Wednesday 1 July 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Second death after Taiwan water park disaster

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TAIPEI (AFP) - A second young victim died Thursday after being engulfed by a fireball that injured nearly 500 people at a Taiwan colour party, as organisers face charges after plumes of decorative powder ignited.Student Liu Chih-wei, 19, suffered burns to almost his entire body in the disaster, which saw crowds of young revellers overtaken by flames after being sprayed with clouds of multi-coloured corn starch at Saturdays event.Liu died in the early hours of Thursday, doctors said.Liu died this morning. More than 95 percent of his skin was burnt and his respiratory system damaged when he was admitted to hospital, a doctor outside the hospital in the central city of Taichung told reporters.After emergency treatment his family did not want to see him suffering any more and decided to let him go, the doctor said.Another victim, 20-year-old Lee Pei-yun, who had suffered 90 percent burns, died Monday -- the first fatality.Media reported that Lees 12-year-old brother was also hospitalised with 80 percent burns. Both were standing close to the stage when the fireball erupted, reports said.Around 1,000 spectators had attended the Color Play Asia event at the Formosa Fun Coast water park, just outside the capital Taipei, on Saturday evening.More than 200 suffered serious injuries and are being treated across 43 hospitals.Three suspects were released on bail late Sunday as prosecutors investigate them on charges of offences against public safety and negligence causing severe injuries.While it has yet to emerge exactly how the blast was triggered, authorities have speculated that heat from the stage lighting or cigarettes could have ignited the corn starch.The company that supplied the corn starch to event organisers Color Play Asia said it had warned of its flammability.

IS attacks kill dozens in Egypt's Sinai

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CAIRO (AFP) - Dozens of people were killed Wednesday in a wave of unprecedented attacks by the Islamic State group on Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula, in a major challenge to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.F-16 warplanes bombarded the militants as they fought security forces on the streets of the North Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid after striking military checkpoints in a surprise attack after dawn.Medical and security officials said at least 70 people, mostly soldiers, were killed in the attacks and hours of clashes, along with dozens of terrorists.The military said 17 soldiers and 100 militants had been killed. It was not immediately possible to explain the discrepancy.The militants withdrew from Sheikh Zuweid after almost eight hours of fighting, the officials said.The violence came two days after state prosecutor Hisham Barakat was assassinated in a Cairo car bombing, the most senior government official killed in the terrorist insurgency.Also on Wednesday, Egypts government adopted a controversial anti-terror law put forward after his killing that imposes harsher punishments on convicted terrorists and aims to target their sources of financing.In the capital, police killed senior Muslim Brotherhood member Nasser al-Houfi and eight others during a raid on an apartment, security officials and a member of the Islamist movement said.The Sinai attacks were the most brazen in their scope since terrorists launched an insurgency in 2013 following the armys overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.This is warMilitants took over rooftops and fired rocket-propelled grenades at a police station in Sheikh Zuweid after mining its exits to block reinforcements, a police colonel said.This is war, a senior military officer told AFP. Its unprecedented, in the number of terrorists involved and the type of weapons they are using.One car bomb attack against a checkpoint south of Sheikh Zuweid killed 15 soldiers.F-16 jets responded by striking the militants in several locations, said officials and a witness, who added: There are gunmen on the streets. They have planted mines everywhere.Explosions were heard and plumes of smoke seen over Sheikh Zuweid from the neighbouring Gaza Strip, witnesses there said.The Islamic State group said its terrorists surrounded the police station after launching attacks on 15 checkpoints and security installations using suicide car bombers and rockets.Troops regularly come under attack in the Sinai, where terrorists have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since Morsis overthrow.IS said the assault had involved three suicide bombers. In a blessed raid enabled by God, the lions of the caliphate have simultaneously attacked more than 15 checkpoints belonging to the apostate army, it said in a statement.Warplanes resumed strikes against IS positions into the early hours of Thursday, security officials said.In Rafah, on the border with the Gaza Strip, a 19-year-old was killed when a stray rocket hit his home during clashes between the military and jihadists.New anti-terror lawEgypt responded to its growing insurgency on Wednesday by passing controversial anti-terror law and requesting the appeals process be shortened, in measures it said would achieve swift justice and revenge for our martyrs.Sisi, the former army chief who toppled Morsi before winning elections last year pledging to wipe out militants, pledged to toughen laws and suggested fast-track executions following the state prosecutors assassination.The government designated Morsis Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group in December 2013 as part of a crackdown on the opposition that has left hundreds of his supporters dead and thousands in jail.Courts have sentenced hundreds to death, including Morsi, who was convicted of involvement in attacks on police stations. His sentence is being appealed.The government often blames the Brotherhood for attacks, but the deadliest have been claimed by the IS affiliate in Sinai.Wednesdays attack was similar to a series of ambushes on April 2 in which dozens of militants attacked checkpoints, killing 15 soldiers.In January, a rocket and car bomb attack on a military base, police headquarters and residential complex for troops and police killed at least 24 people, most of them soldiers.The attacks have come despite stringent security measures in the Sinai, including a night-time curfew and the creation of a buffer zone along the Gaza border.The dominant terrorist group in the Sinai, previously known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or Partisans of Jerusalem, pledged allegiance to IS in November.The militants have mostly focused their attacks on soldiers and police, killing hundreds since Morsis overthrow.They previously said they avoided targeting civilians but claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on a tourist coach in February 2014 that killed three South Koreans and their driver.

Yemen rebels kill 31 as UN declares highest-level emergency

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ADEN (AFP) - Rebel fire on a residential district of Yemens second city Aden killed more than 30 civilians Wednesday, as the UN declared its highest level humanitarian emergency in the war-torn country.Meanwhile in the central city of Taez, pro-government forces launched a manhunt for 1,200 escaped prisoners, including Al-Qaeda members, allegedly freed by retreating rebel forces.Both Aden and Taez have seen heavy fighting as loyalists of exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi battle to repel Shiite Huthi rebels with the support of a Saudi-led air war launched in March.Aden was Hadis last refuge before he fled into exile in neighbouring Saudi Arabia in March and his supporters have been battling to defend it against the rebels and renegade troops.The Huthis and their allies pounded the government-held Al-Mansura district of Aden with 15 Katyusha rockets, loyalist forces spokesman Ali al-Ahmadi said.The rocket fire began before dawn on Wednesday when the streets were busy ahead of the daytime fast observed by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan.A fresh salvo of rockets later in the morning hit mourners burying some of the dead from the earlier fire, the spokesman and witnesses said.The citys health chief Al-Khader Laswar said at least 31 people were killed, including three women and two children, while more than 100 others were wounded.Civilians were seen carrying bloodied bodies and calling for help as they piled them into vehicles and drove them to hospitals.UN highest emergencyOvernight, rebel positions in the nearby neighbourhoods of Dar Saad and Khor Maksar were hit by a series of Saudi-led air strikes, said residents.A coalition strike in neighbouring Lahj province killed 13 rebels, an official said.On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said strikes on the rebel stronghold of Saada in Yemens northern mountains had destroyed houses, markets and a school, in what could amount to war crimes.Across the border in Saudi Arabia, Yemens exiled Prime Minister Khaled Bahah accused the rebels of committing a war crime in Aden by attacking residential areas, laying siege on the city and forcing aid vessels to turn back.More than 21.1 million people -- over 80 percent of Yemens population -- are in need of aid, with 13 million facing food shortages.The United Nations on Wednesday declared Yemen a level-three emergency, the highest on its scale, as aid chief Stephen OBrien held talks to discuss the crisis in the impoverished Arabian peninsula country.Under the emergency plan, the UN will try to reach 11.7 million people most in need.All agencies agreed to declare the level three for a period of six months, said UN spokesman Farhan Haq.The health system is facing imminent collapse with the closure of at least 160 health facilities due to insecurity, lack of fuel and supplies.Qaeda members escapeIn Taez, Yemens third-biggest city, loyalist forces were searching for 1,200 inmates who made a mass breakout as the prison was captured from rebels.A loyalist source accused the rebels of deliberately throwing open the gates in an apparent attempt to cover their withdrawal.Between five and eight Al-Qaeda members were among the prisoners, a military source added.There have been repeated jailbreaks in Yemen since the Huthis launched an offensive last summer, overrunning the capital and then much of the country.Al-Qaedas Yemen arm -- regarded by the US as the networks most dangerous branch -- took advantage of the rebellion to seize the southeastern port city of Mukalla in April where it freed more than 300 inmates, including one of its leaders.The Islamic State group based in Iraq and Syria has also exploited the conflict, carrying out a string of deadly attacks against Shiite targets.United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed for an immediate two-week humanitarian ceasefire before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began on July 18.UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said Wednesday during the second day of talks with Yemens government in exile in Riyadh that he was still hoped a truce can be agreed.We are still optimistic that well obtain it, he told AFP, adding however that there was no immediate plan to resume peace talks that collapsed last month in Geneva.We prefer to go shuttling between the two parties until we can reach an agreement, he said.But Yemenis who had been forced to flee the fighting expressed their anger at the UNs lack of action to end the crisis.The world is just watching, while the people of Aden are being killed, Mohamed Qubaty, former political adviser to the countrys prime minister, told AFP.

Kerry says Iran nuclear talks 'making progress'

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VIENNA (AFP) - Talks between Iran and major powers towards a historic nuclear deal are facing tough issues but are making progress, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday during a break from talks in Vienna.We are working very, very hard and we have some very difficult issues but we believe were making progress and were going to continue to work because of that, Kerry told reporters.His comments, a day after negotiators gave themselves until July 7 to agree a deal, followed a meeting in the Austrian capital with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.Earlier Zarif said: We have made progress and we will make progress and we will use every opportunity to make progress.The foreign ministers of France and China, Laurent Fabius and Wang Yi, were expected to join the negotiations in Vienna Thursday along with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.The aim is to finalise a framework accord agreed in April under which Iran will curb its nuclear activities -- making any drive to make nuclear weapons all but impossible -- in exchange for relief from painful sanctions.

Yemen rebels kill 31 as UN declares highest-level emergency

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ADEN (AFP) - Rebel fire on a residential district of Yemens second city Aden killed more than 30 civilians Wednesday, as the UN declared its highest level humanitarian emergency in the war-torn country.In the central city of Taez, meanwhile, pro-government forces launched a manhunt for 1,200 escaped prisoners.Both Aden and Taez have seen heavy fighting as loyalists of exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi battle to repel Shiite Huthi rebels with the support of a Saudi-led air war launched in March.Aden was Hadis last refuge before he fled into exile in neighbouring Saudi Arabia in March and his supporters have been battling to defend it against the rebels and renegade troops.The Huthis and their allies pounded the loyalist-held Al-Mansura district of Aden with 15 Katyusha rockets, loyalist forces spokesman Ali al-Ahmadi said.The rocket fire began before dawn when the streets were busy ahead of the daytime fast observed by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan.A fresh salvo of rockets later in the morning hit mourners burying some of the dead from the earlier fire, the spokesman and witnesses said.The citys health chief Al-Khader Laswar said at least 31 people were killed, including three women and two children, while more than 100 others were wounded.Civilians were seen carrying bloodied bodies and calling for help as they piled them into vehicles and drove them to hospitals.Overnight, rebel positions in the nearby neighbourhoods of Dar Saad and Khor Maksar had been hit by a series of Saudi-led air strikes, said residents.A coalition strike in neighbouring Lahj province killed 13 rebels, an official said.On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said strikes on the rebel stronghold of Saada in Yemens northern mountains had destroyed houses, markets and a school, in what could amount to war crimes.Across the border in the Saudi city of Jeddah, Yemens exiled Prime Minister Khaled Bahah accused the rebels of committing a war crime in Aden by attacking residential areas, laying siege on the city, and forcing aid vessels to turn back.On the humanitarian front, the United Nations declared Yemen a level-3 emergency, the highest on its scale.UN aid chief Stephen OBrien met with heads of agencies to discuss the crisis in the impoverished Arabian peninsula country.All agencies agreed to declare the level three for a period of six months, said UN spokesman Farhan Haq.More than 21.1 million people -- over 80 percent of Yemens population -- are in need of aid, with 13 million facing food shortages.Under the emergency plan, the United Nations will try to reach 11.7 million people most in need.The health system is facing imminent collapse with the closure of at least 160 health facilities due to insecurity, lack of fuel and supplies, Haq said.In Taez, Yemens third biggest city, loyalist forces were searching for 1,200 inmates, including Al-Qaeda members, who made a mass breakout as the prison was captured from rebel forces.A loyalist source accused the rebels of deliberately throwing open the gates in an apparent attempt to cover their withdrawal.Between five and eight Al-Qaeda members were among the prisoners, a military source said.There have been repeated jailbreaks in Yemen since the Huthis launched an offensive last summer, overrunning the capital and then much of the country.Al-Qaedas Yemen arm took advantage of the rebellion to seize the southeastern port city of Mukalla in April where it freed more than 300 inmates, including one of its leaders.The United States regards Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula as the networks most dangerous branch and has kept up a drone war against its leaders.But the Islamic State group too has exploited the conflict, carrying out a string of deadly attacks against Shiite targets.The United Nations has called repeatedly for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow the delivery of relief supplies.UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived on Wednesday night at a conference centre in Riyadh for more talks with the government in exile.He was greeted by about 10 former Aden residents who pleaded for UN help for their city.Faiza Abduragib, who said she fled Aden more than three weeks ago when reblels bombed her house, wagged her finger at Cheikh Ahmed and shouted that the UN didnt do anything to protect civilians there.

UN declares highest-level aid emergency in Yemen

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The United Nations on Wednesday declared Yemen a level-3 humanitarian emergency, the highest on its scale, to step up urgently-needed international aid for the war-torn country.UN aid chief Stephen OBrien met with heads of agencies to discuss the crisis in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes to push back a rebel offensive.All agencies agreed to declare the level three for a period of six months, said UN spokesman Farhan Haq.More than 21.1 million people -- over 80 percent of Yemens population -- are in need of aid, with 13 million facing food shortages.Access to water has become difficult for 9.4 million people, according to the UN.Under the emergency plan, the United Nations will try to reach 11.7 million people in Yemen who are the most in need.The health system is facing imminent collapse with the closure of at least 160 health facilities due to insecurity, lack of fuel and supplies, he said.UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has repeatedly called for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow badly-needed aid to be delivered to civilians suffering from the air war and the rebel offensives.The United Nations has also pushed the coalition to allow more commercial cargo ships to reach ports in Yemen, which is heavily dependent on imports of food, fuel and other vital supplies.Ten of Yemens 22 governorates are classified as food emergencies -- one step below famine, according to the UN.Yemen slid deeper into turmoil when the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes in late March to stop an advance by the Iran-backed Huthi rebels who drove the president into exile.Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are demanding that the Huthis pull back from territory seized in their offensive and that President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi be restored to power.A week of UN-brokered talks in Geneva earlier this month failed to narrow differences.

Police raid in Cairo kills 9 Brotherhood members

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CAIRO (AFP) - An Egyptian police raid on an apartment in Cairo killed nine wanted men including senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Nasser al-Houfi on Wednesday, security officials and the Brotherhood said.The raid the 6th of October district came as security forces were engaged in fierce fighting with Islamic State group jihadists in the Sinai Peninsula, in which at least 70 soldiers and civilians, have been killed.Security officials said the nine terrorists killed in the capital were wanted for vandalism and violence.When police went to arrest them, the militants opened fire and the nine were killed in the ensuing gun battle, a security official said.But the Muslim Brotherhood said the dead were leaders from the blacklisted Islamist movement.Egyptian police assassinates 9 Muslim Brotherhood leaders during a meeting to discuss support to families of (political) detainees/martyrs, it said on Twitter in English.A lawyer for the Brotherhood said the dead included Nasser al-Houfi, a former parliamentarian from the Islamist group.In another tweet, the Brotherhood said the dead included Abdul Fattah Ibrahim, head of the committee for supporting families of political detainees & martyrs.The authorities designated the Brotherhood as terrorist group after the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 by then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

UN Security Council threatens sanctions over Libya deal

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Wednesday urged Libyas parties to sign an agreement to form a national unity government and threatened sanctions against those who stand in the way of a deal. UN envoy Bernardino Leon has submitted a draft proposal that he said could be ready for endorsement when peace talks resume in Morocco on Thursday.Security Council members said in a unanimous statement that there can be no military solution to the crisis in Libya and urged all sides to sign the proposal presented by the UN support mission in Libya in the coming days.They stressed that forming a national unity government is in the interests of the Libyan people and their future, in order to end Libyas political, security and institutional crises and to confront the rising threat of terrorism.The 15-member council said it was prepared to sanction those who threaten Libyas peace, stability and security or that undermine the successful completion of its political transition.A previous bid by Britain, France, Spain and the United States to step up pressure on the sides with sanctions was blocked by Russia and China.The United Nations has been brokering talks between Libyas various groups with a view to establishing a government that could confront the threat from Islamic State extremists who have gained a foothold in several towns.A surge of jihadist violence across the region, including the killing of 38 people, most of them British tourists, at a Tunisian beach resort on Friday, has prompted mounting international pressure for a deal.The United Nations hopes a new government in Libya would also be able to combat migrant smugglers who pack desperate refugees on rickety boats across the Mediterranean to Europe.Libyan factions agreed during Geneva talks in January to set up a national unity government to restore stability that has been shattered since the 2011 fall of Moamer Kadhafi.Libya has two rival parliaments and governments, with Tripoli controlled by Libya Dawn forces who seized the capital last year, forcing the internationally recognized government to operate out of Tobruk, in the northeast of the country.

Solar Impulse two-thirds of way from Japan to Hawaii

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A solar-powered aircraft flying from Japan to Hawaii on the most perilous leg of a round-the-globe bid has passed the two-thirds point, and was under 40 hours from landing, organizers said. Solar Impulse 2 had traveled 67 percent of the way to the tropical US state by 2100 GMT Wednesday, having flown 5,199 kilometers (3,230 miles) with 2,536 km more to go, according to the project. By that time the plane and its veteran Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg had logged nearly 75 hours of continuous flight, having already bettered the previous record of 44 hours they had set between China and Japan. Just doing some yoga exercises on a solar airplane after 74 hours of flight. Thats all. Regular day at the office, organizers tweeted with a picture of Borschberg apparently upside-down in his cockpit. The Swiss aviator is napping for only 20 minutes at a time to maintain control of the pioneering plane. He is equipped with a parachute and life raft, in case he needs to ditch in the Pacific.In its latest update, organizers estimated that it had about 40 hours until arriving in Hawaii, if all goes well.Earlier the plane, on the eighth leg of the global circumnavigation billed as the most difficult part of the adventure, had crossed a potentially problematic cold front, the project said. The experimental solar-powered aircraft left Japan around 1800 GMT Sunday -- the early hours of Monday local time -- after spending a month in the central city of Nagoya. The propeller-driven plane was originally scheduled to fly directly from Nanjing in China to Hawaii, but bad weather along the way forced a diversion to Japan that stretched to a month. Borschberg is alone and entirely self-reliant in the 3.8-cubic-metre (134-cubic-foot) unpressurized cockpit. Traveling at altitudes of more than 9,000 metres (29,500 feet), he has to use oxygen tanks to breathe and experiences huge swings in temperature throughout the day. He rests for only 20 minutes at a time and cannot move from his seat, which has a built-in toilet, as well as a parachute and a life raft attached. Solar Impulse 2 set off from Abu Dhabi earlier this year in a multi-leg attempt to fly around the world without a single drop of fuel. It has 17,000 solar cells and on-board rechargeable lithium batteries, allowing it to fly through the night. Its wingspan is longer than that of a jumbo jet but it weighs only 2.3 tonnes -- about the same as a car.

Dollar rises ahead of June US jobs report

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar rose against the euro and other major currencies Wednesday ahead of the June US jobs report.Forex.com analyst Matt Weller expects a potential blockbuster jobs report Thursday that could lift expectations that the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates more quickly. Indicators suggest the US added 263,000 jobs in June, after 280,000 in May, he said.Weller said 200,000-250,000 jobs would be slightly bullish for the greenback, while a gain of more than 250,000 would be bullish.But Kathy Lien, analyst at BK Asset Management, predicted the impact on the dollar could be limited due to the Greek referendum vote Sunday on creditors reform proposals.If Greece had already struck a deal with its creditors, a strong US labor market report would be significantly positive for the US dollar. But in this current market environment, a good number would only drive the dollar slightly higher as traders refrain from taking any major positions ahead of the holiday weekend in the US and the referendum on Sunday, Lien said.A weaker report should have a more significant impact on the dollar than a stronger one.

Azhar Mahmood keeps his cool to see Surrey home

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LONDON (AFP) - Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood kept his cool on the hottest day of the year in England so far by hitting a last-ball six to seal a dramatic four-wicket win for Surrey against Gloucestershire in their domestic Twenty20 tournament clash at The Oval on Wednesday.With temperatures in London rising to 36.7 degrees Celsius (98 Fahrenheit), the 40-year-old Mahmood showed he still knew how to finish with a flourish as his unbeaten 22 off 14 balls saw Surrey to victoryGloucestershires 20-year-old quick Craig Miles was the bowler to suffer, pulled over deep square leg for six by Mahmood off the final ball of the game as Surrey just got past the visitors 154 for five.Mahmood had also driven the second ball he faced, from slow left-armer Tom Smith, for six.Gloucestershire did not help their cause by sending down nine wides -- including one from Miles at the start of the last over -- and two no-balls in the closing stages.After the match, Mahmood said: I knew when I connected that it would be six. I had missed the previous ball, which was also short, and I thought the last one would also be short.There was a bit of a delay between the last two balls, as they discussed with the bowler what he was to do, and that helped me because I had a little bit more time to get myself calm and collected, he added.Gloucestershire captain Michael Klinger refused to blame Miles for the defeat.Craig bowled a fantastic last over to get them from wanting nine off six balls to six from the last ball. He also executed exactly what we asked him to do with that last ball -- so theres no blame on him, the Australian insisted.

Diabetes drug helps people lose weight: study

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MIAMI (AFP) - Liraglutide, an injectable diabetes drug that US regulators approved last year for weight loss, helped obese people lose an average of 18 pounds (eight kilograms), a yearlong study said Wednesday.Most patients were able to keep the weight off for the duration of the 56-week study on the drug marketed as Saxenda by Novo Nordisk, according to the findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine.The randomized, controlled trial was conducted at 191 sites in 27 countries in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.Patients in the study were 18 and older and each had a body mass index of 30 or higher.BMI is calculated by weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. The healthy range for most people is 19-25 BMI.Of the 3,731 people in the study, about two thirds were given the drug plus training to improve their lifestyle habits, and the rest followed the same lifestyle intervention but were given a placebo.The trial was double-blind, meaning that neither patients or doctors knew if they were dealing with the real drug or the placebo.Those who received the drug were given a higher dose (three milligrams) than is prescribed for diabetes patients (1.8 milligrams), and were injected with the drug under the skin daily.People in the placebo group lost an average of six pounds. Those who were given the drug averaged about three times more weight loss.A total of 63 percent of those in the liraglutide group lost at least five percent of their body weight, compared to 27 percent in the placebo group.Kevin Williams, chief of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Temple University Health, described the weight loss in the liraglutide group as significant.Williams was not involved in the study.Side effects included gastrointestinal distress, gallstones and a slight increase in breast cancer risk.Researchers said more study is needed on the breast cancer findings, and said it was possible that weight loss enabled more tumors to be found.This is another approach in tackling the obesity epidemic in our country, said Elias Siraj, director of the Diabetes Program at Temple University Hospital, who along with Williams penned an accompanying editorial in the journal. Fortunately, even modest weight loss of five percent to 10 percent makes nearly all medical issues more manageable.Liraglutide has been used at a lower dose for treating diabetes in recent years, and some patients noticed it appeared to help them lose weight.About 35 percent of adult Americans, or about 100 million people, live with obesity.Two other anti-obesity drugs were launched in the United States in 2012, but the treatments carry side effects and are not widely used.

Tennis: Ice-cool Serena defies heat to make third round

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LONDON (AFP) - Serena Williams hardly broke sweat in the Wimbledon heat as the world number one cruised into the third round with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Hungarys Timea Babos on Wednesday.With sweltering temperatures reaching a Wimbledon record 35.7C (96.2F), five-time champion Williams kept her cool to dispatch world number 93 Babos with 12 aces and 23 winners in just 59 minutes on Centre Court.The 33-year-old, bidding for a third Grand Slam title of the year, will play Britains Heather Watson for a place in the last 16.Im definitely playing well, which I never say, but I had two really tough matches straight off the bat so I had to pick up my game, Serena said.Timea, she plays so well, she has such a huge serve, so I was like Oh my God, its not going to be easy for me.I really had no option but to play well so far. But Id like to believe I have a lot of room to improve.Williams has swept to Australian and French Open triumphs over the last six months, taking her within two major titles of becoming the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1988 to claim the four top titles in one year.The American great also won the US Open to end 2014 on a high and is heavy favourite to continue that dominant run by taking the Wimbledon title for the sixth time in her illustrious career.With 20 Grand Slam titles to her name, Williams has another notable milestone in her sights as she sits third on the all-time list and is closing fast on Margaret Courts record of 24, with the possibility of equalling second-placed Grafs tally of 22 by the end of the year.Her failure to make the All England Club quarter-finals for the last two years led Serena to caution against labelling her as a certainty to become the first woman to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back since she achieved the feat in 2002.But, on this evidence, she is approaching peak form at just the right time.Serena, who could face a fourth round showdown with sister Venus, was never troubled by the out-classed Babos after breaking in the opening game of the match.That resounding statement of intent was enough to seal the first set and she raced through the second in even quicker time to complete a comfortable stroll.

Tennis: Djokovic, Sharapova breeze as Wimbledon endures record heat

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LONDON (AFP) - Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova breezed through at a sweltering Wimbledon on Wednesday where temperatures soared to a record 35.7 degrees while injury-plagued Japanese star Kei Nishikori was forced to withdraw.Defending champion and top seed Djokovic reached the third round with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Jarkko Nieminen which brought down the curtain on the Finns All England Club career.Djokovic will take on Australian 27th seed Bernard Tomic for a place in the last 16 as the Serb continues his bid to win a third Wimbledon and ninth Grand Slam crown.It was Djokovics sixth career win in seven meetings against the 33-year-old Nieminen and the two men exchanged a warm embrace at the net once their 92-minute Centre Court duel had ended.It was his last Wimbledon so I congratulated him on a great career, said Djokovic after firing 36 winners.Hes been around for many years and hes one of the nicest guys off the court and a great fighter on it. It was a pleasure to play him.Tomic made the third round by defeating Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)Fourth seeded Sharapova, the 2004 champion, outclassed Dutch qualifier Richel Hogenkamp 6-3, 6-1 in just over an hour and next faces Romanian 29th seed Irina-Camelia Begu.Sharapova, 28, hit 23 winners as she booked her place in the third round.With temperatures at Wimbledon at a record high of 35.7 Celsius -- beating the previous mark of 34.6C in 1976 -- the tournament heat rule was being used in womens matches.That allows a 10-minute break between the second and third sets although the rule does not apply to men.However, Djokovic, who has played in 40 degrees at the Australian Open, said: It wasnt as bad as I thought. People were talking about it and predicting really difficult conditions. But I didnt find it as difficult as I thought it might be.Fifth-seeded Nishikori had been scheduled to face Colombian world number 60 Santiago Giraldo on Centre Court for a place in the last 32.But the 25-year-old admitted that the left calf injury he suffered last month in Halle, which had forced him to retire in the semi-finals, was still a factor during his five-set win over Simone Bolelli in the first round at Wimbledon on Monday.It got worse in the fifth set of that match, it hurt so much, said Nishikori. It hurt to walk and run today so I decided not to play.As Giraldo goes on to face either German teenager Alexander Zverev or American wildcard Denis Kudla for a third round spot, Nishikori was left contemplating another injury setback in his career.Nishikori, the US Open runner-up last year, didnt play from April 2009 until April 2010 after undergoing surgery on his right elbow.Last year, he was forced to quit his Madrid Masters final against Rafael Nadal with a back injury which was still affecting him by the time the French Open came around.Nick Kyrgios, the temperamental Australian who knocked out Rafael Nadal last year, ranted and raved at officials for the second match in succession as he beat Argentinas Juan Monaco 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-4.The 26th seed faces Canadian seventh seed Milos Raonic who hit the third fastest serve in tournament history of 145mph in his 6-0, 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/4) win over 37-year-old German Tommy Haas.Raonic, a semi-finalist in 2014, hit 29 aces and 61 winners.Later Wednesday, fourth seed and French Open champion Stan Wawrinka takes on world number 48 Victor Estrella Burgos, only the second Dominican Republic player to take part in a Grand Slam.Wawrinka recorded his best Wimbledon performance by reaching the quarter-finals in 2014.Five-time womens champion and top seed Serena Williams faces Hungarys Timea Babos as she continues her bid to sweep a calendar Grand Slam and a 21st major.In other early second round matches, Bulgarian 11th seed Grigor Dimitrov defeated Steve Johnson of the United States 7-6 (10/8), 6-2, 7-6 (7/2), Belgian 16th seed David Goffin saw off Britains Liam Broady 7-6 (7/3), 6-1, 6-1 and French 21st seed Richard Gasquet got the better of compatriot Kenny De Schepper 6-0, 6-3, 6-3.

Tennis: Watson defies death threats to shine at Wimbledon

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LONDON (AFP) - Heather Watson insists she will never let the cowards who send her death threats damage her career after the British number one equalled her best ever performance at Wimbledon.Watson defeated Slovakian world number 72 Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2 in the second round on Wednesday and is the only remaining Briton in the womens singles.The 23-year-old from Guernsey next faces the daunting task of taking on world number one Serena Williams in the last 32.But Watsons victory was overshadowed by her recent revelation that she has been sent numerous sick taunts to her Twitter account, including several death threats.The unassuming Watson hardly seems the most likely candidate for such hateful abuse and she suggested most of the messages may have come from gamblers.I think those people, theyve got no life, Watson said.Theyre just kind of cowards thinking they can say whatever.I dont really check anymore really. But its become such a usual occurrence that it doesnt really mean much to me.Its usually always positive when I win. Its just when I dont win.It usually is (gamblers), because you either win or lose the money. They shouldnt gamble.Watson is adamant the abuse will never drive her off social media however.I use it. I really enjoy posting, she said.I think some people get sick of me posting pictures. But Im going to keep doing it.Watsons progress has been hampered by a bout of glandular fever that sidelined her for two months in 2013 and a rib injury last year.But her emphatic victory over Hantuchova equalled her best-ever showing at Wimbledon by reaching the third round for the first time since 2012, when she was defeated by eventual finalist Agnieszka Radwanska.The world number 59, who saved three match points in the first round against French 32nd seed Caroline Garcia, has never been past the third round of a Grand Slam in 18 previous attempts.And to reach the last 16 for the first time she is likely to have to cause a huge upset against 20-time Grand Slam winner Williams.Watson will be playing Serena for the first time, but she is relishing the chance to test herself against one of the all-time great.Ive never played Serena before, so Id love to play her, she said.Shes an amazing athlete, a great champion. Shes always the favourite for every tournament she plays.Shes probably the toughest opponent. But I feel like in matches like that, youve got a lot to gain, so its a real positive as well to play her.
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