohesion.The court emphasised that respect for the conditions of living together was a legitimate aim for the measure at issue, a statement from the ECHR said.It said the ban was not expressly based on the religious connotation of the clothing in question but solely on the fact that it concealed the face.It also emphasised that states should be allowed a degree of discretion -- a wide margin of appreciation -- on a policy issue which is subject to significant differences of opinion.Her lawyer, Ramby de Mello, said the woman was disappointed by the verdict but had anticipated it.She did expect to succeed on some aspects... because this judgement calls for living together in principle it is a good thing, de Mello said.Two of the 17 judges, who spent several months deliberating on the case, dissented from the majority view that the ban did not breach the European Convention on Human Rights provisions protecting freedom of thought, conscience and religion.But the judges agreed unanimously that the woman had not been a victim of discrimination. She had not been prosecuted under the law, which has resulted in only a handful of arrests since it was introduced in 2010.The university graduate, who has family in Birmingham, England, had requested anonymity for fear of reprisals in France over her action.She had argued that being obliged to take off her veil in public was degrading.In written evidence, she had testified that she wore the full veil of her own free will and was willing to remove it whenever required for security reasons -- addressing two of the main arguments put forward by French authorities in support of the ban.The French government had argued that the ban was necessary to ensure gender equality, human dignity and respect for the minimum requirement of life in society.- Victory for women -The court dismissed the first two arguments but upheld the third, saying it was able to understand the view that individuals might not wish to see, in places open to all, practices or attitudes which would fundamentally call into question the possibility of open interpersonal relationships.Under the ban, women wearing full-face veils in public spaces can be fined up to 150 euros ($205).Belgium and some parts of Switzerland have followed Frances lead and similar bans have been considered in other European countries.The International League of Womens Rights, founded by French feminist Simone de Beauvoir, welcomed Tuesdays ruling as a victory for secularism and womens rights.Attempts to enforce the legislation in France have proved problematic and sometimes sparked confrontations, such as riots in the Paris suburb of Trappes last year.The hearing comes just days after one of Frances highest courts upheld the 2008 sacking of a worker at a kindergarten in the Paris suburbs for wanting to wear a headscarf to work.Coincidentally on Tuesday, an appeals court in Versailles outside Paris upheld a three-month suspended sentence imposed on the husband of a veiled woman whose violent action during a police ID check on his spouse later led to rioting in Trappes, a restive suburb west of Paris and home to many immigrants.Many Muslims view France, which is officially a secular republic despite being overwhelmingly Catholic, as imposing its values on them and other religious minorities.France has one of the biggest Muslim populations in Europe. Apart from the veil issue, there has been controversy in the past over whether schools and holiday camps should be required to provide halal meals.

Tennis: Maria Sharapova knocked out of Wimbledon by Kerber

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LONDON (AFP) - Maria Sharapova suffered more Wimbledon heartache as the French Open champion crashed to a shock 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-4 defeat against Germanys Angelique Kerber in the fourth round on Tuesday.Sharapova famously won Wimbledon aged 17 in 2004, but she has struggled to emulate that feat for much of the last decade and this was another dispiriting experience for the Russian as the ninth seed sealed a stunning Centre Court triumph on her seventh match point.The world number five arrived at the All England Club fresh from her second Roland Garros title last month, but she has now failed to make it past the last 16 in seven of her last eight appearances at Wimbledon.Kerber, who reached the last four in 2012, will face Canadas star Eugenie Bouchard, a winner against the German in the French Open fourth round recently, on Wednesday for a place in the semi-finals.

Cricket: Broad wants life ban for all fixers

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LONDON (AFP) - England all-rounder Stuart Broad called for all those found guilty of match-fixing to be given the same lifetime ban as handed down to former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent on Tuesday.The punishment, which was confirmed by the England and Wales Cricket Board, stems from one-day matches that Vincent admitted he helped rig in English county cricket.His former Sussex team mate, Naveed Arif, was also banned for life last month after admitting similar corruption offences.Broad's lone Test century, a superb innings of 169 against Pakistan at Lord's in 2010, was overshadowed by newspaper revelations that the Pakistani trio of then captain Salman Butt and pacemen Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were ready to take part in the deliberate bowling of no-balls in that match in return for cash.All three were subsequently banned for a minimum of five years by the International Cricket Council.But Pakistani officials said last week they were hopeful left-arm seamer Aamer, now 22, might return to domestic cricket before his worldwide ban expires in September 2015 under a new draft clause in a revised ICC anti-corruption code.- 'No excuse for naivety' -===========================However, Broad said if he had his way, the Pakistani trio would not have a hope of a return, insisting that in the light of their case there was no excuse for naivety when it came to the issue of corruption.There's no excuse now around awareness of match-fixing, Broad said Tuesday at a news conference in London organised by sponsors Investec ahead of the forthcoming England-India Test series.We sit through the most boring of lectures saying 'watch out for this' or 'watch out for that', helplines and all that sort of thing.We have to do it through the ICC protocol, the 28-year-old Nottinghamshire paceman explained. We do it before every World Cup and any new player who comes into the side gets called into an anti-corruption meeting.There's no excuse for naivety any more so I don't really see why it wouldn't be a flat out life ban, added Broad, the son of former England opener turned ICC match referee Chris Broad.That would scare a lot of people out of it, I'd hope.A five-year ban, a 10-year ban? I'd pretty much make it a flat-out lifetime ban if I was in control. But I'm not.Former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri, speaking alongside Broad, said he hoped his country would follow the example of other leading cricket nations, including England, in changing the law to make fixing a criminal offence.What India is pushing for in our country is to put something in the constitution that allows criminal prosecution, Shastri said.So it's not just a life ban. He should be sitting in the clink for seven, eight years. That would give any youngster the shivers.Butt, Asif and Aamer, together with their agent Mazhar Majeed, were jailed by an English court in 2011. The players were released in 2012.Earlier on Tuesday, Vincent admitted his guilt as he accepted the ECB ban, which will apply globally, by saying in a statement: My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat.Meanwhile, with Vincent under investigation by police, New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White, while supporting the ECB ban, also said: Unfortunately, and as has been well-documented over recent months, Mr Vincent is also involved in a different capacity with a British police investigation.As such NZC is unable to comment on matters which might yet need to be tested in a court of law.Meanwhile ICC chief executive David Richardson, in endorsing the ECB's move, said the global governing body had a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption.But with Vincent confessing his wrongdoing, the former South Africa wicketkeeper added the ICC commend him for having the courage to finally tell the truth and to cooperate with the investigations.
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