Thursday 2 July 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Mexico army ordered soldiers to kill criminals: NGO

Posted:

MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Mexican military documents show soldiers were given a standing order to kill criminals, just days before the alleged extrajudicial execution of several gang suspects last year, a human rights group said Thursday.The Prodh human rights center said in a report that high-ranking military officers must be investigated for their responsibility in the Tlatlaya case, which saw 22 suspects killed in a warehouse.The case has highlighted again the governments controversial deployment of the armed forces since 2006 to combat drug cartels, a battle that has been rife with abuse allegations.One of the 37 orders issued in a June 11, 2014 regional military document instructs troops to operate at night in massive form and reduce activities during the day with the goal of taking down criminals in dark hours, as most crimes are committed at that hour.The Prodh center said the military uses the Spanish euphemism abatir (take down) to mean kill.At the same time, the order by Military Camp No. 22-D near Tlatlaya signed by a lieutenant colonel says operations must be conducted with strict respect to human rights.Nineteen days later, the army reported on June 30 that it had killed 22 gang suspects in the warehouse shootout in Tlatlaya, a town in central Mexico State, while only one soldier was injured -- a lopsided toll that raised questions.But a survivor later said that soldiers had executed several people who had surrendered, including her 15-year-old daughter.The attorney generals office has charged three soldiers with the murder of eight people in the Tlatlaya case, while four others, including an officer, were accused of violating their public service duties.But the governmental National Human Rights Commission said in October that between 12 and 15 people were extrajudicially killed.We are facing a completely illegitimate and illegal order that deserves an investigation over the responsibility of the chain of command: Who issued the order, who authorized the order, Prodh director Mario Patron Sanchez told AFP.The survivor and key witness in the case, Clara Gomez Gonzalez, made her first public appearance at a news conference organized by the Prodh center.My life is in danger, an emotional Gomez said, lamenting that she is at risk of kidnappings or worse following false reports that she was financially compensated.The only thing that I want is justice, because they executed my underage daughter, she said, before wiping away tears.Heavy costPresident Enrique Pena Nieto has faced anger over the human rights record of security forces following Tlatlaya and another event that shocked Mexico -- the presumed massacre of 43 college students by a police-backed drug gang in southern Guerrero state in September.Amnesty International and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights demanded this week that authorities extend their investigations to include other military officials.The defense ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos, a general, said in an interview with El Universal newspaper this week that the case has come at a heavy cost for the armys image.Unfortunately many people or groups who dont see the armed forces in a good light have already sentenced the soldiers even though the trial has not begun, he said, insisting that the suspects had fired first.Torture allegationsThe role of the Mexico State prosecutors office has also come under scrutiny in the case.On Wednesday, the prosecutors office charged seven of its own investigators with torturing the three women who survived the killings.Four of the investigators were detained while arrest warrants were issued for the other three.Authorities had been investigating 20 officials from the Mexico State prosecutors office over allegations of torturing the witnesses.

S. Korea injects $20 bn stimulus into MERS-hit economy

Posted:

SEOUL (AFP) - The South Korean government on Friday agreed to inject $20 billion into the flagging economy, which has been hit by the MERS virus outbreak and sluggish consumption.The 22-trillion-won ($19.8 billion) stimulus package was passed at a cabinet meeting of government ministers, the finance ministry said.The extra budget will help revitalise the economy and stabilise the livelihoods of ordinary people who have been affected the most by the fallout from MERS, Vice Finance Minister Bang Moon-Kyu was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.As of Friday morning, the virus had killed 33 people and a total of 184 cases had been confirmed. Forty-two of those remain hospitalised with 12 in critical condition, according to the health ministry.The 22 trillion won package includes an already-announced 15 trillion won supplementary budget and seven trillion won of other expenditures such as expanded investments by state companies and additional credits for exporters.The extra expenditure is expected to raise the economic growth rate by 0.3 percentage points this year and 0.4 percentage points in 2016.South Korea forecasts its economy will grow 3.1 percent this year and 3.5 percent next year.Despite lingering fears over MERS, the country is hosting two international sporting events this week -- the World University Games in southern Gwangju City and the ITTF World Tour Korea Open in the western city of Incheon.Scores of thermo heat sensing cameras have been installed at airports, athletes villages, sports venues and hotels, with some 600 medics monitoring participants.Nevertheless, some athletes have pulled out with a third of Hong Kongs 100-strong team opting to stay at home after the southern Chinese city issued a South Korea travel warning to its citizens.

Dollar eases after mixed US jobs report

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar slipped against the euro on Thursday after a mixed US jobs report and as investors awaited the outcome of a Greek debt crisis referendum.Ahead of the three-day weekend, with US markets closing Friday in observance of the July 4 Independence Day holiday, there was a bit of a caution overhanging the market, analysts said.The US Labor Department reported the economy added a solid 223,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent from 5.5 percent, but wages remained flat, underscoring persistent weakness amid moderate economic growth.The US jobs report fueled debate on the Federal Reserves plan to raise near-zero interest rates this year, with speculation focused on as early as September.What counts is the trend in unemployment, which continues to fall rapidly, said Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics.Shepherdson noted the 5.3 percent jobless rate is within the Federal Reserves forecast for the end of this year, and he predicted that the job reports for the coming months will be stronger than in June.Policymakers are now set up nicely to tighten soon on the basis that the labor market is normalizing faster than they expected, he said.Meanwhile, traders looked ahead to Sundays Greek referendum on official creditor proposals that could decide the nearly insolvent European Union countrys political and financial future.The referendum may be a yes/no vote on the bailout package but it is also an indirect in/out vote on the euro, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.Few Greeks truly understand the economic and social consequences of this vote and how more trouble will follow regardless of the outcome.... Either way, the one absolute certainty is volatility in the foreign exchange market, she said.2100 GMT Thursday WednesdayEUR/USD 1.1086 1.1053EUR/JPY 136.43 136.12EUR/CHF 1.0462 1.0480EUR/GBP 0.7103 0.7078USD/JPY 123.07 123.15USD/CHF 0.9437 0.9482GBP/USD 1.5608 1.5618

Football: 'Pitbull' Medel must master Messi

Posted:

SANTIAGO (AFP) - The Copa America final between Argentina and hosts Chile could turn upon a showdown between Lionel Messis brilliance and the combative Gary Medel, whose Pitbull nickname perfectly sums up his style.The well-travelled defensive midfielder Medel will have the near-impossible job of controlling Messi The Flea in Saturdays clash between two teams, arch-rivals who are each desperate for Copa success.Messi danced around Paraguays defenders as Argentina fired six goals past them in the semi-final this week. Medel provoked jitters for his side when he scored an own goal that put Peru level before Chile secured a 2-1 win to reach the final.Argentina captain Messi has now gone more than 900 minutes without scoring a goal from open play in an international game.But he has remained a world class threat who had a hand in virtually all of Argentinas goals against Paraguay.Hopefully I can score in the final, but it really doesnt matter if I score or if one of my teammates does, the most important thing is that we have accomplished our prime objective, which was to qualify for the final, said Messi.Growling MedelTwenty-seven-year-old Medel embodies the never-say-die spirit of the Chilean team which has never won the Copa. The Inter Milan player always seems ready for a rumble and admits that as a child he was always in trouble for fighting.I am a nice kind of crazy, Medel said in one British interview while at Cardiff City for the 2013-14 season.Medels kind of crazy is getting sent off for slapping Atletico Madrid rival Diego Costa (now at Chelsea) while playing at Sevilla. Medel was also sent off in the semi-final of the Under-20 World Cup in Canada in 2007 which was followed by a showdown between Chilean players and police in the car park after.Canadian newspapers said that Medel was shot in the back with a taser. He will not say what happened.But his passing is pinpoint and his rugged defending could be enough to unnerve Messi who he impressively controled in some La Liga battles.A parallel confrontation will come between Chiles Arturo Vidal, also no stranger to trouble, and Javier Mascherano, Argentinas midfield enforcer.Vidal has scored three goals in the tournament, one behind leader Chiles Eduardo Vargas, but had an infamous run in with the law after smashing up his Ferrari while returning home from a casino to celebrate a victory.Vidal forms the steel of the Chilean midfield while Mascherano, the Little Boss is the trusted old hand who backs up Messi for club and country and can weather any storm.Mascherano has called for calm ahead of the showdown between the arch rivals from either side of the Andes.I hope that people can understand that football is a sport, not war, Mascherano said.The past is the past. We must not put sport in the middle of politics. Chile and Argentina are brother countries, we have to show mutual respect, he added.

Steel firms warn of massive Mexico layoffs

Posted:

MEXICO CITY (AFP) - ArcelorMittal and other steel firms said Thursday they have laid off 10,000 workers in Mexico and warned that thousands more are at risk if the government fails to curb unfair imports.The global steel giant and Mexican firms DeAcero, Altos Hornos de Mexico and Tubacero took out a full-page newspaper advertisement urging President Enrique Pena Nieto to impose temporary tariffs on countries with no trade deals with Mexico.The companies also asked for new foreign trade measures to make sure the industry is protected.The gravity and velocity of the crisis affecting Mexican steel companies require the adoption of short-term actions that halt the current damage and protect the source of employment, the ad says.The companies said they have already shed 10,000 direct and 40,000 indirect jobs, and that they would have to lay off another 7,000 workers if no action is taken.On Tuesday, thousands of people protested in the steel town of Monclova, in the northern state of Coahuila, over the layoffs by Altos Hornos de Mexico.The economy ministry issued a statement this week saying it was analyzing with the industry association, Canacero, the problem derived from the reduction in world demand, the overcapacity in the market, the drop in oil prices, the devaluation of the (Russian) ruble, and other (issues).We have placed particular attention on the risks represented by imports of Chinese products, the statement said, noting that 15 of 31 existing quotas are for steel from China.

Football: Sponsors will quit FIFA without reform - ex official

Posted:

LAUSANNE (AFP) - A former top FIFA official who left after criticising its president Sepp Blatter has warned that big sponsors will start leaving world footballs governing body unless major reforms are undertaken.Michel Zen-Ruffinen, who succeeded Blatter as FIFA secretary general from 1998 until 2002 when the latter was elected president, said he would be interested in returning to the body if order is restored to the scandal-tainted body.Zen-Ruffinen, a critic of Blatters leadership style left FIFA in 2002 after producing a report which accused the president of mismanaging FIFAs finances.Blatter said last month he would stand down as FIFA was left reeling by two separate corruption investigations.I do not exclude returning, but I would have to know who would be running the organisation and if he has the will to put things in order, Zen-Ruffinen told AFP in an interview.There will have to be a break with the past. FIFA will be forced to make certain basic reforms or it will lose big sponsors, added the 56-year-old.Asked whether he would be ready to serve under Michel Platini, the current head of UEFA, Zen-Ruffinen said why not.Zen-Ruffinen, a qualified lawyer who spent 16 years in various positions at FIFA, said the world bodys legal status has to be changed.First, I would change the legal status from an association and this would need a lot of thought.Zen-Ruffinen suggested a remodeled FIFA should take its lead from a Swiss business example.You need a structure under which the people who run businesses are subject to stricter controls like those for the top executives of Swiss companies which are very severe, said Zen-Ruffinen.In sporting organisations, the leaders do as they want.Zen-Ruffinen said that FIFAs 209 members should keep the principle of one country one vote but introduce two assemblies for decision making.For certain decisions this would give more power to the bigger federations.The European confederation, UEFA, the wealthiest in the world, currently has proportionately more seats on the FIFA executive committee than the other five confederations for Africa, Asia, Oceania, South America and North and Central America.Zen-Ruffinen said a committee of independent experts from outside FIFA and with nothing to gain financially should lead deliberations on the new structure.He said FIFA could follow the example of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which after a corruption scandal involving the awarding of the 2002 Winter Games to Salt Lake City, brought in an international group of lawyers, politicians and constitutional experts to reshape the body and restore its image.

Air strike kills IS leader in Syria: Pentagon

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A senior Islamic State leader who coordinated suicide bombings and recruited funds and fighters for the terrorists has been killed in a coalition air strike in Syria, the Pentagon said Thursday.Tariq bin Tahar al-Awni al-Harzi was killed in the northern city of Shaddadi on June 16, Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said in a statement.His brother Ali, an IS recruiter and person of interest in the 2012 Benghazi attack, was killed by an air strike in Iraq a day earlier.Washington had put a $3-million bounty on the head of Harzi, a 33-year-old Tunisian, and described him in the past as the IS groups emir of suicide bombers.As of late 2013, Harzi was a key figure in suicide and car bombings in Iraq, the US says.The Pentagon said his killing was a significant blow to the Islamic State group.His death will impact ISILs ability to integrate foreign terrorist fighters into the Syrian and Iraqi fight as well as to move people and equipment across the border between Syria and Iraq, Davis said, using an alternative acronym for the group.The Pentagon said Harzi was also responsible for moving people and material into Syria and Iraq and also raised funds to recruit fighters and facilitate travel.In addition, he supported the Islamic State group by procuring and shipping weapons from Libya to Syria, where the militants have taken large swathes of territory.He also worked to help raise funds from Gulf-based donors for the Islamic State group, the United States says, including about $2 million from a Qatar-based facilitator.

Tokyo stocks open 0.22% lower

Posted:

TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo shares opened 0.22 percent lower on Friday after US stocks lost ground following a mixed US jobs report, while investors awaited the outcome of a Greek debt crisis referendum.The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange declined 45.81 points to 20,476.69 at the start.On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 0.16 percent on Thursday to end a holiday-shortened week following mixed US payroll figures last month.The US Labor Department reported that the US economy added a solid 223,000 jobs in June. However, the report also said hourly earnings were flat compared with May and cut the estimates for job growth in April and May.A strong reading would have lifted expectations that the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates soon.Meanwhile, traders looked ahead to Sundays Greek referendum on official creditor proposals that could decide the nearly insolvent European Union countrys political and financial future.The dollar was at 123.05 yen early Friday, slightly down from 123.07 yen in New York late Thursday.A strong yen is negative for Japanese exporters as it makes them less competitive abroad and decreases profits when repatriated.The euro fetched $1.1085 and 136.41 yen against $1.1086 and 136.43 yen in US trade.

No racial motivation in US church fires: official

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Fires at six African-American churches in the southern United States do not appear to be linked or racially motivated, officials said Thursday.Preliminary investigations point to three of the fires being accidental, with the cause of the other three still to be determined, Ginger Colbrun, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), told AFP.At this time, there is no evidence that (the six fires) are linked or racially motivated, Colbrun said, stressing that investigations into all the incidents are still ongoing.Fears that the church fires might have been racially motivated were prompted by the fact that they occurred in the wake of the June 17 killing of nine black worshippers at an African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina.The latest fire, on Tuesday, gutted Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal church in Greeleyville, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Charleston.The same church was set ablaze 20 years ago by two young Ku Klux Klan members who later pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges.Later Thursday, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division released a statement saying its investigation was over and the cause of the fire was best classified as natural.The blaze broke out shortly after lightning struck the area.In a separate statement, Justice Department spokeswoman Melanie Newman said authorities were looking into the blazes across five states, but also found no links between any of them.Preliminary investigations indicate that two of the fires were started by natural causes and one was the result of an electrical fire, Newman said in a statement.Other black churches struck by fire since June 22 were located in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Florida, as well as a second church in South Carolina.US news media have previously said at least three of the fires were possible acts of arson, and that a fourth involved a tree limb falling on power lines.Tuesdays fire in Greeleyville erupted a few hours after the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) urged black churches nationwide to take necessary precautions.The hashtag WhoIsBurningBlackChurches trended on Twitter, with some dreading a revival of a wave of church arsons that gripped the United States in the 1990s.In a 2013 report, the National Fire Protection Association said 16 percent of the nearly 1,800 fires that break out at US places of worship and funeral homes every year are set intentionally.Under the 1996 Church Arson Prevention Act, the ATF is tasked with investigating the origin and cause of all fires or bomb attacks that occur at houses of worship throughout the United States.

Gulf ministers vow united stand against IS mosque bombings

Posted:

KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - Interior ministers of the Gulf states Friday vowed to take a united stand against a string of deadly bombings targeting Shiite mosques claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.Holding an emergency meeting in Kuwait, the scene of the latest suicide attack that killed 26 people last Friday, the ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states stressed the attacks are a threat to the stability of the region.Around 50 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in suicide attacks on three mosques in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during the past two months, all claimed by IS.The terrorist group has repeatedly targeted them in attacks across the Middle East.The ministers underscored the importance of coordination and cooperation in all measures and steps in confronting this serious epidemic... which is a threat to the security and stability of the GCC states, said a statement issued after the night meeting.Besides Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the GCC includes Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.The statement called the attacks criminal acts not linked with Islam and its values, which renounce violence and the killing of innocents, but did not spell out any new measures to stop them.Terrorist attacks that targeted places of worship aim at sowing dissent, promoting divisions, undermining security and terrorising and killing innocent people, the statement said.Saudi Crown Prince and Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Qatars Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Thani were among GCC ministers present at the meeting.The officials also expressed sympathy with Kuwait, which suffered the worst attack in its history last week with a suicide bombing that left 26 people dead and 227 others wounded.The Islamic State groups Saudi affiliate, the so-called Najd Province, claimed the two bombings in Saudi Arabia and the attack in Kuwait. The group has threatened to carry out more attacks in the two countries and also threatened Bahrain.

US calls for Burundi election delay

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States called Thursday for presidential elections in Burundi to be delayed, ratcheting up international pressure on the defiant incumbent Pierre Nkurunziza.More than 70 people have been killed in two months of protests against Nkurunzizas bid for a third term, as Burundi awaits results from parliamentary elections boycotted by the opposition and condemned internationally.Mondays polls -- declared not free or credible by UN observers -- kickstarted a series of elections, with presidential polls on July 15.State Department spokesman John Kirby urged Nkurunziza to place the welfare of Burundis citizens above his own political ambitions and participate in dialogue with the opposition and civil society to identify a peaceful solution to this deepening crisis.This solution should include the delay of the July 15 presidential elections until conditions are in place for free, fair and peaceful elections.The United States was also suspending several security assistance programs with Burundi, Kirby added, including training for the military.The Burundian governments decision to push forward with the June 29 parliamentary elections despite the complete absence of the necessary conditions for credible elections and widespread calls, including from the African Union and United Nations, to delay the voting further exacerbated an already dire situation, Kirby said.Opponents say Nkurunzizas bid for another term is unconstitutional and violates a peace accord that paved the way for the end of 13 years of civil war in 2006.

Google 'campuses' give tech startups room to flourish

Posted:

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - In a nod to its humble beginning in the garage of a Silicon Valley house, Google is building campuses around the world intended as fertile ground where entrepreneurs can flourish.A campus that opened last month in Madrid was the fourth such start-up nurturing facility opened by a Google for Entrepreneurs team at the California-based Internet titan.The first campus opened in London in 2012, followed by one in Tel Aviv and then a third in Seoul.We began as a startup in a garage 17 years ago and really believe in empowering the next generation of startups, Google for Entrepreneurs director Mary Grove told AFP.The goal is to foster entrepreneurship all over the world.Google plans to open startup campuses in Warsaw and Sao Paulo later this year.Hive of activityCampuses provide spaces for startups to meet, work, and learn. Partners are brought in to provide cafe services for which Silicon Valley tech companies are renowned.Each campus has large event spaces that groups can apply to use free of charge. The London campus averages four big events daily.Co-working desk spaces can be rented, with certain operations contracted out to partners such as TechHub, which provides work space for tech entrepreneurs, and Seedcamp investment fund.The campuses have about 20,000 square feet of space and 200 desks.Membership is free, and some 55,000 people around the world have signed on, according to Grove.She said the process of users going from being a new arrival to learning from mentors, meeting potential investors, and gaining traction is referred to as working their way through the building.Its a hive of activity and has a tremendous energy about it, said Frugl founder Suzanne Noble.Ive lost count of the interesting workshops and talks that Ive attended there and have really helped to grow my business.Her company is behind an app that helps people on budgets find affordable things to do and she is taking part in a freshly-launched London Campus program devoted to tech company founders over the age of 50.In contrast to typical startup accelerator programs, being at campus is more about sharing skills and maximizing use of resources made available, according to Noble.Wiki-kids co-founder Inbal Miron-Bershteyn attended a baby-friendly startup program for entrepreneurial mothers at the Tel Aviv Campus.There are mattresses on the floor for nap time and children are free to crawl around while their mothers talk to mentors, experts and women who have started companies of their own, according to Miron-Bershteyn.Diaper changing and breast feeding are accepted parts of the routine.Even sometimes a crying baby will be held by a mentor, Miron-Bershteyn said while describing her Campus for Moms experience.It is a great community, everybody comes together. It works, I think, on good karma. Mentors come for nothing and the women get encouraged and empowered.Wiki-kids is a talking encyclopedia tailored for children, launched just a couple of months before Miron-Bershteyn took part in Campus for Moms last year.Google DNAGoogle does not earn any revenue from its campuses, and did not disclose how much it spends on the facilities or the programs.It is such a part of Googles DNA, Grove said of promoting tech entrepreneurs.We have the tools to make startups successful, we know that more companies online using the Internet and Google products is good for Google in the long run.Startups out of the London campus have created about 1,800 jobs in the past three years and raised $110 million in funding, according to Grove.Along with startups flourishing on campuses, she hoped that the facilities themselves would be seeds for the growth of tech company clusters in neighborhoods where they are located.It is not about recreating Silicon Valley, it is about finding what is unique about cities and capitalizing on it, Grove said.

JIT formed to probe Gujranwala train accident

Posted:

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - A joint investigation team (JIT) has been formed to probe the Gujranwala train accident which claimed lives of at least 19 people including Pakistan Army officials.The joint investigation team, constituted on the direction of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, will submit its report in 72 hours.The JIT consists of two top level Army officers and two officials from Pakistan Railways. The team will reach at the sight of the accident at 10:00 today. The JIT will record statements of injured assistant driver and guard of the train along with other eye-witnesses and submit its report within 72 hours.

Football: Argentina, Chile poised for Copa classic

Posted:

SANTIAGO (AFP) - The prospect of leading his country to a first major title in 22 years is driving Lionel Messi as Argentina meet Chile here Saturday in a Copa America final clash of the golden generations.The three-week South American football showpiece reaches its climax at the Estadio Nacional with a dream final pitting the favourites against the hosts, and the stakes could not be any higher for both sides.Messi heads a star-studded Argentina desperate to write their own piece of history by winning a first international title since 1993, 12 months after an agonizing defeat to Germany in last years World Cup final.Chile, meanwhile, are anxious to finally shed their unwanted tag as the perennial nearly men of South American football, ending 99 years of hurt by winning a first Copa America.An Argentine triumph would crown a remarkable season for Messi, who less than a month ago completed a treble-winning campaign with Barcelona with victory in the Champions League final.It would also erase the sense of frustration Messi has often felt at international level, 10 years after he led Argentina to victory as a teenager in the 2005 Under-20 World Cup.This generation is desperate to win a title with the national team, Messi told reporters on the eve of the Copa America.As a team, we deserve to win something and it would mean so much after the World Cup last year where we came so close.Argentina striker Sergio Aguero, who featured in an Under-20 World Cup-winning side in 2007, believes defeat is not an option.If this generation of players dont win anything were going to regret it for the rest of our lives, the Manchester City star said.After a series of unconvincing performances in the first phase, and a nervy win on penalties against Colombia in the quarter-finals, the signs are that Argentina have hit form at the right time.Messi produced a scintillating man-of-the-match display in Tuesdays 6-1 semi-final destruction of Paraguay, setting up three goals and running the opposition ragged with a virtuoso performance.Standing in Messis way however are a Chilean team who know they may never have a better chance to finally end their nations long wait for a trophy.Since a 6-1 defeat to Argentina in the inaugural South American Championship in 1916, Chile have endured nearly a century of failure.While Argentina will join Uruguay as the most successful side in the tournaments history if they win on Saturday, with 14 titles, Chile are still waiting for their first crown after finishing runners-up four times.Chile have also never beaten Argentina at the Copa America in 24 attempts.Chiles own golden generation -- featuring the likes of Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sanchez and Claudio Bravo -- believe Saturday represents a now-or-never moment.This group of players has grown a lot, its the right time to win something, Juventus midfielder Vidal said earlier this month.There is pressure but we are very calm and anxious to show we are a strong team.

6.1 magnitude earthquake in China's Xinjiang: USGS

Posted:

BEIJING (AFP) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 struck Chinas far western region of Xinjiang on Friday, the US Geological Survey said.The epicentre was 164 kilometres (102 miles) northwest of the city of Hotan and 131 kilometres southeast of Shache, known as Yarkand in Uighur, the language of the local mainly Muslim minority.The location given by USGS put it on the edge of the Taklamakan desert, a vast and uninhabited region.The China Earthquake Network Centre gave the magnitude as 6.5.USGS gave the estimated depth at 10 kilometres, a default setting for mid-continental tremors when data is limited.China is regularly hit by earthquakes, particularly in its southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan.Neighbouring Nepal, on the other side of the Himalayas, was hit by a devastating tremor in April which killed more than 8,800 people.In May 2008, a 7.9 magnitude quake rocked Sichuan, killing more than 80,000 people and flattening swathes of the province in Chinas worst earthquake for more than three decades.Last October, hundreds of people were injured and more than 100,000 displaced after a shallow 6.0 magnitude tremor hit Yunnan province, close to Chinas borders with Myanmar and Laos.And last August, a 6.1-magnitude quake struck Yunnan, killing more than 600 people.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)