Wednesday 16 July 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Operation against militants continues near Raiwind

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RAIWIND (Dunya News) – According to details, police conducted a search operation in Jannat Colony area of Araiyan Pind (Araiyan village) on a tip off about presence of militants in a compound located in the area.The militants opened fire when the police party surrounded the compound as a result an Elite Force official embraced martyrdom. Additional contingents of Rangers, police and other security forces have reached the area. The exchange of fire between security forces and militants was going on till filing of this report.

Golf: Stage set for tight British Open

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HOYLAKE (AFP) - The stage was set on Wednesday for the 143rd British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf club with title contenders keeping one eye on back-from-injury Tiger Woods and another on the ever-changing weather conditions.The final day of practice for what is building up to be one of the most open Opens in years was marked by heavy downpours on the Wirral peninsula, edged in between Liverpool and the north Wales coastline, sending spectators scurrying for cover and players reaching for their umbrellas.The forecast for the next four days showed a mixture of sunshine and heavy rain, with warnings of possible thunderstorms for Saturday. Woods, who will play in just his second tournament in over nearly four months since undergoing back surgery in late March, had already put in most of his preparation work after arriving at Hoylake on Saturday.He is looking to repeat his feat of eight years ago when he won the 12th of his 14 major titles with a masterly display of accurate shot-making on a fiery and fast-running, sun-baked course.Whether he can resurrect his flagging injury-hit career this week is one of the strong story lines that will be played out over the next four days.Playing with Woods in the first two rounds will be Swede Henrik Stenson, ranked world number two and seen as one of the tournament favourites.Stenson insists he will not be overawed by the Woods presence at his side on the first tee on Thursday morning insisting that the old days when one or two players could dominate the field were long gone.I think every sport develops over time and ours is not different, he said.It's become so competitive. It feels like anyone in the field can win if they have a great week.You see it on the European Tour and the PGA Tour on the number of players that on each stroke make a bogey and you fall 15, 20 spots sometimes.So it’s very competitive and very tight. It would take something very special to have two guys come on board and dominate it, like it was possibly further back.Much of the talk in the buildup to the tournament has been on how fair is the Royal Liverpool Golf Club course - a 7,312 yards, par-72 layout speckled with an army of pot bunkers and with some brutally tough par-fours, but also four par-fives that can spill up plenty of birdies if the weather is kind.Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, who learned his golf at Royal Portrush over the Irish Sea from Hoylake, compared negotiating Royal Liverpool to playing a boardgame.This is my kind of golf course this week, said McDowell, who admits to being one of the shorter hitters off the tee in the top echelons of golf.From my point of view I don't want to walk on to this golf course and say, here we go again, this is 330-yard paradise.It's not that type of golf course. Look at the way Tiger won here in 2006. He can dominate with length, but he didn't have to. This golf course doesn't ask that question. It asks you to play a game of chess more than anything else.Weather conditions, pot bunkers and Tiger Woods apart, the sub-plots this week are numerous and varied.Phil Mickelson is the defending champion at 44, Adam Scott seeks to bury the agony of two near misses in the last two years and emulate his boyhood hero Greg Norman, the last Australian to win the Open Championship 21 years ago and Rory McIlroy wants to finally come good in the tournament after six frustrating attempts.Apart from Woods and Mickelson, the American challenge is led by world number four Bubba Watson and number five Matt Kuchar, while second ranked Stenson is out to become the first Swede to lift the Claret Jug.US Open winner Martin Kaymer, meanwhile says that Germany's World Cup triumph in Brazil could be the springboard he needs to pull off a rare Open double.

Tennis: Serena in 'difficult period', says coach Mouratoglou

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PARIS (AFP) - Serena Williams, whose Wimbledon campaign ended with her in tears and on the verge of fainting, is enduring a difficult period in her life, her French coach said Wednesday.The world number one was knocked out in the third round of the singles at the All England Club before retiring from her doubles where she had to be led off the court by sister Venus with her problems attributed to a viral illness.Although her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou refused to discuss the American's current mood, he did admit that the 32-year-old was facing a series of challenges in a season where she has yet to get beyond the fourth round at any of the Grand Slams.Serena is clearly going through a difficult period. But since Wimbledon, we have had long hours of talks and we are getting back to work, Mouratoglou told tennismagazine.fr.Today she is in the mood to get back to training so she can return even stronger. At no time was there any question of us stopping our collaboration.Mouratoglou, who has long been romantically linked with Williams, refused to elaborate on any problems the American was suffering or if the two had split either personally or professionally.I have never discussed private matters and I am not going to talk about them now. There have been difficult things. For sure, Serena is in a difficult phase but I will leave it there.Williams is due to return to action at the Stanford event in California from July 28.

Football: Liverpool start life after Suarez with defeat

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LONDON (AFP) - Liverpool started life without Luis Suarez on Wednesday with a 2-1 defeat against Danish side Brondby in the club's opening pre-season friendly.Christian Norgaard gave the home side the lead from a free-kick midway through the first half before Liverpool's Swedish international winger Kristoffer Peterson levelled early in the second half.But Ferhan Hasani hit the Brondby winner in stoppage time.Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers shrugged off the loss in the team's first game since Suarez's EUR95 million ($128 million) move to Barcelona, preferring to concentrate on the challenges of the new Premier League season which starts on August 16.This year, we know it's going to be extremely competitive. Every team will strengthen and we'll be exactly the same. But the beauty for us is that we're a young group and we're bringing in young players that are hungry, said Rodgers.We will progress again from last season. It's going to be a really exciting season. I've seen development in the players already in the short period of time that we've been back. This season we have the belief to go along with the quality.We want to improve and continually improve. We're working very hard behind the scenes, as we always do, in terms of getting the best quality players into the club.Chelsea defeated fourth-tier Wycombe Wanderers 5-0 with Patrick Bamford, Izzy Brown (2), John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic on the scoresheet.In Austria, Crystal Palace enjoyed a 13-1 romp at GAK Graz with Stephen Dobbie grabbing four goals and Glenn Murray, Joe Ledley and Jonathan Williams all netting twice twice.Yannick Bolasie, Jerome Thomas and Marouane Chamakh finished off the rout.

Sports: Real Madrid, Barcelona top Forbes rich list

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Spain may have been embarrassingly dethroned as World Cup holders, but Real Madrid and Barcelona are still champions at making money after they were named as the worlds two richest sports franchises.For the second successive year, Forbes business magazine tagged European champions Real Madrid, where Cristiano Ronaldo plays, as the number one sports team with a value of $3.44 billion.Barcelona, the home of Lionel Messi, Neymar and now the notorious Luis Suarez, are second in the chart with a current value of $3.2 billion, while English giants Manchester United are ranked at three at $2.81 billion despite their miserable season.The only other football club in the top 10 are German champions Bayern Munich whose current value of $1.85 billion is good enough for seventh spot.The rest of the top 10 is from Major League Baseball and the National Football League.The New York Yankees are number four, valued at $2.5 billion with the Dallas Cowboys, worth $2.3 billion, holding the fifth place.With 30 teams in the top 50, for the second consecutive year, the NFL occupies 60% of this years list.The full list also included six teams from MLB and four from the NBA.The NFLs prominent standing on the list and the potential sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft head Steve Ballmer for $2 billion shows the value of big market sports teams in the USA is higher than ever.Ballmers proposed record purchase price for the Clippers is 15 times the revenue. By comparison, in March the Milwaukee Brewers were sold for five times the revenue.The Clippers sale is currently hung up in the US court system. Forbes valued the team at $575 million in January before tentative deal was announced.Forbes said the stock markets bull run over the last five years, soaring TV rights and a limited number of teams for sale has contributed to skyrocketing values like the Clippers.The average value of the top 50 teams is $1.34 billion, which is an 8% increase from last year, according to Forbes which has been rating the worlds leading sports clubs since 1998.The New York Mets were one of three teams that dropped off this years list of the top 50 -- the other drop-offs include the Oakland Raiders in the NFL and McLaren in Formula 1.1. Real Madrid $3.44 billion, 2. Barcelona $3.2 billion, 3. Manchester United $2.81 billion, 4. New York Yankees $2.5 billion, 5. Dallas Cowboys $2.3 billion, 6. Los Angeles Dodgers $2.0 billion, 7. Bayern Munich $1.85 billion, 8. New England Patriots $1.8 billion, 9. Washington Redskins $1.7 billion, 10. New York Giants $1.55 billion.

Cycling: Gallopin wins Tour de France 11th stage

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OYONNAX (AFP) - Two days after wearing the yellow jersey on Bastille Day, Frenchman Tony Gallopin won the 11th stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday.The 26-year-old escaped from a depleted peloton on a fast descent in the last 10km of the 187.5km run from Besancon to Oyonnax.Although he was caught by a trio of chasers, he attacked them in the final 3km and held on for victory ahead of John Degenkolb and Matteo Trentin.Italian Vincenzo Nibali finished safely in the chasing pack and held onto the leader's yellow jersey.Richie Porte remains second at 2min 23sec with Alejandro Valverde third at 2:47.Following Tuesday's rest day it was a hilly challenge for the remaining 179 riders in the peloton.But for one in particular it seemed too much.American Andrew Talansky woke up with a bad back and lost touch with the peloton in the first half of the race.At one point he climbed off his bike and seemed to have quit but after a few minutes talking to his team, he got back in the saddle and carried on, in floods of tears, facing a race against time to finish inside the cut-off point.Up front a three-man breakaway that lasted more than 100km was gobbled up before a succession of other attacks on a series of short climbs served only to increase the peloton's speed and reduce its numbers.But Gallopin picked the ideal moment to attack and although he seemed to have come up short, he went again and this time made it stick.Having worn yellow already in this Tour, he now added his first stage victory in the Grand Boucle and the second by a Frenchman this year.

Formula One: Rosberg signs new Mercedes deal

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PARIS (AFP) - Nico Rosberg, locked in a titanic duel with teammate Lewis Hamilton for this year's drivers' title, on Wednesday signed a new multi-year contract with Mercedes, the German F1 team announced.Rosberg, 29, joined Mercedes on the German car giant's return to F1 in 2010. In five seasons he has won six times, with 17 podiums and eight pole positions.Mercedes....is delighted to announce that it signed a multi-year contract extension with Nico Rosberg on 14 July 2014, a statement on the team's official website confirmed.Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff added: This new contract brings us important stability and continuity for the future and I am delighted to be able to make the announcement in time for the home race of Mercedes-Benz and Nico in Hockenheim.Rosberg leads the 2014 drivers title race by a mere four points from Hamilton, who joined Mercedes from McLaren on a three year deal in 2013, going into the German Grand Prix on Sunday.Hamilton, the 2008 champion, made up ground on Rosberg when claiming victory at Silverstone last time out, with Rosberg, who had set pole, failing to finish.Up to the British Grand Prix Rosberg had finished first or second in all previous eight races.Rosberg said he was proud to drive for the team he described as the best in the world.It has been a difficult road to get to where we are now - but everybody kept believing and, thanks to the fantastic support from Mercedes-Benz, we are now leading the way in F1, he said.There has been big progress during the past year, building up our structure, management and capability for the future.We have an awesome team and I am confident that we have the right people in place at every level. I'm looking forward to the next years together, when we will keep pushing to win even more races and, hopefully, championships.Wolff added: Nico has been part of the Silver Arrows project since day one and he has had a big stake in the development of the team since 2010.His speed, commitment and focus have all helped to give clear direction and to drive the team forward. With his performances in 2014, Nico has demonstrated to the outside world what we knew already in the team; that he is one of the very top drivers in Formula One.

US oil prices rise following bullish inventory report

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices shot back above $100 a barrel in New York after a US petroleum inventory report showed a big drop in crude stocks and higher refinery activity levels.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for August delivery gained $1.25 to close at $101.20 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. WTI Tuesday had closed below $100 for the first time in two months.European benchmark Brent oil for delivery in August fell 17 cents to $105.85 a barrel in London. Clearly, the WTI market has been supported by the larger than expected inventory draw, said Andy Lipow, head of consultancy Lipow Oil Associates in Houston.US commercial oil stocks fell 7.5 million for the week ending July 11, the US Energy Information Administration said in an inventory report. That was far above the 2.6 million drop projected by analysts.Lipow also pointed to a rise in refinery utilization, which means plants are using more crude to increase gasoline production to keep up with the summer driving season in the United States.Refinery utilization levels reached full capacity in the Midwest and rose nationally from 91.6 percent a week ago to 93.8 percent.The report also showed crude inventories fell 600,000 barrels in Cushing, Oklahoma, a closely-watched trading hub.

Dollar rises after Fed report on US economic growth

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar advanced against the euro Wednesday after a US Federal Reserve report said economic activity continued to pick up steam across the world's largest economy.The Fed's Beige Book report said seven of the 12 regions surveyed recorded only modest growth, while five notched moderate growth. Most of the districts were hopeful about growth.The report, covering a six-week period ending July 7, is the second Beige Book in a row to find growth across the country and is the latest evidence the US economy is picking up steam after unusually cold weather depressed activity in the first quarter.Gains in the dollar were supported by the optimistic Fed report, said BK Asset Management analyst Kathy Lien.But citing disappointing reports in Britain and the eurozone, Lien said the dollar's strength had less to do with the market's optimism about the US economy and more to do with weaker economic data abroad. Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange, said the dollar also benefited from earlier comments from Fed Chair Janet Yellen that were not quite as dovish as many had expected.In a hearing Tuesay, Yellen said the Fed could raise benchmark rates sooner than expected if labor markets improve rapidly. As a result, market focus remains squarely on upcoming US economic reports for direction, Esiner said.

Sri Lanka fight back after Elgar ton

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GALLE (AFP) - Opener Dean Elgar smashed a century before Sri Lanka pegged back South Africa with four key wickets late on the opening day of the first Test in Galle on Wednesday.The visitors were cruising at one stage after a cracking 103 from Elgar and a sedate 80 from Faf du Plessis. But the hosts fought back in the final session to restrict South Africa to 268-5 at close of play.Quinton de Kock (17) and Dale Steyn (0) were the not out batsmen.Elgar, 27, hit 11 fours and three sixes in his 186-ball knock but his dismissal immediately after the tea break triggered a mini-batting collapse that handed the advantage to the hosts.I felt our bowlers bowled really well on a batsman-friendly wicket, said Sri Lanka's bowling coach Chaminda Vaas.They kept their cool and bowled extremely well. Hopefully, now we can wrap it (South African innings) up in the first session tomorrow.Elgar was sent back by paceman Suranga Lakmal (2-29), who had the left-hander caught behind by wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal.Hashim Amla, leading the side for the first time in Test cricket, had a forgettable outing as a batsman and made just 11 after facing 36 balls.Du Plessis holed out to Kaushal Silva off slow bowler Dilruwan Perera, and the in-form AB de Villiers (21) was bowled by Lakmal with the new ball in the penultimate over of the day.The day belonged to Elgar, who shared a 70-run opening stand with Alviro Petersen (34) and another of 125 with du Plessis for the second wicket.Elgar, playing his 10th Test, reached his second century in style, dancing down the track to smack Perera (2-100) for a massive six over the fence.The visitors' dressing room erupted in applause for what was the first ton by any South African opener on the island. Elgar said the rest of the batsmen would have to work really hard because the wicket had already deteriorated quite considerably.We'd have loved to have been three-down at the end of the day. But we have batters in the shed who all know how to play their shots, he said.It's going to be a lot of hard work, especially with the wicket deteriorating quickly.Elgar's form bodes well for a side undergoing a transition after the retirements of Graeme Smith, Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis.Du Plessis, batting at number three for the first time in 15 Tests, also appeared at ease against the bowling attack, which relied heavily on spin. He hit five boundaries and a six in his patient 197-ball innings.The home team were dealt an injury blow when Shaminda Eranga split the webbing on his bowling hand while fielding and had to be taken out of the attack. The visitors dominated the first two sessions after Amla won the toss and opted to bat on a placid track.Petersen was particularly severe on left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, welcoming him with four boundaries in his first over of the day.Elgar in turn picked Eranga for special treatment, hitting him for three fours in the same over, including one that crashed away through the point boundary.Desperate for a breakthrough, Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews made frequent bowling changes but failed to find success until the 17th over, when Perera had Petersen trapped leg before wicket.Petersen was unhappy with the decision of on-field umpire Richard Kettleborough and asked for a review.The decision was upheld when replays showed the ball would have clipped leg-stump.

Buttler 'Mankading' fine by MCC

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LONDON (AFP) - Some of cricket's greatest names insisted England's Jos Buttler had only himself to blame for his 'Mankad' dismissal against Sri Lanka.The issue of players being run out backing up was in the spotlight when Buttler was dismissed in such a fashion by bowler Sachithra Senanayake during Sri Lanka's 3-2 series-clinching victory in the fifth and final one-day international at Edgbaston.However, the world cricket committee of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), whose chairman is former England captain Mike Brearley and whose members include Australia greats Rodney Marsh and Steve Waugh, as well as India's Rahul Dravid and Pakistan's Majid Khan, insisted Buttler, not Senanayake, was at fault.MCC still retains worldwide responsibility for cricket's rules, or Laws as they are known, and following their latest meeting at the club's Lord's headquarters in London, the committee issued a statement Wednesday saying: The unanimous view of the committee was that if the non-striker is out of his ground earlier than allowed in either the Laws of Cricket or the International Playing Conditions, then he can have no complaints should he be dismissed in this manner. Furthermore, the committee believes it was not against the Spirit of Cricket to uphold such an appeal, and urges batsmen to ensure they do not try to gain an unfair advantage by moving out of their crease before the appropriate time.Even though 'Mankading', the term coined after India's Vinoo Mankad ran out Australia non-striker Bill Brown during the 1947 Sydney Test, remains a valid dismissal, some regard it as underhand.England captain Alastair Cook, speaking immediately after the Edgbaston match, said: I was pretty disappointed with it to be honest with you. I hope I wouldn't do it.However, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said afterwards: We gave him (Buttler) two warnings, and I don't know what else you can do to stop him doing that, so we had to go for it.During a wide-ranging meeting, the committee also backed the International Cricket Council's crackdown on illegal bowling actions.Off-spinner Senanayake, coincidentally, was suspended by the ICC after being reported for a suspected illegal action during the same ODI series with England. The world cricket committee is supportive of the ICC's continued efforts to deal with the issue of illegal bowling actions, the statement said. While it is unfortunate for Sri Lanka's Sachithra Senanayake that he has been suspended from bowling, it is a credit to the system that he was reported and tested promptly.

Havill appointed as ECB's acting chief executive

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LONDON (AFP) - Brian Havill was appointed as the England and Wales Cricket Boards acting chief executive on Wednesday.Havill had been working as the governing bodys finance director and company secretary and he replaces David Collier, who announced last weekend that he is set to retire.Collier, 59, was scheduled to leave at the end of the current English season after a decade in his position.But an ECB press release said of Havill: His appointment allows retiring CEO David Collier the time to conclude specific projects for both ECB and the International Cricket Council.

500 suspects arrested as result of crackdown in various cities

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – As many as five hundred individuals were taken into custody on suspicion of links with banned terrorist outfits and adhering to extremist ideologies under Pakistan Protection Act as Pakistan security forces speed up the crackdown against extremist elements on Wednesday. Several secret units have been formed in various police stations to monitor activities of banned outfits, Dunya News reported.Just as the operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan is in full swing, the crackdown against extremist elements has been enhanced in other cities as well.According to sources, the crackdown is continued to curb possible retaliation from the extremist factions. At least five hundred suspects were taken into custody from several cities including Islamabad under Pakistan Protection Act. Sources said that most arrests were made in Punjab’s Bahawalpur city. Over 300 suspects were arrested from Punjab alone while over 100 were arrested in Karachi. Some 150 suspects have been arrested from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.According to intelligence sources, the second largest number of Taliban and their sympathizers exist in Karachi. Sources said that secret units have been established in various cities that will monitor activities of the banned outfits.

Punjab considers suspending mobile service on Eid

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Punjab Home Department released its security plan on Wednesday for Jummatul Widah and Eid-ul-Fitr. The suspension of mobile phone service on Eid is also being considered, Dunya News reported.The Home Department issued correspondence regarding security plan on Eid directing the law enforcement that prominent personalities will need clearance before traveling to any place.It was also decided that the suspects will be taken into custody if they fail to prove their identity.The department also decided to check the record of all hostels and guest houses before Eid.The Home Department directed that all cities install check posts at entry and exit points. It directed District Police Officers (DPOs) to take steps to secure large gatherings.

NADRA refuses to provide Imran Khan's family data to Arsalan Iftikhar

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on Wednesday refused to provide details of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s children to Arsalan Iftikhar, saying that citizen’s data is huge responsibility and that the family registration certificate cannot be provided to anyone not related to the family, Dunya News reported.Arsalan Iftikhar, son of former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had contacted NADRA officials to obtain Imran Khan’s family registration certificate and sought time for meeting. Arsalan submitted that PTI chief concealed his alleged love child Tyrian Khan; therefore disqualifying himself from Article 62 and 63 of the constitution.Responding to Arsalan Iftikhar’s request, NADRA refused to provide details saying that NADRA is not obliged to issue details to anyone not related to the family.NADRA maintains that the data of citizens is entrusted with NADRA and that the detail of anyone’s family cannot be given to anyone unrelated.Arsalan Iftikhar had also obtained Imran Khan’s nomination papers from Election Commission.
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