Sunday 7 June 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Iraq: Troops advance against IS in key refinery town

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BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraqi troops backed by Shiite militias recaptured key parts of the northern refinery town of Beiji from the Islamic State group on Sunday, a general said.The commander of the Interior Ministrys Quick Reaction Forces, Brig. Gen. Nassir al-Fartousi, told state TV that the Iraqi flag was raised over a local government building in Beiji and that troops were advancing to other areas, without elaborating.The spokesman of Joint Operations Command, Brig. Gen. Saad Maan Ibrahim, said the security forces are now controlling the downtown Beiji area, describing the advance as an important victory.The enemy has suffered a defeat and has sustained heavy losses and we hope that the whole city will be cleared within few days, Maan told The Associated Press in a brief interview, saying dozens of IS militants had been killed.There was no word on the fate of the contested refinery on the towns outskirts, but Maan said the capture of Beiji would help Iraqi forces to better secure the nearby Beiji refinery Iraqs largest oil refining facility and key to the countrys domestic supplies.Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, fell to the extremist IS group during its blitz across northern Iraq nearly a year ago, but the refinery facility has remained contested ground with IS militants and government forces battling for control. The town is also strategically significant as it lies on the road to IS-held Mosul, Iraqs second largest city.Iraqi and Kurdish forces have managed to roll back the IS group in many parts of the country with the help of U.S.-led airstrikes, and recaptured the northern city of Tikrit in April. But last month the IS group scored a major victory by capturing Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province.The IS group has declared an Islamic caliphate in the territories it controls in Syria and Iraq, and has used oil smuggling to finance much of its operations.In neighboring Syria, the U.S.-led coalition carried out airstrikes against IS positions in the northern town of Souran, which the IS group captured last week from Syrian rebel groups and members of al-Qaidas affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front.The Local Coordination Committees and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrikes occurred Saturday night. The Observatory said the airstrikes killed eight IS members, including a local Syrian commander, and wounded 20.The coalition airstrikes against IS in Souran were the first in the area since the extremist group launched an offensive last month on the northern parts of Aleppo province close to the Turkish border. IS has captured several villages and towns from the Nusra Front and Syrian rebels.Since September, the coalition has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against IS in Syria. The coalition has also carried out a handful of airstrikes against the Nusra Front. The U.S. says it has specifically targeted a Nusra Front cell plotting attacks on Western interests.The main Western-backed opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, says government warplanes have been attacking rebels in Aleppo province, claiming that the terrorist interests of President Bashar Assads government and the IS group are aligned.In the northeastern city of Hassakeh, government forces have launched a counteroffensive and regained ground lost to the IS group last week, state media said. State news agency SANA said government forces have retaken the power station south of Hassakeh as well as a juvenile prison that had been recently seized by the IS group.

No trust in Iran nuclear talks: top negotiator

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TEHRAN (AFP) - A top Iranian official, in an unusual declaration Saturday, said there remains no trust between Tehran and world powers and either side could yet abandon a nuclear deal after signing.In comments that laid bare a paradox of long-running negotiations between Iran and the West, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said an agreement -- due by June 30 -- was nearing despite neither side trusting the other.A final accord could rein in aspects of Irans nuclear programme while allowing it to continue to enrich uranium in exchange for a lifting of sanctions, but breaches could see the deal being ripped up.Our basis is mistrust and this is the reality, Araghchi was quoted by state television as saying at the end of the latest round of talks in Vienna with the P51 group of nations that has been talking to Iran for almost two years.We dont trust the other side at all and they dont trust us either, Araghchi said, noting so-called snapback provisions would be as relevant to Iran as to the United States if measures are reneged on.Thus all the provisions in a deal... whenever each party feels the other side is violating the commitments, they can snap back and implement whatever existed before the agreement.We have taken every necessary measure so this would happen for us. Naturally, the other side will do the same for sanctions, he added.Araghchi, a key figure in the talks, also revealed the text of a final agreement would comprise a main document of about 20 pages accompanied by five appendices totalling a further 40 to 50 pages.Each word of this instrument is being discussed and sometimes quarrelled on, he said. There are differences but work moves forward very slowly.One appendix would be related to sanctions to be lifted on Iran, while others would document the technical limits of Irans nuclear programme, allowable research and development and a common committee that would supervise the deal, he said.The final appendix would lay out the timetable for the likely 10-year agreement showing by when the two sides have to take the required measures, according to Araghchi.Iran maintains its nuclear programme has no military implications and is solely for peaceful purposes -- a contention western powers have long disputed.Recent weeks have seen arguments on how Irans nuclear activities can be monitored.International inspections of Irans atomic facilities will be a cornerstone of any deal but officials in Tehran have said military sites would be off-limits.On April 2, Iran and the P51 -- the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia plus Germany -- agreed the main outlines of the nuclear deal, with Tehran agreeing to mothball large sections of its atomic programme.With the final deadline approaching both the US and Iran are under immense pressure from respective hardliners not to make further concessions.

US-led raids hit IS battling rebels, Qaeda in Syria

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BEIRUT (AFP) - US-led aircraft bombed Islamic State group fighters as they battled rival Syrian rebels, including Al-Qaeda loyalists, in a first such intervention, a monitoring group said on Sunday.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described the overnight raids in northern Aleppo as an intervention on the side of the rival rebels, which include forces who have been targeted previously by US-led strikes.The coalition carried out at least four strikes overnight targeting IS positions in the town of Suran, the Britain-based Observatory said.The US military, in a statement, said an air raid near Aleppo destroyed an IS ant-aircraft artillery piece and a jihadist fighting position.Its the first time that the international coalition has supported non-Kurdish opposition forces fighting the Islamic State, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.He said at least eight IS fighters were killed in the strikes and another 20 were injured.Syria expert Thomas Pierret said the raids showed Washington was intent on preventing IS from expanding in Aleppo province, which is currently largely divided between regime and rebel control.Washington seems really determined to stop IS from advancing against the rebels in Aleppo, said Pierret, a professor at the University of Edinburgh.The strikes showed Washingtons pragmatism, he said, noting that Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra only constitutes a small part of the rebel forces that are fighting IS, in Aleppo, with moderate forces holding more territory.Syrian state television said government forces launched air strikes near Suran on terrorists, the term used by Damascus for all those fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad.It gave no further details.IS captured Suran a week ago and has been fighting an alliance of rebels including Al-Nusra and Islamist Ahrar al-Sham in the surrounding area.Both Al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham have been targeted in US-led raids and like IS, Al-Nusra is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Washington.IS has been seeking to expand its territory by seizing the Aleppo towns of Marea and Azaz, which lie on key supply routes for rival rebels.Online, IS supporters accused Al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham of collaborating with the US-led coalition, denouncing them as Americas spies and collaborators with the crusader coalition.Despite sharing a jihadist ideology, Al-Nusra and IS are fierce rivals, with IS seeking to expand its self-declared caliphate in territory it holds in Syria and Iraq.Al-Nusra pledges allegiance to Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, but has for now confined its ambitions to Syria and has allied with conservative Islamist groups fighting the regime and IS.The US-led coalition began its air campaign in Syria last September but the majority of its strikes have been confined to areas where IS has undisputed control or is battling Kurdish forces.Syrias conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations but descended into a brutal war after a regime crackdown.It has evolved into a complex battle with multiple fronts, and involving the regime, rebels, jihadists and Kurdish forces.On Sunday in northeastern Syria, the Observatory and Syrian state media said government troops had pushed IS fighters back from Hasakeh city after fierce fighting.IS began an assault on the city, which is capital of the province of the same name, on May 30 and by Thursday advanced to the citys southern entrance.But the Observatory said the jihadists had pulled back two kilometres after heavy fighting.At least 119 people have been killed since the assault began, among them 71 regime forces and 48 IS fighters, 11 of them suicide bombers.Syrias official SANA news agency also reported the fighting, saying the army had retaken several positions captured by IS in recent days, including an electricity station and a prison being used as a military base.The Observatory said fighting was now continuing in the area near the prison.Control of Hasakeh city is shared between government forces and Kurdish fighters, who did not initially enter into combat against IS.But the Observatory said Kurdish forces began fighting IS on the outskirts of the areas under their control in the west of the city on Saturday night.Syrias Kurds have walked a careful line in the countrys conflict, declining to join the uprising directly, but also not fighting alongside the regime.In Hasakeh, they share control of the citys security with regime forces, but the arrangement has been tense at times with occasional skirmishes breaking out.Also on Sunday, the Observatory reported that 17 people were killed in three barrel bomb attacks launched by regime forces in the north of the central province of Homs.

Karachi: 3 gang war accused killed in encounter with Rangers, police

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - According to details, three gang war accused were killed in two separate armed encounter with Ranger and police in different parts of Karachi on Sunday.Gang war accused Shahid alias Bodoo was killed in encounter with law enforcement agencies in Chakiwara area on Karachi.A Rangers spokesperson informed that Shahid belonged to Uzair Baloch group and was involved in target killing of 18 persons.In another incident, gang war accused opened fire at Rangers and police during a search operation at Alfalah Road in Lyari. The law enforcement agencies returned the fire as a result two gang war accused were killed.The deceased were identified as Muhammad alias Baba and Abdullah. Rangers spokesperson informed that Muhammad alias Baba was involved in killing of 10 people while Abdullah was involved in target killing of 17 people. The spokesperson further informed that Muhammad alias Baba and Abdullah belonged to Baba Ladla group.

Haroonabad: 5 of a family killed in road accident

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HAROONABAD (Dunya News) - According to details, five members of the same family were killed when a passenger van collided with a trailer at Fort Abbas Road near Haroonabad on early Monday morning.Two women are among the dead. At least 14 people also sustained injuries in the accident. The ill-fated family was going to Haroonabad from Chichawatni to attend a funeral.

Pillion riding banned in Quetta

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QUETTA (Dunya News) - Balochistan Home Department has banned pillion riding in Quetta and also imposed Section 144 in provincial capital on Sunday, Dunya News reported.Ban of pillion riding was imposed after terrorists riding on motorcycle opened indiscriminate firing at shops at Circular Road at Meezan Chowk area and killed five members of Hazara community.On the other hand, police conducted a search operation in Kharootabad area of Quetta on late Sunday night and arrested two target killers involved in killing five persons. Explosives and arms were also recovered from the arrested persons.

Loss to Wawrinka in French final denies Djokovic career Slam

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PARIS (AP) - Moments before his third French Open final in four years, Novak Djokovic jogged in a stadium hallway near a poster of the Coupe des Mousquetaires, the silver trophy awarded to the mens champion at the only major tournament he has never won.This time, it would be Stan Wawrinka standing between the No. 1-seeded Djokovic and the title at Roland Garros that the Serb needs for a career Grand Slam.And once again, Djokovic came up one victory shy, stopped by the eighth-seeded Wawrinka and his magical, one-handed backhand. Wawrinka won his first French Open championship and second major title by stunning Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a superbly played match Sunday.I know hes looking for that title, Wawrinka said. I hope he will get one, one day, because he deserves one.Wawrinka exited in the first round in Paris a year ago. And he had lost 17 of his past 20 matches against Djokovic. But Wawrinka would not relent on this sunlit afternoon, compiling twice as many winners, 60 to 30.Certainly one of the best matches of my career, Wawrinka said, if not the best.That beautiful backhand of his was a big reason; one even made its way around the net post before landing on the red clay.Another backhand earned the matchs last break, to 5-4 in the fourth set. And, fittingly, yet another finished off Djokovics 28-match winning streak.Djokovic called the stroke one of the best one-handed backhands that I have seen.The 30-year-old Wawrinka, so long in the shadow of his Swiss Davis Cup teammate and pal Roger Federer, added to the championship he won at last years Australian Open. Thats when Wawrinka became the first man in 21 years to beat the top two seeds en route to a Grand Slam title. He duplicated that in Paris, eliminating No. 2 Federer in the quarterfinals before toppling Djokovic.When Djokovic received the silver plate given to the losing finalist, the spectators gave him an unusually long ovation. Djokovic shook his head and his eyes welled with tears.Not easy to stand there as a runner-up again, Djokovic said, but I lost to a better player who played some courageous tennis.The 28-year-old Djokovic has won eight Grand Slam championships: five at the Australian Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the U.S. Open. He must wait a year for another chance to become the eighth man with at least one title from each major.Djokovic came up short against Rafael Nadal in the 2012 and 2014 finals. He cleared that hurdle this year, defeating the nine-time champion in the quarterfinals. Djokovic then defeated Andy Murray in a two-day, five-set semifinal that concluded about 25 hours before Sundays start.Maybe in some important moments, I didnt feel I had that explosivity in the legs, but, look, at the end of the day, (Wawrinka) was just a better player, Djokovic said.Normally, its Djokovics sliding, stretching, body-contorting defense that wears down opponents, but he looked spent after lengthy baseline exchanges that went 20, 30, even 40 strokes.When he clinched the first set, Djokovic swiveled to look toward his coaches, Boris Becker and Marian Vajda, and bellowed. The trophy, propped on the wooden edge of the presidents box, stood but a few feet away, glistening.At that moment, it was but two sets away.So close, yet so far.Wawrinka broke to take the second set when Djokovic slapped a backhand long on a 23-stroke point. Djokovic spiked his racket, caught it, and slammed it a second time, mangling the thing. That drew derisive whistles from spectators and a warning from the chair umpire.You go through emotions, Djokovic said. Of course I was more nervous than any other match.By now, Wawrinka was the aggressor, and his shots kept finding their appointed marks. Djokovic made one last stand, taking a 3-0 lead in the fourth set. Wawrinka, though, reeled off six of the last seven games.When it was over, Wawrinka tossed his racket overhead. At the net, Djokovic patted the 2015 French Open champion, a frequent practice partner of his, on the cheek.Djokovic said later it sometimes seems as if all the attention others pay to his pursuit of a title in Paris ignores that others, such as Wawrinka, are just as intent to win.It feels like Im the only player who wants to win this trophy, and nobody wants to win it as much as I do, Djokovic said. This is completely untrue.

Wawrinka dashes Djokovic dream to win French Open

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PARIS (AFP) - Stan Wawrinka spectacularly shattered Novak Djokovics dream of a career Grand Slam on Sunday when he became the oldest winner of the French Open in 25 years.The 30-year-old Swiss claimed a famous 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory to secure his second career major after the 2014 Australian Open.It ended world number one Djokovics bid to become only the eighth man to secure a career Slam as he slumped to his third defeat in a Roland Garros final in four years.Wawrinka became the oldest champion in Paris since Andres Gomez in 1990 after just his fourth win in 21 meetings against the Serb.Its really hard to believe but it has finally happened, said Wawrinka, who fired 60 winners past the Serb.It was the match of my life. But bravo to Novak, its a great challenge, the biggest one to play him.Its a special moment for me.Sundays shock defeat, meanwhile, was only Djokovics third in 44 outings in 2015 and ended his 28-match win streak.It was also his eighth loss in 16 finals at the majors.Its hard for me to speak right now, said Djokovic who was in tears on the presentation podium.Id like to say well done to Stan. He has a great heart and I have all respect for him. He is a deserving winner.But Id like to say I will be back next year and I will try again.Djokovic, playing in his 16th Grand Slam final to Wawrinkas second, had the Swiss player under siege in the first set.Eighth-seeded Wawrinka had to save break points in the opening game -- which featured a 39-shot rally -- and the fifth.But the world number one broke through for a 4-3 lead when Wawrinka served up a double fault.The battling 30-year-old Swiss saved two set points in the 10th game -- one after a botched forehand put-away by Djokovic -- and then carved out a first break opportunity.That was swiftly saved and the Serb gobbled up the opener after 43 minutes, celebrating with a mighty, arena-shaking roar.Wawrinka cranked up the forehand winners early in the second set but was unable to convert two break points in the fourth game as Djokovics renowned powers of recovery made him an intimidating target to pass.Wawrinka saw another break point disappear in the sixth game.In the eighth, it was the same story as Djokovic saved another break point causing Wawrinka to violently smash his racquet into the net in frustration.But he wasnt to be denied as Djokovic surrendered the set in the 10th game with a wild backhand, collecting a warning for destroying his racquet in the Paris clay.Djokovic was playing for the third day in succession having needed five sets to beat Andy Murray in the semi-finals.He looked suddenly jaded and unplugged, fighting off three break opportunities in the second game of the third set.He dropped serve again to trail 4-2 and when he carved out a break point in the next game it was his first such morsel since the seventh game of the opener.It was no surprise when Wawrinka wrapped up the set in the ninth game with Djokovic having no answer to his opponents lethal battery of down the line backhands and pinpoint accurate forehand winners.Djokovic found a late lease of life for a break at 2-0 and held for 3-0 in the fourth set.But back stormed Wawrinka, retrieving the break on the back of a 30-stroke rally before Djokovic saved two more break points to go to 4-3.In a rollercoaster fourth set, the Swiss saved three break points in the eighth game and on the back of three of probably his finest ever backhands broke for 5-4.And it was another textbook backhand that won him the title on a second match point.Compatriot Roger Federer, the 2009 champion who lost in the quarter-finals to Wawrinka this year, tweeted simply: CHAMP.

Barcelona celebrates 5th European Cup with parade for fans

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BARCELONA (AP) - Thousands of Barcelonas fans flocked to the city center on Sunday to celebrate with their team a day after it won its fifth European Cup and completed a historic treble of titles.Having already won the Spanish league and Copa del Rey trophies, Barcelona became the first team to complete a sweep of the Champions League and its two main domestic competitions in the same season on two separate occasions. Barcelona first achieved the rare feat in 2009.Festivities ran through the night as thousands of Barcelona fans gathered near the citys main square after the teams 3-1 victory over Juventus.On their return from Berlin, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta carried the large, elephant-eared trophy down the steps from Barcelonas chartered plane at El Prat airport.Lionel Messi and the rest of Barcelonas talented team were then whisked to an open-top bus, which paraded them through the Catalan capital.The three trophies won this season sat on the top of the bus with the players and coaching staff, who ate pizza before setting off on the slow trip through the city under the late afternoon sun. They waved, took photos and shot confetti into the crowd lining the streets.The team was scheduled to continue the party at the Camp Nou. The club said the 67,000 free tickets for the event have already been snatched up.On Saturday, Barcelona beat Juventus on goals from Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Neymar, with Alvaro Morata scoring from the Italian champions.Barcelona, which last year failed to win a major title for the first time in six seasons, has returned to the summit of European football under first-year coach Luis Enrique. It has now won Europes top-tier competition four times in the past decade.Sundays headline for Madrid-based sports paper AS said Era Renewed, while Barcelona-based sports dailies El Mundo Deportivo and Sport both splashed TriChampions across their front pages.Barcelonas bus was decked out in the clubs burgundy and blue colors, a massive photo of the team and the motto Champions. A second treble. We continue making history.Xavi began the parade propped on the back edge of the bus with a red-and-yellow Catalan flag draped over his shoulders. After 17 seasons, the 35-year-old midfielder is leaving Barcelona with a club record of 25 titles and 767 appearances, and a Champions League milestone of 151 appearances.

Germany beat Ivory Coast 10-0 in Women's World Cup

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OTTAWA (AP) - Celia Sasic scored the fastest hat trick in Womens World Cup history and Anja Mittag also scored three goals to spark top-ranked Germany to a 10-0 victort over Ivory Coast on Sunday in a Group B match the second-most lopsided win in event history.Germany used a crisp, efficient passing game to dominate in the offensive zone.Leonie Maier found a wide-open Sasic at the top of the 6-meter box for her first goal midway through the third minute. Lena Goessling threaded a cross into the six-meter box that Sasic headed into an open goal in the 14th minute. Goessling struck again in the 29th minute with a pass that Mittag left-footed past goalkeeper Dominique Thiamale. Sasic completed her hat trick in the 31st minute, punching home a pass from Mittag, who completed the first-half spree in the 35th minute for her second goal.Sasic was replaced to start the second half, and Mittag completed her hat trick in the 64th minute, beating Thiamale on a breakaway.Simone Laudehr scored in the 71st minute and was quickly replaced by Lena Petermann, who found Sara Dabriotz with a cross through the six-meter box for Germanys eighth goal in the 75th minute. Melanie Behringer trapped the ball off a corner kick at the top of the box and drove it through the hands of Thiamale for the ninth goal. Alexandra Popp scored the 10th on a free kick from outside the 18-meter box in the 85th minuteThe two time World Cup champions own the record for most lopsided World Cup game, an 11-0 rout of Argentina in 2011.Ivory Coast, playing just its second international match of the calendar year and making its first appearance in the Womens World Cup, was issued six yellow cards in the game and managed just four shots on the German goal.Despite giving up 10 goals, Ivory Coast goalkeeper Thiamale turned in a series of outstanding plays to slow the German attack and turned in 7 saves.

Tiger Woods humbled, but not in panic, over his 85

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DUBLIN (AP) - One day after the worst score of his career, Tiger Woods played the final round of the Memorial just like it was any other Sunday.He wore his red shirt. He played at the same pace. He tossed blades of grass in the air to judge the wind and crouched to read important putts. The only difference was he played as a single. He even removed a flagstick by himself when his caddie was busy raking a bunker.Just because Im in last place doesnt change how I play golf, he said. Whether its the first day or last day, doesnt matter. Play all out.All out didnt get him much.Woods followed his 85 with a rough finish two double bogeys over the last four holes for a 2-over 74. He finished in last place at Muirfield Village, a course where he has won five times, and posted the highest 72-hole score of his career at 302.He conceded that it was humbling to shoot an 85 before thousands of fans, with nowhere to hide. But he didnt sound as though he was about to panic about his future. Woods chalked the score up to working on a new swing, and one of those days where he couldnt make up his mind which swing he had.This is a lonely sport, Woods said. The manager is not going to come in and bring the righty or bring the lefty. Youve just got to play through it. And thats one of the hardest things about the game of golf, and its also one of the best things about the game of golf. When youre on, no one is going to slow you down. When youre off, no one is going to pick you up, either. Its one of those sports thats tough. Deal with it.For us, unfortunately, you have those days and theyre five hours long, he said.Sunday was just under three hours as a single.He made the turn in 34 with three birdies, two of them on the par 5s. He hit five straight fairways at one point four of them with the driver.It was the finish that did him in. Woods hit one poor chip, and it cost him. After his wedge spun off the front of the green at the par-5 15th, he bladed a pitch about 30 feet above the hole and three-putted for double bogey.On the 18th, he got too much air under a 3-wood and had to play a big hook around the tree. It found a back bunker, and he had no chance to stay on the green. Woods laughed when he saw the lie he had in the rough.He chopped it out some 6 feet and two-putted for a double bogey.I was expecting to grind, he said. That to me is the fun part, going out there and just grinding and fighting for everything I possibly can out there after shooting whatever I shot yesterday, to be able to go back out there and get to 3-under par and keep fighting.Woods talks a lot about being stuck between patterns of his old swing and the new one he is trying to develop with Chris Como. Thats part of the process, and one he knows well. This is the fifth time he has changed his swing since his rookie year in 1996.Even so, he never had a score anywhere near 85 whether he was going from Butch Harmon to Hank Haney, or from Haney to Sean Foley. Woods has as many rounds in the 80s as in the 60s this year two each.Asked if his score Saturday felt like an 85, Woods replied, It felt higher.But he played Sunday as though the third round never happened. And progress often includes a few or 85 steps back.I had to go through those painful moments, just like I did at Torrey Pines and Phoenix, to be able to make the leap I did at Augusta, he said.The reference was to his 82 in the Phoenix Open and pulling out after 11 holes at Torrey Pines, leading to a two-month hiatus from competition until he could play the game to his standards. He returned at Augusta National with hardly a trace of his short-game woes and tied for 17th.Yesterday was the same thing, Woods said. It was just unfortunately on a golf course like this where you cant get away with much. It kicked my butt pretty hard.Woods developed a blister on the forefinger of his left hand this week. He said he probably would only putt for the next few days to let it heal, and then start working on his game for the U.S. Open. The one positive was that his 85 happened on Saturday, and not Sunday.Imagine going into Chambers Bay with the most recent score his highest ever.That would have been a lot more disconcerting, if I had shot yesterdays round today, he said. We would have had to probably do a little bit more work than what Im going to have to do now. We know that its close.

F1 leader Lewis Hamilton wins Canadian Grand Prix

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MONTREAL (AP) - Lewis Hamilton quickly put his Monaco pit stop blunder and everyone else in the Formula One field behind him.The reigning world champion won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, leading from the pole to the checkered flag with no threat from anyone except his Mercedes teammate, Nico Rosberg. Hamiltons problems in the previous race were also internal: A late strategic decision by his team cost him a chance at a fourth victory of the year.He made up for it the very next chance he got.Did I need this? he asked the cheering crowd after returning to the top of the podium for the first time since winning three of the first four races of the season.I think so, he said with a smile. I think so.A four-time winner on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and the current leader in the Formula One standings, Hamilton finished the 70 laps on Montreals Isle Notre-Dame in 1 hour, 31 minutes, 53.145 seconds 2.285 seconds faster than Rosberg in the other Silver Arrow Mercedes.Great to get back on the top step, said Hamilton, who expanded his lead over Rosberg in the championship standings to 151-134. It was a great race. I dont know how good it was to watch.Hamiltons only stumble was when he locked his brakes a few laps from the end, and other than that the main excitement was a groundhog wandering onto the track and then quickly scurrying back to safety. Rosberg briefly took the lead when his teammate pitted during lap 29, but Hamilton took it right back when the German stopped to change his tires a lap later.I was pushing like mad to try to put the pressure on, but he didnt make any mistakes, said Rosberg, who had won the previous two races. It was a good race. Unfortunately, I couldnt make it happen. But second place still OK.Valtteri Bottas was third, giving Williams its first appearance on the podium all season, thanks to a spinout by Kimi Raikkonen in the 27th lap. Despite posting the fastest lap of the day with an average speed of 126.7 mph (203.9 kph) the Finn finished fourth, right ahead of Ferrari teammate Sebastien Vettel.The 2013 Canadian GP champion and No. 3 in the points race, Vettel started near the back of the pack after failing to make it out of the first qualifying session. He was pushed to 18th on the starting grid because of a five-position penalty for passing another car with the red flag out in practice.But the four-time F1 champion steadily moved up and solidified his hold on third in the standings, with 108 points.Hamilton won three of the first five races this season and finished second two other times heading into the Monaco Grand Prix on May 24. He was leading there when a late crash brought out the safety car, and Mercedes called him in to change tires.Rosberg and Vettel passed him, and it was too late for Hamilton to retake the lead; he finished third, gritting his teeth all the way to the podium. Mercedes technical director Paddy Lowe apologized, but Hamilton insisted he was looking forward, not back.On Sunday, he said he was not discouraged by the strategic error because he knew he still had the fastest car.Asked if he was relieved to put overcome the Monaco mishap, he said, I didnt feel I needed to be relieved.The day was not as good for McLaren, with both cars failing to finish.Jenson Button had a disastrous weekend, unable to get onto the track in qualifying and retiring 16 laps early on Sunday. Fernando Alonso was the first one out of the race, complaining that he lost power in the 44th lap.After the race, Alonso tweeted to Button a picture of the order of finish upside down.Is this a bit better? he asked his teammate. Well, probably depends upon how you look at it.

Farah absent as Tarmoh upsets Felix in Diamond League

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BIRMINGHAM (AP) - Mo Farahs absence because of doping allegations surrounding his coach overshadowed the action in the Diamond League on Sunday, where Jeneba Tarmoh won a photo finish in the 200 metres and fellow American Marvin Bracy won the 100 in 9.93 seconds.Farah, the world and Olympic 5,000 and 10,000-meter champion, withdrew on the morning of the Birmingham meet, saying he was emotionally and physically drained after a week in which coach Alberto Salazar was accused of using doping practices for his athletes at the Nike Oregon Project.With Olympic champions Sally Pearson, Jessica Ennis-Hill and David Rudisha having previously pulled out, the fifth stop of the Diamond League was light on big names and arguably the biggest remaining, four-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix, was beaten into second place in the 200 by Tarmoh after both posted 22.29.I was shocked to win over Allyson, said Tarmoh, who ran 0.01 off her personal best from 2011. Now, Im definitely confident Ill get a spot on the U.S. team for the world championship (in Beijing in August).Another U.S. sprinter in top form before the national trials on June 25-28 is Bracy, a former wide receiver for Florida State who started competing in track in 2013 and is making fast progress.The 21-year-old Bracy said he felt a tweak in his right hamstring 10 metres into the 100 final but still ran a personal best to beat Britains Adam Gemili, who clocked 9.97 under 10 seconds for the first time.Both Bracy and Gemili clutched their hamstrings in the final few metres but while Bracy came through fine, Gemili tumbled to the ground after the line and was taken away in a wheelchair.Im ecstatic, Bracy, who ran 9.97 to win his heat, told The Associated Press. To come and drop 9 seconds twice in one day, and two hours later, lets me know moving forward to the American trials that I am ready to go rounds and can drop these types of times back to back.The trials are going to be amazing. We have a lot of guys dropping 9 seconds.Also, Olympic and former world champion Christian Taylor ofthe U.S. won the triple jump with 17.40 metres, and Dawn Harper-Nelson won the 100 hurdles in a seasons best of 12.58 and celebrated with cartwheels. Olympic champion Greg Rutherford of Britain won the long jump with 8.35.Farahs no-show was a blow to organizers and the spectators who were eager for a glimpse of Britains greatest ever long-distance runner, who was scheduled to contest the 1,500 metres to improve his base speed ahead of the world championship.A visibly angry Farah appeared at the pre-event news conference on Saturday, bemoaning the reputational damage done to him by investigations by ProPublica and the BBC that alleged Salazar violated anti-doping rules and encouraging doping by one of his top runners, Galen Rupp.No doping accusations were made against Farah and both Salazar and Rupp deny any wrongdoing but he feels tainted by association and released a statement hours before the Birmingham meeting saying he was returning to the United States to seek answers to my questions.This week has been very stressful and taken a lot out of me, said Farah.There was a smattering of applause when the news was transmitted to spectators over the loudspeakers before the opening event on a sunny, windy day in central England.And they had to wait until the third-from-last race for some real excitement, when Tarmoh, Felix and Britains Dina Asher Smith dipped at the line together. Tarmoh was awarded the victory and Asher-Smith was third with 22.30 for a personal best.I need to continue to work hard as I am a bit disappointed with my bend, said Felix, the Olympic 200 champion.

American Pharoah runs into history with Triple Crown

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NEW YORK (AP) - By mid-stretch, Bob Baffert knew it. American Pharoah was going to win the Triple Crown.He took his eyes off the horse to soak in the crazed scene of the packed grandstand. Fans jumped up and down, hugged, and tossed drinks in the air.The race wasnt even over yet, and the crowd knew it, too. Thirty-seven years of waiting to see one of the rarest feats in sports was almost over.The crowd was just thundering and I was just enjoying the crowd and the noise and everything happening, the white-haired trainer said. What a feeling.Finally, a Triple Crown winner. And this one was never in doubt.American Pharoah led all the way to win the Belmont Stakes by 5 ½ lengths on Saturday, becoming the first horse since 1978 to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes one of the sporting worlds rarest feats.Wow Wow jockey Victor Espinoza said moments after crossing the finish line. I can only tell you it is just an amazing thing.The bay colt with the unusually short tail easily defeated seven rivals in the grueling 1 1/2-mile race, covering the distance in 2:26.65 sixth-fastest in Belmont history to end the longest stretch without a Triple Crown champion in history.That little horse, he deserved it, said Baffert, who at 62 is the second-oldest trainer of a Triple Crown winner. Hes the one that did it. We were basically just passengers.American Pharoah is the 12th horse and first since Affirmed in 1978 to win three races on different tracks at varying distances over a five-week span. He won the Derby by one length on May 2 and then romped to a seven-length victory in the rainy Preakness two weeks later before demolishing his rivals Saturday.Baffert and Espinoza ended their own frustrating histories in the Triple Crown. Baffert finally won on his record fourth Triple try, having lost in 1997, 1998 (by a nose) and in 2002. Espinoza got it done with his record third shot after failing to win in 2002 and last year on California Chrome.I was prepared for somebody coming because Ive been through this so many times, Baffert said.Espinoza hustled American Pharoah to the lead leaving the No. 5 post and quickly got him over to the rail. Materiality was on his outside in second, but never applied any serious pressure traveling along the backstretch before falling away on the second turn.American Pharoah started kicking away heading into the final turn. He opened up on the field as he powered through the 1,097-yard stretch, displaying his fluid, springloaded stride in which he appears to float over the ground.Its just an amazing feeling that you have when youre 20 yards from the wire, Espinoza said. And then at the wire I was like, I cannot believe I did it.American Pharoah ran the final quarter-mile a stretch that has dashed numerous Triple Crown dreams in 24.32 seconds, faster than Secretariats time of 25 seconds in winning the 1973 Belmont.Thats a hell of a horse, said Gary Stevens, who finished seventh aboard Tale of Verve. The race was over in the third jump from the gate.After making his way back to the crowd, Espinoza took American Pharoah nearly the length of the sprawling grandstand so fans could pay their respects to the champion.As the horses were heading to the starting gate, owner Ahmed Zayat was overflowing with confidence and turned to his wife.I told her, Get ready to be the owner of the 12th Triple Crown winner, he said.Baffert felt equally good, sensing American Pharoah was on the verge of a winning performance when he saddled the horse in the shady paddock.I said to put him on the lead and go for it, and if he doesnt make it, dont worry about it, the trainer said, but he just kept on rocking and rolling.Sent off as the overwhelming 3-5 favorite, American Pharoah paid $3.50, $2.80 and $2.50.Frosted returned $3.50 and $2.90, while Keen Ice was another two lengths back in third and paid $4.60 to show.Mubtaahij was fourth, followed by Frammento, Madefromlucky, Tale of Verve and Materiality.American Pharoah delivered a victory for the Egyptian-born Zayat, who bred the colt and put him up for sale before buying him back for $300,000. His name came from the familys online contest, in which a woman from Missouri submitted the winning moniker, but the misspelling it should be pharaoh wasnt noticed until the name was already official.American Pharoah joined the exclusive club of Triple Crown winners Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed.A sign with American Pharoahs name and silks was quickly put up in the infield next to the 11 other Triple Crown winners.The crowd of 90,000 capped to avoid overcrowding and long lines from last years total of 102,199 roared as American Pharoah turned for home.Its unlikely the champion heard them since American Pharoah wears ear plugs to block noise that might get him worked up.Since 1978, the rigors of the Triple Crown had done in 13 other horses who won the Derby and the Preakness with 12 losing the third leg and Ill Have Another scratched with a leg injury in 2012. Their failures left the sport and its fans craving a worthy successor to the 11 previous champions.American Pharoah his tail shortened after being bitten off on a farm when he was a youngster turned out to be that horse.I was really getting to dislike this trophy its come with a lot of misery, Baffert said of the sterling silver Triple Crown trophy housed for the last 37 years in the Kentucky Derby museum.But its owed to the fans of New York that kept paying their money, showing up, hoping. They finally got it.Unlike Affirmed, who dueled Alydar in all three races, American Pharoah didnt have a specific rival since he was the only horse to run in all three Triple Crown races. Going into the Belmont, American Pharoah had beaten all of his seven challengers before.And when the race known as The Test of the Champion came?He passed, with flying colors.

5th person dies of MERS virus in South Korea

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SEOUL (AP) - A fifth person in South Korea has died of the MERS virus, as the government announced Sunday that it was strengthening measures to stem the spread of the disease and public fear.Sixty-four people in South Korea have been infected by Middle East Respiratory Syndrome since last month in the largest outbreak outside the Middle East. Hundreds of schools have closed and more than 2,000 people are isolated at their homes or in facilities after having contact with patients infected with the virus, health officials said.Acting Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said Sunday that there was no reason to believe that the virus would significantly spread further in the country.So far, all the MERS cases have been hospital-associated, and there has been no case of an infection in other social settings. We think we have a chance at putting the outbreak under total control, Choi told a news conference.While the virus has no vaccine, health experts say it spreads through close contact with infected people and not through the air.The U.N. health agency has reported that theres no evidence yet in South Korea of sustained transmission in the community.Departing from its earlier policy, the government announced the names of the 24 hospitals where the MERS patients have been diagnosed or had been treated before their condition was confirmed. This will allow people who have visited those facilities in recent weeks to report themselves if they are showing symptoms similar to MERS-related illnesses, Choi said.While the government had earlier identified one hospital in a city south of Seoul where the first MERS case was confirmed, and another in southern Seoul that has been a significant source of infections, it had been reluctant to release the full list of hospitals over concerns that it would cause a disruption in services if people started avoiding them.Choi said the government will also strengthen its monitoring of the hundreds of undiagnosed patients who are quarantined at their homes because officials believe they might have contracted the virus. It includes tracking their whereabouts through cellphone signals.More than 1,200 schools were closed at the end of last week in reaction to fears about the spreading virus, according to the Ministry of Education. The number will surely rise on Monday after education authorities in Seoul and the neighboring Gyeonggi Province on Sunday ordered more schools in their regions to participate in the temporary closures.MERS was discovered in 2012 and has mostly been centered in Saudi Arabia. It belongs to the family of coronaviruses that includes the common cold and SARS, and can cause fever, breathing problems, pneumonia and kidney failure. The virus has spread primarily through contact with camels, but it can also spread from human fluids and droplets.
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