Tuesday 2 June 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV


Obama signs new US surveillance bill into law: White House

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed into law landmark legislation passed by the Congress just hours earlier that ends the governments bulk telephone data dragnet.The bill, The USA Freedom Act, significantly reverses American policy by reining in the countrys most controversial surveillance program since 9/11. It also reauthorizes key national security programs that had lapsed early this week.The bill halts the ability of the National Security Agency (NSA) to scoop up and store metadata -- telephone numbers, dates and times of calls -- from millions of Americans who have no connection to terrorism.It also shifts responsibility for storing the data to telephone companies, allowing authorities to access the information only with a warrant from a secret counterterror court that identifies a specific person or group of people suspected of terror ties.The legislation was stymied, however, by weeks of legislative wrangling that saw the bill stalled until after key provisions of the Patriot Act -- anti-terror surveillance laws passed in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks -- had lapsed.In a statement shortly before Tuesdays bill signing, Obama chided lawmakers for the needless delay and inexcusable lapse in important national security authorities, in the days leading up to Tuesdays vote.My administration will work expeditiously to ensure our national security professionals again have the full set of vital tools they need to continue protecting the country, the president said.

Shab-e-Barat observed with religious fervour

Posted:

LAHORE (Dunya News) - Faithful observed Shab-e-Barat, the night of reverence and fervour and divine blessings for the Muslims, across the country on Tuesday night.According to Islamic lunar calendar, the 15th night of Shabaan month is known as Lailatul Barat or Laylatun Nisfe-min-Shaban in the Arab world. According to Muslim belief, Shab-e-Barat is the night when Almighty Allah arranges affairs of the next one-year.Faithful gathered at mosques and houses after Isha prayers and offered nightlong special prayers, while different gatherings and Mahafil-e-Naat were arranged to mark the holy night.Ulema and religious scholars in their sermons highlighted the true teachings of Islam and various aspects of the life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).The houses, streets and especially mosques were decorated with colourful pennants and buntings. Special security arrangements had been made for peaceful observance of the Shab-e-Barat throughout the country.

Karachi: RAW agent among 5 Indian nationals arrested

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya News) - According to details, Special Branch Police and other law enforcement agencies conducted raids in different parts of Karachi on Tuesday and arrested five Indian nationals including a RAW agent.Two women, hailing from Indian city of Gujarat are also among the arrested persons. The raids were conducted in Korangi, University Road, City Station and near Sindh Secretariat. Police have also recovered Pakistani national identity cards from the Indian nationals which have been sent to NADRA for checking. A case against arrested persons has been registered at the Airport Police Station.

Karachi: Three injured in tanker, car collision

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya News) - According to details, a speeding water tanker collided with a car at Tipu Sultan Road in Karachi on Tuesday as a result three people were critically injured.The injured were shifted to a nearby by hospital. Police sources said that the accident was caused due to negligence of water tanker’s driver. Police have confiscated water tanker and shifted it to the police station.

Athletics: Spotlight on Gatlin at Rome Diamond League

Posted:

MILAN (AFP) - Controversial Justin Gatlin is expected to continue laying down the gauntlet to Jamaican sprint rival Usain Bolt when the American takes centre stage at the Rome leg of the Diamond League series on Thursday.Held over one day in the Italian capital, the Rome Golden Gala is the fourth event in the 14-leg series after Doha, Shanghai and Eugene.Bolt, the six-time Olympic champion and the sports poster boy following years of doping suspicion and scandal in athletics, is not participating having only recently made his European debut this season by winning the 200 metres at the Golden Spike event in Ostrava in a time of 20.13sec.It gives Gatlin, the main attraction in Rome along with high jumper Blanka Vlasic, pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie and triple jumper Pedro Pablo Pichardo, the chance to once again show Bolt he means business ahead of this years world athletics championships in Beijing.Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic champion who served a four-year ban from 2006-2010 after testing positive for testosterone -- his second doping offence -- is now in the largely unanticipated position of becoming a bona fide rival for Bolt if and when the pair line up for the 100m final in China later this summer.But given the Americans doping past, a string of performances that, on paper, have put him on a par with Bolt, have cast a shadow.After a modest comeback to the sport in 2010, Gatlin progressed sufficiently to claim bronze behind an unstoppable Bolt at the London Olympics in 2012.The American upped his game and last year he ran six of the seven fastest 100m times in the world, remaining undefeated as he set personal bests in the 100m (9.77 sec) and 200m (19.68 sec).If there was any doubt about Gatlins challenge, the American clocked the fastest time of 2015 for the 100m (9.74) and 200m (19.68) in Doha last month.While Gatlin is showing Bolt -- the Jamaican sprinter and showman popularly known as the fastest man on earth -- he means business, his performances, and his progress this season, have raised eyebrows.British distance runner Paula Radcliffe notably hit out when American sportswear giant Nike, who ended their sponsorship of Gatlin in 2006, handed him a new deal on the back of last months performance in Qatar.I am very disappointed to hear this news, Radcliffe wrote in a Twitter message.Even Lance Armstrong, who was stripped of seven Tour de France titles for doping throughout his career, referred to Gatlins performance during a radio show discussing the topic of doping in sport.You look at the case of Justin Gatlin, tested positive two or three times, hes now back on the track, hes probably being tested 82 times a day, said Armstrong.And he has the fastest time in the world in the 100m dash this year. Hes a favourite for a gold medal. I dont know. Did he just find a way to do it clean? Lets hope so.Gatlin has been dismissive of inquiries into his doping past. Asked recently by one journalist to confirm he is competing clean, he replied: I have said everything I had to say on that. There is no commentary.While the mens 100m is the big attraction, Vlasic -- who has cleared the two-metre mark over 100 times -- will make her comeback to competition but will be pushed by Olympic champion Anna Chicherova and world champion Setlana Shkolina.The mens triple jump, meanwhile, should also be in the spotlight.Pichardos jump of 18.06m in Doha last month was the third farthest of all time. The Cuban now has only retired British great Jonathan Edwards ahead of him with jumps of 18.16 and 18.29 -- the latter a 30-year-old world record.

Five dead in Mexico as plane crashes on highway

Posted:

MEXICO CITY (AFP) - A small plane crashed on the median of a major highway linking Mexico City to an industrial city on Tuesday, killing the five people on board.The M7 Aerospace LP plane was conducting a test flight when it crashed in the early afternoon on the road between the capital and Queretaro, forcing part of the highway to close, the transport ministry said in a statement.The cause of the crash, which ocurred shortly after takeoff from Queretaros airport, was not immediately known, the ministry said.

Tennis: Federer out as Wawrinka and Tsonga set up French Open semi

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - Stan Wawrinka knocked Roger Federer out of the French Open quarter-finals on Tuesday to set up a last-four clash with home hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.Wawrinka, the eighth seed, beat his more illustrious Swiss compatriot Federer in three sets 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).Fourteenth seed Tsonga, meanwhile, was taken to five sets by Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori before prevailing 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3.Federer, the second seed and 2009 champion at Roland Garros, had only ever lost twice in 18 previous meetings with Wawrinka but was well beaten on a windy Court Suzanne Lenglen.The 17-time Grand Slam champion proved incapable of breaking his opponents serve at all over the course of a match that lasted two hours and nine minutes.Remarkably, it was just the third time in his career he had failed to break an opponents serve in a Grand Slam match -- the last came against Max Mirnyi at the 2002 US Open when he was just 21 and had not yet won a major.It is a further sign of the decline of the 33-year-old, who was also beaten in the third round of the Australian Open earlier this year by Italys Andreas Seppi.Federers last Grand Slam title was almost three years ago when he captured his seventh Wimbledon crown in 2012.Wawrinka broke decisively in the first set and then twice more in the second. There were no breaks in a tighter third set, but Wawrinka won it on his second match point in the tiebreak.We know Stan can do this and its nice for him and important for him to string it together and do well. I thought he played really great tennis today, said a diplomatic Federer, who admitted his opponent handled the blustery conditions far better.It was tough so its all the more impressive the way Stan was able to play.Wawrinka was the junior champion at Roland Garros in 2003 but is now through to the semi-finals of the main draw for the first time.Today was my best match on clay and its an incredible moment for me. The conditions were difficult with a lot of wind but I believed in my game and it was a really incredible match from me, he said.The 2014 Australian Open champions run in Paris comes after he beat Rafael Nadal in Rome recently before losing to Federer in the semi-finals.Im playing good tennis and Im really pleased to be in the Paris semi-finals for the first time, he added.The quarter-final between Nishikori and Tsonga on the main Court Philippe Chatrier lasted three and three quarter hours as Tsonga raced into a two-set lead before pegged back and forced all the way to a decider.Tsonga took the first set and then had four set points on Nishikoris serve at 5-1 in the second.However, last years US Open runner-up fended them off to keep the set alive and the match was then delayed for more than half an hour when a metal sheet from a giant video screen was blown off in high winds, crashing into spectators and leaving three with minor injuries.Although Tsonga returned to serve successfully for the second set, the pause clearly affected him and Nishikori fought back to square the match.But Tsonga then broke decisively to lead 3-1 and took the decider 6-3 to roars of delight from the partisan crowd.It was tough. I started really well and then there was this little incident. I heard there were no serious injuries so Im happy about that. I served very, very well in the fifth set and managed to turn the situation back in my favour, said Tsonga, who is through to a second French Open semi-final in three years.The standout quarter-final on Wednesday will see reigning champion Rafael Nadal, seeded six, put his dominance of the clay-court Grand Slam on the line against world number one Novak Djokovic.The winner of that will take on the winner of the other last-eight match between third seed Andy Murray and seventh seed David Ferrer, the runner-up in 2013.

Tennis: Ivanovic, Safarova into French Open semi-finals

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - Ana Ivanovic and Lucie Safarova will clash for a place in the French Open final after comfortably defeating younger rivals at a windswept Roland Garros on Tuesday.Ivanovic reached her first Grand Slam semi-final in seven years when she beat Ukraines Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-2 while Safarova booked a place in the French Open last four for the first time by seeing off Garbine Muguruza 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.Serb seventh seed Ivanovic, 27, last made the semi-finals of a major on her way to her only Grand Slam title in Paris in 2008.It will be her fifth last-four appearance at a major following similar runs to the 2007 and 2008 semi-finals at Roland Garros, Wimbledon in 2007 and the Australian Open in 2008.I dont know whether to feel happy or old, said Ivanovic, who has now won all her seven meetings against Svitolina, seven years her junior.It was very tough to play today. The wind was really strong and the ball was bouncing all over the place so I just needed to stay calm and use my feet more.Ivanovic and Svitolina, who was bidding to become the first Ukrainian woman to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, exchanged breaks in the second and third games of the opening set.But the vastly more experienced Serb, watched from the stands by German World Cup-winning boyfriend Bastian Schweinsteiger, broke again for 3-1 to lay the foundation for clinching the first set.Breaks in the first and seventh games of the second helped Ivanovic into a comfortable 5-2 lead and despite double-faulting on her second match point, she sealed victory on her third with a sweeping forehand winner.Ivanovic was rewarded for her positive approach on Court Philippe Chatrier, her 37 winners to just eight for Svitolina telling its own tale.Out on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Czech left-hander Safarova, 28, followed-up her fourth-round defeat of world number two and defending champion Maria Sharapova with a straight sets beating of 21-year-old Muguruza.Safarova will be playing in her second career Grand Slam semi-final after making the last four at Wimbledon in 2014.Its amazing to be in the semi-finals, said Safarova who will hope to go on and become the first left-hander to win the title in Paris since Monica Seles in 1992.Its hard to explain my feelings....wow I am excited and ready to face Ana.Safarova holds a 5-3 career lead over Ivanovic with a win apiece on clay.Ivanovic won on the way to her 2008 title in Paris while Safarova gained revenge at the tournament last year.On Tuesday, she mastered the stiff winds better than 21-year-old Muguruza who also made the quarter-finals last year, beating Serena Williams on the way.Muguruza survived a 10-minute seventh game in the opening set, saving four break points before Safarova swept through the tiebreak.A crucial break in the sixth game of the second set was enough to put the veteran Czech, playing her 11th Roland Garros, on the way to the semi-finals.The other quarter-finals take place on Wednesday when two-time champion Williams tackles Italys Sara Errani, the 2012 runner-up, and Swiss 23rd seed Timea Bacsinszky faces unseeded Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck.

US Congress sends NSA phone-records bill to president

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The US Congress approved sweeping changes Tuesday to surveillance laws enacted after the Sept. 11,2001 attacks, eliminating the National Security Agencys disputed bulk phone-records collection program affecting millions of Americans and replacing it with a more restrictive measure to keep the records in phone companies hands.Two days after Congress let the phone-records and several other anti-terror programs expire, the Senates 67-32 vote sent the legislation to President Barack Obama, who planned to sign it promptly.The legislation will revive most of the programs the Senate had allowed to lapse in a dizzying collision of presidential politics and national security policy. But the authorization will undergo major changes, the legacy of agency contractor Edward Snowdens explosive revelations two years ago about domestic spying by the government.Senators on the intelligence committee had been issuing veiled and vague warnings about the phone records program for years.But it was Snowden who revealed the details. Hes now living in Moscow, having fled US prosecution for disclosing classified information.In an unusual shifting of alliances, the legislation passed with the support of Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner but over the strong opposition of epublican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell failed to persuade the Senate to extend the current law unchanged, and came up short in a last-ditch effort Tuesday to amend the House version, as nearly a dozen of his own Republicans abandoned him in a series of votes.This is a step in the wrong direction, a frustrated McConnell said on the Senate floor ahead of the Senates final vote to approve the House version, dubbed the USA Freedom Act. He said the legislation does not enhance the privacy protections of American citizens. And it surely undermines American security by taking one more tool form our warfighters at exactly the wrong time.The legislation remakes the most controversial aspect of the USA Patriot Act the once-secret bulk collection program that allows the National Security Agency to sweep up Americans phone records and comb through them for ties to international terrorists. Over six months the NSA would lose the power to collect and store those records, but the government still could gain court orders to obtain data connected to specific numbers from the phone companies, which typically store them for 18 months.It would also continue other post-Seprt. 11 surveillance provisions that lapsed Sunday night, and which are considered more effective than the phone-data collection program. These include the FBIs authority to gather business records in terrorism and espionage investigations and to more easily eavesdrop on suspects who are discarding cellphones to avoid surveillance.This legislation is critical to keeping Americans safe from terrorism and protecting their civil liberties, said Boehner. I applaud the Senate for renewing our nations foreign intelligence capabilities, and Im pleased this measure will now head to the presidents desk for his signature.The outcome capped a dramatic series of events on Capitol Hill that saw a presidential candidate, Sen. Rand Paul, defy fellow Republicans and singlehandedly force the existing law to lapse Sunday at midnight, leading to dire warnings of threats to America.The suspense continued Tuesday as McConnell tried to get the Senate to go along with three amendments he said would make the House bill more palatable. But House leaders warned that if presented with the changes the House might not be able to approve them. The Senate denied McConnells attempts, an embarrassment for the leader six months after Republicans retook Senate control.

Kerry has four-hour surgery to mend broken leg

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Globe-trotting US diplomat John Kerry on Tuesday underwent successful surgery to mend a broken leg, and his doctor hopes to get him up and walking within 24 hours.The procedure was uncomplicated, the fracture was fully repaired, and we plan to get him up walking on Wednesday, Kerrys orthopaedic surgeon Dennis Burke, from Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a statement.I anticipate a short hospitalization, a full and complete recovery, and a return to normal function, Burke said.The surgeon said the operation was carried out under a regional anesthetic and the secretary was conscious throughout the four-hour operation.Burke added he did not anticipate that the injury will interfere with Kerrys duties as secretary of state.Right up until he went under the surgeons knife, the 71-year-old diplomat was working early Tuesday, making calls to counterparts and then dialling into a high-level conference in Paris he had planned to attend in person.Kerry broke his leg during a cycling accident in the Alps at the weekend and was flown back to the United States on board a C-17 military plane having canceled planned trips to Spain and France.He told leaders from the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group meeting in Paris that they remained the best hope of defeating the militants also known as Daesh.Daesh is a resilient and utterly ruthless foe that has weaknesses and can be defeated, Kerry said.One way is to expose at every opportunity the false nature of Daeshs claim to be the Islamic State. In reality, Daesh is no more a state than I am a helicopter.It remained unclear Tuesday how long Kerry would be out of action as he undergoes treatment, with a number of pressing issues already piling up in his in-tray.White House spokesman John Earnest said Kerry would approach his recuperation and rehabilitation with uncommon zeal and would work to shorten his recovery time.Earnest said it was too early to say what impact his injury will have on the ongoing Iran negotiations as a June 30 deadline for a deal reining in its nuclear ambitions looms.But the White House spokesman said he remained confident Kerry would play a leading role in our efforts to try to complete these negotiations by the end of June.The State Department has said Kerry remains focused on the negotiations and intends to be at the negotiating table at the end of the month.

Euro rises on higher eurozone inflation

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro advanced against the dollar and other major currencies Tuesday following data showing higher inflation in the eurozone.Official data showed eurozone inflation climbed to 0.3 percent in May, the first rise in five months and an increase that lifted hopes of economic recovery in Europe.The data came ahead of Wednesdays meeting of the European Central Bank and a subsequent press conference with ECB Chief Mario Draghi.While the ECB has never formally said it would do so, those in the camp of the ECB tapering its bond buying program before its projected September 2016 end date were just given significant reinforcement, said Christopher Vecchio, analyst at DailyFX.Fawad Razaqzada, an analyst at Forex.com, said the pricing data, along with solid labor reports from Germany and Spain, are evidence the ECB bond-buying program is working.However it is still too early for the ECB to turn hawkish, although any suggestions on Wednesday by Mario Draghi about an earlier-than-planned end of QE could see the euro surge even higher, Razaqzada said.The forex market is also watching talks between Greece and creditors ahead of a Friday deadline for Greece to repay more than 300 million euros ($328 million) to the International Monetary Fund.

Anderson, Broad and Bell out of England ODI squad

Posted:

LEEDS (AFP) - England omitted several senior players, including pacemen James Anderson and Stuart Broad, as well as senior batsman Ian Bell, from their one-day squad announced Tuesday for their upcoming series with World Cup finalists New Zealand.Given England face Australia in a five-Test Ashes series starting in Cardiff on July 8, it was no great surprise Anderson and Broad were left out of a one-day squad announced shortly after they both featured in a 199-run second Test defeat by New Zealand at Headingley on Tuesday.Also omitted were top-order batsmen Bell and Gary Ballance, as well as off-spinning all-rounder Moeen Ali, who all featured in the second Test as well.However, national selector James Whitaker insisted none of the players left out had retired from one-day internationals as England looked to revive their fortunes in white-ball cricket following an embarrassing first-round exit at this years World Cup where they failed to beat a single Test nation.A number of players involved in the recent World Cup including James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell and Stuart Broad have been left of the squad for this series, said Whitaker.It is important to point out that none of these players have been ruled out of playing a role for England in limited overs formats in the future.The 14-man squad, again led by Eoin Morgan -- Englands captain at the World Cup -- contained one uncapped player in Kent batsman Sam Billings.This series presents an excellent opportunity to look at players we believe can play a key role for England over the next four years as we build towards the next ICC Cricket World Cup, said Whitaker.We have opted to rest Moeen Ali from this series and he will play cricket for Worcestershire in preparation for the Ashes next month, the former England batsman added.The five-match one-day series starts at Edgbaston on June 9.England one-day squad: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, capt), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire, wkt) Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire),Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), David Willey (Northamptonshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

McCullum ecstatic as New Zealand bounce back

Posted:

LEEDS (AFP) - New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum praised his sides resilience after they bounced back from a heavy defeat to square their Test series with England.The Black Caps completed an emphatic 199-run win in the second Test at Headingley on Tuesday to end the two-match series level at 1-1 just over a week after their 124-run defeat in the first Test at Lords.England, set what would have been a new fourth innings Test victory total of 455, resumed Tuesday on 44 without loss but collapsed to 62 for four before lunch and were eventually bowled out for 255.Part-time off-spinner Kane Williamson, primarily a batsman and once barred from bowling in international cricket because of a suspect action, was one of New Zealands bowling heroes with three for 15 in seven overs.We bounced back after Lords, said McCullum at the presentation ceremony.Obviously with a two-Test series we had to force the pace and I thought the guys bought into that and we played a really entertaining brand of cricket, added McCullum after leading New Zealand to just their ninth win in 101 Tests against England.Williamson made a fine century at Lords but managed just six runs in total at Headingley, where he previously played for Yorkshire.Theres instinct and then theres pure gambling I think....Kanes got a bit of a knack, said McCullum.Hes one of those guys who if hes had a quiet Test match you can be pretty sure that hes going to get involved somehow.He was outstanding for us with the bat at Lords and I know he was a bit frustrated with his dismissals in this Test, but he played such a crucial role for us -- three for 15 -- on the last day of a Test match as a part-time spinner, he just allowed the other guys to be able to settle into their work.McCullum also singled out man-of-the-match BJ Watling who, playing as a batsman only after a knee injury suffered at Lords prevented him keeping wicket, justified his inclusion with a second-innings 120 that enabled the tourists to build a decisive lead after both sides made 350 in their first innings.I thought BJ Watling was outstanding, we love him, said McCullum.Hes a tremendous player, hes got a big heart and hes a guy that you can build your team around.Meanwhile England captain Alastair Cook was left to rue another missed opportunity as, for the second series in a row following their drawn campaign in the West Indies, his side were pegged back after going ahead.It was a disappointing day today. After halfway we were right in the game but credit to New Zealand, said Cook, who surpassed Graham Gooch as Englands all-time record Test run-scorer on Sunday.England had been 215 for one in their first innings before losing a flurry of wickets while their fallible close catching -- several chances went down -- was shown up by New Zealands excellence in the field.As always against a good side, if youre not 100 percent on your A game you get found out so credit to Brendon and his team, added Cook, Englands man of the series after the left-handed openers 162 at Lords was followed by two fifties at Headingley.They deserved the win.

New Zealand win second Test against England, square series

Posted:

LEEDS (AFP) - New Zealand off-spinners Kane Williamson and Mark Craig shared six wickets as the Black Caps thrashed England by 199 runs in the second Test at Headingley on Tuesday.Victory ensured the two-match series ended all square at 1-1 and was just New Zealands ninth win in 101 Tests against England.This success was also New Zealands first Test win against England since a 189-run victory at Hamilton in 2008. It meant too they had won a Test in England for only the fifth time, with this victory their first Test success on English soil since an 83-run triumph at The Oval in 1999.England, chasing what would have been a Test fourth innings record victory total of 455, were bowled out for 255.Williamson, primarily a batsman and once suspended from bowling in international cricket because of a suspect action, took three wickets for 15 runs in seven overs, including the prize scalp of England captain Alastair Cook (56)Craig finished with three for 73 in 31.5 overs and ended the match when he had Jos Buttler lbw playing no stroke for 73.New Zealands BJ Watling was named the man-of-the-match for his 120 in a second innings total of 454 for eight declared.There was a bit of rain around so it was pleasing to get the job done, Watling told Sky Sports. To get 450 in the time that we did with help form the tail is very pleasing.Cook and Buttler apart, England offered little in the way of resistance in their second innings. England resumed Tuesday on 44 without loss and had an outside chance of surpassing the West Indies record fourth-innings winning total of 418 for seven against Australia at St Johns, Antigua, in 2002/03.However, those slim hopes disappeared during a first session where England lost five wickets for 58 runs in 32 overs as they slumped to 102 for five at lunch.England, after a rain-marred fourth day, resumed with Adam Lyth 24 not out and Cook 18 not out.But Lyth, who made a maiden Test century on his Yorkshire home ground in the first innings, fell for his overnight score when he was caught behind fending at a Trent Boult away-swinger.Left-arm paceman Boult then bowled Gary Ballance for six with a superb, near yorker-length, inswinger.Craig then struck twice in three balls to reduce England to 62 for four.Ian Bell had made just one when he turned Craig straight to leg-slip Williamson.Bell, one of Englands senior batsmen, has managed just 55 runs in eight Test innings since his 143 against the West Indies in Antigua in April. Joe Root had promised England would come out all guns blazing but he lasted just two balls before exiting for a duck when he turned Craig off the face of the bat only for Tom Latham to cling on to a sharp chance.Williamson then removed dangerman Ben Stokes on the stroke of lunch.The ball was turning, and that four-wicket burst really hurt us, said Cook.The skippers second fifty of the match came after Cook surpassed Graham Gooch as Englands highest run scorer in Tests during his first innings 75.His near four hours of second innings resistance ended when Cook was lbw pushing forward to Williamson.Moeen Alis hundred in last years corresponding Headingley Test almost saw England to a draw before Sri Lanka won late on the final day.But on Tuesday he was bowled for two playing no stroke to fast bowler Matt Henry.At tea, England were 206 for eight and needing to survive a minimum of 35 overs to hold out for a draw following their 124-run win in the first Test at Lords last week.Mark Woods 40-minute innings of 17 ended when he edged Tim Southee to Craig in the slips before Buttlers error ended the match.

NASA to test supersonic parachute in flying saucer launch

Posted:

MIAMI (AFP) - The US space agency plans to try out the largest parachute ever deployed Wednesday during a flying saucer launch that will test new technologies for landing on Mars.The test flight of the flying saucer, known as the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator, will be broadcast live on NASAs website beginning at 1:30 pm (1730 GMT).Since the atmosphere on Mars is so thin, any parachute that helps a heavy, fast-moving spacecraft touch down needs to be extra strong.The US space agency figured out how to do this decades ago, beginning with the Viking mission which put two landers on Mars in 1976.But with the goal of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s, the agency is now testing a more advanced, new generation of parachute technology, known as the Supersonic Ringsail Parachute, that could allow even heavier spacecraft -- the kind that may have humans and months of food and supplies on board -- to land softly.We want to see if the chute can successfully deploy and decelerate the test vehicle while it is in supersonic flight, NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a statement.The test vehicle weighs 6,808 pounds (3,088 kilograms), or about twice the weight of the kind of robotic rover spacecraft NASA is currently capable of landing safely on Mars.The parachute, described by NASA JPL as the largest parachute ever deployed, is 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter.The goal is for the chute to slow the entry vehicle from Mach 2 to subsonic speeds, NASA said.The test will involve sending the saucer, an inner-tube shaped decelerator and parachute to an altitude of 120,000 feet (37 kilometers) over the Pacific Ocean with the help of a giant balloon.The balloon will release the spacecraft and rockets will lift the vehicle even higher, to 180,000 feet (55 kilometers), reaching supersonic speeds. Traveling at three times the speed of sound, the saucers decelerator will inflate, slowing the vehicle, and then a parachute will deploy at 2.35 times the speed of sound to carry it to the oceans surface, NASA said.The first test flight of the flying saucer was in June 2014, and another test flight is planned in 2016.A different kind of parachute known as the Supersonic Disksail was tested in the 2014 flight but it did not inflate as hoped, and shredded to pieces at the high speed and altitude.NASA said researchers have since gained significant insight into the fundamental physics of parachute inflation, and the team has been re-writing the book on high speed parachute operations since last year, the agency said.

No comments:

Post a Comment