Wednesday 4 March 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Big guns missing for Swiss against Belgium

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PARIS (AFP) - Switzerlands hold on the Davis Cup is under real threat this weekend when they travel to Liege to take on Belgium in one of eight World Group first round ties.Powered by Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, the Swiss won the trophy for the first time last November, defeating France in the final in Lille.But neither Federer, nor Wawrinka have made themselves available for this weekend, and instead the Swiss will have to depend on world number 292 Yann Marti and number 344 Henri Laaksonen.On the other side of the net, the Belgians have 21st ranked David Goffin and the highly-experienced Steve Darcis to fall back on.Team captain Severin Luthi agreed that the odds were stacked against the Swiss but we will see what happens on the court and we will battle to the end.We will try to take the chances that come our way. Even though the Belgians will start favourites, there are not three levels between the players and we will have a go.World number one Novak Djokovic will spearhead Serbias bid for a second Davis Cup triumph after that of 2010 and, with the injured Marin Cilic unable to play for Croatia, he will be confident of his team advancing to the quarter-finals.Djokovic told the HRT television station that although Serbia were favorites, they would not under-estimate their opponents.Ive been telling my squad all the time that Croatia is a competitive team and that there is no room to underestimate them.The fact that Marin (Cilic), (Ivan) Dodig or (Ivo) Karlovic are not playing does not mean that we have already won.The Czech Republic also enjoy home advantage against Australia but will be without top player Tomas Berdych, who has made himself unavailable as he continues with his quest to win a first Grand Slam title.Lukas Rosol will take over as top singles player in Ostrava with firm backup from Jiri Vesely.The Australians, who last won the Davis Cup in 2003, had looked set to start as favourites, but they have lost to injury up-and-coming Nick Kyrgios and will look once again to veteran campaigner Lleyton Hewitt alongside the unpredictable Bernard Tomic.Australia lead the series between the two nations 6-1, including a victory in the most recent tie between the sides in 1997.The Czech Republic, however, is the dominant force in Davis Cup and is the number one ranked side thanks to back-to-back title wins in 2012 and 2013.Australian captain Wally Masur though believes his team could go all the way this year. I think we can win it this year, he said.Thats just me being the eternal optimist. Weve got a great team, and theyre committed, theyre ready to go. Federers said hes not playing. Berdych is not playing for the Czechs; I wish he was. I like all the best players playing Davis Cup. But why cant we win it?If Australias wait for another Davis Cup crown rankles with them, it comes nothing near the agony of a British team that last took the coveted team trophy in 1936 with Fred Perry to the fore.But at least they are back in the World Group and have a winnable tie in Glasgow against the United States to start with.To achieve that, former Wimbledon and US Open champion Andy Murray will almost certainly have to win his two singles ties against John Isner and Donald Young and hope that James Ward can find his top form.Scotlands Murray believes that home advantage could make the difference.It should be a great atmosphere, said the world number five, who steered the British to a superb win over the Americans at the same stage in San Diego last year.We were told the tickets sold out in 10 minutes. Whether thats true or not, I have no idea - but I imagine the atmosphere will be great.French hopes away to Germany have been hit by injuries to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet, while last years semi-finalists Italy have a settled lineup, including Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi and Simone Bolelli, away to Kazakhstan.The weekends two other ties see Canada host Japan in Vancouver and Argentina take on Brazil in an all South American tie.

Tennis: Murray banks on home boost in USA Davis Cup tie

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LONDON (AFP) - Andy Murray said on Wednesday that the support of the Glasgow crowd could give Great Britain the edge in this weekends Davis Cup World Group tie against the United States.The world number five helped his team to a 3-1 victory over the USA at the same stage of last seasons tournament and said he was confident of pulling off a repeat in the first-round tie at the Emirates Arena.For all of us as a team, getting to play in front of a crowd like this is a great feeling, Murray told a press conference two days before the start of the tie.I would say thats the nicest thing about the Davis Cup -- when you get a home tie, you get the whole crowd behind you. Its not like that at the tournaments we play throughout the rest of the year.To have a crowd turning up just to support you is fantastic and Im sure the whole team will respond.It looks like a great arena, its a perfect size and if its packed I am sure they will make a lot of noise.It helps in all sports to play in front of a home crowd. There can sometimes be a few nerves early because of it, but once you get through that it makes a big difference and can help a lot.Murray, a beaten finalist at this years Australian Open, is the top-ranked player in the tie, but the USA have their leading singles player John Isner available again following an ankle problem.Murray has suffered two quarter-finals defeats since falling to Novak Djokovic in the Melbourne final, losing to Gilles Simon in Rotterdam and Croatian teenager Borna Coric in Dubai, and he admitted he had missed the support of coach Amelie Mauresmo, who was on Fed Cup duty with France.After the Aussie Open, I spent the next three or four weeks with no coach and I feel thats something I obviously need to get sorted so that when I get to the clay court season, I am not in that position, he said.Because I feel like there are some things I need to work on all the time and when I dont have somewhere there, its harder to do that. Thats high on my list of priorities.Murray was dismissive when asked what effect his public declaration of support for Scottish independence in last years referendum would have on his commitment to the Great Britain team.Well, I guess well see at the weekend, said the 27-year-old Scot.

Football: Barca into Cup final thanks to Neymar double

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MADRID (AFP) - Barcelona eased into their fourth Copa del Rey final in five years as they completed a 6-2 aggregate win over Villarreal with a 3-1 win at El Madrigal on Wednesday.Neymar had missed a penalty in Barcas 3-1 first leg win three weeks ago, but made amends after just three minutes when he turned home Lionel Messis cross.Jonathan dos Santos gave the hosts hope with an equaliser on the night against his old club, but Villarreals chances of a famous comeback faded when Tomas Pina was shown a straight red card for a heavy challenge on Neymar.Luis Suarez slotted home his 11th goal of the season to make it 2-1 before Neymar rounded off the scoring from Xavis cross late on.However, victory also came at a cost for Barca as Sergio Busquets was stretchered off in the first-half with a high ankle sprain that could keep him sidelined for a significant couple of weeks with the Catalans set to face Real Madrid in La Liga on March 22.Barca boss Luis Enrique started Javier Mascherano and Suarez despite both being one yellow card away from missing the final and that decision was vindicated inside three minutes as both were involved in the move that let to Neymars opener.The ball eventually found its way to Messi and his tantalising in-swinging cross was looped over Sergio Asenjo by the Brazilian captain.Villarreal refused to be beaten despite that early setback as Ikechukwu Uche fired into the side-netting, whilst Marc-Andre Ter Stegen denied Luciano Vietto and Denis Cheryshev.Marcelinos men finally got their reward when Dos Santos slotted home Jaume Costas cross at the back post six minutes before the break.And Barca suffered a further blow as Busquets had to be stretchered off after Pina stood on his right ankle in the build-up to the goal.Villarreals momentum was lost 20 minutes into the second period, though, when this time Pina was punished for a dangerous challenge on Neymar from behind.Suarez and Neymar then passed up good chances to make the tie safe with the latter being denied by a fine save from Asenjo.However, there was nothing the keeper could do to prevent Suarez scoring for the third consecutive game as he latched onto Mascheranos ball over the top and kept his composure to round Asenjo before rolling the ball into the unguarded net.And Neymar notched his second of the night with an easy header from another sumptuous cross, this time from Xavi.Barca will face either Espanyol or Athletic Bilbao, who play later on Wednesday, in the final with the two sides locked at 1-1 after the first leg.

Chelsea maintains 5-point lead as top 5 all win in EPL

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LONDON (AP) - Chelsea came through one of the toughest tests of its Premier League run-in on Wednesday, beating West Ham 1-0 away to maintain a five-point lead on a night when all of the teams in the top five won.Eden Hazard headed in Chelseas first-half winner at Upton Park, as the leaders rode their luck to stay on course for a second trophy this season to go alongside the League Cup they captured on Sunday.My team were brothers on the pitch and that is important if you are to win the most difficult league in the world, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said.Second-place Manchester City stayed in touch with Chelsea by beating Leicester 2-0, although goals by David Silva and James Milner masked an unimpressive display by the champions without dropped captain Vincent Kompany.Chelsea has a game in hand.Behind the top two, the race for Champions League qualification remains tight after wins for Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool, as well as seventh-place Tottenham.United left it late against Newcastle as Ashley Young capitalized on goalkeeper Tim Kruls error to score an 89th-minute goal in a 1-0 win. The game was marred by an angry exchange between Newcastles Papiss Cisse and Uniteds Jonny Evans during which the players appeared to spit at each other.United stayed a point behind third-place Arsenal, which beat Queens Park Rangers 2-1 through goals by Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez. Liverpool was comfortable in beating Burnley 2-0 at Anfield through goals by Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge to stay unbeaten since December a run of 12 games and within two points of United ahead of their meeting on March 15.Spurs 3-2 win over Swansea was overshadowed by early drama when Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis collapsed to the ground and required a lengthy period of treatment. The France international, who has a history of fainting during games from his time in French football with Lyon, regained consciousness and was carried off on a stretcher.He was later said to be in a stable condition.Gomis collapsed as play was about to restart following Nacer Chadlis opener for Tottenham in the seventh minute. Ryan Mason and Andros Townsend also scored for the hosts, who are six points behind United with a game in hand.Elsewhere, Evertons woes continued with a 2-0 loss at Stoke, which climbed to eighth after a third straight win. Everton is winless in five matches and six points above the relegation zone.On paper, the trip to Arsenal on April 26 looks to be the only difficult away fixture left for Chelsea. With its home form imperious under Mourinho, Chelsea is closing in on the title and a double in the Portuguese coachs second season in his second spell in charge.Hazard has been one of the teams best players this season and he was the difference against West Ham, meeting a cross by Ramires with a header from what looked to be from an offside position.Chelsea relied on some great saves from Thibaut Courtois to preserve the lead.It was not the best game to play after the final, Mourinho said. The final is more than a game, because of tension, pressure and emotions. Some periods (against West Ham), we had to defend with everything.Kompany started on the bench after a number of below-par displays at center back, but City still struggled against a team bottom of the standings. Silva pounced from close range to put City ahead after an unconvincing start at Etihad Stadium and Milner came off the bench to settle nerves in the 88th minute.After losses to Barcelona in the Champions League and Liverpool in the league, City manager Manuel Pellegrini said: I think always when you dont have the result, you need the next game is very difficult. That is why the most important thing was to win the three points.

Football: Spurs win overshadowed by Gomis scare

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LONDON (AFP) - Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis suffered a serious health scare that overshadowed Tottenhams 3-2 win at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.Gomis collapsed and needed treatment for several minutes before being rushed to hospital for tests.The south Wales club later revealed that France international Gomis was in a stable condition, but the incident marred an otherwise entertaining encounter.Determined to make up for their lacklustre League Cup final loss against Chelsea on Sunday, Mauricio Pochettinos side took a quick lead through Nacer Chadli.South Korea midfielder Ki Sung-yueng equalised after Gomiss collapse.But Ryan Mason restored Tottenhams lead and Andros Townsend added the third soon after.Former Tottenham midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson reduced the deficit late on, but it was too late for Swansea to stop the seventh placed north Londoners boosting their bid to qualify for the Champions League via a top four finish.After an emotional pre-match tribute to Dave Mackay, the clubs legendary former captain who passed away on Monday, Spurs fed off the charged atmosphere as they roared into a seventh minute lead.Danny Roses cross looped to the far post, where Belgian midfielder Chadli rifled a powerful volley past Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski for his first league goal since New Years day.Tottenhams ideal start quickly became an after-thought as Swansea striker Gomis collapsed when the players were making their way back for the restart.Gomis, who had fainted during matches several times in the past, was attended to for four minutes and left the field on a stretcher, by which point he was conscious and wearing an oxygen mask.When the game resumed, Swansea didnt seem affected by a worrying moment that recalled the time when Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest, which he eventually recovered from, during an FA Cup tie at Tottenham in 2012.Garry Monks side drew level in the 19th minute after Sigurdsson hit the crossbar with a swerving free-kick.The ball was quickly returned to the penalty area and Ki was on hand to poke home from a tight angle for his sixth goal of the season.Jonjo Shelvey tested Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with the rasping drive early in the second half.But Harry Kane went close for the hosts with a looping header that drifted just wide and it wasnt long before Spurs regained the lead in the 51st minute.Christian Eriksens mazy run cut through the heart of the Swansea defence and Mason applied the finishing touch, driving a rising strike into the net for his first Premier League goal.Townsend put Spurs firmly in control nine minutes later thanks in part to referee Michael Oliver, who allowed play to continue after Nabil Bentaleb was floored by a heavy challenge.Townsend took full advantage as he surges forward, cut inside a defender and curled home.Sigurdssons 89th minute strike set the stage for a nervous last few minutes, but Spurs held on.

Badminton: Lin Dan struggles on All-England return

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BIRMINGHAM (AFP) - Olympic champion Lin Dan was made to struggle on his return to the All-England championships after a three-year interval, needing more than an hours tenacious effort to survive his opening round on Wednesday.The legendary Chinese player overcame Wei Nan, the world number 24 from Hongkong, 21-15, 12-21, 21-16 with the outcome still in doubt almost till the end of a fluctuating contest.Lin moved economically, mixed up his tactical ploys, and produced several stunning cross-court blocked winners from full-blooded smashes.But he rarely produced his characteristic explosive changes of pace, and when he tried to raise the tempo early in the third game he did not sustain it.Wei sometimes extended the rallies surprisingly, and became more dangerous as the match wore on. Eventually Lin had just a little too much skill, though little also described the margin of victory.I was a little bit rusty, admitted the 31-year-old, who has not played a full season since before the London Olympics.Maybe it takes time. I feel a little bit out of form and I have to adapt.The match was a little but difficult for me. I will take the lessons of this away and think about them, and work out how to play tomorrow.He was due to meet the winner of his compatriot Tian Houwei, the world number 13, and Ajay Jayaram, a qualifier from India.Chinas other Olympic champion Li Xuerui made a happy and winning return to the tournament which set her on the path to glory when she got past a dangerous first round opponent.It was here three years ago that the then little known Li forced her way into Chinas Olympic team by winning the title.Now she began her bid to regain it with a well-worked 21-13, 21-17 win over a former compatriot Zhang Beiwen.Zhang, who moved from Liaoning to Singapore and then to Las Vegas and now represents the United States, showed how resilient she can be in defence, and recovered tenaciously from 9-15 to 15-15 in the second game.It was then that Lis great range of attacking strokes, one of the best in the game, regained their previous accuracy, and three points in a row, culminating in a winning mid-court jab, turned the match back her way.Another high profile Chinese, Chen Long, the top-seeded world champion, also had to work hard to make a winning start in the mens singles.Chen was within three points of defeat in the second game against another compatriot, the qualifier Xue Song, before surviving 12-21, 21-18, 21-9. The minefield provided by the early rounds - with the Olympic qualifying period about to begin - was illustrated by mens singles defeats for the third-seeded Korean, Son Wan Ho, and the fourth-seeded Indian, Kidambi Srikanth.Srikanth lost 21-18, 12-21, 21-15 by Kento Momota, the world number 14 from Japan, who had a fierce ability to put the shuttle on the floor with deceptive left-handed smashes.In reply the 22-year-old from Andhra Pradesh deftly coaxed his replies to the four corners but had to work harder to win his points, and was always trailing in the decider.Son, by contrast, looked as if he might escape after losing the first game to Rajiv Ouseph, the English champion, and then leading 16-15 and 17-6 in the decider. But the crowd lifted Ouseph and two curious incidents in the last three points scuppered the Korean.Retreating for a clear at 18-19 Son inexplicably fell; then on the second match point he allowed another Ouseph clear to drop, confident it had landed out.However the line judge called it in, and when Son appealed to the video replay, there was a minutes painfully tense wait before the contest finished, with everyone staring up at the giant screen. It showed the Ousephs shot just touching the back edge of the line.

Scotland set 319 runs target for Bangladesh

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NELSON (AFP) - Kyle Coetzer posted Scotlands first World Cup century as they amassed an imposing 318 for eight against Bangladesh in their Pool A clash at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Thursday.It was a record-breaking session for Scotland, with Coetzers 156 leading the side to their highest total in a World Cup match, easily surpassing their previous best of 210 set against Afghanistan a week ago.It was Scotlands third highest one-day international score of all time and Coetzers 156, his second career century, was 19 runs short of the Scotland record high 175 hit by Calum MacLeod against Canada last year.It was the best by a Scot at the World Cup, beating the 76 by Gavin Hamilton against Pakistan in 1999.Coetzers dominance with the bat heaped pressure on Bangladesh, who won the toss and believed bowling first was the best option.Bangladesh targeted Scotland to bank points in their push for two wins from their last three pool matches to ensure a quarter-final berth. They also have to play England and New Zealand.But instead they were forced to struggle in the field, let down by bowlers straying off line too often and an inefficient fielding effort.Scotland are desperate to notch their first World Cup victory after setting the record of 11 consecutive defeats when they collapsed against Afghanistan.Coetzer was cautious in the opening overs while MacLeod, trying to overcome a string of low scores, charged at a brisk run-a-ball rate.But his time was up in the third over when he popped a leading edge to Mohammad Mahmudullah at point and was gone for 13.Hamish Gardiner added 19 before slashing at a short delivery from Taskin Ahmed that deserved to be punished but instead when straight to Soumya Sarkar at cover point.With Scotland 38 for two, Matt Machan joined Coetzer and the pair began to reconstruct the innings with a 78-run partnershipWhen Machan went for 35, captain Preston Mommsen stepped up to support Coetzer as the pace quickened.They cracked a rapid 141 in 14 overs before Mommsen was gone for 39 off 38 deliveries.Coetzers 156 came from 134 deliveries and included 17 fours and four sixes as Scotland reached 308 for five before losing three quick wickets in the death oversFor Bangladesh, seamer Taskin took three for 43.Meanwhile there is a doubt over whether Bangladeshs Anamul Haque will bat after he left the field with an apparent dislocated shoulder which he injured when diving to cut off a boundary.

Obama calls injured ambassador after S.Korea attack

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Wednesday called a former aide and now US ambassador in South Korea to wish him well following a bloody attack that Washington strongly condemned.The president called Mark Lippert to tell him that he and his wife Robyn are in his thoughts and prayers, and to wish him the very best for a speedy recovery, said Bernadette Meehan, National Security Council spokeswoman.The State Department said Lippert was assaulted Thursday morning in Seoul while giving a speech.We strongly condemn this act of violence, deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said.Lippert was a long-time advisor to Obama, serving him in the US Senate, during the successful 2008 election bid, the presidential transition team and in the White House as Chief of Staff for the National Security Council. A former intelligence officer for Naval special operations, Lippert won a Bronze Star Medal following a deployment to Iraq.He became ambassador last year after a stint at the Pentagon.

US ambassador attacked in Seoul

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SEOUL (AFP) - The US ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, was slashed on his face and arm by a blade-wielding assailant shouting anti-war slogans in an attack in Seoul Thursday, police and television reports said.The United States strongly condemned the act of violence which left the ambassador bleeding profusely as he was taken to hospital, and said that President Barack Obama had spoken with him.The President called (Lippert) to tell him that he and his wife Robyn are in his thoughts and prayers, and to wish him the very best for a speedy recovery, said Bernadette Meehan, National Security Council spokeswoman.Witnesses said a man with a blade concealed in his right hand attacked Lippert as he was attending a breakfast function at the Sejong Cultural Institute in central Seoul.Video footage in the immediate aftermath of the attack showed the ambassador being rushed out of the building holding one hand to his bleeding right cheek, and his other hand smeared with blood with an apparent wound to the wrist.Lippert, 42, was bundled into a police car and rushed to hospital, where a US embassy spokesman said he was in a stable condition.State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said that Lipperts injuries were not life threatening.We can confirm that (Lippert) was assaulted Thursday morning in Seoul while giving a speech. We strongly condemn this act of violence, she said.Kim Young-man, a spokesman for the Korea Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation which hosted the breakfast function, apologised for the lack of security at the event.This man suddenly jumped out of the audience seat when the breakfast was about to start at the table, Kim told reporters.Other people tried to stop him but the situation unfolded too quickly. The ambassador was injured on the face and sent to hospital, he said. Security staff and police officers were later seen tackling the assailant, who was dressed in traditional Korean clothes and reportedly shouted an anti-war slogan as he lashed out at the envoy.The United States and South Korea launched annual joint military exercises this week, triggering a surge in tensions with North Korea.Nearly 30,000 US troops are permanently stationed in South Korea and the US would assume operational command in the event of an armed conflict with the North.Some television reports said the attacker was known to police and had previously assaulted the Japanese ambassador to Seoul in 2010.Lippert, a former US assistant secretary of defense for Asian affairs, took up his post in South Korea in October last year.He was part of Obamas inner circle during the then senators rise to the White House, and took on senior roles in national security and defence after the 2008 presidential campaign.

At least 34 dead as Syria rebels attack regime intel HQ

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Syrian rebels launched a fierce attack Wednesday on an intelligence headquarters in Aleppo, leaving at least 34 dead, days after the opposition rejected a UN ceasefire plan for the city.At least 20 members of regime security forces and 14 rebels were killed in a powerful blast and attack targeting air force intelligence offices in the west of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.The goal was to storm the building and to control it, but they failed, Rami Abdel Rahman, the director of the Britain-based monitoring group, told AFP.Six civilians were also killed in separate rebel shelling of regime-controlled areas, he said.The attack began with a huge blast from explosives in a tunnel near the intelligence building, the Observatory and a Syrian military source said.Gunmen blew up a tunnel that they dug (into the regime-controlled sector) and then attacked the area surrounding the air force intelligence headquarters, the military source said.An AFP journalist in eastern Aleppo said the blast was loud enough to be heard across the city.Rebels from several factions then launched on assault on the building, part of which had collapsed from the explosion, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria. The rebels faced heavy resistence from government troops supported by fighters from Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, it said.The assault was repelled with the help of regime air strikes on rebel positions and the clashes eventually subsided.Dozens of (rebel) gunmen were killed in artillery and air strikes. The situation is quiet now in the area. There are minor sporadic clashes, the Syrian military source said.Al-Qaedas affiliate in Syria, Al-Nusra Front, said on Twitter that its forces, along with other rebel factions, had stormed the air force intelligence offices and surrounding buildings.The attack was the worst reported violence in Aleppo since the rebels on Sunday rejected a UN plan to freeze fighting in the northern city.UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has made the plan for a temporary ceasefire in Aleppo the centrepiece of his efforts to bring any kind of halt to the conflict in Syria, where more than 220,000 people have been killed since it erupted in March 2011.De Mistura in October unveiled the proposal to suspend fighting in Aleppo to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and make a first step toward a broader political deal.He held talks in Damascus on Saturday to try to finalise a deal, with a delegation member saying he hoped to set in motion as soon as possible a plan to halt fighting in Aleppo for six weeks.But rebel representatives refused to consider the proposal unless it forms the basis for a comprehensive solution to the conflict through the departure of Assad.De Mistura has angered the opposition by describing Assad as part of the solution to the Syrian conflict.Some Western powers have also cast doubt on the plan, with the French ambassador to the United Nations, Francois Delattre, saying Tuesday that France remains sceptical about the regimes willingness to follow through on it.Wednesdays attack featured a favoured tactic of Syrias rebels -- especially in Aleppo -- of digging tunnels near government buildings and setting off explosives.A similar blast from explosives planted in a tunnel under Aleppos Old City in December killed at least seven government troops.Rebels also last May detonated explosives under the citys famed Carlton Hotel, which government forces had been using as a base.Fighting in Aleppo erupted in mid-2012, and control of the city -- once Syrias commercial hub -- has since been divided between rebels on the eastern side and the regime in the west.The air force intelligence headquarters in Aleppo is a key strategic site for regime forces and the surrounding area has come under repeated attack from rebel forces.

Coetzer hits Scotland's first World Cup century

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NELSON (AFP) - Opening batsman Kyle Coetzer became the first Scottish player to make a World Cup century on Thursday in the game against Bangladesh.Coetzer reached the landmark in style with a huge six, his second of the innings at Saxton Oval.It was the 30-year-old Coetzers second ODI century having also scored a ton against Afghanistan in 2013.

Polling for 48 Senate seats to be held today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalised arrangements to conduct Senate polls today (Thursday).The ECP has dispatched ballot papers to provincial election commission offices ahead of the scheduled polls. The ECP has printed 4,000 ballot papers for Senate polls, of them 1,000 ballot papers have been allocated for the federation and FATA while the rest have been distributed among four provinces. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will not be able to cast their votes in the Senate elections as they were heading to Saudi Arabia on Thursday on a three-day pre-scheduled visit.Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, advisers Tariq Fatemi and Irfan Siddique are also part of the prime minister’s entourage. At least 131 candidates will contest for as many as 48 seats of the Senate.The political parties are forming coalitions with each other regarding the matter. Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari called on Pir Pagara to discuss the matter. However, no candidate withdrew his nomination papers in Sindh and now at least seven candidates will contest for as many as eight seats.Khawaja Saad Rafique met Akhtar Mengal and discussed seat adjustment in the Senate election.Jamiat Ulema-e-Isam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman does not have confidence in PTI members that is why he raised the matter of 22nd Amendment in the Constitution.Earlier, JUI-F, PPP and Awami National Party (ANP) had not accepted the show of hand method. On the last day of withdrawing nomination papers, as many as two PPP candidates from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) took their papers back while at least three Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) candidates from Islamabad withdrew their papers.

FATAs MNAs right of 4 votes annulled

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - FATA’s MNAs right of four votes during Senate elections has been annulled. A Presidential Ordinance in this regard has been issued late Wednesday night.A notification in this regard has been issued. According to the notification, the previous presidential ordinance of 2002 that allowed four votes to each FATA member has been withdrawn.

NASA spacecraft nears encounter with dwarf planet Ceres

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MIAMI (AFP) - A NASA spacecraft called Dawn is about to become the first mission to orbit a dwarf planet when it slips into orbit Friday around Ceres, the most massive body in the asteroid belt.The mission aims to shed light on the origins of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago, from its rough and tumble environment of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, said mission director Marc Rayman of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Already scientists are intrigued by the appearance of two bright spots on Ceres.What are they? At this point, the clearest answer is that the answer is unknown, Rayman wrote on his blog.The dwarf planet, which has an average diameter of 590 miles (950 kilometers), makes a full rotation every nine hours, and NASA is hoping for a wealth of data once the spacecrafts orbit begins.Dawn is about to make history, said Robert Mase, project manager for the Dawn mission at NASA JPL in Pasadena, California. Our team is ready and eager to find out what Ceres has in store for us.Experts will be looking for signs of geologic activity, via changes in these bright spots, or other features on Ceres surface over time.The latest images came from Dawn when it was 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) away on February 25. The celestial body was first spotted by Sicilian astronomer Father Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801.Ceres was initially classified as a planet and later called an asteroid. In recognition of its planet-like qualities, Ceres was designated a dwarf planet in 2006, along with Pluto and Eris, NASA said.Ceres is named after the Roman goddess of agriculture and harvests. The spacecraft on its way to circle it was launched in September 2007.First, Dawn explored the giant asteroid Vesta for 14 months in 2011 and 2012, then made its way toward Ceres.This two-stop tour of our solar system is made possible by Dawns ion propulsion system, its three ion engines being much more efficient than chemical propulsion, NASA said.The exploration of Vesta and Ceres helps scientists understand how objects form in space.Both Vesta and Ceres were on their way to becoming planets, but their development was interrupted by the gravity of Jupiter, said Carol Raymond, deputy project scientist at JPL. These two bodies are like fossils from the dawn of the solar system, and they shed light on its origins.Jim Green, director of NASAs Planetary Science Division, said he hopes Dawn will contribute significant breakthroughs in our understanding of how the solar system formed.NASA has partnered with the German Aerospace Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian Space Agency and Italian National Astrophysical Institute on the mission.Next year, the US space agency plans to launch its Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft, to study a large asteroid in unprecedented detail and return samples to Earth, NASA said.

US oil prices shrug off jump in crude stocks

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NEW YORK (AFP) - US oil prices rallied Wednesday despite a larger-than expected jump in the countrys crude stockpiles last week, which hit a new record high.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in April climbed $1.01 to $51.53 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.But in London Brent North Sea crude for April slipped 47 cents to $60.55 a barrel.The US Department of Energy (DoE) said commercial crude inventories jumped by 10.3 million barrels in the week February 27. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News had expected a gain of 3.8 million barrels,Inventories have set new records for five straight weeks.However, inventories at the Cushing, Oklahoma hub, which serve as the reference point for WTI, rose by 500,000 barrels to 49.2 million barrels as expected.Frost & Sullivan analyst Carl Larry said that WTIs resilience in the face of another big build in crude shows that its really fair value. He noted that institutional money and hedge funds were coming into the market and buying.Larry also underscored that the market was in a seasonal period of high stockpiles as refineries pull back for maintenance.The global oil market has lost about 50 percent of its value since June, weighed down by a supply glut and a slow expansion in the global economy.In Libya, the National Oil Co declared force majeure Wednesday at 11 oil fields after attacks by Islamists, a legal step protecting it from liability if it cannot fullfil contracts for reasons beyond its control.Islamist militants seized Al-Bahi and Al-Mabrouk fields on Tuesday and were heading for a third one, at Al-Dahra, said a spokesman for the Libyan oil industrys security service.Amid fighting in the North African state, a member of the OPEC oil producers cartel, daily crude output has been reduced from a high of almost 1.5 million barrels to 150,000, according to analysts.
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