Sunday 17 August 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Iran won't accept nuclear restraints 'beyond IAEA rules'

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TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran will reject any restraints on its nuclear operations outside the international rules set by the industry watchdog, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday.We will only accept the legal controls of the IAEA within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the president said during a visit by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano.Any monitoring beyond those rules would be a precedent, against the interests of all developing countries, Rouhani said.Amano made a one-day visit to Tehran ahead of an August 25 deadline for Iran to answer decade-old allegations of past nuclear weapons research.He held morning talks with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif before meeting Rouhani, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported. He later also met with Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation.As part of the implementation of the interim deal it struck with world powers last November, Iran handed the IAEA documents in April and May relating to its past research, the first time it had done so in six years.The submissions were in response to a November 2011 IAEA report that it had intelligence that Iran had until 2003 and possibly since then conducted research into developing nuclear weapons.Addressing these claims, long refuted by Iran, would be an important element in the comprehensive accord over Tehran's nuclear programme that Iran and world powers want to strike by November 24.The IAEA has raised a number of questions relating to the submissions and Tehran has until August 25 to reply to these.Amano had said in a May report that Iran showed information to the agency that simultaneous firing of EBW (Explosive Bridge Wire detonators) was tested for a civilian application. At a press conference on Sunday in Tehran, Amano broached the issue again, saying Iran had provided information and explanations to the IAEA on Tehran's decision, in early 2000, to develop safer detonators.Iran has also provided information and explanations to the (IAEA) on its work post-2007 related to the application of EBWs in the oil and gas industry which is not inconsistent with specialised industry practices, he added.The IAEA will need to consider all past outstanding issues, including EBWs, integrating all of them in a system and assessing the system as a whole.Amano in his talks with Rouhani on Sunday said he hoped cooperation will continue in this more constructive atmosphere.The agency's aim is to move forward step by step to resolve the outstanding issues, state television quoted him as saying.It has no wish to drag out the process.Rouhani again insisted that Iran's nuclear programme was for entirely peaceful purposes only.Weapons of mass destruction have no place in (Iran's) defence strategy, he said.He hoped that talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, known as P51, would give the Iranian people and parliament the necessary confidence to continue discussions.Iran is serious in its negotiations with the P51 group and wants nothing beyond its rights, especially concerning enrichment of uranium for peaceful aims.Rouhani said, however: Iran's ballistic capability is not negotiable at any level, as the United States is seeking.In a key deal with the P51 powers, Iran agreed in November to roll back its nuclear programme in exchange for some relief from biting international sanctions.A new round of talks between the two sides is expected before the UN General Assembly starts on September 16.After several months of talks, Iran and P51 powers decided last month to extend their self-imposed deadline of July 20 to strike an agreement until November 24.Such an accord is aimed at easing fears once and for all that the Islamic republic might use its civilian nuclear programme to build an atomic bomb.

Fresh violence in riot-hit US town, new autopsy ordered

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FERGUSON (AFP) - The trooper put in charge of tamping swirling racial tensions in this St Louis suburb vowed Sunday to stay as long as it takes, after one person was shot and seven arrested in fresh violence.Captain Ron Johnson also apologized for a white police officer's shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, which caused long-simmering tensions to spill over for more than a week since his death in Ferguson, home to a black majority.The US Justice Department announced that a federal medical examiner would carry out a second autopsy on Brown's body, citing the case's extraordinary circumstances. A first one has already been performed.I want to start off by talking to Mike Brown's family. I want you to know my heart goes out to you, and I say that I'm sorry, Johnson said to loud cheering and applause from a crowd of more than 1,300 people at Greater Grace Church in Ferguson. I will be here as long as it takes.Hundreds more people stood outside the church, unable to enter because there was no more room.Johnson, who grew up in St Louis, also acknowledged the personal toll the violence has taken on him.The last 24 hours have been tough for me, said Johnson, who earlier acknowledged that he had cried after the violence overnight.This is my neighborhood. You are my family, you are my friends, and I am you. And I will stand and protect you. I will protect your right to protest... I saw people cheering and people clapping, and this is what the media needs to put on TV.Overnight tensions flared anew as police confronted around 200 protesters who defied a curfew.Police used smoke bombs and tear gas to disperse demonstrators, while in a separate incident a woman was left fighting for her life after being shot.Local media reported that the curfew ordered by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon would remain in place for a second night Sunday, potentially setting the stage for further confrontations.Brown's death at the hands of a white police officer has reignited a national debate about law enforcement and African Americans.The Ferguson police force's muscular response also drew criticism after officers were seen facing down protesters in military-grade armored trucks while toting high-powered assault rifles.Johnson stressed why resolving the unrest in Ferguson was important to him and other black families.When this is over, I'm going to go in my son's room, my black son, who wears his pants sagging, wears his hat cocked to the side, has tattoos on his arms, but that's my baby, he said. And we all ought to be thanking the Browns for Michael, because Michael is going to make it better for our sons, so they can be better black men. So they can be better for our daughters, so they can be better black women.A manager of a special needs institution who gave her name as Angel said there would only be peace in the community once citizens feel safe and have made peace with the police, who she said must be held accountable for what happened.Now that St Louis is standing up and people across the nation are standing up, I think it's noticeable that people are not going to allow things like this to continue to happen, they are going to stand for things, she told AFP.Social worker Tia Mannierre stressed that injustice is a big problem in a community.We really have to set an example for the youth, we really have to do better for the community to come together and just make sure that these officers are held accountable for their actions because it's not okay for you to just shoot someone in cold blood for absolutely no reason at all, she said.Brown's family has accused authorities of a devious attempt to smear their son's character after police named him as a suspect in the robbery of a Ferguson convenience store and released a surveillance video of the incident.Police said the officer, unaware of the robbery, stopped the teen merely for walking in the middle of the street.The video's release sparked widespread criticism, with even Nixon saying he was unaware ahead of time and acknowledging that it made emotions very raw. The Justice Department, which is conducting a separate investigation into the shooting, had urged the Ferguson police not to release the video, The New York Times reported, citing a federal law enforcement official.The Brown family's attorney, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, called Brown's death an execution.In some sense, we've been drawn together today by the misery and the pain of the execution of Michael Brown, said Crump, who represented the family of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 16-year-old black teenager shot to death in Florida in 2012. Ferguson today is a metaphor for abandoned urban America.

Tennis: Federer captures 80th career ATP title

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CINCINNATI (AFP) - Roger Federer won his 80th career title and sixth at the Cincinnati Masters, beating David Ferrer 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 to cast himself as a title favourite for the US Open.The Swiss now goes into the final Grand Slam of the season in eight days as a legitimate threat after reaching the final last week in Toronto and now claiming his 16th win without a loss against Ferrer over an 11-year span.The world number three is unbeaten in six finals at the Midwest venue, also winning the tournament in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.Federer owns three titles this season (Dubai and Halle) and he ran his career title total to 80 from 121 finals. He increased his match-win lead this season on the ATP to 49 victories, with Rafael Nadal trailing second on 44.The 33-year-old Swiss won his 22nd Masters 1000 trophy, standing second to Nadal (27) in that category.Federer, who has played Cincinnati for a decade and a half, was glad to finally win his biggest title since Cincinnati in 2012 and Wimbledon that same summer.The father of two sets of twins joked that it was about time he brought his brood a substantial trophy to play with.I finally got a big trophy for kids, he said Sunday. I've been bringing home some smaller ones. I keep telling them they are still trophies, but this one should satisfy them.Federer ran away with the opening set but suffered a lapse in the second as Ferrer took it to 5-0 and needed three set points to finally level at one set each.But after a rare visit to the locker room after losing the second, Federer stormed back to take the match by the neck, breaking for 3-1 in the third and putting his Spanish opponent under pressure as Ferrer saved four set points to hold for 2-4.It was only a matter of time as Federer's shot making began to tell. The second seed won a love game for a 5-2 margin before breaking Ferrer for the final time to earn victory.I made the final, said the good-natured Ferrer, winner of one Masters title. But I can never beat Roger, he's too much for me.I'm still lucky to be playing with the best in the world. Roger deserved to win the title.

Tennis: Serena Williams wins Cincinnati title

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CINCINNATI (AFP) - Serena Williams won her first Cincinnati title Sunday with a convincing 6-4, 6-1 victory over Ana Ivanovic, just a week out from the defence of her US Open crown.World number one Williams, 32, now has 62 career WTA titles, but lifted the trophy in Cincy for the first time in her sixth attempt.She won nine of the last 10 games against Ivanovic to roll to victory in just over an hour.Williams has won both of her summer hardcourt events played in the United States, taking the Stanford title last month. In between she reached the semi-finals in Toronto, losing to her sister Venus.I was just so excited for this final, Williams said. I just really felt like I had nothing to lose. So I was able to relax.It truly feels good. I didn't expect to come here and win or have such a good summer. I've just been trying to go with the flow and be positive and it's working out.The American finished with a love game against Ivanovic, a former world number one who will now return to the top 10 in the rankings for the first time in five years.Williams took advantage of her scheduling good luck after playing the afternoon semi-final on Saturday, while Ivanovic had to work for nearly three hours the night before to battle past Maria Sharapova.It's definitely very, very quick, you know. Ivanovic said of the turnaround. Despite all that, I really tried my hardest. She just played too good today.This is the biggest final I've been in in a while and it felt good to be part of it, she added. I just want to keep working hard and keep improving in the areas that I can.There are still a few points in my game that I feel I need to work on for the US Open and also for the end of season. Definitely exciting times.Williams now stands 38-6 on the season and has not lost in any of her five finals.However, she hasn't made it to the championship match in a Grand Slam -- a trend she now feels could be reversed at the US Open.I won Stanford but I definitely didn't play as well. Then in Montreal, I got to the semis but didn't play as well as I did here, she said.On my first day of practice here something just clicked, added Williams, who had fallen to Ivanovic at the Australian Open in January.Williams fired a dozen aces and broke the Serbian four times. The American was broken early to trail 3-1, her only real danger in the brief match.The top seed levelled with a love game for 3-3 and won the opening set from back-to-back Ivanovic double-faults.Williams found another gear in the second set, taking a 1-0 lead and breaking her tiring opponent twice more along the way.Ivanovic and Williams were both playing their WTA-leading fifth finals of 2014. Williams now owns five titles while Ivanovic has three.I really felt she was really solid today, said Ivanovic. Not only on her serve, but on the groundstrokes I felt like she was dominating. I did have chances, especially when we started the rallies, but I just couldn't get the serve back.It was still a great match even if I lost, Ivanovic added. I'm looking forward to the US Open, it's the last Grand Slam of the season and the most exciting one. I'm looking forward to trying to do well.

Football: Man City, Liverpool start with narrow wins

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LONDON (AFP) - Manchester City and Liverpool, last season's top two in the Premier League, were both made to sweat by determined opposition before opening their campaigns with hard-fought victories on Sunday.David Silva and Sergio Aguero scored as champions City began their title defence with a 2-0 success at Newcastle United, after Daniel Sturridge had struck late in the game to earn Liverpool a 2-1 win at home to Southampton.The two rivals joined five other teams, including Arsenal, on maximum points, ahead of their showdown at the Etihad Stadium a week on Monday in the first major head-to-head of the season.It was very important for us to start with a win, said City manager Manuel Pellegrini. We talked to the squad about the 'two h's' -- we were hungry and humble.We need both if want to continue winning titles and improve on what we did last season. We didn't have any clean sheets in pre-season, but we were very solid in this game.Pellegrini gave a debut to new Brazilian midfielder Fernando and saw his side take the lead in the 38th minute at St James' Park.Yaya Toure found Edin Dzeko with a lofted pass over the top and as Newcastle's centre-backs rushed across, the Bosnian teed up Silva with a clever back-heel and the Spain midfielder coolly beat Tim Krul.Newcastle, who handed debuts to Daryl Janmaat, Jack Colback, Remy Cabella and Emmanuel Riviere, improved after the interval, with Cabella and Paul Dummett spurning opportunities to hit the target.Newcastle substitute Ayoze Perez then saw a curling effort deflected agonisingly wide by Fernando, before Aguero ran through and beat Krul at the second attempt in stoppage time to finally put the game to bed.Earlier, Sturridge snaffled a 79th-minute winner as Liverpool edged Southampton at a sun-soaked Anfield.Raheem Sterling put Liverpool ahead midway through the first half, but Nathaniel Clyne lashed home an equaliser shortly before the hour following a neat exchange with debutant Dusan Tadic.Brendan Rodgers's Liverpool looked destined to drop points in their first competitive game since the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona, but with 11 minutes to play, Sterling teed up Sturridge to flick home the winning goal.We scored two very good goals and we're delighted about the win, Liverpool manager Rodgers told Sky Sports.In terms of the character and desire and the will to win, we were exceptional.With debutants Javier Manquillo and Dejan Lovren -- the former Southampton defender -- in their starting XI, Liverpool dominated possession in the early stages and took the lead in the 23rd minute.The goal owed much to the tenacity and vision of Jordan Henderson, who helped Manquillo dispossess Tadic, won a 50-50 with Morgan Schneiderlin, and then freed Sterling to beat Fraser Forster with a first-time finish.It was a turbulent close season for Southampton, who lost five key players and appointed a new manager in Ronald Koeman, but they were not cowed by Liverpool's opener and equalised in the 56th minute.Clyne rolled a pass forward to Tadic and the Serbian held off his marker before backheeling the ball into the path of his onrushing team-mate, who thrashed a shot into the top-right corner.After Steven Davis had shot meekly at Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, Sterling headed on a loose ball for England team-mate Sturridge to nudge home the winner from a matter of yards.There was time for one last scare for Liverpool, with Mignolet touching a drive from Schneiderlin onto the bar and Southampton debutant Shane Long -- a late substitute -- heading the rebound wide.Manchester United's campaign got off to a false start on Saturday when they lost 2-1 at home to Swansea City in new manager Louis van Gaal's first competitive game.Arsenal, meanwhile, needed an injury-time goal from Aaron Ramsey to overcome Crystal Palace 2-1.Chelsea, who finished third last season, open their campaign at promoted Burnley on Sunday.

Motorcycling: Marquez run ends as Pedrosa wins Czech MotoGP

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BRNO (AFP) - Marc Marquez's hopes of setting a record 11 straight MotoGP wins ended on Sunday as Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa of Spain won the Czech Republic Moto GP in Brno.Pedrosa, who also won at Brno in 2012, finished the 22 laps on the dry 5.4-kilometre (3.36-mile) circuit in 42min 47.800sec, ahead of Yamaha duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, with Marquez finishing fourth.Marquez, the reigning champion who won at Brno last year, was looking to become the first premier class rider ever to win the 11 opening races of a season.Italian legend Giacomo Agostini won the opening 10 races of the premier class season in 1968, 1969 and 1970 at a time when he dominated the sport.However, no one has ever won the first eleven -- in part because Agostini's perfect season in 1968 comprised only 10 events.Marquez, who failed to make it to the podium for the first time since Australia last year, now tops the championship with 263 points, 77 ahead of Pedrosa and 90 ahead of Rossi.In a way it's taken a weight off my shoulders, as now people won't be asking me if I can win every race anymore, said Marquez.We took 13 points which are important for the World Championship and we have a big advantage.What matters is who wins the title not who wins the most races, said Marquez, adding he had failed to find the best setup for the bike.It wasn't down to a mistake by me or by the team, it was simply that we didn't have the same feeling as on other Sundays.As often this season, Marquez got off to a poor start from pole position, dropping to sixth place.Lorenzo soon settled down at the front, followed by Pedrosa who overtook him on the sixth lap to nurse his lead with Lorenzo never really getting close enough to fight back.I didn't plan the race in this way but fortunately Jorge... opened a gap immediately so I had to change my plan and then push to the limit, said Pedrosa.I kept my rhythm until the end but in the end I struggled with my rear grip and was not able to go out strong in the corners, added the 28-year-old who finished 0.410sec ahead of Lorenzo.Finally we beat Marc, but unfortunately it wasn't me, it was Dani this time, said Lorenzo.After two laps I started feeling not as well as in the first laps and Dani cut me and passed me... and went away.The bike wasn't so bad at the end of the race so I tried, pushed to the limit to cut him, but it was too late, added Lorenzo.Marquez moved up to third after a few laps but instead of narrowing the gap on the two leaders, he found himself under heavy pressure from Rossi.Shrugging off a heavy crash in Saturday's practice in which he injured the little finger on his left hand, Rossi, who has won five premier class races in Brno, breezed past Marquez midway through the race.He finished more than five seconds ahead of the championship leader for his 190th podium finish in all classes of motorcycling Grand Prix.I was able to do a good race, I'm happy, I had a good pace and it's another podium, Rossi beamed.It was a great pleasure to beat Marc one time.Earlier on Sunday, Spanish Moto 2 championship leader Esteve Rabat dominated the race in his category ahead of Finnish teammate Mika Kallio and Germany's Sandro Cortese.And in Moto3, Frenchman Alexis Masbou took his first career victory after beating Italy's Enea Bastianini and Britain's Danny Kent in a nerve-wracking finish that saw 16 riders cross the finish line within two seconds.

FHockey: Pakistan hockey Olympians arrested for gambling

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LAHORE (AFP) - Eight Pakistani hockey officials including four former Olympians appeared in court on Sunday on gambling charges.Police official Nasir Hameed said the eight were detained late Saturday and brought before a special court Sunday afternoon.We raided a Lahore hotel and arrested eight people who were all hockey officials, Nasir Hameed, Station House Officer, told AFP.The eight can be held in custody and interrogated for the next two weeks before appearing in court again, he added.Hameed, however, refused to elaborate on the nature of their alleged gambling.Gambling is illegal in Pakistan but cricket matches nonetheless attract huge numbers of bets.The Olympians arrested included Qamar Ibrahim, Kamran Ashraf, Danish Kaleem and Anjum Saeed.Ibrahim, Ashraf and Kaleem were part of Pakistan's last World Cup-winning team in Australia in 1994.Ibrahim was recently appointed coach of Pakistan's junior team while Kaleem and Ashraf had also coached various national teams.The other officials -- Mohammad Irfan, Irfan Zia, Rana Zaheer and Sohail Ashraf -- are also currently associated with Pakistan Hockey Federation in various capacities.Pakistan, four times world and three times Olympic champions, have recently experienced a huge slump at the international level.They finished 12th and last in the 2010 World Cup held in India and failed to qualify for this year's World Cup which was held in the Netherlands in June.Pakistan's senior team is due to defend its Asian Games title in Incheon, South Korea next month.

Football: India beat Pakistan 1-0 in landmark series

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BANGALORE (AFP) - India defeated Pakistan 1-0 on Sunday in an emotionally-charged opener to take the lead in a two-match football series, the first between the arch-rivals for nine years. The hosts hung on to their slender lead after captain Sunil Chhetri scored in the 44th minute in front of thousands of cheering home fans at the Bangalore Football Stadium. Match officials had initially awarded the goal to striker Robin Singh but changed their decision based on the referee's report. Indians regrouped to launch a counter-attack after Pakistan dominated the proceedings in the first few minutes. I am overall happy with the game. Pakistan started better but we took it over and had a lot of possession, said India coach Wim Koevermans.The atmosphere in the stadium was simply electric. This is what football is all about. It's about the fans. Midfielder Pronoy Halder came close to scoring in the 16th minute, only to be thwarted by Pakistan goalkeeper Saqib Hanif.The hosts squandered at least three more scoring chances before Chhetri found success just a minute from the break. Pakistan nearly equalised early in the second half, but keeper Amrinder Singh did well to stop captain Kalleemullah's close-range header from going into the net.Now that we have had a look at India, we will strategise accordingly (in the next game), said Pakistan coach Muhammad Shamlan Al-Mubarak. We need to recover fast... We are confident about a positive result.India were reduced to 10 men when Robin Singh received his second yellow card of the game. The star striker shook his head in disappointment as he walked off the field. Tempers became frayed on a number of occasions and angry words were exchanged, reflecting the high tensions associated with sporting clashes between India and Pakistan.The football series is the first since India toured Pakistan in 2005 in a three-match contest.India suspended sporting ties with its neighbour in the aftermath of the deadly 2008 attacks on Mumbai, blamed on militants from Pakistan.That deadlock hurt cricket the most, a game with which millions are obsessed on both sides of the border.The current football series offers the teams an opportunity to assess their strengths and weaknesses before the Asian Games in South Korea next month.India have long struggled in world football and are currently ranked 150th out of 208 in the governing body FIFA's rankings, while Pakistan are 164th.The second and final game will be played on Wednesday.

Islamabad: Imran leave for Bani Gala

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan left for his Bani Gala residence after spending night with the participants of Azadi March Kashmir Highway.Imran spent the night with the participants of Azadi March while sleeping on his container.

Gavaskar slams 'jelly-like', 'embarrassing' India

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LONDON (AFP) - Sunil Gavaskar accused India of embarrassing the country after their humiliating innings and 244-run defeat by England in the fifth Test at The Oval on Sunday.It was the second time in as many matches that India had been beaten inside three days after their innings and 54-run reverse in the fourth Test at Old Trafford and saw England take the five-match series 3-1.Sunday's loss was particularly humiliating, India collapsing to 94 all out in their second innings after being skittled out for 148 in their first effort at The Oval.The tourists were dismissed in under 30 overs on Sunday as they suffered their third-heaviest Test loss of all-time, after going down by an innings and 336 runs to the West Indies at Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1958 and losing to England by an innings and 285 runs at Lord's in 1974.For India great Gavaskar, one of cricket's all-time leading opening batsmen, it was all too much to take. Everything about England has been top-class, said Gavaskar while commentating for BBC Radio's Test Match Special.But, India have shown jelly-like resistance. Therefore, England should not get carried away because there are sterner tests to come.Gavaskar, who made a thrilling 221 at The Oval in 1979 that so nearly saw India to a stunning Test win over England, said the present-day India team, the 50-over world champions, were more interested in one-day cricket than Tests.If you do not want to be playing Test cricket for India, quit. Just play limited-overs cricket. You should not be embarrassing your country like that.Meanwhile former England captain Michael Vaughan accused India of a lack of fight after they succumbed in jut 29.2 overs' batting on Sunday.It's a disgrace to think that India have been blown away in 29 overs under blue skies on a pitch that was only doing a bit, said Vaughan.They should be embarrassed. Some of those strokes were of players who didn't want to fight for their country.India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, out for a duck on Sunday but whose first-innings 82 arguably prevented an even-quicker finish, agreed the tourists' batting had been well below the required standard.The last three Tests, we were not up to the mark. We never competed. Today's batting was a reflection of a loss of confidence. It's disappointing.James Anderson was named England's man-of-the-series after taking 25 wickets at 20.6 apiece.His haul left the paceman three short of equalling Ian Botham's England record of 383 Test wickets and was central to England's recovery from 1-0 down in the series after a drawn opener at Trent Bridge was followed by India's 95-run win in the second Test at Lord's.My form is right up there with the best in my career, said Anderson, who will now have to wait until England's Caribbean tour opener against the West Indies in April for his next chance to draw level with Botham -- a match that will be his 100th Test, if selected.Since Southampton (where England won the third Test by 266 runs) we got on top of their batsman and created pressure none stop.Sunday's victory was set up by Joe Root's dashing 149 not out that took England to a first innings score of 486 and took the Yorkshireman past 500 runs for the series.It's always nice to score runs but to finish the way we have was very pleasing, said Root. To bounce back the way we have has shown a lot of character, the guys had to dig deep.India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar a thorn in England's side with both bat and ball in the first two Tests particularly, won the tourists' man-of-the-series award. What is important is what you learn from a series and what you do after, Kumar said. In a five-match series, it's never easy to maintain performance.

England rout India to seal emphatic series win

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LONDON (AFP) - England inflicted yet another humiliating defeat upon India as they won the fifth and final Test at The Oval by an innings and 244 runs on Sunday to complete a 3-1 series win.It was England's second victory inside three days in as many matches after they thrashed India by an innings and 54 runs to win the fourth Test at Old Trafford.India collapsed to 94 all out, an even worse effort than their meagre first innings 148, after Joe Root's unbeaten 149 had powered England to 486 earlier on Sunday.Victory completed a remarkable turnaround for England, who had been 1-0 down after the first two Tests of this series.It was only the second time a team had won the last three Tests after being behind after two.Australia were 2-0 down to England in 1936/37 before, inspired by batting great Don Bradman, they won the last three.It's probably the culmination of putting India under pressure, England captain Alastair Cook told BBC Radio's Test Match Special.In the last three games, everyone has stood up. When we had the chance to nail India, we nailed them.We are on the road to recovery. We haven't felt like this for a long time. We have to enjoy it and hope it's the start of a long road back, added Cook, whose side suffered a 5-0 thrashing in Australia before losing 1-0 at home to Sri Lanka prior to the India series. Dejected India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has now led his country to three successive Test series defeats by England, was left to reflect on a run of increasingly low totals culminating with Sunday's worst effort of the series.I think today's batting was reflective of a batting order that has lost a lot of confidence over a period of time, he said.The only disappointment for England was that spearhead paceman James Anderson was left three short of equalling Ian Botham's England record of 383 Test wickets.He had to make do with being named England's man-of-the-series after taking 25 wickets at 20.6 apiece. Before rain forced an early lunch on Sunday, India slumped to nine for two, with Murali Vijay lbw to Anderon's inswinger and fellow opener Gautam Gambhir run out by Chris Woakes's direct hit as he went for a non-existent single When play resumed, India soon saw Cheteshwar Pujara (11) caught behind off Anderson.Ajinkya Rahane (four) then nicked Stuart Broad and third slip Gary Ballance, diving across Ian Bell at second slip, held a brilliant one-handed catch low to his left.It was not long before 45 for four became 46 for five.Dhoni had played a lone hand in making 82 in the tourists' first innings at The Oval.But on Sunday he fell for a duck, inside-edging paceman Woakes onto his pad and giving a simple catch to Sam Robson at short leg.England's cause, if not Anderson's, was helped when Virat Kohli, aiming legside, was caught in the slips by Cook off Chris Jordan for 20.His exit meant Kohli, an undeniably talented batsman, had scored just 134 runs in the series at an average of 13.4.Jordan then dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the aid of slip catches during a spell of four wickets for 17 runs in 19 balls that culminated with the dismissal of last man Ishant Sharma that completed England's victory.Only Kohli and Stuart Binny (25 not out) got to 20 in the innings.England had gone 10 Tests without a win when they suffered a 95-run defeat by India at Lord's to go 1-0 down in this series.But from the moment Cook was dropped on 15, before making 95 in what turned out to be a 266-run win in the third Test at Southampton, their luck changed.Earlier on Sunday, Root completed his second hundred of the series, following his 154 not out in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge, after resuming on 92 not out. He led the way as England smashed India's attack for 101 runs in just 10.3 overs before they were all out with a commanding first-innings lead of 338 runs.Root played on to Sharma on 110, but was called back after replays confirmed a no-ball.Man-of-the-match Root faced just 165 balls, including 18 fours and a six.His innings took Root's tally for the series to 518 runs at a huge average of over 103.

Amla's 15th one-day ton leads South Africa to victory

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BULAWAYO (AFP) - Hashim Amla's 15th one-day international hundred guided South Africa to a comfortable 93-run victory in the first game of a three-match series against Zimbabwe on Sunday.Amla batted through the innings to finish unbeaten on 122 from 132 balls as the Proteas posted 309 for three, before spinners Imran Tahir and Aaron Phangiso took three wickets apiece to bowl Zimbabwe out for 216.The one-sided nature of the match at the Queen's Sports Club was established right from the beginning as Amla shared a century stand with Quinton de Kock.While the early starts in Zimbabwean ODIs traditionally give plenty of assistance to the side bowling first and the game began under cloudy skies, the home side's young attack was unable to capitalise on those conditions.Seamer Neville Madziva and 19-year-old all-rounder Luke Jongwe were both handed international debuts but both struggled against an aggressive De Kock, who went to his fifty in just 42 balls.However the left-hander failed to convert a fifty into a century for the first time in his young career when a mishit off the bowling of off spinner John Nyumbu, who was making his one-day debut, saw him depart for 63.The dismissal prompted a period of slower scoring as Faf du Plessis bedded in and Zimbabwe's spinners dragged the game back, before the batting powerplay sparked the South African innings once more with Du Plessis and Amla taking 40 runs from the five overs.Although Du Plessis sliced a Nyumbu delivery to extra cover to depart for 59 soon after, Amla went to his third hundred in four matches and AB de Villiers and JP Duminy scored quick late runs as the Proteas added 101 runs in the last 10 overs.There was talk of 250 at one point, and even when Hash came off he said that he never thought we'd get to 300-plus, De Villiers said. It shows you that we're quite dangerous with wickets in hand in the last 15 overs.While scores of above 300 have twice been chased down at Queens Sports Club in recent years, Zimbabwe failed to make the solid start they required as they were reduced to 34 for three.Unfortunately we lost too many wickets early on and to bring it back from there is always hard -- especially against a team like South Africa, Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura said.Although Hamilton Masakadza and Sean Williams revived the innings with a 100-run stand for the fourth wicket that breathed some life into the crowd, Wayne Parnell snuffed it out when he had Masakadza caught for 61.Williams became the first of Imran Tahir's three wickets when he departed for 51 soon after, before the leg spinner cleaned up the tail along with Phangiso.

Air raids kill 31 jihadists in Syria

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BEIRUT (AFP) - At least 31 Islamic State militants and eight civilians died in Syrian air force raids Sunday in the northern province of Raqa, a stronghold of the jihadist fighters, a monitoring group said. The air force carried out 16 raids on the city of Raqa and several more on the town of Tabqa in Raqa province, killing at least 31 jihadists and eight civilians, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.The Britain-based group's head, Rami Abdel Rahman, said the raids were the regime's most intensive against the Islamic State since the jihadists joined the more than three-year-old conflict in Syria in spring 2013. The IS has held most of Raqa province since February, after having ousted other rebel groups battling President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The Observatory said the regime has also carried out air strikes on the eastern province of Deir Ezzor as well as Akhtarin and Dabeq in Aleppo province, two northern towns which the IS seized from rebels on Wednesday.The Syrian military has turned its firepower on the IS since the jihadists in June declared a caliphate straddling Syria and neighbouring Iraq, where the group has been targeted by US air strikes over the past week.The regime wants to show the Americans that it is also capable of striking the IS, said Abdel Rahman, whose group relies on information from opposition activists and medics on the ground.The regime strikes the IS where it is strong. In regions where the group is confronted by rebels, it doesn't intervene so that the two enemies weaken each other, he said.But once one party takes the upper hand, it strikes, said Abdel Rahman.Since joining Syria's conflict, IS has also seized most of Deir Ezzor, another province on the Iraqi border, spreading terror as it imposes its own strict interpretation of Islam with penalties such as beheadings.

Germany warns against direct Russia-Ukraine clash

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BERLIN (AFP) - Germany's foreign minister warned Sunday that direct military clashes between Russia and Ukraine must be avoided at all cost, ahead of a crisis meeting on the conflict in the former Soviet state.Frank-Walter Steinmeier said all sides must be very careful ... about sliding ever deeper into a direct confrontation between Ukrainian and Russian armed forces.This must be avoided at all cost, said Steinmeier before the talks in Berlin with his counterparts from Moscow, Kiev and Paris.There are no guarantees that today's talks will lead to the success we desire, he added.But I can also say that - in view of the situation of today and the past few days, and given the willingness to talk signalled by all sides -- ... it would be irresponsible ... not to take advantage of this willingness to talk.The focus of the meeting with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, Russia's Sergei Lavrov and Laurent Fabius of France is set to be longer-term than questions about the controversial humanitarian convoy from Russia.The question would be whether there is a path toward a ceasefire that is realistic and resilient, and that offers us hope of ending the violence, Steinmeier said. This would include tightening the Russia-Ukraine border to rule out that in future more material, weapons and fighters can cross it into eastern Ukraine.We need a durable solution ... this evening we will try to formulate steps toward it, he said, adding that he hoped that all participants will constructively play their part.

Months needed to repair facilities in Gaza:UN

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TEHRAN (AFP) - United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said Sunday on a visit to Iran that it will take months to repair damage to the UNs infrastructure caused by the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.Damage to hospitals, schools and UNRWA shelters where people displaced sought refuge will take months to rebuild, she said, referring to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.Amos was speaking to reporters at the start of a two-day visit for talks with Iranian officials on the humanitarian crises wreaked by conflicts in the Gaza Strip, Syria and Iraq.The UN response continues including deliveries of food, water and households goods. Medicines and fuel are being delivered to hospitals, she said.A total of 97 UNRWA installations, including health and food distribution centres as well as schools, have been damaged in the war since July 8 between Israel and the Hamas movement which controls the Gaza Strip.The conflict, in which an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire has taken effect, has killed almost 2,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 67 on the Israeli side, almost all soldiers.Amos noted the United Nations had made strong statements about the violation of international humanitarian laws and human rights laws by all parties in Gaza.Turning to Syria, she said that 11 million people were in need of humanitarian aid, including 241,000 living in areas under siege.Insecurity, fragmentation of armed groups and administrative obstacles imposed by the government hamper the delivery of humanitarian assistance, she said.Amos welcomed the role played by Iran, a key ally of the Syrian government, and other countries with influence on the warring parties to gain access to conflict zones.This remains a work in progress because we still have substantial numbers of people that we are unable to reach, she said.
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