Wednesday 15 April 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

UN peace envoy to Yemen resigns

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN peace envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has resigned, a UN official said Wednesday, after losing support from Gulf countries for his mission in the conflict-riven nation.The Moroccan diplomat had been UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moons special envoy for Yemen since 2012.Benomar has indicated his willingness to leave his post as Yemen envoy, a UN official told AFP on condition of anonymity.Among the candidates who may take his place is Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who currently heads the UN Ebola mission in Accra, the official said.Benomars departure came after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for the swift resumption of peace talks and an end to violence in Yemen.Fighting has escalated in the poor Arab country after a Saudi-led coalition launched an air war on March 26 to stop the advance by the Shiite Huthis. Gulf countries accuse Benomar of having been duped by the Huthis who held peace talks while the group pressed their offensive for more territory.Yemens UN-recognized President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia when the Huthis advanced on Aden, his stronghold in the south, weeks after they seized Sanaa.Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of arming the Huthis, a claim Tehran has rejected. The resolution adopted on Tuesday calls on the Huthis to withdraw from Sanaa and all other areas they have seized.More than 700 people have died in the recent upsurge of fighting and more than 2,700 have been wounded.

Saudi envoy says Yemen air strikes 'very successful'

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - A Saudi-led air campaign against Huthi rebels in Yemen has been very successful and gone beyond its goals, Saudi Arabias ambassador to the United States said Wednesday.In the past three weeks, the campaign has been able to degrade and destroy much of the military infrastructure that Huthis and (former president Ali Abdullah) Saleh possess, said ambassador Adel al-Jubeir.He told reporters in Washington that we are also beginning to see cracks in the Huthi and Saleh military ranks and we see military commanders defecting back to the regular Yemeni military. We expect to see more and more of them as pressure intensifies, he said, adding this operation will continue until objectives are achieved. There can be no half measures.Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Arab countries launched the air strikes on March 26, after the Iran-backed rebels seized the capital Sanaa late last year.The Shiite rebels then advanced on the main southern city of Aden, where President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi had taken refuge, forcing him to flee to Riyadh.The Huthis have allied with troops loyal to Saleh, who was forced from power in 2012 following a year of nationwide protests against his three-decade rule.But Jubeir said deliveries of arms to the Huthis from Iran appeared to have stopped since the start of the intensive air strikes.We have control over the air and inspection of ships. We are not aware of Iranian shipments of weapons to the Huthis, he said.And he also demanded that Iran stop interfering in Yemen, saying the two countries did not share a border.There is no reason for Iran to be involved with Yemen. There is no reason for Iran to be supporting one faction against the other, Jubeir said.The Iranians should be supporting all Yemenis. Thats how we bring about stability and security and safety.Local Yemeni defense committees backed by Saudi Arabia were also beginning to have success, and had managed to wrest back a large part of Aden as well as other parts of the country.The coalition had been careful in targetting military targets and minimizing civilian damages, Jubeir added.Earlier, Egypt said it was considering holding large-scale military exercises with Saudi Arabia in a possible sign the air campaign may expand into a ground operation.It was decided to form a joint military committee to look into a large-scale strategic maneuver on Saudi territory, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisis office said late Tuesday.Washington said it had seen the reports, reiterating it had remained in close contact with Riyadh since the start of the operation.We continue to support actions that assist Yemens legitimate government, including military support, to protect the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen, a State Department official told AFP.

Protester arrested for landing mini copter at US Capitol

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - An anti-corruption protester piloted his mini helicopter through Washingtons no-fly zone Wednesday and illegally landed it on the US Capitol lawn, triggering a national security scare, startling tourists and prompting a police probe.The US Capitol Police continues to investigate, with one person detained and temporary street closures in the immediate area, USCP officer Shennell Antrobus told AFP.The arrested pilot, according to the Tampa Bay Times who had interviewed and filmed him prior to his audacious flight, is a Florida man who was conducting civil disobedience -- in this case a demand for campaign finance reform.Air space is severely restricted around Washington landmarks including the White House and the Capitol, which houses the US Congress whose 535 lawmakers were in session at the time.A bomb squad inspected the so-called gyrocopter, which landed a few hundred yards (meters) from the Capitol, but found nothing hazardous.Authorities reportedly put the building on temporary lockdown although it was not evacuated. Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was in the Capitol at the time for a meeting with senators.Witness Rachel Jackman expressed alarm about the surprise incident. Within minutes, the entire area was shut down. I mean, there were probably 30 or 40 of the Capitol police there, cars, some black SUVs as well, she told CNN.The breach, during a high-volume tourist season, was the second major air security scare this year in the capital city.In January, an intelligence agency employee lost control of a hobby drone and crashed it into the White House gardens, sparking a Secret Service investigation.President Barack Obama was briefed about Wednesdays incident, the White House said.Air defense command NORAD tweeted that it was not involved with todays incident, suggesting the FAA did not contact it for assistance in responding to the gyrocopter breech.The Times identified Wednesdays pilot as Doug Hughes, 61.Im demanding reform and declaring a voters rebellion in a manner consistent with Jeffersons description of rights in the Declaration of Independence, Hughes reportedly wrote in letters to all 535 members of Congress and which he carried with him on his flight.On the website Democracyclub.org, Hughes described what he wanted his stunt to achieve.In every Congressional race in 2016, I want every candidate to take a stand on corruption, he apparently wrote.Hughes is described as a mailman, and a logo appearing to be that of the US Postal Service was visible on the tail of the aircraft.It appeared Hughes was flying a single-seat, open-cockpit Bensen-type gyrocopter, which the Federal Aviation Administration classifies as an ultralight vehicle that requires no registration.The gyrocopter typically cruises at 65 miles (105 kilometers) an hour, with an endurance of no more than 90 minutes. No airport is required for takeoff.Theyre designed very strictly for recreational, low-altitude flying, Dick Knapinski, spokesman for the Experimental Aircraft Association, told AFP.The Times said it asked Secret Service whether it was aware of Hughes plan, but officers there said they were not and referred a reporter to Capitol Police.A USCP sergeant told the Times that Hughes hasnt notified anybody of his planned flight.But Hughes friend Mike Shanahan said he called a Secret Service agent to notify him of the flight hours before Hughes landed in Washington.Hes not a suicide bomber, hes a patriot, Shanahan, 65, told the paper.

Oil spill leaves 100,000 Mexicans without water

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VILLAHERMOSA (AFP) - Some 100,000 people remained without drinking water in southern Mexico on Wednesday after rivers were contaminated by an oil spill triggered when thieves tapped a pipeline.Authorities reopened two out of four water filtration plants that had closed after the weekend spill, which initially left half a million people without clean water in the city of Villahermosa, Tabasco state.Municipal officials said the number of people without water dropped to 100,000, but the two other filtration facilities will not open until Friday because cleanup crews must remove more oil near the plants.Schools were closed on Wednesday to prevent any health problems.Thieves tapped an oil pipeline operated by state-run energy firm Pemex on Sunday, causing oil to gush into local rivers.The Tabasco state government urged residents to ration water and estimated that it would take another 72 hours to completely clean up the mess.Stealing oil has become a lucrative activity among drug cartels, forcing Pemex to stop shipping finished fuel through its pipelines after discovering 3,674 illegal taps last year.The thefts have caused other environmental disasters in the past and a deadly explosion in December 2010, when an illegal tap caused a blast that killed 29 people in the central town of San Martin Texmelucan.

FARC kill 10 Colombian soldiers in pre-dawn attack

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BOGOTA (AFP) - Suspected FARC guerrillas killed 10 soldiers and injured 20 others in a pre-dawn attack in western Colombia on Wednesday prompting President Juan Manuel Santos to order a resumption of air strikes against the rebels.The attack in a remote mountainous area in Cauca province was one of the deadliest since the government opened peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Havana in November 2012.I have ordered the armed forces to ignore the order suspending bombings of FARC camps until further notice, Santos said in a televised speech.Let this be clear to the FARC: Im not going to be pressured... by vile acts like this to make a decision on a bilateral ceasefire, he added.Less than a week ago, the president had extended a suspension of the air strikes for 30 days in recognition of a unilateral ceasefire by the FARC.A senior military official said the infantry troops were ambushed by FARC rebels as they conducted a patrol in an area considered a FARC stronghold.They were attacked with explosives, grenades and firearms, Brigadier General Mario Augusto Valencia, the commander of the armys Third Division, told reporters.Cauca Governor Temistocles Ortega told Blu radio the soldiers came under fire in a hamlet known as La Esperanza.Military officials said 10 soldiers were killed and 20 others injured, three of them seriously.A search of the area also turned up the body of a guerrilla armed with a rifle and dressed in black, they said.The wounded were being evacuated with the help of the Red Cross and emergency personnel, but bad weather and the remote location were hampering the operation, Valencia said. The FARC has observed a unilateral ceasefire since December in a bid to advance the peace talks.Santos reciprocated by suspending air strikes on the rebels for 30 days, which he extended less than a week ago for another 30 days.However, he has long refused to commit to a bilateral ceasefire until there is a comprehensive peace agreement ending the half-century conflict.We deplore the deaths of the soldiers in Cauca. This is precisely the war that we are trying to end, Santos said on Twitter.In Havana, a FARC spokesman expressed regret over the bloodletting, but blamed the governments incoherence in ordering military operations against a guerrilla force observing a truce.Whether it was an ambush or a counterambush, what we have before us is some dead Colombians, said the spokesman, Pastor Alape, calling on the government to join the FARC in a ceasefire.Santos, who met the armys high command to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack, traveled to the site where the soldiers were killed.The armed forces must and will confront with maximum firmness all those who violate the rights of Colombians, the defense ministry said in a statement.Jorge Restrepo, the head of a research center that specializes on the Colombian conflict, said the attack was a serious blow but doubted it would lead to a breakdown in the peace talks.He added that it might even serve to accelerate the negotiation of a definitive ceasefire in Havana.The public defender for human rights, Jorge Armando Otalora, denounced the guerrillas rupture of the unilateral ceasefire, calling it an open contradiction with the discourse of the FARC negotiators in Havana.The attack also aroused opponents of the peace talks, led by former president Alvaro Uribe, a popular figure in Colombia for his hardline campaign against the FARC from 2002 to 2010. Santoss peace is the extermination of the armed forces, Uribe thundered on Twitter.Santos, please dont deceive us any more, dont justify the assassination of our soldiers with the story about the war that wants to end.Formed in 1964 amid a peasant uprising, the FARC has an estimated 8,000 fighters, deployed in rural areas of Colombia.More than 200,000 people have died and another five million have been uprooted as a result of the conflict.

Three death row convicts hanged

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GUJRANWALA/FAISALABAD (Dunya News) - Three death row convicts have been sent to the gallows in different jails of Pakistan on early Thursday morning, Dunya News reported.Two prisoners, Abdul Jabbar and Ijaz, were hanged in Gujranwala Central Jail while Zafar Iqbal executed in Faisalabad.According to details, death row prisoner Abdul Jabbar was guilty of killing a man named Yaseen in 2001 over a business dispute while Ijaz had murdered a man in 1995.Meanwhile, Zafar Iqbal was hanged in Faisalabad. Zafar Iqbal was guilty of killing a woman in 2005 during a robbery attempt.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted the moratorium on Dec. 17, a day after Taliban gunmen attacked a school and killed 134 students and 19 adults. The killings put pressure the government to do more to tackle the insurgency.

Lahore: Light rain turns weather pleasant

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Lahore and adjacent areas received light rain on early Thursday morning which turned the weather pleasant.Rain was also reported from Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other areas of Punjab. Meanwhile, Met Office has predicted more rain in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad during the next 24 hours.

E-cigs popular with teens, but few are regular users

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PARIS (AFP) - In the biggest survey of its kind, British researchers reported Wednesday that e-cigarettes are popular with young adolescents, but few who try them become regular users.Of those who do use them regularly, most are also tobacco smokers, they added.Just 1.5 percent of schoolchildren aged 11-16 said they used e-cigarettes regularly, a term defined as at least once a month, according to their study, published in the journal BMJ Open.The probe touches on one of the most contested areas of e-cigarettes, whose rise has spurred a verbal battle between defenders and promoters.E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat up a liquid containing nicotine and artificial flavouring. The vapour is inhaled -- vaped -- much like a cigarette. In the last few years, health watchdogs have been embroiled in debate as to whether the gadgets are safe or addictive.The study did not focus on the safety issue, but pointed to evidence that, so far, addiction did not seem to be a problem.Nor, according to the replies recorded in the survey, do e-cigarettes seem to be a gateway to smoking.E-cigarettes are unlikely to make a major direct contribution to adolescent nicotine addiction at present, the paper said.The findings are based on two nationally representative surveys in Wales, in which two batches of children -- 1,601 aged 10 to 11 and 9,055 aged 11 to 16 -- were questioned about their use of e-cigarettes.Use of e-cigarettes at least once was more common than having smoked an ordinary cigarette in every age group except the oldest category, the 15- to 16-year-olds.Among the 10- to 11-year-olds, 5.8 percent said they had tried e-cigs, several times more than those (1.6 percent) who had tried tobacco.Among the 11- to 16-year-olds, 12.3 percent said they had tried the device.But among regular users, there was a strong association with smoking cigarettes -- which implies teens are not using the device as an aid to give up tobacco -- as well as cannabis.The study admitted to some limitations, such as the accuracy of self-reported use of e-cigarettes, and differences in questionnaire wording for the two batches of children.Independent commentators said the picture tallied with other research that suggests only a tiny portion of non-smoking youngsters go on to regularly use e-cigarettes after trying one.It shows what we might predict, David Nutt, a professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, told Britains Science Media Centre.My personal view is that e-cigarettes are unlikely to be remotely as harmful as cigarettes. Even if everyone used e-cigarettes, the burden of harm would be less than that of current cigarette smoking.Linda Bauld, a professor of health policy at the University of Stirling, Scotland, said that laws governing nicotine-dosed e-cigarettes were important.However it may be time to move on from the moral panic that e-cigarette experimentation in young people elicits among some, said Bauld.Speaking at an anti-tobacco conference in Abu Dhabi last month, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Margaret Chan voiced support for governments that ban or regulate e-cigarettes.Non-smoking is the norm, and e-cigarettes will derail that normality thinking, because it will attract especially young people to take up smoking, said Chan. So I do not support that.

England stumble again but take first innings lead of 220

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NORTH SOUND (AFP) - Englands top order tumbled cheaply again but the tourists still worked themselves into a commanding position at 116 for three in their second innings, an overall lead of 220, by stumps on the third day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Wednesday.Jermaine Blackwoods maiden Test hundred lifted the home side to 295 in their first innings with James Tredwells off-spin bringing him the excellent figures of four for 47 off 26 overs and ensuring his side earned a significant first innings lead.Left with the final session to build on an advantage of 104 runs, openers Jonathan Trott and captain Alastair Cook were prised out in double-quick time by Jerome Taylor.First innings centurion Ian Bell was then run out but at 52 for three, Joe Root (32 not out) joined Gary Ballance (44 not out) in resisting the early threat and then profitiede against bowlers who quickly ran out of discipline and inspiration.Defending a first innings total of 399, English perseverance in the field on another sweltering days play eventually paid off.Tredwell made the important breakthrough in the morning by removing Shivnarine Chanderpaul for 46 before adding the wickets of Jason Holder and Kemar Roach as the West Indies lower order failed to show any meaningful resistance, the last four wickets subsiding for 19 runs.Blackwoods unbeaten 112 was compiled in a stay of almost six hours at the crease, highly unusual for a batsman noted for quickfire, stroke-filled innings. His knock was not without moments of good fortune though.Reprieved when he offered a slip catch off a no-ball delivered by Ben Stokes on the second evening, the 23-year-old Jamaican benefited from another let-off half-an-hour into the days play when on 43 as Tredwell failed on hold to a difficult chance diving to his left at gully.Stokes was the suffering bowler yet again, and his disappointment intensified when the same batsman survived a confident lbw appeal and subsequent referral to the television umpire before edging a boundary between the two slip fielders early in the afternoon session.Blackwood eventually reached the treasured landmark with a single off Tredwell, completing his hundred in 296 minutes off 205 deliveries with 13 fours and two sixes.Its a very big difference, Blackwood observed at the end of the day in commenting on the significance of getting to a Test hundred after three previous half-centuries.Nobody remembers fifties. Its hundreds that matter and Im so proud and happy to get the first of what I hope will be many, many more.His fifth-wicket partnership with Chanderpaul had prospered to the tune of 93 runs when the obdurate left-hander departed, falling into a well-set trap when a mistimed drive at Tredwell found, ironically, Stokes in one of two short catching positions on the off-side.The senior batsmans dismissal brought an immediate sense of vulnerability to the rest of the West Indies batting line-up and that potential fragility was magnified when new batsman Denesh Ramdin gloved a lifting leg-side delivery from Stuart Broad to depart for just nine and give wicketkeeper Jos Buttler his fourth catch of the innings.However Holder, dropped at short-leg by Ballance off his second delivery from Broad, contributed 16 in a 49-run stand for the seventh wicket until a loose drive, just after Blackwood had reached his hundred, gave Ballance the opportunity to make up for the earlier miss at extra-cover.James Anderson wrapped up the innings by dismissing last man Sulieman Benn, lifting his tally of Test wickets to 382, just one short of the English record held by former all-rounder Ian Botham.

Dollar dips on lackluster US data

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar retreated for a second day in a row Wednesday following another round of mostly lackluster US economic data.US industrial production fell 0.6 percent in March, according to the Federal Reserve. That was twice the decline projected by analysts.Analysts also cited a disappointing report from the New York Federal Reserve, whose Empire State index on manufacturing activity plunged into negative territory in April for the first time since December.But the Feds Beige Book report, a snapshot of economic conditions, said nine of the central banks 12 district reported moderate or modest growth, with a tenth seeing slight growth and two others steady.The European Central Bank voted to keep interest rates at their current all-time lows, as expected, and rejected speculation of an early end to its ultra-easy money policy . ECB chief Mario Draghi said the banks monetary stimulus policy was working.The mixed US data came on the heels of a disappointing US retail sales report that had dented the dollar on Tuesday.In the past 48 hours, the sentiment in the market has changed significantly with investors now worried that the dollar has peaked, said BK Asset Management managing director Kathy Lien. Still, Lien largely dismissed that concern in light of the tone of the Beige Book.Other analysts also said the greenbacks retreat was likely short-lived.More perceived weakness in upcoming US economic data could push out the expected timing of a Fed rate hike, said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange.However, any pullback in the dollar will likely continue to be viewed as a buying opportunity, which should keep any sustained losses for the greenback limited.

Federer, Nadal, Wawrinka off to the mark in Monte Carlo

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MONTE CARLO (AFP) - Finalist Roger Federer and holder Stan Wawrinka rolled to quick-fire opening wins at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday as clay king Rafael Nadal also joined the Swiss pair with a solid start.Second seed Federer, a three-time runner-up at the seaside Country Club, took just 54 minutes to dominate Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 6-1 as the Frenchman sent in a pair of double-faults in the penultimate game while Federer advanced with his third ace on match point a game later.Jeremy didnt serve very well, and I felt good on the return, said the Swiss winner. So I was in a lot of the service games when he was serving.I thought I served well, had a high first serve percentage and was able to control the baseline. On clay, things move ahead very quickly, I must say.Ive had 10 days of clay training and I feel prepared.For third seed Nadal, his 6-2, 6-1 second-round success against French wild card Lucas Pouille came as a huge relief after a poor season and just one small South American trophy to hand since winning a ninth Roland Garros title last May.Im glad to be back here and playing on clay, said the troubled Spaniard who improved his record here to 51 wins and just three losses as he moved into the third round.It was a tough match, but I played little bit better than what I was doing before.I played with the right mentality, the right concentration, I didnt have (a lot of) mistakes in a row. Thats something that happened the last couple months with me. Historically I am a (regular) player, I can have mistakes, but not three in a row.I am working on that to fix that. Today I fixed it. Today I played solid.Nadal never faced a break point while breaking his wild card opponent three times.The 28-year-old spent 68 minutes in proving that he will not roll over on his preferred surface even after a month of poor hardcourt results and a general lack of confidence after his ranking fell to fifth.Nadal has not won in Monte Carlo since 2012, going out in the 2013 final to Novak Djokovic and losing in the quarters a year ago to countryman David Ferrer.Switzerlands Wawrinka kicked off his week with a 6-1 6-4 defeat of Argentine Juan Monaco in 71 minutes to progress.He was also glad to get some red dirt in his socks after an indifferent last few months.Im happy to change, to come on clay again. The conditions are great here, so Im happy with the first match.Since I wasnt playing well in practice, I consider this match as a good one. There were ups and downs, but thats normal for a first match.Im satisfied with my level physically and mentally. I was able to be aggressive.Its been really difficult over the last two months had two last months (Marseille quarter-final and second and third-round defeats in the US).The seventh seed, who lifted his first elite Masters 1000 title in Monaco a year ago as he beat compatriot Roger Federer for the title, spent 71 minutes in getting past Monaco.Wawrinka will next face ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov, who beat Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-4.The 2014 Australian Open winner comes onto the spring clay with a 17-4 match record and titles in Chennai and Rotterdam.The 30-year-old successfully defended a title for the first time in January, winning Chennai for the second year in a row.Canadian Milos Raonic, seeded fourth beat Portugals Joao Sousa 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), while Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych beat Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).Gilles Simon, the number 10, defeated fellow Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-4, 7-5.

Sports: Djokovic, Dibaba winners at Laureus awards

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SHANGHAI (AFP) - World number one tennis star Novak Djokovic and Ethiopian athlete Genzebe Dibaba were named Laureus sportsman and woman of the year Wednesday at an event in Shanghai that also honoured Chinas sporting trailblazers.Germanys world-conquering footballers were chosen as team of the year at the Laureus Sports Awards, while a heavily pregnant Li Na, Chinas two-time Grand Slam winning champion, picked up the exceptional achievement award.The pioneering tennis star, who bowed out from the sport last year, collected the award on a night of success for China, with former NBA superstar Yao Ming picking up the spirit of sport award in his home city. Among the sporting greats attending the show were Chinas 2004 Olympic hurdling champion Liu Xiang -- another Shanghai hero -- who retired earlier this month.Djokovic is currently playing at the Monte Carlo Masters and was not at the event to collect his second sportsman of the year award.Earlier this year, the Serb won his eighth Grand Slam triumph at the Australian Open, and his first since becoming husband a father in 2014.Middle and long-stance runner Dibaba, who broke three world records in different events in two weeks, was also not attending the glitzy ceremony.For Li Na, who is only the second person to pick up a exceptional achievement award after 18-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps, the first Laureus awards to be held in China was a moment to reflect on her retirement.I could never have imagined 2014 was my last year, said the former world number two, adding: It was a very tough situation for me and for my team as well. I love my job, but I didnt want to be in pain anymore.The German national football team were recognised for their stunning World Cup victory last year, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final after overcoming hosts Brazil with a breathtaking 7-1 win in the semi-finals.The Germans are often well-organised, well structured, and everything went fine, said Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff, who collected the award on behalf of the team. We had a lot of talented players who were focused and committed to winning this tournament and they believed from the beginning that they could win.Bierhoff said the players did not want to come home again second or third.Elsewhere in Shanghai, South African rugby star Schalk Burger took the comeback of the year award.Burger developed meningitis after going into hospital for a cyst next to his spinal cord, but he battled back to recover and then re-claimed his place with the Springboks.The odds werent on my side, as I gather, he said. Its probably one that I shouldnt have come out being as normal as I am.Other winners included Australian Formula One emerging star Daniel Riccardo, who picked up the Laureus breakthrough award, while American wheelchair skier Tatyana McFadden won the sportsperson with a disability awardCompatriot Alan Eustace won the action award for his free-falling exploits.The winners were chosen in a secret ballot by a 50-strong panel of sporting greats, the Laureus Sports Academy. Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, former French footballer Eric Cantona and ex-New Zealand rugby captain Sean Fitzpatrick were just some of the big names at the ceremony.Tendulkar and Yao Ming were both inducted as new members of the Academy.I never thought that guys whom I watched growing up, I will be sharing the stage with them, Tendulkar said.

Football: Suarez at the double as Barcelona blow PSG away

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PARIS (AFP) - Luis Suarez hit a brilliant second-half double as Barcelona appeared to end Paris Saint-Germains Champions League dream for another year with a 3-1 quarter-final, first leg win at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.The visitors all-star attack made their class count as Neymar coolly converted from a Lionel Messi assist in the 18th minute to put Luis Enriques men in control, before Suarez produced two classy finishes in the final quarter of the game.PSG got one back eight minutes from time thanks to a deflected Gregory van der Wiel strike, but this was their first home defeat of the season and a first loss at home in Europe in 34 matches since 2006.Next Tuesdays second leg at the Camp Nou now looks set to be a formality, even if PSG will have their talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfield maestro Marco Verratti back from suspension by then.The French champions have been eliminated on away goals at this stage of the competition in each of the last two seasons, including against Barca in 2013, but they will do well to even make it that close on this occasion.And their evening was further marred by the loss of captain Thiago Silva, who hobbled off just after Neymars opener with an apparent thigh problem.A dejected Silva walked straight off the field to have his left thigh bandaged up, not even waiting until his fellow-Brazilian David Luiz was ready to take his place.The former Chelsea stopper was a surprise inclusion in the squad after travelling to Russia to undergo treatment on a hamstring injury that was expected to sideline him for around three more weeks.But even with Silva on the field, Paris looked uncomfortable against the Barcelona attack. The match was only 14 minutes old when Suarez found Messi on the edge of the area, the Argentine controlling the ball and curling a wicked shot off the left post before it rebounded out to safety.Messi, who has scored 45 goals in all competitions this season, provided a 25th assist soon after, sliding a pass into the path of Neymar, who finished across Salvatore Sirigu with the PSG defence posted missing after Adrien Rabiot lost possession on the right wing.After crashing into Messi in the lead-up to that goal, Silva hobbled off, and Luiz had taken his place in time to see Neymar cut into the box and send in a shot that Sirigu, this time, saved comfortably.It took 35 minutes for PSG to force Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the Barcelona goal into a save, and even then it was an easy catch as Edinson Cavani hooked a Maxwell cross on target.There was a further scare for the hosts as Sirigu came up clutching his left arm after falling awkwardly while saving a Suarez shot, but the Italian goalkeeper was able to carry on.PSG had a greater purpose about them at the start of the second half, and both Javier Pastore and Rabiot forced saves from ter Stegen, before Barcelona were dealt an injury blow of their own as captain Andres Iniesta had to be stretchered off after taking a knee in the lower back from Pastore.However, Barcelona again undid the PSG defence midway through the second half, Suarez eliminating Luiz and Marquinhos as he cut into the area from the right before holding off Maxwell and prodding past the despairing Sirigu at his near post.Ter Stegen blocked a thunderous Cavani shot before the classy Suarez struck again on 79 minutes, playing a quick one-two with Javier Mascherano and nutmegging the hapless Luiz before lashing a shot high into the top-right corner.That appeared to be that, although PSG were given the smallest glimmer of hope when a Van der Wiel volley from outside the area beat ter Stegen with the aid of a decisive touch off substitute Jeremy Mathieu.

Football: Porto poised for semis after stunning Bayern

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PORTO (AFP) - Porto have one foot in the Champions Leagues semi-finals after their shock 3-1 win at home over Bayern Munich in Wednesdays Champions League quarter-final, first leg. Porto carry a weighty advantage to Munich for Tuesdays return leg at the Allianz Arena while Bayern have a glimmer of hope after their away goal, but still need to score at least twice at home.The Portuguese will be without Real Madrid-bound defender Danilo, who is suspended after picking up a late yellow, but Porto deserved their win after exploiting mistakes by Bayerns Xabi Alonso and Dante.We always want to play from the back and this style can sometimes be dangerous, but mistakes are part of football, said Bayern captain Philipp Lahm.The 3-1 defeat hurts, but nevertheless there is still all to play for in the return leg.Host coach Julen Lopetegui got one over his ex-Barcelona team-mate Pep Guardiola with Porto poised for a first semi-final appearance since 2004 when they won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho.Lopetegui had said Porto needed to be the perfect protagonists against Guardiolas Bayern and they got off to a dream start as right winger Ricardo Quaresma scored twice in the opening ten minutes.Bayern pulled one back through Thiago Alcantara with 28 minutes gone.But Porto captain Jackson Martinez, a surprise inclusion in the starting line-up after six weeks out with a hamstring injury, added their third on 65 minutes for his 27th goal of the season.The hosts rattled the German giants at Portos Estadio do Dragao and had the five-time European champions immediately on the back foot.In the opening exchanges, Martinez pressed Bayern midfielder Xabi Alonso into a rare mistake on the edge of the area and charged straight at Manuel Neuer.The Germany goalkeeper brought the Porto skipper down trying to clear the danger and when Spanish referee Carlos Carballo pointed to the spot, Quaresma drilled home the third-minute penalty.Porto doubled their lead when Dante took too long on the ball, Quaresma pressed him into a mistake and sprinted clear before some clinical finishing put the hosts 2-0 up after just ten minutes.It was his fifth goal in three games for the 31-year-old Portugal veteran.Bayern were without injured wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, plus midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, but still enjoyed 70 percent possession and made it count by scoring from their first real chance.Centre-back Jerome Boateng put in a low cross from the right and Thiago stabbed home from close range to put the Bavarians back in the game.It was the 23-year-olds first European game for more than a year after back-to-back knee injuries and the first Champions League goal of his career.It finished 2-1 at the break, but only Neuers reflex save tippped a shot by Mexico midfielder Hector Herrera over the bar to deny Porto a third goal with nearly an hour gone.Their third came when Boateng mistimed his jump and Martinez accelerated onto the ball and went past Neuer to leave Bayern with it all to do if they want to reach a fourth consecutive Champions League semi-final.

Football: Lyon go top of Ligue 1 after defeating Bastia

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LYON (AFP) - Lyon went back to the top of Ligue 1 on Wednesday, two points in front of Paris Saint-Germain, after second-half goals from substitute Mohamed Yattara and captain Alexandre Lacazette sealed a 2-0 win at home against struggling Bastia.PSG are now second two points behind Lyon but have a game in hand and could reclaim top spot when they host second-from-bottom Metz on April 28.The defending champions are in Champions League action against Barcelona in their first-leg quarter-final, also on Wednesday. Lyon are six points ahead of third-placed Monaco and seven on Marseille who are fourth after 32 matches.Lyon pushed hard in the first half creating several chances but came up against a tough Bastia defense and inspired goalkeeping from Alphonse Aerola.The hosts had to wait until a flurry in the final fifteen minutes to wrap up the three points as the Corsicans wilted following their 4-0 League Cup final defeat against PSG on Saturday.Yattara gave Lyon the advantage after 77 minutes when he picked up a Clement Grenier cross following a poorly cleared corner from the visiting defence. It was Greniers first match since last August after suffering a groin injury and he had come on 15 minutes earlier in place of Steed Malbranque, while Yattara was on the pitch just two minutes in place of Nabil Fekir when he found the net.Eight minutes later Lacazette put the score 2-0 after picking up a centre from Clinton Njie for his league-leading 25th Ligue 1 goal of the season, equalling the record of Lyons Andre Guy back in the 1968-1969 season.The goals confirmed Lyons domination of the match, following a disappointing first half.Only Jordan Ferri (6), Njie (42) and a Fekir free kick just before the break had in any way threatened Areola, while Lacazette missed a shot off a Malbranque centre after 41 minuets.The defeat is another blow for Bastia who have taken just one point from a possible 12 in their last four matches and remain in 14th just two points above the drop zone, as they host Reims on Saturday in a game which could be crucial to their top flight status next season.Lyon meanwhile host neighbouring Saint-Etienne this weekend.
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