Thursday 14 August 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Robredo knocks Djokovic out of Cincinnati Masters

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CINCINNATI (AFP) - Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic was shocked for the second week in a row on Thursday as Spain's Tommy Robredo knocked the top seed out of the Cincinnati Masters.Robredo, seeded 16th in the US Open tune-up, ousted Djokovic 7-6 (8/6), 7-5, the defeat coming a week after the world number one Serb was beaten in the third round at Toronto.He now goes into the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year which starts on August 25, well short of matches and confidence.Djokovic was married last month and is soon to become a father, new factors which could be weighing on his tennis.I just lost the match. It was bad. Many, many things are not clicking these two weeks on hard courts. It's unfortunate, but it's more than obvious I'm not playing even close to what I'm supposed to play, said Djokovic.I have to keep on working and trying to get better for the US Open. I just don't feel comfortable. That's it.Robredo won only his second match in eight encounters with a world number one player. He beat then-top ranked Lleyton Hewitt at Roland Garros 11 years ago.It's amazing to be here playing and to beat the number one, I'm more than happy, said the 32-year-old Robredo, who had lost six straight matches to Djokovic.Djokovic was also denied the chance to stay in the chase for the one Masters 1000 title he does not own as he went down to Robredo in one and three-quarter hours.Andy Murray battled more than two hours against the huge serve of John Isner, finally dispatching the American 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) to reach the quarter-finals.Two-time champion Murray saved a pair of match points in the 12th game of the third set as Isner hit the net with errors.The American was then caught by a passing shot before Murray levelled at 6-6 with an ace.The Scot bore down in the decisive tiebreaker, ending the match with his 14th ace.Murray, in search of his first title since Wimbledon in 2013, has struggled to regain top form since his return from back surgery in January.It's a very important match for me to win,said Murray. I had lost a few close matches over the last few months. It was important for me to come through.It was completely packed crowd from the first point right until the end. It was really a good atmosphere to get ready for the rest of the tournament, but also the US Open, as well.Murray next faces either second-seeded Roger Federer or Gael Monfils as he tries to add a third Cincinnati title to those he won in 2008 and 2011.Isner, runner-up to Rafael Nadal in Cincinnati last year, was denied another shot at the title, with 21 aces not enough to see him through.Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, the third seed, rallied to beat Croatian Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 while Italian 15th seed Fabio Fognini recovered to eliminate Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.Frenchman Julien Benneteau advanced into the last eight with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Poland's Jerzy Janowicz.Fifth seed Milos Raonic made amends with his 30th ace on match point -- having earlier double-faulted three times while serving for victory.The Canadian defeated American Steve Johnson 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).In women's action in the combined ATP and WTA event, defending champion Serena Williams continued her march through the draw, beating Italian 13th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-2.Also through was world number two and second seed Simona Halep, a 6-4, 7-5 winner against Czech Lucie Safarova.Today was much better than my first match here, said Halep, winner in Bucharest last month and runner-up to Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros. I was happy to win in two sets, since she was up 5-4.Ukrainian teenager Elina Svitolina, who took out double Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova in the second round, claimed her second seeded victim with a defeat of Spain's number 15 Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.Eighth seed Jelena Jankovic defeated Sloane Stephens 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.

Tennis: Sharapova reaches Cincinnati quarter-finals

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CINCINNATI (AFP) - French Open champion Maria Sharapova booked her quarter-final berth at the Cincinnati ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament on Thursday with a straight-sets win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.Fifth-seeded Sharapova needed one hour and 58 minutes to get past her fellow Russian 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).She booked a last-eight showdown with second-seeded Romanian Simona Halep, a 6-4, 7-5 winner over Czech Lucie Safarova.

Football: Man United start afresh as Premier League begins

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LONDON (AFP) - The Louis van Gaal era will begin in earnest for Manchester United on Saturday when they host Swansea City in the first match of the 2014-15 Premier League season.The 63-year-old Dutchman has impressed in his first four weeks at the United helm, overseeing five wins and a draw in pre-season, but it is in the league that his achievements will be judged.Swansea were one of eight teams who came to Old Trafford and won last season, creating a sense of vulnerability that Van Gaal has been hired to banish for good.Coincidentally, United also met Swansea on the opening day of the 2013-14 campaign, with the then-defending champions winning 4-1 at the Liberty Stadium in David Moyes's first league game as manager.The result was to prove a red herring, as United finished the season down in seventh place, but midfielder Tom Cleverley says that it will be important to set the right tone for the forthcoming campaign.We can't wait to get going against Swansea and look to put right the wrongs from last year, he told the United website.We started against Swansea last year, but away. This time it's at home and I'm sure the fans will be the same as us: raring to go. It'll be the manager's first competitive game and I'm sure it'll be a special atmosphere.Wayne Rooney will lead United out for the first time since being named captain after Tuesday's 2-1 friendly win over Valencia.United will have to make do without 27 million pounds ($45 million, 33.6 million euros) close-season signing Luke Shaw, however, after the 19-year-old left-back was ruled out due to a hamstring strain.Another team buoyed by a positive pre-season period are Arsenal, who launch their assault on the league title at home to Crystal Palace.Having ended a nine-year trophy drought by winning last season's FA Cup, Arsene Wenger's side gave an eye-catching demonstration of their title credentials by outclassing league champions Manchester City 3-0 in last weekend's Community Shield.New signing Alexis Sanchez, a 30 million pounds acquisition from Barcelona, is in line to make his competitive home debut against Palace and captain Mikel Arteta has called on his side to make a positive start to the campaign.We've done our (transfer) business early this season so we can start from the off and that's what we want, the Spanish midfielder told the Arsenal website.We want to set a marker and we don't want to miss that opportunity. We've got experience now, we are able to win. We have the qualities to do it, we have the structure, the fans, the club and the desire to do it.Palace go into the game in crisis after reports emerged late Thursday that manager Tony Pulis had left the club after falling out with owners over transfer policy.Championship champions Leicester City will play their first top-flight game since 2004 when they host Everton on Saturday, while fellow promoted side Queens Park Rangers welcome Hull City to Loftus Road.Champions Manchester City begin their title defence at Newcastle United on Sunday.When City last claimed the title, in 2012, they won only two of their opening five games the following season, but captain Vincent Kompany feels that they now possess the necessary know-how to retain their title.We know what to look out for. We know what not to do, said the Belgian centre-back, who has signed a new five-year contract.The players at City have got experience with winning trophies. It goes in phases. We're in this phase now. We feel we can win it.Liverpool, who narrowly lost out to City in last season's title race, open the campaign at home to Southampton, who saw Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren all leave for Anfield in the close season.Lallana will miss the reunion with his former club due to a knee injury, but Lambert and Lovren are both in contention to feature in what will be Liverpool's first competitive game since the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona.Chelsea, meanwhile, are expected to hand competitive debuts to new signings Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas when they visit the third promoted team, Burnley, on Monday.

Golf: Bjorn shares lead at Danish Open

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COPENHAGEN (AFP) - Former Ryder Cup winner Thomas Bjorn shared the first round lead at the Danish Open on Thursday with Chile's Felipe Aguilar and Welshman Bradley Dredge on five under par. Home favourite Bjorn, who was part of the Ryder Cup winning teams in 1997 and 2002, as well as finishing runner-up at the British Open in 2000 and 2003, enjoyed five birdies during a bogey free round as he delighted the home fans at the Himmerland Golf and Spa resort in Aalborg, It was a tricky day today with the wind, especially on my back nine. But I drove the ball really well and that gives you opportunities on this golf course, said Denmark's Bjorn, who is on the verge of sealing a place in Paul McGinley's European Ryder Cup team to play the USA at Gleneagles in September.So I'm happy with the day, happy with the start and it was pretty solid all the way round.Aguilar, who is chasing a third European victory but has slipped to 137 in the world, rode a run of three straight birdies on the back nine to also card a score of 66 on the par-71 layout.Dredge, 41, a two-time European Tour winner, overcame a second hole bogey to rattle home five birdies on his last seven holes to share the lead with Bjorn and Aguilar after 18 holes. Home player Thorbjorn Olesen was in second place on 69, three shots off the pace.

Athletics: Mekhissi stripped of gold after stripping off shirt

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ZURICH (AFP) - France's Mahiedine Mekhissi was stripped of his 3,000m steeplechase gold medal at the European athletics championships on Thursday after peeling off his shirt before he crossed the line in first place.His compatriot Yoann Kowal was promoted to the gold medal position, a result which stood after being examined by the competition's appeals jury.The Spanish team had made the original protest over Mekhissi, who put his running vest in his mouth before waving it to the crowd, after a race in which their athlete Angel Mullera had finished fourth.I find that the protest lodged by the Spaniards is anti fair-play, said Ghani Yalouzsa, the technical director of the French athletics federation.

Quetta airport flight operations suspended

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QUETTA (Dunya News) - The flight operations at the Quetta International Airport have been suspended on early Friday morning due to fear of terrorist attack as militants attacked two nearby military airports.Earlier, at least six terrorists were killed and nine policemen injured in two separate attacks on military bases near Quetta on Thursday night.Three terrorists were killed and five policemen were wounded in a gunbattle at the Samungli Airbase near Quetta.Within an hour, a second shootout began near the Khalid military airbase, some 12 kilometres from the site of first incident, killing three more terrorists and wounding four policemen.

Oil prices dive amid weak economic data

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices tumbled Thursday, with the US benchmark dropping 2.1 percent, as investors weighed a mounting batch of weak economic data from around the world.The main US futures contract, West Texas Intermediate for September delivery, tumbled $2.01 to close at $95.58 a barrel, its lowest level since January.European benchmark Brent North Sea crude for delivery in September dropped $2.27 to settle at $102.01 in London trade. That marked its lowest closing level since late June 2013.The market reacted to data showing growth in the 18-country eurozone stalled in the second quarter.Analysts had expected a 0.2 percent expansion, and the flatlining raised questions about the strength of demand in the single-currency bloc.Germany, Europe's largest economy, shrank by 0.2 percent, and France, the second-largest, had zero growth for the second consecutive quarter.The data predated the imposition of tighter sanctions against Russia that are seen as weighing further on Germany's overall economic performance, said Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group.The reopening of the Forties pipeline in the North Sea and an uptick in Libyan oil production may also be contributing something to the market's sense that supply is abundant, and demand in question.Earlier, too, there were more signs of economic weakness elsewhere that weakened oil price support: bank lending in China sank in July; Japan's economy shrank at an annualized rate of 6.8 percent in the second quarter; and US retail sales were flat in July compared with the prior month.We are falling off the cliff again, said James Williams of WTRG Economics. If there is anything that causes lower (oil) prices it is weak economies.

Dhoni has no problems with day off

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LONDON (AFP) - India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has defended his decision to take a day off in the run-up to the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval.Dhoni didn't train with his side, 2-1 down in the five-match series with one to play after successive heavy defeats, on Wednesday but was back at The Oval on Thursday to speak to reporters ahead of Friday's start in south London.It was personal. That's why it was a day off, Dhoni told reporters.I felt like taking a day off, and took one. Three days before that, I was with the team -- and we had enough team-building activities -- so that one day off doesn't make much of a difference, he said. Rain forced India to train indoors on Thursday after they were beaten by an innings inside three days in the fourth Test at Old Trafford last week.India's batsmen, particularly Virat Kohli, have been found wanting in recent weeks and Dhoni said: We all have our own technique and need to have confidence in our technique. I might be one of the batsmen with a horrible technique when it comes to Test cricket. It's all about adjustment for me. Still, you need to be aware of the limitations of the technique that you have. As for Kohli, who has made just 108 runs un eight innings in the series at an average of 13.5, Dhoni added: It is important for him to remain positive. If he can score runs in Australia or South Africa, there's no reason why he can't score runs in English conditions. You need to assess what you are doing differently or what bowlers are making you do differently. It's always that cat-and-mouse game between batsmen and bowlers. He needs to back himself and make sure that he is not getting into areas where is vulnerable.Tall seamer Ishant Sharma, ruled out with a leg injury since taking career-best figures in India's 95-run win in the second Test at Lord's, has been passed fit to play at The Oval.

Quetta: Gunbattle near Samungli Airbase kills 6 terrorists

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QUETTA (Dunya News) - At least six terrorists were killed and nine policemen injured in two separate attacks on military bases near Quetta.According to details, six armed men tried to break into Samungli Airbase in Quetta on a car. Police tried to stop their car but they opened fire on them. Police returned fire and killed three gunmen, the other gunmen managed to flee. Five policemen were wounded in the gunbattle.Within an hour, a second shootout began near the Khalid military airbase, some 12 kilometres from the site of first incident, killing three more terrorists and wounding four policemen.Police sources said that it was not immediately clear who carried out the attacks but added that both the airbases are safe. Firing was still going on at both places.According to sources, there were 16 explosions heard from the city. It is yet to be ascertained if these were connected to the latest terrorist attack on Quetta Airport.According to Sarfraz Bugti, the home minister of Baluchistan, security forces had also found and disabled four bombs near the Khalid Airbase. He said that security forces have managed to repel the attack and have cordoned off the areas around the airport. Roads leading to the airbase have been blocked as well.

Will return with success: Imran Khan

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan said on Friday while addressing the participants of the ‘Azadi March’ at Azadi Interchange area that PTI will return after success, Dunya News reported.He said the monarchy of Sharif brothers is not acceptable.He said the flood of the people is the reason the convoy is moving slowly.Earlier, Imran Khan said while addressing the ‘Azadi March’ participants that they are advancing to Islamabad to demand Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation, adding that they will only return after a ‘New Pakistan’ is formed.Imran Khan was addressing the crowd at Mall Road Lahore upping the enthusiasm of the already charged crowd.He warned the police and government’s ‘Gullu Butts’ not to harm the government.I’ll sacrifice my life but will not let people of Pakistan be enslaved to Sharif brothers and the current political setup.

Quetta: 6 terrorists storm Smangli Air Base, 2 policemen injured

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QUETTA: (Dunya News) – In a latest development, 6 armed men have made an attempt to break into Smangli Air Base in Quetta.Terrorists and security forces exchanged fire near Quetta Airport. There were 5 explosions near the air base. 2 terrorists were killed in the operation. 4 policemen also got injured during the exchnage of fire.Security forces have started a search operation around Quetta Airport.

PM's resignation out of question: Shahbaz Sharif

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) – Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that Prime Minister’s resignation is out of question.CM Punjab said that Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) want to create anarchy in the country. He said that both the parties have made Pakistan’s Independence Day controversial. He said that ‘Independence Day’ should never be made controversial.Chief Minister said that PAT and PTI’s demands were unconstitutional. He accused both the parties of promoting anarchy.CM Shahbaz said that PTI stood today with those people who it once labeled as thieves. He said that the citizens of Lahore had rejected the long march. “We shall fail these sit-ins with the help of people’s powers”, said Shahbaz Sharif.

Sirajul Haq proposes 5-point agenda to defuse political tension

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EU moves to protect food producers hit by Russian embargo

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BRUSSELS (AFP) - The European Commission said Thursday it would take exceptional measures to support growers in the EU affected by Russias ban on Western food products.The Russian embargo, announced earlier this month, came in retaliation to US and European sanctions over Moscows alleged role in separatist violence in eastern Ukraine.EU Agricultural Commissioner Dacian Ciolos said the measures would be unveiled early next week and would aim to support sellers of fruit and vegetables that are clearly in trouble.Included in the package will be compensation for producers of cucumbers, cauliflowers, peppers, mushrooms and certain types of tomatoes, according to an EU source.Plan A is to find alternative markets to Russia, the EU source said.An enhanced market surveillance mechanism will also be established to monitor the impact of the Russian embargo on agricultural exports, the Commission said in a statement.The package of measures will be financed by a reserve fund of more than EUR420 million ($560 million) available to the EU to deal with crises in agricultural markets.The Russian ban on imports of meats, fruits and vegetables, fish, and dairy products from the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada and Norway is set to last for a year.Meanwhile, a senior EU official said the 28-member bloc is preparing to apply diplomatic pressure to prevent other countries stepping in and trying to grab the Russian markets closed to its producers, citing potential rivals in Brazil and Egypt.The EU measures follow a decision on Monday to prop up the hard-hit peach market already suffering due to a poor season.In 2013, exports of European agricultural products to Russia amounted to 11.8 billion euros, or 9.9 percent of total exports, and 1.2 billion euros for meat.

About 2,000 Syria refugees stranded in Lebanon mountains: Report

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BEIRUT (AFP) - More than 2,000 Syrian refugees are stranded in mountains overlooking the Lebanese town of Arsal, a nun involved in helping Syrian refugees in Lebanon said on Thursday.Between 2,000 and 2,500 Syrians who left Arsal to return to their country now find themselves up above the town and not receiving any help because it is a military zone and NGOs cant reach them, Sister Agnes told AFP.They were supposed to leave with a first party of 1,700 refugees but we werent able to take them. Then Arsal residents barred them from entry and the army wont let them go to (the Bekaa valley town of) Ras Baalbek, she said.A spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR told AFP her team in the Bekaa region had no information about these 2,000 refugees but was closely following developments.Mona Monzer added: The situation in Syria is not suitable for a safe return and that is why (the UNHCR) is neither encouraging nor helping their return.The Sunni town of Arsal, whose residents have been broadly supportive of the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is currently playing host to 47,000 Syrian refugees.Many of them sought refuge there after Syrian government troops ousted rebels from the Qalamun region over the border.From August 2 to 6, Arsal was the scene of fierce clashes between the Lebanese army and jihadists who came over from Syria.
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